Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
A wave of shame burns through me, but Reid squeezes my hand, warm and steady. “You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he says. “You were surviving.”
I blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“You’re free now, Lara.”
I nod, breathing through the tightness in my chest.
After a long moment, Reid releases my hand and once again laces his over his stomach. A small smile plays on his lips. “Remember when survival was just trying not to get dunked off a surfboard?”
I snort. “Or trying not to get caught when we snuck in after curfew.”
“Pretty sure our parents knew,” he says, mock serious.
“Yeah, we weren’t that sneaky,” I reply, grinning.
We lapse into easy laughter, the tension finally breaking, and for a moment, it’s like we’re fifteen again, sprawled on the beach after hours in the waves, the world no bigger than the stretch of coastline between our houses.
The moment fades into a warm, quiet hush. I glance over and find him watching me—his expression relaxed but his eyes carrying something deeper.
Not just fondness. Memory.
Maybe even regret.
My heart stutters, just once, because I know this feeling. The way the air stills between two people who know there’s more under the surface. We’ve been circling it all day. All night. And now, it’s right there. Unspoken and waiting.
I clear my throat, the question rising before I can stop it. “Earlier… you said Lance accused you of being pissed that he got me and you didn’t.”
Reid’s expression tightens, just for a moment.
“Was he right?” I ask softly. “Were you pissed?”
He gives a small huff of amusement and looks away for a beat, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean… maybe after that first kiss when we were fifteen, yeah—I was a little pissed.”
I blink. “Pissed… that Lance interrupted?”
“Pissed that I listened to him,” Reid says, voice lower now. “That I let him make me think wanting you was wrong. Like we were just supposed to be some kind of trio forever and I wasn’t allowed to see you differently.” He glances over at me, his gaze steady. “That kiss wasn’t nothing to me, Lara. It never was.”
“I remember,” I say. “It was after that bonfire party down at Bells Beach and it was definitely something to me too.”
“You had marshmallow on your lip,” he says, the humor evident in his voice. “I made some dumb joke about it and then I kissed you.”
“It was sweet,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “But Lance teased us so bad afterward that we pretended it didn’t happen.”
Reid’s eyes darken slightly. “I didn’t want to pretend.”
The air thickens between us, charged and heavy.
That kiss wasn’t nothing to me, Lara. It never was.
My breath catches, but I say nothing. Because if I speak now, I’ll say too much.
And it wasn’t just the kiss where we fought the affection we had for each other.
I think about that summer after uni—the one occasion we were both home at the same time. We went surfing in the morning, grabbed dinner that night, and everything about it felt… inevitable. Like all the years we’d spent pretending had finally cracked wide open.
One night. That’s all it was. But it meant something. At least to me. And maybe to Reid, but he couldn’t give me anything other than an apology. His blooming career was more important.
Reid never brought it up again, and I never asked why. Maybe he was right to let it go. We were both headed in different directions—me into a demanding career, him into the world of professional racing. Maybe it was just bad timing.
Or maybe we were both cowards.
His blue eyes pin me in place. “Sometimes, I think I was an idiot,” he says simply, and my breath catches.
An idiot for walking away after that one time? I’m afraid to ask… to know the answer. Because that will change everything.
Silence stretches, but it’s not uncomfortable. We’re burdened with history and hurt and something still flickering under the surface.
He reaches out, almost hesitantly, and tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering for a second longer than necessary.
I hold my breath in anticipation, but neither of us moves closer.
Not yet.
Because some things are too important to rush.
Instead, Reid pushes up and perches on the edge of the couch, studying me with a thoughtful look. “You can’t stay holed up here all weekend.”
I blink at him. “And I don’t want that. I either stay here or I can head back to Torquay.”
“You need to stay here. Lance knows I’m protecting you and I’m hoping that will keep him away. But regardless, you can hang out at Matterhorn. I know my parents will want to spend some time with you. We’ll figure out a way to keep a buffer between you and Lance and if we’re lucky, you won’t even have to see him.”