19. Sam

I'm just coming back from my morning surf session, saltwater still in my hair and Ruby tucked under my arm, when I spot a familiar face waiting on the curb. My heart does a little leap. After our date, I tried my best to give us a little space. Tilly's insistence that I take things slow heavy on my mind. Everything about our dinner was perfect, a little too perfect. Throwing myself at him was a real concern. So, like a giant chicken, I did my best to keep things cool. Barely answering his texts and ignoring his calls.

Seems like it didn't really work. Right now, that desire is rearing its ugly head. In all honesty, I'm surprised he waited till now to find me.

"Hey you!" I call out, propping my board against the window of the surf shack. I can't help the excitement in my voice. All thoughts of keeping cool are gone. Still dripping, I drop down beside Greg with a thud on the already warm concrete. Before I can catch my breath, he's cupping my face in his hands, pulling me into a deep kiss. It's so sudden, so intense, that when we finally part, I'm basically a puddle of surprised goo.

"Erm, good morning," he says, a bit sheepishly, wiping his mouth. "I enjoyed our date so much, I decided we're doing it again. Tonight. Can you come by after Ron takes over the bar?"

"To your place?" I ask, already feeling the pull of anticipation.

"Yeah. I'll get some fish tacos and we can watch that movie." His words are laced with boyish excitement. For a moment, I want nothing more than to go over, preferably right away. But instead of giving in, I mull it over.

Slow. We're taking things slow because Greg is more than a fling. I know it deep within me. Taking a breath, I finally shake my head.

"Not tonight. I've been neglecting Tilly." We both stand up, and he's grumbling under his breath as we do. Feeling a twinge of guilt, I press myself against him, grabbing onto his t-shirt. "Tomorrow. But who knows? Maybe I'll get a late-night call again."

"You'll actually answer this time?" he asks and guilt laces through me. Instead of letting it take over, I peck the tip of his nose. "I'll answer," I say, cringing a bit at the lame answer. But I don't know how to explain my actions.

"Good. Cause if you don't, I might just come over," he says, his voice low and so fucking sexy, I lean against him.

I feel his cock react against my leg, and I glance down. "Can he not hear me?" I tease. Greg nods, a smile breaking across his face, and then he kisses my forehead. But it's not enough—I need more. I press my lips to his, my tongue pushing in a bit too eagerly. My hand slides down to squeeze his ass, marveling at the muscle even there. Is any part of this man soft? Already knowing the answer, I pinch his cheek before pulling away. "Call me."

His low growl sends a shiver straight through me as I turn and walk into the surf shack, already anticipating the next time we're together.

***

Hours later, Tilly's at the bar, pouring drinks for a rowdy group in the back, and Tommy's busy folding t-shirts over at the surf shack side of Ron's place. Watching them, I can't shake this feeling that something's off between them. The entire day, I haven't seen them speak to each other. Not even once. If I'm not mistaken, Tilly hasn't even looked in his direction.

Stuck in the middle of the room, unsure of who to approach first, I watch as Tilly finishes her task and heads straight for the surfboards. "I'll be back in an hour," she declares, then she's out the door.

Tommy sidles up to me, a puzzled look on his face. "What the hell did I do?" he asks.

I furrow my brow in confusion. "I was gonna ask you the same thing."

He's baffled. "Literally she just... stopped talking to me."

That strikes me as odd. Clearly, I need to catch up with Tilly.

"I'm gonna go—"

He's pushing me her way before I even get the sentence out. "Yes, please, go. Get her to talk to me, I'm dying over here." I grab Ruby for the second time today and hurry out after Tilly.

"Til! Wait up!" I call out. She stops, turning around with tears in her eyes. Catching up to her, I'm taken aback. I've never seen Tilly so despondent, so utterly rejected. "What the hell's going on, Tilly?"

Instead of her usual assurances that everything's fine, Tilly flings her arms out wide. "I tried, okay? I tried to get Tommy to sleep with me and he turned me down."

It's impossible to keep my face stoic. Of all the reasons for her to be upset, this is the last thing I would have imagined. My eyebrows have shot up, probably off my forehead and into space. All our time together, it seemed like Tommy was just waiting for a sign from her. "He turned you down? Why?" In my mind, Tommy's been head over heels for Tilly for years, just waiting for his chance.

"I have no idea." She swipes a single tear off her cheek and chuckles. "I guess I'm just not what he wants."

I roll my head back. "Oh come on, Til. That can't possibly be it. Let me talk to him—"

"No!" Her face is white as if I've terrified her. She's shaking her head. "Just, don't. Okay? It's bad enough I threw myself at him. We'll just forget it or blame it on alcohol and everything will go back to normal." With a frown, I scrutinize her. No way can things go back to normal, but I'm not going to be the one to tell her that.

Looking out at the ocean, a perfect wave crashes, and I ask, "What do you want to do?"

"Just surf," she says, her voice strained, the confidence gone. My heart sinks. Maybe I was wrong, and Tommy does see Tilly more like a sister. But that thought almost makes me laugh. Tommy's affection for Tilly is clear as day; he's as smitten as ever. There's no possible way; I've read that situation wrong. But she's determined to handle it herself, and I have to respect that.

"Let's go then. I'll buy you some food afterwards. Tommy can handle the surf shack for a few hours."

Just mentioning his name seems to sadden her more. I want to throw my arms around her and give her a suffocating squeeze, but instead, I hit her in the shoulder. "Come on, Til! Surf and gallos pintos!" At the mention of her favorite food, she finally smiles.

Without waiting for her answer, I sprint towards the waves. Behind me, I hear her laughter, and soon, she's racing beside me, both of us heading for the ocean across the street.