MADISON

If someone ever asks who the worst surfer on earth is, take for granted that the name that would come to the discussion would be Madison Wrestler. This is the twentieth time that I fall from the board and the wave takes me back to the shore.

I get out of the sea with my hair full of sand. My shirt is soaked and stuck to my body, along with the shorts that cling to my skin.

I let myself fall on the little blanket on the sand and watch as Dylan comes with the board under his arm while he claps his hands laughing. He looks better than ever. His hair is all disheveled with his curls wet and his muscles can be seen perfectly sculpted under the burgundy shirt that clings to his body. He smiles and that stills driving me crazy.

"Okay, that was definitely the best attempt of them all," he mocks, sitting down next to me. I laugh too picturing how ridiculous I may have looked being revolted on the giant wave.

"That wave was too big," I say defensively. The sun hits his face making the golden tone of his skin almost orange. Extremely attractive.

"Damn, you don't even need makeup," he says when his eyes find mine. They're even clearer and more beautiful in the sun. I blush at the fact that we are both observing each other like fools.

"You don't need makeup either," I joke. We must look as stupid as Jessica and Levy when they are together.

"I'm trying to be romantic here," he says brushing sand off his arms while he laughs as I do.

"I'm not good at that," I reply wrinkling my nose and as an answer, he just extends his arm to me. "What?"

"Well, someone needs to know of romance... come here," he says looking at the gap between his arm and his body. Oh. "Let's romantically watch the sunset," I smile.

"Getting between your arms wouldn't make it awkward instead of romantic?" I ask.

"Let's awkwardly watch the sunset then." He winks and I bite my lip shaking my head right before accepting. I slide to him making my head to end up against his shoulder, but not in the tender way of me leaning my head on his shoulder like you might be thinking. Literally, my head is against his shoulder. Stupid. I can almost feel him smiling for how stupid I am for staying this way but he doesn't say anything. I stay like this and in an attempt to keep my dignity intact before he holds me with his arm, taking my hand and then leaving both over my thigh making it even more perfect.

"Dylan," I say a few minutes later.

"Tell me," he says and I sigh before I finally start talking.

"When I was young-"

"Wait. Are we really doing this?" he interrupts confusing me and I just look at him.

"Doing what?"

"Talk about us..." he replies looking at me leaving me even more confused.

"Well, didn't you wanted to know what I hide?" I ask and that makes him look away while he shows a little smile that melts my heart.

"Nah, I am not really a person who cares about anyone's past," he replies. "Tell me something else."

"What else do you want to know?" I ask him and he thinks of it for a moment before smiling with all his teeth.

"I don't know," he says looking at me. "Tell me about your future, what you want to do... or tell me about you and Levy. I don't know. Did you two have something?"

I laugh. "You ask me that, of all things."

"You told me to ask what I wanted to know, and I really want to know if there was something between who I consider being my best friend and the girl that is driving me crazy," he winks an eye again making me blush. "So yeah... that's what I want to know."

I take my time to think about it, just to torture him and then finally answer. "There has never been anything between us."

"Just friends?" he asks. I nod. "And you have never feel anything for him?" I look at the sea thinking of it for a minute.

"Not really, he is my best friend... just that," I reply shrugging and he raises his brows.

"He isn't in love with you or something like that?" he asks and I laugh at his thought before shaking my head. "Are you sure?"

"Well, we haven't really ever talked about that. I don't think so."

"Then you don't know him as much as you think you do..." What he says confuses me.

"Why not?"

"Well, I supposed that being as intelligent as you are, you would have noticed the fact that he has had a crush on you since he met you." I'm at a loss for my words. Levy? In love with me? Since when? Why he never said anything?

"I-"

"You really didn't know? The poor boy is secretly dying for you." This could change everything between Levy and me. I don't love him. Well, I do, but not in that way. He is like a brother to me, not someone whom I would ever imagine to be in a relationship with. Plus, he has Jessica. He is with Jessica. Was he just pretending all this time?

"He... has he told you anything?" I ask nervous and he sighs.

"Gosh! What hasn't he say is the real question. He doesn't talk about anything else but you," he replies looking away. "He can't stop talking about how beautiful you are, the beauty of your smile when you laugh and how much he can't wait to see you again each time you're apart from each other," he says.

To be honest, it terrifies me. I really didn't want to know that. "He also told me about how much it amazes him that you would believe me," he starts to laugh and relief fills me immediately, releasing my fear in a nervous laugh.

"You are a fool," I say.

"You should have seen your face," he replies without being able to stop laughing. "God, that scene could have won an Oscar."

"You almost killed me," I say looking back at the horizon.

Minutes later while I am supposed to be watching the sky, I get lost in the sea. It has always seemed amazing, immense and strong to me. Fascinating. I love the way you can't see anything else but water. There are no mountains nor cities, nothing but the sea.

I believe that the sea is the perfect thing to compare life with. I think of the ocean as all of us and the sand as our objective. We are born from nothing, just like the water. On us, it lasts to combine two cells to exist, with water it lasts to combine two elements. Then there's the fact of believing we are born for a reason and we need to achieve it. Just like knowing that at some point all the water of the sea would get to the shore. All this water is all of us, everyone. Everybody trying to get to the other side; waves are our obstacle and the sand is our goal. But if waves are obstacles why do they exist?

Easy. It's impossible for all the water to get to the shore without the waves. Of course, there are moments in which water gets trapped in a wave, but then a second wave will come to give it the push it needs to achieve its goal to finally sink into the sand.

And? Then what? The water wets the sand, disappearing without knowing what happened when it finally made it... or knowing the reason why it needed to be that way.

I kind of think the same thing happens with our lives. We born, live a little, fight for the objective of our lives, get it and then... we just die. That way with not a logical explanation.

* * *

The sunset is beautiful. No other words for it. The sky is painted in pink, orange and purple tones while farther away the sun seems to be entering the sea that reflects the phenomenal spectacle while waves ripple underneath.

Do you know what makes sunsets even better? The fact that they're one of the few intangible things for humans, because like everything else if we had the chance... we would destroy it.

"It's beautiful," I say as he continues passing his hand on my arm.

"It is and it's perfectly awkward," he replies. "Do you know what could make this moment even more awkward?" he asks minutes later and I look at him. His perfect eyes get stuck on mine sending an electric discharge that runs through my spine. He is so close that I can now see a dark spot near his eye.

"What-"

"This."

I don't know when it happens but suddenly my lips close on his. Our lips begin a synchronized dance. How do they do it? I have no idea. But it's almost like they had their own thoughts and the only thing they wanted to do is keep in contact with his. Meanwhile, I feel him smiling against me and the fact that he does so makes the moment even better, so much that it makes me smile the same way.

I don't see anything. My eyes refuse to open on their own will. All I can see is the orange color from the sun on my eyelids. Physically, one of his hands is holding me from my waist while the other one holds my face. Mine, one on his neck while the other one makes its way to his wide back.

He lets go and my lips instantly beg for more.

When I open my eyes I find him smiling and blushed for the first time which brings a broad smile to my face. "What a way for making things awkward, huh?" he says making me bite my lip right before I press my lips against his like they're magnets. It makes him fall back onto the sand.

We keep kissing. Me on my side and he fully on his back except for his face which turns to stay against mine. My hand follows its way on his side but right at that moment, he stops it without stopping the kiss.

This time I let go.

I find him with his face in a wince. Did I cause that? Did I hurt him? "Are you okay?" His hand lets me go covering his eyes for a moment before he sits down grimacing again to then uncover his eyes and smile at me like nothing ever happened.

"You taste like the ocean," he says turning his head to look at me and I blush.

"I guess it's a side effect of drinking half of the sea," I joke and his smile grows majestically. I slide on the sand to sit next to him again.

"You need to practice," he says making me gulp. Was it that bad? "Your surf," he explains right before I want to drown myself in the water. "The other thing was so fucking incredibly perfect."

I smile again and look at the sea where the sun has almost disappeared. "Did you know..." I stop when I turn to look at him and find him again with his eyes shut with pain. "Are you okay?" I repeat.

"Did I know what?" he asks looking at me but the pain on his eyes, make me forget my own question.

"What's wrong?" He only shakes his head in reply.

"What were you saying?" He passes his hand on his left side which immediately makes me extend my arm to raise his shirt. "Madison stop!" he says right when a giant bruise meets my eyes.