Page 56 of Tell It To The Waves

I choke on the fried rice in my mouth, seeing her look at him like that. Because it’s anything but menacing.

“Red. Come on now.” He looks at Bay.

“You help us, I help you,” she singsongs, and I don’t need the context; I already know.

“You don’t play fair; you know that, right?” Kai stands. “Want a beer, August?”

“That’s perfect, thanks.” I smile at him. “Bay, really.” I laugh at her.

“There is something going on, and we have to find out what. And if I have to withhold sex from him as a threat, so be it.” She says before diving into her beef and broccoli.

“Evil woman.”

She lets out a fake evil laugh, and we both die.

The shower is so inviting; I miss having my own I can jump into whenever I want. You never know what you have until it’s gone.

Washing my hair, the hot water pounds on my back, easing the tension that’s crawling through it.

As my eyes close, I let myself think about Bohdi. The last few encounters we’ve had, how being so close to him riles up emotions I thought were buried and gone. And God, is he handsome. Seeing him aged has done something to me; if I thought he was hot back then, he’s more so now.

My hands thread through my soap-riddled hair, massaging my scalp. Once all the soap is out, it travels down my arms to my breasts, soaping them and leaving them slick. My nipples bead with the attention of my hands. My hands have memories of where Bohdi tattooed his lips on them. As if the water turned cold on me, my eyes fly wide open. “Get it together, August,” I reprimand myself. Immediately, I finish cleaning my body and hop out of the shower.

Standing in the bathroom, drying myself off, I think about the saying, out of sight, out of mind, and how true it is. Never really understood it until I came back to Driftwood Bay. Now that Bohdi and I are in the same place, he’s slowly leaking into my mind, overtaking my thoughts, bringing the ghost of the past to the surface. And that scares me.

Saying goodbye to Bay and Kai, I take my time driving back to the cottage, lost in thought. I feel so off kilter, now. My thoughts give me whiplash.

Luna greets me when I open the door, slinking around my ankles. “Hi, baby.” I bend down and pick her up. Giving her little face kisses. She hates it, but I love it.

Exhaustion slowly ebbs in until I realize just how tired I am. With the construction happening, my mind fighting to stay awake, I haven’t gotten a full night's rest since I’ve been back here.

I stop in front of my parents’ bedroom, opening the door. They have already installed the huge sliding glass door, and I’m amazed at how much it has opened up the room. Kai said that in another week and they should be done. Fingers crossed.

I can’t wait to lie in my bathtub and soak, listening to the waves crashing onto the shore.

Kicking off my sandals, I collapse into my bed. I feel like I just drift off to sleep when I jump awake, confused.

My eyes scan the dark room, waiting to hear the noise again.

“What the hell?” I sit up straighter when I hear the knocking.

Padding out of the bedroom, stopping in the hallway, I see the shadow on the other side of the front door. I squint but can’t make out the figure standing outside. Their knock makes me jump.

“Who is it?” I call out, watching the figure hear my voice. They slowly back away from the door. Now, making me curious.

Either I’m stupid or have a death wish; I hurriedly close the gap between the door and myself, twisting the lock, pulling the door open. Their back is facing me, but I don’t need to see their face to know who it is.

“Bohdi?” My word comes out in a whisper.

I watch his head fall back before he turns around to face me. His face is marred with confusion and something else. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I came.”

I stand there, perplexed. “Are you okay?” It’s the only worry I have at the moment, nothing else but to make sure he’s okay.

His shoulders rise and fall as he lets out a huff. “I haven’t been okay in a long time, August.” And there is so much meaning behind those words, but I ignore them.

We both stand there looking at each other in the middle of the night.

Slowly, I open the door all the way. “Come in.” I don’t let myself think; I just say it.