Author's note:

This is it. The curtain is coming up! Enjoy it.

-

Keep the balance, keep the balance!" Daniel yelled, holding the tail of a surfboard, where Nikki was standing, barely holding the balance. She spread her arms, unnecessarily waving with them to keep her posture, but the waves didn't let her so she found herself under the water again.

Daniel sighed, leaving the board to float freely on the surface. Nikki emerged soon, trying to clean her eyes from salt.

„You okay?" he asked.

She just nodded.

„Sixth day of learning and yet, I didn't move from the first point. Keeping the balance," she said, frustrated, not looking at her instructor.

He scoffed.

„Maintaining balance is the hardest part. And usually takes to most time. Although I must admit that you're a really difficult student."

Nikki looked at him angrily.

„I pay you to teach me, no matter how much time we'll need," she replied, somewhat offended by his last remark. Daniel just raised both of this arms in defense.

„Hey, I'm just doing my job. We have an agreement and I'll stick to it," he said calmly.

„Excellent. I need a break."

Nikki stubbornly turned toward the shore, leaving the board to Daniel. Once again, he sighed and picked up the surfboard, starting to walk toward the shore and her. Nikki was already lying on the lounger, next to her things.

„I'll go get something to drink," Daniel said monotonously. „Do you want something?"

„No, thanks!"

He started to move away, toward the interior of the beach. There was a small store. During this time, Nikki pulled her cell phone out of the bag. For the past few days, she had been thinking more and more about finally calling her mother, knowing that Susan was probably still dying of worry. She turned the device on and went under the contacts, finding the one belonging to her mother. After some time, Susan finally replied.

Susan: „I'm going to kill you, Nikki Hamilton, do you hear me?!"

Nikki removed the cell phone from her ear, protecting it from her mother's yelling.

Nikki: „Hey, mom. I'm sorry I didn't call you before."

Susan: (upset) „Sorry? You're sorry? You're at Florida, right? Where? Tell me so I can come and visit."

Nikki: „I don't need a nanny. I'm all right, okay? This should be enough for you to calm down."

Susan: „NO! That idiot cheated on you and you seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Don't you dare to try to convince me you're okay. I know it's not true. Nikki, please, tell me where are you?"

The woman was silent for a few minutes, pondering whether to admit that she was in Naples.

Nikki: „You had to mention Darnell. You acting like this was the reason why I left in the first place. You and everyone else have to realize that I'm not some fragile girl who can't cope with problems. I called just to tell you that I'm fine, on a vacation away from Seattle and all the people in my life. I need rest. Now you know, so I'll go back to whatever I was doing before. Talk to you later, mom."

Nikki ended the call, not waiting for her mother's angry response. She usually hated when Susan was upset with her, but right now she just couldn't help herself. She knew the older woman would make an even bigger drama out of her break-up with Darnell. Sometimes, Susan thought Nikki was still a little girl. But it was time to learn who was who in this ever-present game.

She was somewhat startled when Daniel returned. He was holding two bottles of iced tea and gave one to her. Nikki rolled her eyes, but still took the drink.

„I've told you I don't want anything." she said.

He shrugged.

„I don't drink alone. Not even juice."

Nikki raised both of eyebrows curiously. Daniel wasn't looking at her but toward the creek. She followed his gaze.

„What's there?"

„Where?" he asked.

„In the open sea. You look like you're waiting for someone," she replied honestly.

He shuddered nervously in place. It seemed like he had lost his voice, so he cleared his throat and got up from the deck chair, leaving the bottle in the place he was sitting before. Nikki immediately knew he wouldn't answer to her.

„We should go back to surfing," he said coldly, changing the subject. „So you won't blame me again for paying me for nothing."

The woman rolled her eyes again, but she got up and walked to the sea. When she was in waist-deep water, she lowered a board on a surface, slowly climbing it.

„Well, this time I'm not holding the tail. Try to maintain the balance by yourself. The key is in blending with waves. You control them, not the other way around. Got it?"

Nikki nodded, slowly standing up. She immediately felt the shaky surface under her feet. Surfing was difficult. This sport required skill and good coordination, which Nikki seemed to be lacking. Just after a few seconds, she had fallen into the sea, completely submerged under the restless surface of the water. Soon, she emerged, repeated already well-known eye cleaning and stubbornly climbed on the board again.

„Keep the balance...read the waves," Daniel repeated.

There was no point. Waves were light but inexorable. Once again, Nikki found herself in the water.

„Ughhh!" she muttered angrily, banging her fists on the surface. „I can't. These damn waves hate me."

Daniel just shook his head.

„You can." he replied calmly. „It's all in your head. Change your attitude. Having the right attitude is the half of job, trust me. Be sure that you can and will do it."

Nikki shrugged, defeated.

„I know you said we haven't done for the day, but can we, please, stop? Obviously, nothing is working for me today. Tomorrow's going to be better." she pleaded, which made Daniel look at her suspiciously for a few moments.

„Okay," he finally replied. „Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. Not a minute later."

Nikki thanked him, then picked up her board and headed for the beach. After a moment, she realized Daniel wasn't behind her, so she turned around, seeing him getting on the board. He was preparing to catch some waves.

„You're not coming with me?" she asked.

He said no.

„I'm going out to the sea. There are good waves today and I've already missed a few."

She stopped, looking at him. Daniel looked like he couldn't take his eyes off the distant blue water, where they already could see a golden traces of the sun begin to descend. It seemed like he was lost in the sea. Nikki slowly began to understand Marina's words and story, which the Latina told her on their first night on the beach. Daniel was somewhat connected to the sea. But Nikki knew his gloomy and thoughtful state had something to do with Sofia. This mysterious relationship obviously had a major impact on the tall man's behavior. Nikki could read it in his posture.

„Who are you waiting for, Daniel?" she tried again with the same question as before.

He seemed to be drawn from his imaginative state, turning his head in her direction. The expression on his face wasn't warm, but cold and moody.

„I didn't know sharing my „sad life stories" and surfing lessons were a package deal." he said, somewhat angrily. She could see him becoming defensive again.

Nikki stared at him confused, obviously taken aback by his answer.

„What are you talking about?" she asked.

Daniel slowly got down from the board, getting close to her. He wanted to be sure she was looking in his eyes.

„I already told you I'm not stupid," he replied. „I know when someone's playing with me. You've been trying to talk about my life for six days now. I don't know what you want from me, Nikki, but I assure you, I'm not the person on whose stories you're going to build your book. I remind you that our relationship is nothing but that of an instructor and a study. I'm not your experimental rabbit and if you want to write a new book, go find someone else for an inspiration. So stay in your respective space and I'll stay in mine. All right? So you could finally learn something and we could quit this charade."

Nikki's eyes widened, staring at Daniel in complete shock. He didn't bother to wait for an answer. Instead, he was back on board.

„I wasn't trying..."

„Keep explanations to yourself, Nikki. I really don't care about them," he said, already drifting out to the open sea and larger waves.

She needed a few moments to compose herself. Daniel's last words had really shocked her. She just stared at him, her mouth half-open and his straightforwardness spinning in her head. The man was clear. He didn't want her anywhere near him. Not more than necessary.

She let out a somewhat bitter laugh, already moving toward the shore. It took her a few minutes to dry up, her gaze never leaving Daniel. The man was away from the beach, already catching much bigger waves, which hadn't calmed down, although the evening was slowly approaching. She wondered whether she had really gone too far in her attempt to get closer to him? It was very obvious Daniel wasn't comfortable with it. But he made a mistake. She didn't want to hear his story because of her book. In fact, she couldn't stop thinking about him since the drunk evening at the beach of her hotel.

„Unbelievable!" she said, defeated, rubbing her temple. Nikki headed to the hotel, in order to get ready for the evening on this same beach with Brian, Marina and rest of the squad. Spending at least one evening on the beach had become their routine ever since she arrived in Naples.

The warm southern place of the North American continent was rapidly growing in Nikki's heart. She thought about a possibility of her living in Naples permanently. But it wasn't possible. Nikki had to remind herself about her life in Seattle, work and, above all, the people she loved. She couldn't just leave her mother and Addison. They would never forgive her. This vacation was temporary. It's about getting rid of stress and cleaning her body from all negative energy. Nikki squeezed her eyes in discomfort at the very thought of returning to the muddy and rainy Seattle. Soon, she got in front of her hotel, entering the lobby.

„Nikki!" Aline called, standing behind the reception desk.

The woman turned around and smiled softly as her gaze fell at one of her new friends.

„Hey, I guess you're not coming tonight."

Aline just confirmed. „I'm working," she replied. „I'd love to go but it seems that I have a lack of night shifts and Delgado wants me to fill it."

Nikki was rolling her eyes in remembrance of Aline's boss and main head of the staff. Antonio Delgado was a middle-aged, Cuban man with lengthy, almost gray hair. It seemed like he was a dangerous man, who acted like an idiot when it comes to his employees, but on the other hand, he was overly kind to the guests. Nikki had a habit of making jokes about him being an ass-kisser as she herself has had a chance to witness when he was trying too hard. She was aware of the fact that Delgado only wanted to earn as much money as possible. Aline had confirmed everything to her. They were at the beach, as usual, when Aline had told her about the staff meeting before her arrival at the hotel, the many warnings they had received, associated with the code of conduct while Nikki Hamilton was nearby. Delgado had clearly pointed to the importance of keeping Nikki at the hotel as long as possible.

„Don't even remind me of your boss," she said, rubbing her temple. Her headache was starting again. „Yesterday, he came to my door with some lame excuse. He wanted to know if everything is okay and if I had some problems with the staff. I have a really strong feeling that he wants to get into my room."

Aline groaned.

„Idiot. He wants one excuse more for his tyranny. Thank God he already left for home. I think he'd lose his shit if he knows how I talk to you," she replied as Nikki smiled compassionately.

„Don't worry. I haven't said a word against anyone. Not that I have a reason."

The younger receptionist thanked her sincerely.

„I have to go get ready. It'll be time to go soon."

Aline asked her to say hello for her to the rest of the squad and then the girls went their separate ways.

While Nikki entered her room and began to get ready for their evening out, Brian was already ready to go down and greet his parents. Although he was now living in his own apartment, Brian still liked to spend time in his childhood home. They've never completely cleaned out his old bedroom for this very reason.

„I'm leaving. See you later," he said and they both just waved their hands in greeting. Brian came out, heading toward his car parked on the driveway. This was one of the few rare evenings when the blond man decided to use a car. He usually liked to walk through the town, especially during hot summer evenings. But today he wasn't in the best mood. Truth to be told, his mood was the same throughout the whole week, because of what happened with Marina. Brian didn't see the Latina ever since that day in Lowdermilk. It seemed like Marina was avoiding him. Brian wasn't complaining. He honestly didn't know if he would have the courage to look her in the eye after that huge argument and his honest answer about how he currently felt about her. For tonight he had hoped to find an escape and that his friends would at least in some way help him to forget the fight.

Soon he arrived at the parking lot near the beach and found an empty parking space. It took him a few minutes to arrange everything about parking here and then he fixed his shirt and headed to the beach and sea. He saw Daniel in the distance. The tall man was still wet from the water. He was holding a board under his arms while picking up a backpack. Brian headed over to greet him.

„Hey,...you're still surfing?"

Daniel raised his head.

„I just finished. I lost track of the time and stayed too long."

The other man smiled.

„It's okay," he replied. „Better to surf then party, right? Are you staying or heading home first?"

Daniel coughed, deciding to ignore his friend's first question.

„I have to go home first. My guitar is there. I didn't bring it with me."

Brian had already sat down on the sand, stretching out his legs.

„How's Nikki? Has she learned anything? She hardly comes to the store ever since she started with these surfing lessons. You completely took over her time."

Daniel put the rest of his things in his backpack.

„She's..." he started, not knowing what to say. He remembered the woman and his outburst at her. „A difficult student. She can't follow me. That's it when it comes to surfing. About her not coming to the store...I don't know what you're talking about."

Brian raised his head.

„Give her a little more time," he replied. „The girl has never stood at the surfboard. She needs time to learn. And patience."

Daniel knew his friend was right. And he had gave her patience but the problem was Nikki. She sabotaged herself with her negative attitude.

„The problem is her attitude but I suppose she'll eventually learn. I have to go now. See you later."

Brian waved goodbye to him and Daniel disappeared from the beach, leaving the blond man alone. He was back to thinking about Marina until, after some time, Nikki, David, and Diego interrupted him by arriving. Three friends sat around Brian and talked about their day.

„Aline isn't coming," Nikki informed them. „I talked to her at the hotel and she has to work."

The others just nodded.

„I ran into Dan before. He was still on the beach, surfing and said he'd come later. We talked about you, Nikki. He told me you're a difficult student."

At first, the woman lifted her head curiously, but after she heard what Daniel had said about her, she scowled. She decided against commenting.

„Are you okay?" David asked.

„Yeah...just, he can't stop talking about how hard it is for me to learn basics. As if any other person would pay him so much money for a couple of hours on the beach."

„Don't worry so much," he replied softly. „You'll learn and shut his mouth once and for all."

She smiled lightly but her mood worsened after the mention of Daniel's name and she was no longer involved in the conversation. She just listened to them talking about some general things. Nikki began to feel tired but then she saw Marina coming from the distance. She was happy to see the Latina, squeezing her eyes in order to get a better view. Then, she realized Marina wasn't alone.

„Hey, who's that man with Marina?" she asked curiously.

Brian immediately swallowed hard, while Diego and David turned toward the entrance. Indeed. Marina was approaching the group, holding hands with an unknown man.

„Hey, guys," Marina greeted them, while her unknown companion just raised his hand. Brian was looking at their joined hands and seemed to forget to breathe until Nikki punched him in the ribs. „This is Javier. He is my...umm."

„Hello," the handsome man finally spoke. Nikki couldn't help but notice his good looking. He had black hair and dark skin, typical for Latin men. A tight t-shirt outlined muscles hidden beneath. „I'm Marina's friend."

There was a silence all around. They all knew Javier wasn't just her friend but no one said anything. Instead, the four friends were just looking at them curiously. Brian felt like the ground under him was slowly falling apart, trying to pull him in. Did Marina find a new boyfriend? Just a week after she had practically begged him to take her back? How was that possible?

„Umm...so how did you two meet?" Diego asked, making Marina laugh nervously. She gave them the look, saying „get it together".

„Javier works with my dad and I met him while I was visiting my family."

At her last statement, they relaxed a little, welcoming Marina's companion. She and Javier joined the circle.

„You always have to explain yourself to them?" Javier whispered to her, so the others wouldn't hear him.

She shook her head, laughing nervously again and praying no one would make any strange move.

During this time, Nikki was watching Brian, who looked like he had just been stabbed with a knife.

„You okay?" she asked and Brian somewhat shrugged.

„Why wouldn't I be?" he countered, trying to hide his true feelings. Nikki knew this didn't sit well with him but she decided against questioning him more. The whole situation was tense enough even without her asking uncomfortable questions.Then, Nikki saw Daniel, carrying his guitar and approaching them fast. They established eye contact for a moment but he quickly dropped his gaze to the ground. After his earlier outburst, the woman didn't know how to treat Daniel.

„You're here!" Brian said.

Daniel nodded and greeted his friends. His gaze stopped at Marina's companion.

„Javier? What are you doing here?"

Javier stood up and shook hands with Daniel.

„I came with Marina. I didn't know you two know each other."

Daniel and Marina exchanged glances.

„Practically since we were in diapers," he replied, laughing softly.

The two men talked briefly about where and when they met and then they joined the circle. Daniel sat right across from Nikki, their gazes connecting again but she didn't hold the contact for long. She just couldn't. There was a silence, everyone looking in a different direction.

„All right..." David began to speak, slightly annoyed. „What the hell is going on with you two?"

„What are you talking about?" Daniel asked at the same time as Nikki said, „I'm sorry?"

„Did you two had a fight? Nikki, did you break his surfboard?" Diego continued with the interrogation, all eyes on them.

„I'm not using his board. I have mine, you know that," she replied, a little bit upset with her friends being so nosy.

Daniel only coughed uncomfortably.

„I'm only teaching her how to surf. We don't talking about anything else, not enough to argue," he explained. At his explanation, the others relaxed a little.

„There's a strange vibe in the air today. You're all weird," Diego stated, standing up from the circle. „David, are you going to swim with me?"

He laughed, immediately standing up. The two of them had disappeared toward the sea, while the rest of the friends stayed in the circle. Marina was talking quietly with Javier and Brian with Daniel. Nikki slid her fingers through the soft sand, gazing thoughtfully toward Diego and David. The sun was already setting, leaving its rays floating on the surface. The evenings in Naples were really wonderful. At one point, Daniel got up, moving away from the group.

„Where is he going?" Nikki asked.

„Guitar!" Brian replied, smiling. „He rarely plays when we're all sitting in the circle. Always separating himself from us."

The woman looked to the sea again, not commenting on Brian's last statement. Suddenly, Javier also stood up.

„Guys, it was nice to meet you all but I have to go. I have some other obligations," he said. Nikki smiled at him and Brian just nodded. Javier then turned to Marina, kissing her on the lips softly. The Latina immediately responded to the kiss. Nikki looked at the blond man again. Brian turned his gaze away, clenching his hands into fists as if he would explode in every moment. So much about them being just friends. Nikki caught him by the hand. Brian wasn't responding to the contact but he was trying to relax.

„I'll see you tomorrow," Javier said to Marina, smiling softly and then began to leave the beach.

The Latina sat down again, exchanging glances with both of her friends. There was a complete silence, but Nikki knew they wanted some answers. The tension between her and Daniel was too obvious.

„What happened with Dan?" she asked immediately, taking advantage of them being alone.

Nikki swallowed a lump in her throat.

„Nothing," she finally answered after a few moments but the other two didn't buy it.

„You don't have to hide the truth. You know we won't tell anyone," the blond man said.

Nikki exchanged glances with both of them.

„I don't want to talk about it here. Brian, can we go to the store?"

He immediately nodded, already standing up.

„Someone should inform them," Marina said.

Brian went to Daniel, kneeling down beside him. Nikki instantly remembered her first night at the beach, when she had met the tall man. The scene was almost the same, a smile finding its way to her face. After Brian had informed Daniel they were leaving, the three of them slowly started to move toward Brian's shop. As they were walking, nobody spoke because the situation was too tense. Brian and Marina simply couldn't look into each other's eyes, while Nikki was in her own world, thinking about Daniel again.

After a few minutes of walk, they found themselves in front of a familiar door. Brian unlocked them and they entered, gathering around the counter.

„We're listening!" Marina stated directly, already impatient.

Nikki took a deep breath, one more time exchanging glances with them.

„I want an honest answer to this question, okay?" she said.

Brian narrowed his eyes, not knowing what Nikki was talking about, while Marina was just curious.

„Who is Sofia?" she asked suddenly.

There it was. She just threw the bomb on them.

Her friends were completely frozen in place, both of their eyes wide open. They weren't blinking. There was a complete silence all around the store. Nikki waited for them to finally start speaking.

„Where did you get this name?" Marina asked, rubbing her hands nervously.

„I just know. Who is she?"

The Latina and Brian exchanged glances and Nikki knew they both were having second thoughts about answering her question.

„She was our best friend," Brian finally replied and Nikki squeezed her eyes.

„And what about the fact that she's Daniel's ex-girlfriend. You didn't mention that," she said, surprising them again.

„Where did you get that information?"

Nikki was slowly dragging her hand on the counter.

„Daniel told me," she replied. „That night at the beach, while he was wasted. I told him to give me the number of a person I could call to pick him up. Apparently, he gave me her number but the voicemail reported this number is no longer in use. Then he admitted she had left him a year ago. That's why Daniel is so problematic, isn't it? He can't get over the break-up."

Both of her friends suddenly had painful facial expressions. Marina just looked at her ex-boyfriend.

„Are we really going to do this?" she asked. Brian just sighed, standing in front of Nikki.

„You have the wrong information, Nikki," he said, surprising her in return. He went to the opposite side of the store, pointing out at the big picture of a girl with sand-colored hair, at which Nikki had previously looked for so many times. The girl was so beautiful.

„Meet Sofia Lopez, my best friend...and yes, she is Dan's ex-girlfriend but she didn't leave him," he explained and Nikki's eyes widened, looking at the picture in astonishment. This was Sofia?

„What do you mean? Daniel himself told me what happened."

„He was drunk and didn't know what he was saying. Sofia didn't leave him. Nikki...she died."    

-

Author's note:

There's the first cliffhanger but see you again soon with an update. Everything is going to become clear. 

I don't have much to say and I hope you guys liked it (if there's anyone reading it). If you are, then, please, vote and comment.  

Stay true to yourself and have a nice weekend.