Out in the Surf (Out in College 9)

“Andy?”

“Dugan.”

Andy-fucking-Dugan. Wow.

I wasn’t sure what to say. So I settled on, “Okay. Good. I mean…if you’re happy.”

“I am. What about you?”

“Me?” I pointed at my chest.

“Yeah, you.” The hint of caution faded, giving way to a carefree smile that reminded me of the girl I grew up with…well before we’d tried on titles like “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“I am,” I replied automatically, surprising both of us.

Hannah cocked her head curiously. “Anyone I know?”

“Nope.”

She waited for me to give details, huffing with faux impatience then smiling sweetly. “Be happy, Cal.”

“You too. Um…I should probably get back to work.” I glanced briefly toward Sarah who was finishing up with the wetsuit rental. “Have a nice lunch and—”

“Wait.” Hannah grabbed my elbow and quickly let go. “I’m getting the feeling that my dad didn’t mention my surf wear line to you.”

“No, but it’s cool. Good luck on—”

“Cal, I’m going to sell it here. I mean, Dad is one of my vendors. If you’re still planning on buying the business, my contract is part of the deal. He was going to talk to you about it, but…” She bit her bottom lip. “That didn’t happen yet, did it?”

I frowned. “No.”

Jay reappeared with a handful of new apparel, spreading them on the counter next to the register. “Check out this collection. We have dolphins, turtles, sea urchins, lobsters…”

“That’s a crab, Dad,” Hannah intercepted, holding the crab tee in front of her before folding it neatly. “And, um…weren’t you going to mention this to Cal?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. You don’t mind selling Hannah’s crab collection here, do you?” Jay adjusted his baseball cap then flattened his hand on the counter. “There’s not too much. I’m sure we can squeeze it in.”

“The line is much bigger than a couple of T-shirts. We have bathing suits, board shorts, hats…”

Hannah’s smile dipped when she met my gaze. She knew there was no need to continue her list. I could recite it myself, and it would basically be everything we’d talked about years ago but never got around to doing. And now she was doing it all with Andy.

“Okay,” I whispered.

Jay was seemingly oblivious to the melancholy undercurrent in the air. He gave a careless shrug and headed for the door. “We’ll work out the details later. Cal still has a race to win and some boards to finish up before we’re ready to draw up any paperwork. When we’re in the home stretch, we’ll get to the nitty-gritty. Want anything to eat?”

“Better yet, join us!” Hannah offered cheerily, slinging a colorful bag over her shoulder.

“Uh…no, thanks. I had an early lunch,” I lied, fixing a smile on my face that felt surprisingly genuine. “It was good to see you, Hannah.”

“Thanks. You too.”

I stared after them for a moment, my brain whirling in a few directions at once. I wanted to believe that we’d both moved on. I honestly wished Hannah well and meant it. However, I wasn’t so sure about working together. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like a trap.

Luca didn’t agree.

“Dude, you’re a drama queen,” he snorted, perusing his menu. “What are you having? I feel like a steak.”

“You don’t look like one,” I quipped, waiting for his eye roll before glaring across the table. “And by the way…how am I a drama queen?”

“You think everything is a trap. Like the world is conspiring against you somehow. Do you like mashed potatoes?”

“Love them,” I replied, trying not to gape at the price tag on the fillet.

“Cool. I’ll share my mashed potatoes if you share your fries.” Luca pushed his menu to the edge of the table and reached for his ice water, winking at me over the rim of his glass.

And just like that, I was hard. Go figure.

After a month of what felt like a nonstop sexathon, I would have thought my body and brain would need a break. But I didn’t want any kind of break. I wanted to be with him as often as possible. I didn’t get it and I didn’t overthink it. I just knew that my attraction to him grew stronger every day.

Luca had an innate exuberance for everything he tried. He was an enthusiastic student. Hell, the guy could recite more trivia about the Beatles than anyone needed to know, thanks to his Intro to the Beatles class. And I had to admit his ceramic-making skills were impressive too. I smiled whenever I used the coffee mug he made me. It was ridiculously huge and lined with colorful surfboards. But the best part was that he’d signed the bottom with the tiniest heart, like a love letter.

Whatever. The point was…Luca was gifted.

And surprisingly Zen. I’d always considered myself to be pretty chill, but I had nothing on Luca. Luca lit up every room he walked into with his mischievous grin and devil-may-care attitude. He didn’t sweat the little things. Ever. Sure, he had a hot temper and a tendency to go for the most dangerous option when he felt cornered. But that fiery spirit was what drew me to him in the first place.