0 4 | b r o n t e
RIVER THREW ME OVER HIS SHOULDER, spinning and tossing me into the water with a scream.
My back hit the water first, my squealing muffled by the lagoon as I sunk to the bottom. I laughed in the form of bubbles, kicking my legs to break the surface.
"River!" I shouted through a gasp of air, clawing at him. He laughed, easily pushing me back only to be tackled by Connor.
A laugh burst from my lips and I splashed at the idiotic pair. "Serves you right!"
He broke the water, opening his mouth to shout back only to be pushed under again by a cackling Connor.
I chuckled, swimming to the shore to grab a drink of water. Noon was fast approaching, which meant the harsh Australian sun was hitting at its strongest.
I paddled to the rocky shore, pulling myself up over the rocks to grab my bottle. Once it was in my hand, I sank back into the water, my eyes falling on Everett sitting on the shore as I drank.
He sat alone on the rocks, glaring at his phone. An unwelcome air had settled around him that practically warned us all not to approach – or else.
I rolled my eyes, heaving myself back onto the rocks, placing the bottle down and staring at Everett. I felt a bit sorry for him – he was probably bored, stuck as the newcomer in a group of friends who had been together for years.
He was probably feeling left out. I frowned. I had to include him, didn't I?
"Why aren't you swimming?"
He blinked, turning away from his phone to scowl at me. "Don't want to."
"You don't have water in America?" I teased.
He rolled his eyes, unamused. "I just don't feel like swimming."
"Don't tell me," I began cheekily, grinning snidely. "You can't swim."
"Shut up, I can," he growled, shaking his head.
"You can't."
"I can."
"Then prove it," I challenged, letting go of the rocks and falling back into the water with a splash. I swam a few metres back, sending a splash in his general direction. "The water's great!"
"I'm not swimming," he yelled back.
"Come on!" I shouted, twirling in the water. "You'll never see anything like this again."
He pursed his lips and I could see him turning the idea over in his head.
"You'll never find a lagoon like this in America! Come on, Everett!"
He blinked slowly, then paused. And with an eye roll and a sigh – as if I were forcing him – he stood from his seat.
"Fine," he shouted, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the ground.
I'd seen my fair share of shirtless boys – what with working on the beach every summer – but it had taken me by surprise. I felt my cheeks warm as he exposed his toned chest, his arms flexing as he lifted the fabric above his head.
I'd known he was strong from the way he'd held my wrists last night, but I blushed anyway. I shook the thought from my head.
"You have to jump," I teased, moving out of his way.
"I'm not jumping."
"You have to."
"No."
"Come on, Everett!" I pushed, raising a brow in challenge. "Unless you're scared?"
He narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare, but his lips twitched. "I know what you're doing."
"What?" I laughed, shrugging innocently.
He only rolled his eyes again, but his smile had spread completely on his lips now. It was goofy and wide and wholly unabashed. I blinked, stunned.
He stepped back before running forward to leap into the water.
I squealed, the crash of his landing splashing me with a wave of water.
"The American has entered enemy waters!" Connor shouted, swimming towards Everett to grab his shoulders and dunk him under the water.
My eyes widened. "Connor!"
A second passed and my heart leapt – maybe he actually couldn't swim after all?
But Everett broke the surface and pushed back, grabbing Connor's shaggy blond head and pushing him down.
"Yes!" River yelled, paddling madly towards us.
I laughed, watching as River teamed up with Everett, grabbing Connor's shoulders and dunking him beneath the water. Everett threw his head back in laughter, his dark hair turning sunburnt in the afternoon glow.
His skin was surprisingly tanned, although less than the boys who spent all day on the beach. His eyes were glowing in the sunlight and I wondered how I hadn't realised they were hazel earlier. In the light, they were almost green.
Suddenly, he turned, his eyes meeting mine. I flushed, embarrassed that I'd been caught staring, but he only smirked, raising his hand to point at me.
"Get her!" he screamed.
"No!"
I turned, trying to swim away, but two hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me into the air.
"Austin!" I sputtered, noticing his brown eyes staring up at me. He smiled mischievously.
"Sorry, Isla," he shrugged.
"No!" I squealed, twisting in his arms, but he let me go and I crashed into the lagoon.
When I resurfaced in a burst of bubbles and water, I met with Everett's cheeky grin.
"Don't you dare."
"Dare what?" he teased, his hazel eyes glimmering.
"I've punched you once before, I'm not afraid to do it again," I threatened.
"What?" River shouted, appearing beside me. "You punched him?"
"Oh, you're getting it now, Monroe," Everett snarled. He leapt forward, grabbing me and tossing me over his shoulder in a fireman carry.
"Let me go, Everett!" I yelled, wriggling in his grip.
"Oh, no, you're paying for that one, Monroe," he shouted back.
He spun for a moment, his arm holding my thighs dangerously close to my bum. I had the brief realisation that my bikini was definitely riding up, and my entire arse was on full display right next to his face.
I twisted to glare at him, but he wasn't looking at my arse – he was grinning at my face. He winked, then flipped me forwards into the water.
I screamed until I hit the water, turning and quickly resurfacing to see Everett had fled across the lagoon pool, along with River and Connor.
I exchanged glances with Austin who raised a brow at me. I smiled, nodding towards the other boys.
"Let's get them."
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By the time I got back to the Shack, my work schedule had become packed. My bikini dried on the ride back and I'd tugged my t-shirt and shorts back on. The boys stuck around for a while before disappearing into the beach, drawn by the ocean and the promise of waves.
I spent the next few hours answering calls, scheduling customers, and even helping Tom out with checking and maintaining the kayaks and surfboards that we rented out.
I held a rag in my hand, wiping down the kayaks that had just been returned this afternoon. My fingers ached, my face hot from the summer heat and scalding Australian sun. It had been an extremely long day. I couldn't wait to take a cold shower and a long nap.
"Isla."
I blinked, looking up from the kayak to see Tom's wrinkling smile.
"It's four o'clock, hun," he said. "You can leave."
"Are you sure?" I said, even though I was dying to go home. "There's a few more kayaks left."
Tom laughed, waving a hand at me. "Don't worry about it. An old geezer like me can handle a few kayaks."
I rolled my eyes, grinning, and tossed him my rag. He caught it with one hand.
"Thanks Tom, you're the best. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bright and early," he winked.
I laughed, sprinting from the kayak shed and entering the Shack from the back. I moved fast, my muscles tender, desperate to leave. Sand and salt and sweat stuck to my skin, and I was aching for a cold shower.
If I was lucky, maybe the boys would come over later to watch a movie – maybe Austin would come over.
I quickly packed up my duffel bag, shoving in my water bottle, towel, and pens.
I'd known Austin my entire life. We'd met as kids in surf club, learning to surf together, learning how to swim, how to give first aid. I had been incredibly competitive, always trying to surf better than him, learn more tricks, swim faster, win races. And he'd taken it on with a laugh, never really trying to be better than me but somehow always beating me.
It had infuriated me at the time, but somewhere along the way, that rivalry had turned into friendship, and then something more. At least for me.
He'd been to my house a million times, but I never got used to it.
I zipped up my bag, tossing it over my shoulder and exiting through the side door.
"Everett," I called, turning the corner of the Shack. I glanced the empty stools on the sand. He was gone. I furrowed my brow, my voice rising with panic. "Everett?"
I shook my head, trying to remain calm. When was the last time I saw him?
We arrived back from Isla, walked to the Shack as a group, and then... and then... I hadn't seen him since then. Work had become so busy – it had been hours since I last saw him.
I circled the shack, looking the beach up and down. He ran off earlier today to tease me, he must have just done that again.
Right, he must have just wandered down the beach and settled down with a bunch of tourists again. I didn't have to worry.
I turned, taking off down the sand. Most tourists had already left the beach, but it was still quite crowded. I searched up and down, looking from the sand to the water and between groups of foreigners. I asked every person I passed, getting vague answers of "I saw him an hour ago at the Shack" or "Sorry, I haven't seen him."
He was nowhere to be found.
My heart raced – now I was freaking out.
I took two more laps up and down the beach, the sun beating down on me, sweat building on my forehead. My shirt began sticking to my skin, so I peeled it off, revealing my colourful Seafolly bikini.
Could he have walked home? Did he even know the way back to the Clemente House?
I glanced back out at the ocean.
Could he have drowned?
Shellside Bay, being the small town that it was, had only a few lifeguards. And at this time, there was only one on duty.
The waves were merciless and rip tides were common, sneaking up on you before grabbing hold, refusing to let you go until water filled your lungs and you fell still. I glanced out at the inky ocean, hoping he hadn't been stupid enough to go out there himself.
By my fourth lap, my legs were sore, and my head was pounding. I reached the Shack again – they had already closed. I blinked, pulling out my phone and checking the time – almost five. I'd been searching for nearly an hour.
I groaned, my body sore and tired.
The lifeguards hadn't seen him. No one on the beach had seen him. I'd even texted Connor, River and Austin who all said they hadn't seen him.
It was time to give up.
I marched to my bicycle, unlocking it and climbing on, already beginning to ride towards Clemente House. I had to tell Mrs Clemente that I'd lost her grandson on the first day that she trusted me with him.
She was going to hate me.
Shame filled me as I crested the hill and Clemente House came into view. I dreaded the conversation that was about to happen.
I ditched my bike by the porch, sucking in a deep breath to steel myself, then shoved the door open with a ring of the bell.
Immediately, my eyes fell on Everett.
Everett.
He lounged on a couch in the lobby, his eyes glued on his phone. His hair was wet and messy with water drops on his bare neck and collarbones, like he'd just showered.
Anger grew in my chest, my heart racing, a lump forming in my throat.
At the sound of the door, he glanced up, his eyes meeting mine. Then, slowly, a smirk tugged on his lips.
"Oh," he said nonchalantly. "Hey."
"Hey?" I began, stepping forward. "Hey? I just spent AN HOUR looking for you, and you say hey?"
His smug grin grew wider – I wanted to punch it off his face. He shrugged. "Hey, what's up?"
"I'm going to –" I leapt forward, throwing my bag onto the floor and holding my hands out to wring at his throat.
He immediately pocketed his phone, dodging to the side and stepping back.
"Stop," he said, sober.
"Stop?" I echoed, glaring at him. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"
He shrugged again; his smile gone. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" I spat, releasing my anger on him. "How hard is it to say, 'Hey Isla, just letting you know, I'm leaving. See you later!'?"
"Geeze, calm down," he rolled his eyes, moving to sit back on the couch.
I blocked his path, shaking my head. "I'm not going to calm down, I just wasted all afternoon looking for your dumb arse."
"I never asked you to."
"I was worried about you, idiot!" I shouted, shaking my head.
He blinked, his lips dipping into a frown. "Why would you be worried about me?"
"I –" I paused, speechless. I inhaled sharply, turning away from him and grabbing my bag. "Know what? You're not worth it."
I reached the door, tugging it open harshly. I couldn't believe I'd invited him to come with us on the Nauti Buoy. I couldn't believe I'd shown him our secret island. I couldn't believe I'd thought he was a nice guy for a moment.
I wanted to throttle him.
I was halfway out the door when his voice echoed across the lobby.
"See you tomorrow."
I didn't need to turn around to know he was smirking.
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A U T H O R ' S N O T E
So, just when things started looking up, they're back to fighting again... I hope you liked this chapter! Let me know your thoughts! Any predictions? What do you think about Austin and Everett?
Thank you for voting, commenting and reading! See you soon! <3