Love Is The 7th Wave

Chapter One - Audrey

It was very cold, it was pouring rain, but the waves were so perfect I thought they were drawn. Nobody was in the water, so I would have all the beach for me.

I put on the wetsuit and I took the surfboard under my arm. I was on the pier, enjoying the view, when I heard a bad sound. I turned and saw a boy bleeding on the road.
I laid the shortboard on the sand and ran toward him.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, unsure of what was he doing. "Yes, I was just mapping the dangerous spots in the town". He pointed at his skateboard. He had to be an idiot to skate in the rain.
I let my eyes focus on his face. Hell, he was attractive. He had a sharp jawline, big soft lips, a straight nose, and long, dark blonde, slightly wavy hair. But the most stunning thing about him was the eyes. They were so blue and deep that I thought I could drown in them.
I stayed at his game. "Oh, that's great. Can I have a map when you'll finish?". He smiled and, even in the rain, it was like a ray of sun trespassed the clouds. "Of course, Seashell". I've always hated nicknames, they're lame, but the way Seashell sounded in his raspy and deep voice made me rethink my entire existence. His voice was my second favorite thing about him. If depths had one it would be his.
"Give me your phone" I ordered him. "Do you think I can't remember your number?". He was amused. "Can you?". "I remember everything, I only choose to forget and I would never want to forget you, Seashell". It was becoming too much.
You hate clingy and cheesy pickup lines, do you remember? Or you chose to forget it? My mind was right. I was once a delusional girl, the neediest on the planet, the most romantic. I believed in the power of love and friendship, but I wasn't her anymore. I still had friends and I still believed that I would find someone to share my life with, but that day was not the third of November.
"Seashell? Are you okay?". He was... scared? "Why shouldn't I?". He caught me drowning in my thoughts. "My number is 555 211 1080". He typed every digit and saved it on his phone. Curious, he didn't ask my name or how he could call me.
"Aren't you asking my name?". "I don't see the purpose". I gave him a confused look. "What do you mean". "For me, you're Seashell. I don't plan to call you by any other name". That was cute, really cute and a little fucked up.
"I'm Audrey, by the way. Can I know your name or have I to call you by a hideous nickname like Storm?". Really? Storm? What is that? Are you a perfect idiot or what? He reminded me of a storm, actually. Even if his smile was warm and bright like the sun.
"Storm is not that bad, but I'm Aidan". I was begging for him to record a podcast or a song or an audiobook. His voice was too good to be heard by only a few people. I remebered the meaning of his name, I liked that kind of things. "Fire, uh? Do I have to call you Flame?". There was something fiery in him, there had been, but it was like someone suffocated him. "And you're strength. I like it, but Seashell suits you more". He was right, annoyingly right.
That day I went surfing only thinking about him. I didn't feel the cold, the tiredness, the hunger, but I neither felt the emptiness of my mind like usual. I only felt his gaze and his voice.
Surfing was the only thing I did because I wanted to. My parents didn't like it, but I was never meant to be a lady, I was a beach bum. In their favor, they never tried to stop me from going to the ocean since the Accident. They understood how important was to me and my mental health, and I'll always appreciate that, but I would love it if they let me be myself. I wasn't made to be polite, elegant and feminine in the most classical modes.