Two days later.
I was out for my morning run, I had my AirPods in and was heading back to the house, when suddenly my phone pinged from in my hand.
I opened the notification to see Wren had posted a picture, of her, Poppy and Bodhi on the beach, after I was sent home. It was captioned 'Besties.' She had tagged me.
I sighed, before continuing my run back to the house.
I arrived to see Wren and Ari in the front garden, with a tent set up, for tonight. Elo had organised a group camping trip for everyone.
"This stops now." I said, holding up my phone.
Wren: "Sorry?" She questioned, innocently.
Ari came out of the tent.
"Tagging me in photos I'm not even in."
Ar: "Is that all?" He scoffed.
I rolled my eyes at him.
Wren: "Sorry, Summer, I was just trying to make you feel included."
Ari put his arm around her.
"Do you not see this?" I said, looking to Ari but he avoided my gaze. "It's bad enough that she framed me in Byron."
I turned to look at Wren.
"Pretending to be my friend after is psychotic at best."
Ari: "Dad left a ridge tent for you." He said, completely ignoring my words. "In the shed."
I scoffed, shaking slightly.
"I need a shower." I said, before walking past them, into the house.
I walked into my room, after my shower, to see Ari stood up on the white wooden chair. He had dragged it over to the wardrobe, he was holding a box. A box of condoms..
He chuckled awkwardly, at the sight of me in the doorway. All I had on was my white towel.
He quickly put the box back on top of the wardrobe, against the wall.
Ari: "Uh.. I just had.." he stumbled over his words, as he slipped the small packets into his pocket. "Um.. there was some of my stuff in my room, I needed."
I nodded, slightly.
"Gotta be safe."
Air: "I.. I should go. I mean, you should get dressed." He paused. "If you want to." He shrugged, getting off of the chair.
Air: "You smell nice."
He sighed, before rushing past me and out of the room.
I was lying down on my bed, still in my towel, thinking, as music blasted through my small speaker.
I flinched at the sound of a knock, at my window. I turned to look, as I turned off the music.
"Baxter?" I questioned.
He didn't look through the window, just stared at the side of the house.
I sat on my knees as I pulled open the white mesh curtains.
He turned to look at me.
Baxter: "Uh.. nice fit. Don't change a thing." He smiled.
I saw he was wearing the same grey shirt with the wave on, that he had also worn to training.
"Do you even own any other clothes?" I asked and he laughed, slightly. "I can lend you some if you want." I smiled.
He just rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, a smile on my face.
"Well, I can go if you want?" He shrugged, smiling.
"No, no." I said, shaking my head. "I'm just, surprised."
Baxter: "Well, I figured after the whole Byron thing you could probably use a friend."
"And you're good at that?" I joked, raising my eyebrows.
Baxter: "Fair." He nodded, chuckling.
He looked at me, his eyes full of.. something. There was something about the way he looked at me..
Slowly I got up off of my bed and went over to the wardrobe. I opened the door and stood behind it as I looked for an outfit.
Baxter: "So, are you, like.. so totally grounded, or?" He asked, attempting a British accent.
I laughed, poking my head around the door.
"No. My mum still isn't getting involved."
He nodded. I pulled my head back around the door. I took my towel off and threw it onto the chair.
I heard the sound of him opening my jalousie window.
"You can stop trying to catch a peek." I said from behind the door, laughing slightly.
Baxter: "Sorry, I thought this was a peep show." He said, closing the window, and I could only imagine the smirk in his face.
I peeked around the door.
"In Shorehaven? Good luck with that." I smirked.
I pulled my head back, before closing the door, revealing my new outfit.
He stared at me for moment, before he spoke.
Baxter: "I'm flattered. Getting all dressed up for me, princess?"
I rolled my eyes. But in reality, he was telling the truth.
Baxter: "I'll be honest, though. I preferred the towel." He smirked, before it slowly turned into a smile.
I smiled and shook my head slightly.
He had come to my house on his bike, so I went and grabbed my own from the shed, along with putting a pair of short black shorts on underneath my dress.
We took off down the road at a steady pace, I was slightly ahead of Baxter, before he came zooming past me, he smiled at me and I quickened my pace. I beamed as we went down different roads, through alleys, not having any idea where he was taking me.
Eventually we came to a stop, after going down an alley, outside a white brick building.
Baxter led me inside and I could hear the sound of cans spraying. There was splatters of spray paint everywhere, across the floor, the walls even the doors. I peered into the rooms, there were loads of people, and lots of surf boards.. I knew where we were! I
had been here once, when I was a kid, Thommo had shaped a board here.
Baxter: "How are you?" He nodded to someone.
"So you're a shaper." I said.
Baxter: "I'm learning, yeah." He nodded leading me over to a room, where one of his boards was lying down.
Baxter: "But it takes years to get any good at this."
He walked around to the other side of the hot pink board, his hand on it, I watched from the other side of the board.
Baxter: "You know, I had an apprenticeship up in Queensland until we had to move. It's just a great place to get away."
"So you made this?" I asked, placing my hands on the board.
Baxter: "Yep. Just about to give her a hot coat." He said, grabbing two masks from the side and coming back over.
"Sick colour." I complimented, as he handed me my mask. "Matches your hair."
He smiled.
Baxter: "Just gotta add the hardener to the resin." He said standing at the table, mixing them together.
I stood behind him, watching.
Baxter: "That's what you want." He sand handing me a resin spreader.
"And then we just.. paint it on?" I asked standing beside the board again.
Baxter turned back to face me, the mixture in hand.
Baxter: "Yeah, we?" He began, standing next to the board. "Yeah, no. No, no. I've spent weeks shaping this board, sanding it back until it's absolutely perfect." He said, taking the resin spreader from my hand.
I laughed slightly.
"Fair." I shrugged.
Baxter: "You really think I'm just going to let you loose on it, Waves?" He said, handing the spreader back to me.
"I don't want to help anyways." I smiled. "I'd rather watch."
Baxter chuckled and nodded.
Baxter: "I bet you would."
We had decided to go and get a drink and take a break. Baxter had called it, his treat.
Baxter: "You can grab it." He nodded towards the drink on the trucks counter.
I smiled and picked up the smoothie.
The man handed Baxter his smoothie.
Baxter: "Thanks, man."
We started to walk away from the van, down the wooden pathway, both happily sipping on our drinks.
"Shockingly, Abbie's the only one who believes my side of the story."
Baxter: "She's not the only one."
"Wait, did Wren say something?" I asked, turning to look at him.
Baxter: "She didn't have to. I know how she operates." He chuckled. "You know, I did try to tell everyone it wasn't you. I even showed them it on my phone, I mean we were on call for almost the whole night but they wouldn't believe me. They said I was just covering for you." He sighed.
I smiled up at him, he had defended me, he believed and knew it wasn't me.
Baxter: "Look, my little sis, she's intense."
"I can think of some other words." I laughed.
Baxter: "But it's not all her fault. You know, it's actually kind of mine."
He paused for a moment, finishing his drink and dropping it in the bin next to him.
Baxter: "Alright, so last year at Nationals, I'm on Team Queensland, yep?"
We stood still, facing each other, as I listened to him. I held my straw as I took a sip of my drink, Baxter took the drink from my hands, the straw slipping from in between my lips.
I laughed slightly.
Baxter: "And it all comes down to us and New South Wales. They chuck our gear up a tree to try and psych us out."
He paused as he took a sip from my drink.
Baxter: "Didn't work. We destroyed them on the water. And then we partied in front of their Boardriders clubhouse just to rub it in." He smiled.
A smile spread across my face, I'd definitely do that.
Suddenly, his smile dropped.
Baxter: "And then, um.. someone dared me to set fire to their team banner."
"No more clubhouse?"
He smiled.
Baxter: "Minor damage."
I took my drink back from his hand, our hands touching slightly as I did so.
"So you're not a hardened criminal?" I asked as I continued to walk.
Baxter: "No." He replied, stood in the same spot.
"So disappointing." I smirked, taking a sip from my drink.
My drink, that his lips had also just touched.
Baxter: "Well, now that you mention it, the Queensland big wigs, their heads were rolling." He said, now walking a few steps behind me.
Baxter: "Elo got dragged into a meeting, then I got dropped. Permanently."
I stopped walking and turned to face him.
"Where are your parents in all of this?"
Baxter: "Where's the best swell in Indo?" He asked, looking down at me.
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up at him.
Baxter: "Chasing the stoke was always their number-one priority. Elo's been subbing in as a parent since I was, like, 13. I owe her."
I gave him a sorry smile.
He turned and continued to walk again.
"You know, you should have blamed it on New South, said their party got out of hand or something." I shrugged.
Baxter: "See you look nice, but you're actually the devil."
"You think I look nice?" I turned to look at him as we continued walking.
Baxter: "Shut up."
"You think I look nice!" I laughed getting closer to him.
Baxter: "Get away from me."
I smirked.
I took a step back from him, as I laughed.
"Okay, but none of this gives Wren the right to come at me."
Baxter: "No. You're right. She was a pretty big deal up in Queensland as well. Then she shows up here, dropped here in Shorehaven, no friends, no mates - has to start from scratch."
"I can't imagine that." I joked.
I had done the exact same thing.
Baxter: And she was making it work, for a while. With Goldilocks by her side. And then.. she meets you." He said, standing still and pointing at me, his finger resting in the crevice of my arm.
I stopped walking.
Baxter: "I think she just feels threatened." He said and I watched as his eyes looked me up and down.
"Of me?" I asked, almost as a laugh.
His eyes met with mine, again.
Baxter: "Summer, have you seen yourself?"
I couldn't help but let a huge smile spread across my face.
He smiled down at me.
I exhaled and began to walk again, Baxter followed behind me.
Neither of us mentioned the moment again, but we both knew something was there, it was undeniable. We walked back joking and messing around, the smiles never leaving our faces.
Baxter: "Yes! Yes! Come check this out." He said, grabbing my hand. "Come check this out!" He said again, excitedly, as we entered the room.
"Wow, it looks good."
Baxter: "Look at that." He said, peeling the tape off of the side. "Now, tell me, have you ever felt anything that smooth in your life?"
I placed my hand on the board.
"Never."
Baxter: "Never?" He smiled.
"Never." I laughed, slightly.
Baxter: "Feel it." He said, placing his hand on the board.
"I'm feeling it." I laughed.
Baxter: "You got to.." He grabbed my hand, gently, and slowly pulled it along the board. "It's like.. you gotta feel it."
He pulled my hand back up to the nose of the board again, and spoke as he dragged my hand along the incredibly smooth surface.
Baxter: "Yeah. When you shape a board, you get something that works for you. You know? For your style."
I nodded, bitting back a smile, the butterflies had returned in my stomach.
Then, using his thumb, he pinned my hand against the board, my palm facing up.
Baxter: "So, if you like to go fast.." he said, sliding the side of his hand across my palm.
I exhaled, focusing on him, instead of our hands, as he continued to talk.
The butterflies in my stomach started to disappear, but was replaced with this buzzing, almost like electricity.
Baxter: "or, uh... get some airs.." he said, lifting his hand off of mine, before bringing it back down, except now, his palm was against mine.
I looked back to our hands, I spread my fingers out and he relaxed his hand across mine, interlocking our fingers.
I turned my head to look back up at him. He was still looking at our hands.
"Or, um.. tighter turns.." he mumbled, as he finally turned his head to face me.
His sapphire eyes met my bronze eyes.
There was only inches between us.
He leaned even closer to me, his hand lifted from his side, moving so his fingertips could hold my chin up towards him. His head bowed, his face was getting closer, and closer to mine. Our lips were centimetres apart..
"We really should get to this camp." I whispered.
Baxter: "And now she wants to go." He whispered.
I smiled, stroking his chin as I stepped back.
He held onto my wrist, that was moving away from his face, causing me to stop.
He gently pulled my back towards him.
Baxter: "But I'm not letting you go that easily."
I smiled as I looked up at him, shaking my head slightly, we were back in the position we were in just moments ago.
Except this time, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he placed one his hands on my waist.
He smiled at me, before pulling my face to his, connecting our lips into a soft and gentle kiss, yet still filled with passion. I think it was clear, that both of us had waited for this.
I biked back to my house and got all of my stuff together, while Baxter biked back to his house to get his car, which already has his stuff in.
Baxter quickly arrived at mine, helped me put all my stuff in his car, then set off on our way to see the others.
We arrived at camp, late. Our surfboards, tents, sleeping bags and bags of our other stuff in our hands. We walked down the slope, towards everyone else, who already had their tents set up and their stuff unpacked.
Baxter: "You struggling there, princess?" He joked, as I almost dropped my tent for the fourth time since we got out of the car.
"What? It's not funny!" I laughed.
Baxter: "You're the one laughing."
"Why can't we have just done multiple trips!"
Baxter: "Because you're the one who was convinced she could carry it all in one." He smiled.
Elo: "You guys are late." She said as we finally reached her.
Baxter: "Elo, my favourite sister. How you doin'?"
He said in a funny accent, attempting to sound like Joey Tribuani from Friends.
I stifled my laugh, not wanting to anger Elo any more than we already had.
We dropped our bags on the floor, but kept our surfboards in hand.
Baxter stood right behind me.
Baxter: "Wait, no, let me guess.. Hill sprints for all." He said, joking, as he pointed at Elo, his arm resting on my shoulder.
"Don't listen to him." I smiled at him, pushing his arm off of my shoulder. "We're here to work."
Elo: "Mmm. I should hope so. After the disaster of that photo shoot." She said, stuffing her face with a bag of crisps.
I sighed, Baxter placed his hand on my back, comfortingly.
Elo: "No sprints. You two are gonna be cooking and cleaning for all of us for the whole time we're here."
Baxter: "Are you serious?"
I laughed at the shock on his face. We turned to face each other. He raised his hand to his face, his fingertips on his forehead.
I smiled, placing my hand on his raised arm.
Elo turned to shout to everyone.
Elo: "Okay, guys, frothlords, let's hit the beach!"
Poppy: "Frothlords!" She cheered.
Baxter looked down at me, sticking his tongue out and raising his hands like a rockstar.
I laughed, sticking my tongue out too.
Us girls were down on the beach, while the guys were out on the water. I huffed as I watched Ari take a wave from Baxter.
Elo: "Okay, girls! Comp conditions! Put pressure on each other out there. You're all enemies on the water now."
We were all walking back up the beach, our surfboards under our arms, the boys had gone back to camp.
Bodhi: "Did she even land a single reverse?" I heard her say to Wren, from in front of me.
She obviously didn't realise I was there and that I could hear.
Wren: "Right?" She laughed. "Yo, I've been surfing for, like, three seconds, watch me nail some sweet airs." She said, attempting a British accent.
They both laughed.
Poppy turned back to see I was right behind them. She gave me a sorry smile.
Bodhi: "Maybe she should stick to the trampoline."
Wren laughed.
Wren: "True!"
I expected this from Wren, but not Bodhi, she was supposed to be one of my best friends.
I scoffed, they turned to see me, but I just walked through the space between them.
Poppy rushed after me.
We were back at camp now and I was doing the dishes, of course, under the gazebo. I wasn't quite sure where Baxter had disappeared off to? I picked up the bucket of now clean dishes. I was walking up the slope, when suddenly I heard Baxter's voice. I quickly spotted him and Elo, he had his backpack in hand, she was holding on to his wrist.
Baxter: "I'm going.."
Elo: "Hey, hey, hey! For this to work, I need everybody to be here."
Baxter: "No, it's a joke." He said, taking his hand out of her grip. "You're a joke. It's the same thing every time.."
Elo: "Bax, if you leave, I swear to God.."
Baxter: "What are you gonna do? Are you threatening me now? What are you gonna do?" He pointed at her. "No?"
He turned and saw me, but he just continued walking.
"Bax, wait up."
He turned to face me.
"Hey. Are you bailing?"
Baxter: "Yeah, no. I'm just gonna go finish the surfboard."
"Seriously?" I asked.
Baxter: "Yeah." He nodded.
"You were gonna leave me with the dishes and not even say anything?" I joked, but he didn't laugh.
Baxter: "Um.. Sorry."
Something wasn't right.
"Hey." I said, placing my hand on his cheek, as he tired to turn away. "What's wrong?"
He dropped his bag onto the floor, gently.
Baxter: "Nothing." He said, placing his hands on my waist.
"Bax." I sighed.
Baxter: "Hey, I'm fine. It's nothing, I swear."
But I knew that wasn't true, it was clear there was something wrong. And he's only swearing to me, no promise? In my eyes, they're two very different things.
Baxter: "I'll be back." He smiled. "Later. I'm just gonna finish the surfboard."
"Baxter." I sighed.
Baxter: "I'm fine." He said, again.
I knew he wasn't gonna tell me what was going on.
"Okay." I sighed, giving in. "But, um, come to my tent tonight, we can talk. Uh.. if you want."
He smiled down at me, but I could tell it was forced.
Baxter: "Of course." He nodded. "I mean, I haven't set up my tent."
I laughed, slightly, but I think he knew it was forced.
I nodded.
"Okay, well. I'll see you tonight."
Baxter: "See you tonight, princess." He whispered, taking his hands from my waist and beginning to walk away, off to his car.
Elo: "Chop-chop, Summer. I'm about to do peer review." She said, passing me as I was still doing dishes.
I followed behind her.
Everyone had gathered around the fire pit. There was one empty chair left for me, between Ari and Bodhi..
Elo: "Alright." She said, getting everyone's attention. "Pull out a name and give some constructive criticism about that person's form." She said, easing a hat in the air. "Poppy, you go first." She said, passing her the hat.
Poppy: "Um.. Summer." She said, reading out the paper. "Summer is, totally fearless. It's actually pretty amazing to be around." She paused. "But.. she's not very good at reading the conditions. And she has this habit of dropping in on people when it's really not her wave."
I nodded.
"Fair."
Wren sniggered.
Elo: "Okay, Summer, that means you're next." She said and Poppy passed me the hat.
I plucked a piece of paper out.
"Wren." I sighed. "Of course."
Wren: "This should be interesting." She said, leaning against Ari.
"Uh.. Wren's an amazing surfer. Seriously. Footwork, stance, turns. It's all perfect, technically."
Elo: "And if there was something negative?"
"She has zero soul."
Griff laughed.
Bodhi: "Summer, seriously?" She said from beside me, disgust on her face.
I scoffed at her.
Elo: "Okay, enough. Enough!" She said taking the hat from me. "There is obviously some serious issues brewing under the surface here." She said, dropping the hat onto the floor. "So, we are gonna do a purge."
Gruff turned to Poppy, pretending his hand was a claw. Poppy looked unimpressed.
Elo handed Griff all of the pens in her hand, one for each of us. She then ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook and also handed it to Griff.
Elo: "Every negative thing that you're feeling about your teammates, I want you to write it down. Get it out of your system. Don't show anyone. It's for you only." She spoke, as she walked around the circle handing us each a piece of paper.
Ari handed me the last three pens, I took one, then past the two remaining onto Bodhi. She refused to look at me as she took them.
Elo: "And then after.." she started, reaching the front once again. "We're gonna burn all that negativity in the fire."
I was lying in my tent, writing in my journal, that I had brought with me. Wren and Bodhi were lying down in Bodhi and Poppy's shared tent as they wrote in their journals, while Poppy sat on a chair, outside the tent. Ari was sat on the cooler, leaning his notebook against his knee, Griff and Tommy were sat on the slope together, as they leaned against the ground to write.
It was now almost completely dark outside, we had all finished writing and had gathered around the fire Elo had made on the beach.
Elo: "Draw a line under this moment. All of that negativity.. all of those feelings.. they're gone." She said crumpling up the first piece of paper and throwing it into the fire, then continuing with the other pieces.
Elo: "Now, from now until Nationals, every last thought should be strategy.. technique.. and winning." She ordered, letting go of the final piece of writing.
Elo: "Pairs training at dawn." She said, before turning and walking away from us all.
It had been around an hour and we were all still at the fire, except we were all sat in groups now. Poppy was sat on a towel, between Tommy and Griff, Bodhi was sat on a towel on her own, but next to her Ari and Wren were sat, sharing a towel and leaning their heads on each other, while I was sat alone, on the opposite side of the fire to them.
Griff stood up and walked past me, to get more wood for the fire. I turned to look at him when he put the wood back down, he had a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.
"What's that?" I asked, nervously.
Griff: "Bodhi's becoming a total sheep. It's pathetic." He read from the paper.
It must have been Poppy's..
Poppy: "Griff, give that to me right now." She said rushing to him. She tried desperately to grab the paper but he held it up above his head, where she could not reach it.
Poppy: "Griff!"
"Griff, don't!" I said getting up.
Griff: "Or she just does whatever Wren says. It's like she just latches on to anyone who can help her make it as a surfer."
Wren shuffled away from Ari and next to Bodhi, she put her arm around her, she has tears in her eyes.
I went behind Griff snd ripped the papers out of his hands.
Griff just chuckled.
I shoved him.
Bodhi: "Wow." She said looking up at Poppy.
I approached the fire and quickly threw the piece of paper into it, making sure it burnt this time.
I walked back over to Poppy and stood at her side.
"To be fair, this isn't Poppy's fault. No-one was meant to see that." I defend.
Bodhi: "Too late." She replied.
Poppy: "What? So you didn't write anything bad about anyone else?" She asked.
Bodhi sighed.
Bodhi: "I wrote that you're always showing off. And all this hooking up with different guys in secret. Not caring how it makes anybody else feel. It's arrogant."
Griff looked at Bodhi, then to Poppy, confusion on his face. He then looked to me, he shouldn't have found out like this, this all just shouldn't be happening!
"Let's just call it a night, guys."
Wren: "No." She quickly said. "No." She repeated, standing up. "No, it's not fair that Poppy and Bodhi are the only ones. I think, I think we should all hear something."
Ari: "No, Wren, that's a terrible idea-"
Wren: "Ari, it's fine. Okay? I mean, I'm happy to hear whatever Summer wrote about me, seeing as she practically wrote an essay."
I rolled my eyes.
"God, I didn't write about you, Wren." I scoffed. "How narcissistic, actually, are you?"
Wren: "So, who'd you write about? Summer? Who'd you write about?!"
"Ari." I replied.
His head shot towards me, as he scoffed.
"You really want to hear it?"
Wren: "Well, I mean, you never held back before, right?"
I rolled my eyes.
"And you have, Wren?"
Ari: "What did you write?" He asked.
"I wrote that you're gutless. You're so busy pretending everything's fine that you're disappearing into your girlfriend's shadow." I said, pointing to Wren.
"You're desperate to avoid conflict and play things safe. But life's not like that, Ari! And you of all people should know!" I said, my voice raising, as I pointed at him.
I turned and walked away from the flames and the people I would have called my friends, except for Wren, obviously.
I was lying in my tent, hoping Baxter would actually arrive. I really needed him right now. Everyone was mad each other and I didn't how to fix it, I didn't know if I could fix it..
Bodhi and Poppy are supposed to be best friends, they're supposed to have an unbreakable bond, they have since they were kids! But right now they're not even talking..
The only person that isn't the slightest bit mad at me, is Bax.
I debated going down the the beach to see Poppy, as she was sleeping on the sand, next to the fire, but I decided against it as I wasn't certain that we were actually okay at the moment.
Suddenly there was a voice at my tent, but unfortunately it wasn't Baxter.
"Hey, Summer."
"Ari?" I asked, sitting up.
Ari: "Can I come in?"
"Um, I guess.."
I thought he might come see me, after what I had said.
I moved back as he unzipped the tent, and sat inside, facing me.
We both sat with our legs crossed.
Ari: "Um. I wanted to.. tell you-"
"Look.. We don't have to do this. I'm sorry for what I said. I take it back, okay?"
Ari: "No. No." He sighed. "You're right. As usual, Summer. You're right about me."
Suddenly, and quickly, he leaned towards me. Trying to kiss me!
"Woah!" I said leaning back, putting his hands out in front of me, against his chest.
I exhaled heavily, as I shook my head.
"No." I sighed. "No." I said, pushing him back.
He looked hurt as he moved back, away from me.
"I'm not doing this. I won't do this, you're with Wren! Oh, my God, Wren! What have you done?! You have a girlfriend!" I whisper shouted at him.
He looked down, I think he'd realised now how bad he had just messed.
Ari: "Summer.."
"No! Ari. What are you gonna do? Eenie, meenie, miney, mo to pick between us? Or maybe flip a coin?" I said sarcastically. "Let me save you the hassle, I don't like you like that."
His lips parted, before he nodded.
Ari: "I'm, I'm.." He stuttered.
"Gonna go?" I suggested.
Ari: "Yeah." He said quickly.
He unzipped the tent and quickly got out, rushing back to his own tent.
I poked my head out to make sure no one had seen, I went to close it again, when I saw someone.
Baxter.
Shit! This did not look good! Baxter just stared at me. He must have been on his way to my tent, like I had told him to do. He had the surfboard under his arm, he had finished making it..
He turned and began to walk away.
"Bax!" I whisper shouted, scrambling out of my tent after him.
"Bax!" I said again, as I ran to catch up with him.
He just continued walking, but his surfboard had disappeared? He must have put it on the rack?
"Bax." I said standing in front of him, placing my hands on his chest as I stared up at his eyes, that were so bright I could still see them now even in the dark. "Bax." I whispered, waiting for him to talk, but he didn't.
"It's not like that!" I said shaking my head.
Baxter: "Then why was he in your tent, Summer?" He shot back.
He was upset.
So was I.
I could feel tears in my eyes and I dropped my hands from his chest and looked to the sky.
"He tried to kiss me." I sighed and Baxter just stared at me, his lips parted. "But I didn't kiss him."
He didn't say anything.
I huffed.
"I pushed him away, okay?! Because he's not the person I want, Bax! He never has been and he isn't now!"
His eyes finally lifted enough to meet mine.
"He's not the one I want, Bax, it's you.."
And without another word, with no hesitation, his hands flew to my cheeks and his lips were against mine, immediately overpowering me. Both of his hands made their way to my waist as he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes, allowing him to stand up, slightly straighter. I slowly trailed one of my hands up behind his ear, tracing the three small star tattoos behind it. He caught my lip between his teeth, before we slowly parted.
I hit back the smiled forming on my face, as I looked up at him and looked down at me, his hands still firmly on my waist.
Baxter: "Good to know." He smirked. "Princess."
I laughed slightly, placing my head against his chest.
He let go of my waist and slipped one of his hand into mine.
Baxter: "Come on."
I smiled, happily.
We walked back to my tent and both quickly got inside, making sure nobody spotted us.
Baxter: "This is my stuff?" He said, picking up the pillow next to mine and pointing to his sleeping bag, that was rolled up next to it, and his duffel bag.
I nodded.
"You left it here." I shrugged. "So I brought it to my tent."
He smiled.
I told him all about what happened while he wasn't here, he listened carefully and reassured me everything would be okay, everyone just needed some time.
Baxter: "It's getting late, princess. We should get some sleep."
I nodded, my face brushing across my pillow.
We were both lying down in a double sleeping bag, that Baxter had just so happened to have brought with him. My back was against his chest, as we cuddled to keep warm, his head was resting on his arm slightly further up the pillow my head.
His other arm was wrapped around my waist, but slowly he moved it up to my face, tucking my hair behind my ear.
Baxter: "Goodnight." He whispered in my ear, before planting a gentle kiss on my temple.
"Goodnight." I whispered, as his arm returned to my waist.
I quickly drifted to sleep, easily.
He made me feel so safe.