“You’re overthinking it.” She passed him his coffee. “Just go. You know you’ll be happy you did.”
He sighed, grabbed the board, and shuffled his feet through the sand. He looked back, half-expecting her to be standing by the van, offering an encouraging smile—but she was already halfway down the beach, chasing their dog, a kite trailing behind her. Even over the crash of the waves, he could hear her laugh.
The tide hit his foot. Fuck, that’s cold.
It had been a year since he was last in the water, but he felt its pull immediately. This was hard—like the first few strides of an overdue workout. He paddled, breathing heavy, muscles protesting, until finally, he caught his rhythm.
A dolphin leapt ahead of him. He thought of the documentary they watched last week—how scientists couldn’t explain why dolphins surf. No reason. Just joy.
He held his breath and ducked. When he surfaced, he was past the swell.
He sat up, waiting. Thinking of everything and nothing. The horizon stretched out endlessly, and for a moment, he drifted, weightless.
He loved how insignificant he felt in the ocean.
Time had no destination.
Before he knew it, the sky had softened to pink and orange. Nature’s alarm clock. He got in the lineup for one last run. The surf had been good to him today.
He wasn’t sure why he resisted the things he loved.
Scanning the shore, he found the kite—and beneath it, her long hair whipping in the wind.
He hated when she was right.