Chapter 6: Sun and Surf

At the end of the run, Jasmine jumped off the board, feeling more exhilarated than she ever had before.

“Great run!” Zain shouted. Then a wave came up, and he laid on the board and started paddling. She waited on the shore, watching as he stood and dropped into the wave at just the right time, catching it just before it crest, jumping off when he got close to shore. When he stood, his hair was slicked back as water glistened on his skin. He was completely and utterly gorgeous.

“Great job!” Jasmine stood on the shore, clapping. “But you could have made a little twist at the end. You know, added some flair,” she teased. She couldn’t just say he was magnificent. After all, the Greek god was probably used to people telling him how great he was.

But to her surprise, he picked up his board and ran toward shore. “Oh, I could, could I?” Then he dropped his board on the shoreline and ran toward her.

“Uh, oh!” Her eyes grew wide, laughing as she ran away.

Then, suddenly, he grabbed her from behind around the waist and started tickling her. “Stop!” she laughed, squirming to get away from his grasp. But through it all, she couldn’t help but notice how perfectly she fit into his arms and against his chest. “Okay! Okay! I give!” she laughed as he released her.

Then she noticed he wore a tooth on a chain around his neck that looked great against his tanned skin. Without thinking, she lifted it from his chest to take a closer look. “Shark’s tooth?” Jasmine looked up into his eyes, and her breath caught. He had the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen.

“Yes.” He nodded, looking down at her, making no attempt to release her. Zain must have come to his senses because he dropped his arms and reached up instinctively to feel the smooth tooth. “My uncle gave it to me years ago.”

She arched an eyebrow. “He surfs, too?”

He nodded. “He was the one who taught me how.” Then he took off toward the water and grabbed his board. “Come on! Show me that little flip flare you were telling me about!” Zain ran out into the water, dove onto his board, and paddled out.

Jasmine picked up her board lying on the shore and followed. Man! He was a sight in the morning! She knew she could spend the rest of her life watching him and never get bored. Then she realized what she had just thought and couldn’t believe her thoughts had betrayed her like that. They had just met, after all. But up close, the way his muscles played under his tanned skin, the way the water beaded up on him made her want to lick it off. God, he was gorgeous. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on surfing.

Suddenly, the energy in the water began to rise, and the sea began to swell in the distance. Jasmine nodded toward it. “You want this one?”

He shook his head. “No, let’s both go.” Then a mischievous smile lit his lips. “I’ll race you!”

“You’re on!” She started paddling alongside him, and then they both dropped into the wave together, but he steered his board away from her, obviously giving her room. But he was close enough that she could still feel his presence. She had never felt as safe in her life as she did at that moment. Also, with as many male friends as she had back in Maine, none of them had affected her how Zain had. Just being near him sent electrical currents through her and made her think things she never had before. She was hyperaware of him, and she had no idea why or how it was possible, but it was.

They surfed together throughout the morning, and then he asked, “So, are you getting hungry?”

She nodded. “A little. Are you?”

Zain’s eyes opened wide. “Starving! I think I’ve worked up an appetite out here.”

Jasmine laughed. “So, you want to come to our apartment for lunch?”

Zain shook his head. “No, but I’d like to take you to get something to eat.”

Her smile fell. Even though she trusted him and felt comfortable surfing with him, going somewhere alone with him was another story.

He must have read her expression because his eyes suddenly grew wide. “No! I didn’t mean for us to leave here. My uncle owns a restaurant and a food truck business, and he usually parks it not far from here toward the pier. Wanna go?”

Jasmine nodded but motioned with her head toward the apartment. “Let me tell my mom where I’m going first. We can leave the boards there, too.”

Zain tilted his head to the side. “Why don’t we leave our boards in the back of my truck? Then we can walk down toward the pier?”

“I’ll just take my board to the apartment.” Jasmine grabbed her board and headed off. “Be right back!” She just hoped he waited for her and didn’t leave without saying goodbye. At his age and being a college student, he wasn’t required to check in with his parents, and neither was she, but she didn’t want her mom to worry.

“Mom! I’ll be right back!” She yelled, leaning her board against the wall as she tied her beach wrap around her waist.

“Okay!” she shouted back, her voice coming from the kitchen. Then she appeared in the doorway. “Where are you going?”

Jasmine smiled, fixing her leather bracelet back in place. “To a get something to eat. Zain’s uncle has a food truck.”

A crease formed between her mother’s eyes. “Who’s Zain?”

Jasmine shrugged, slipping on her shoes. “Just a boy I met surfing. He’s really good!”

A broad grin spread across her mother’s lips. “A boy, huh?”

“Mom!” Jasmine started toward the door as she quickly ran a brush through her hair and tied her hair back.

“Stop!” Her mother dug into her purse. “Let me get you some money in case you need it.”

“Mom! He’s waiting!” she adjusted her ponytail in the mirror by the door, wishing she had enough time to slap on a little makeup.

Her mother waved a bill in front of her. Jasmine reached up but her mother jerked it back. “Are you sure you trust him?”

Jasmine let out an exaggerated sigh. “Yes, Mom! We’re only going to his uncle’s food truck here on the beach, and we’re not going anywhere else.”

“Okay.” She smiled as she gave Jasmine a twenty-dollar bill. “Take your cell phone and call me if you need me.”

Jasmine kissed her mother on the cheek. “I won’t be gone long.”

“Have fun!” her mother called after her as she ran out the door.