Chapter 63 He's Back Here

Chapter 63 He's Back Here
The competition is tougher than I expected.
Spectators line the beach, cheering wildly as surfers paddle out and ride the waves with breathtaking skill.
To my surprise, Samuel proves to be just as tough as the ocean.
He's an incredible surfer.
I watch from the sand with the rest of the group as he catches a particularly aggressive wave, sliding across its face before launching into a sharp aerial that draws loud applause from the crowd.

His form is so clean and confident… so graceful.
For someone who seemed laid-back most of the time at the beach house, he's fiercely competitive once he's on the board.
Zayn stands beside me, his arms loosely folded over his chest.
The tension that had been weighing us down for days is finally gone. We're on good terms again, and I've never been happier.
"He's good," he says, talking to me. "Better than I thought he'd be."
I nod, unable to hide my smile. "Yeah. He makes it look easy."

"Never judge a book by its cover," Fareed says, sliding his sunglasses down his nose to wink at me.
A shirtless guy walks past us, all sun-kissed skin and confidence, and before I can stop myself, I let out a low whistle.
Both Zayn and Fareed snap their heads toward me so fast it looks like something straight out of a comic book.
"What?" I ask, already blushing under their stares. "Can't a girl admire?"

"Admire," Zayn repeats under his breath, jealousy reflecting in his dark eyes."What exactly was there to admire? That guy was painfully average."
"Exactly," Fareed adds quickly, crossing his arms like he's offended, too. "He's not even hotter than me."
I tilt my head, pretending to consider. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
Fareed's eyes narrow in mock offence as he lunges for me. "Oh, you're asking for it…"
I squeal and dart behind Zayn, grabbing onto his arm as he protectively steps in front of me, blocking Fareed.

"At least try to remember why you're here," Fareed says, giving up and shaking his head. "You're supposed to be cheering for Samuel, not out here eye-fucking random innocent guys."
"Who says they're innocent?" I shoot back, peeking around Zayn's shoulder.
Before he can respond, Melissa walks over, looking annoyingly good in a red bikini top and tiny shorts that reveal more than they cover.
"Are you guys seeing this?" she says, her eyes glued to the water. "Sam is killing it out there."

"Yeah," I reply, forcing a small smile as I push down the wave of unease her presence brings.
Zayn and I are good now.
That's what matters.
At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
"He's been training like crazy," Fareed says, nodding toward the waves. "Third competition this year. Guy's got serious talent."
"Wow," I murmur, watching Samuel ride another wave smoothly.
Fareed glances around. "Where's Roy and Anna?"

Melissa shrugs carelessly. "No idea. Probably off somewhere hooking up, knowing them."
Then, just like that, her attention shifts fully to Zayn.
She brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "He's so smooth on that turn," she says, talking about Samuel, but her eyes are no longer on the water; they're on him. "Do you surf at all, Zayn?"
Zayn shakes his head. "Not really my thing. I prefer solid ground and a ball."
She laughs softly, stepping a little closer. "Hmm. That's a shame." Her voice dips, turning a little too sultry. "You look like you'd be good at it."

A brief pause ensues.
"Actually," she adds, still in that sultry voice, "I bet you'd be good at a lot of things."
I bite the inside of my cheek hard, forcing my gaze back to the water.
Don't react.
Don't react.
Fareed groans loudly beside me, running a palm down his face.
"For the love of…" he cuts himself off, glaring at her. "Can you not say things like that in front of his sister? It's actually disgusting."
Disgusting doesn't even begin to cover it.

It's annoying.
Irritating.
Infuriating.
Melissa turns to me with a fake smile. "Sorry, Ash."
"Whatever," I mutter, not even bothering to look at her.
Because if I do, I might say what I'm thinking.
And that wouldn't end well for anyone.

A whistle blows out on the water, followed by a wave of cheers from the crowd.
"All right, that's him again!" Fareed straightens, instantly distracted as Samuel cuts cleanly across a rising wave. "Come on, Sam… ride it out...ride it out!"
For a moment, all of us look toward the ocean in anticipation.
Samuel moves like he was born for it.
"Yes!" Fareed shouts, pumping his fist. "That's what I'm talking about!" he turns to me excitedly. "That's first-place material right there."
Melissa claps lightly, though her attention drifts again—of course—right back to Zayn.

"What do I need to do to get you to attempt surfing?" She says to him. "At least learning to do it."
"You just want to see me wet and shirtless," Zayn says dryly.
Melissa chuckles. "Maybe. But, I really think it might suit you."
I inwardly roll my eyes.
Here we go again.
"I think he's doing just fine with what suits him already, don't you think, Mel?" I reply, unable to hide the bite in my tone.
Zayn, Melissa and Samuel all turn to look at me.

I'm too pissed to feel embarrassed or regret my response.
Melissa's smile tightens. "Oh, I'm sure he is," she responds coolly. "Doesn't mean he still can't try something new."
We stare at each other like rivals, the air starting to brew with tension until Samuel's voice interrupts.
"GUYS!"
I look away from Melissa to see Samuel jogging up from the shoreline, dripping wet, his board tucked under his arm.
He's grinning widely, too. Understandably so; he destroyed his other competitors.
"That was insane!" I light up, stepping forward. "You killed it out there!"

He laughs, "Thanks, Ash."
Then, turning to Fareed, he continues, "You saw that turn at the end?"
"Everyone saw it," Fareed laughs, clapping him on the back. "You just secured your win, man."
Samuel beams. "Amen, brother, Amen."
"Good job, man." Zayn tips his chin towards him, while Melissa pulls Samuel into a hug.
"I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Mel."
He pulls back from the hug, then glances between the three of us. "Celebration later?" he asks, nudging me lightly. "Pretty sure they'd be announcing the winners soon."

"Sure," We all chorus.
"Good," he says, then looks over his shoulder as someone calls his name. "I gotta go… results are about to be announced."
"Alright, bye. And good luck." I say.
He jogs off again, leaving behind a charged silence.
Not long after the announcer calls Samuel's name as one of the finalists, our small group erupts in cheers.

Zayn claps loudly, a rare genuine grin breaking across his face.
Melissa cheers beside him, and so does Fareed.
I'm smiling so wide with all my teeth fully on display because my heart is swelling with second-hand pride for Samuel… until the smile freezes on my face.
I pinch my arm once. Then do it again, hard enough to sting because what I'm seeing cannot be real.
Even as I watch him walk towards us across the sand, hands in the pockets of his shorts, with an easy smile on his face.
This can't be real.

Zayn sees what I'm seeing and stiffens briefly beside me, his grin vanishing in surprise.
"Hey, Ash. Hey, Zayn," Ryan says, stopping a few feet away from me.
"Good to see you again."