By Roman Soto
Scorching hot, the late afternoon pressed down on the sandy Florida coast. Adrian’s feet burned as he paddled toward the water and his board, tucked under his arm, remained slick from the last ride. As always, Jackie was already out in the water with her sleek black swimsuit bobbing past the breakers.
The two had surfed together for years, meeting before dawn, chasing the crystalline swells while the world slept. Trading waves had always been easy, especially with the laughter after one of them wiped out hard. But lately, something felt off, something heavy and unsaid stuck between them like an inescapable riptide.
Adrian waded in, feeling the warm Atlantic tug at his thighs. Jackie turned as he paddled out and gave him a look—half smirk, half something else—as she said, “Took you long enough.”
Adrian chuckled, his breath heavy from the paddle out. “Some of us don’t live in the water.”
She laughed, short and sarcastically. Then, she turned toward the horizon. A set rolled in, a clean, curling beauty with a sunlit gleam that could be seen from miles away. Jackie went for it and propped up on her board in a single motion. Her body moved in obedience to the sea as if they were one. She cut left, sharp, as she rode the wave and kicked out just before it crashed.
She surfaced next to him, breathless, eyes reflecting the ocean blue. “That was the one.”
“Yeah,” he said, watching her. “It was.”
They drifted for a while, waiting for the next break. As the gulls above cried, Adrian could feel the weight of the tension pressing down on his ribs, that thing he’d been carrying, the thing he hadn’t said. He could feel her eyes on him. Did she know? Did she feel it too?
The next wave came, and he naturally pursued it. As he pushed himself up, Adrian let the board glide beneath him, letting the water decide where he was going. But he miscalculated and fell with the saltwater punching into his lungs as he tumbled under.
He surfaced to Jackie’s laughter. “Smooth, mi amor,” she teased.
“Glad I could entertain you,” he said wiping off the sticky salt.
“You always do.” She was still grinning, but softer now, something careful behind it.
Then Jackie sneezed—loud and violent.
The sound ripped through the quiet, so absurd that Adrian barked out a laugh before he could stop himself.
Jackie groaned, wiping her nose. “Jesus. That had perfect timing.”
As the quiet mood of the moment set in again and seeped into their souls, Jackie leaned in for the kiss. Adrian was more than happy to let it happen.