At the dawn of the day, he drives his car down the dirt road. He pulls up to the beach and puts his wetsuit on while waving at some other surfers. Liam walks towards the sandy beach and pierces the board on the sand. This is the only place where there's a hint of sanity in him.

"Morning, bro," a surfer approaches him while tying his long curls in a ponytail. "There's a pointer around."

Liam scoffs frustratedly. There goes his plan to drown the residual alcohol from his system. "Shit, the water is perfect today." He looks up and sees on the horizon the perfect peak for his surfboard to glide through.

"Is there someone in the water?"

The surfer's question forces Liam to scour the water and he sees, paddling through the blue water, someone in the water.

"Hey!" the curly-haired guy waves at the surfer that is now claiming the perfect peak.

His eyes squint. Is that...?

"Hey!" Liam shouts vociferously and waves his arm in sync with his shore companion. "Hey!" he shouts once again.

She turns around and faces the shore. They wave to call her back to shore. But the female surfer responds to their pleas with a wave before positioning the board to face the water once again.

"Fuck!" he exhales. Liam grabs his board and runs towards the water. "Hey!" he screams once again

She turns around once again with her eyes directed at Liam that paddles furiously, making his way near her.

Liam's strokes are fast and his blue eyes pierce through the pianist that is stubbornly still in the shark-infested waters.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snaps when he reaches her.

"Surfing, or at least trying," she says, annoyed at seeing Liam yet again. "Do you sleep on the beach or something?"

Liam stares at her, unamused. "You need to get out of the water now."

Aimee frowns, "Ok, this is not your beach. You can't tell me what to do."

Aimee lays her body back down, but he grabs her board with enormous strength, which causes her to get back up.

"Hey, let go!" she shouts.

"It's not safe. There are warnings about a great white in the area. We need to leave the water. Now."

Aimee's face falters, and she nods while following him out of the water.

Once they reach the shore, Aimee looks down, embarrassed at her crude remark. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

His back is turned to her, while he picks up his things from the sand. "Didn't the lack of people in the water tip you off?" he grumbles.

Aimee looks around. And in fact, there is not one person in the water.

"I just thought that it was too early for anyone to be out here surfing." She responds and kicks the sand softly around as a child that was scolded by misbehaving.

"Sunrise is the best time to surf. When you don't have a shark swimming around, at least." He pulls the cord from his wetsuit and starts unzipping it. "You shouldn't be here." Liam roars.

Aimee grunts, frustrated at his patronising tone. "Here We Go Again!" She raises her voice and waves her arms, frustrated. "I said I was sorry!"

Liam takes two steps towards her menacingly. "It's not just that. Did you even notice the rip in the water?"

Aimee looks confused at him. "The... what?"

Liam scoffs, "You don't even know what I'm talking about. The beaches around here, they're not a joke, and you pounce around as if you are on some little Italian beach where the worst it can happen to you is getting some sunburn. This is not your Mediterranean villa." He rubs his face, frustrated. "You get caught in one of those rips, and you don't know how to get out of them. Your next stop will be in the middle of the fucking ocean. Got it, pommie?"

Aimee's voice falters at his rudeness. "Got it. Thanks." She takes her board and walks away.

Liam sighs, kicking himself for his harsh words. He knows he could have been kinder, but he hasn't been kind in a long time. Liam picks up his clothes and gets dressed. He makes his way back to the car park, annoyed and frustrated, and unlocks his car. From the side mirror, he sees her on a bicycle peddling with the longboard on her back. It looks ridiculously uncomfortable.

Liam opens the car door and sits down in the driver's seat and wipes his feet off the sand stuck between his toes. His eyes land on the brown envelope that has been sitting in the compartment of his car door for the last two months. He sighs at the thought of opening that envelope.

He turns to the radio, blasting some nineties rock music. His hands turn the key and his feet press the accelerator, making the engine roar. With speed coursing through his veins, his right foot heavily thumps the accelerator, and his anger blurs any possibility of common sense. Liam shifts into first gear and speeds up. For a moment, he thinks that just maybe he can get lucky enough to end it all. The road becomes narrower with the rise of the velocity, his vision funnelling into one point of view.

Out of the blue, a blue blur sidesteps in front of the vehicle. His quick reflexes allow him to manoeuvre the car, but he feels the object graze his back door, which tilts the car sideways. Liam steers the car quickly and regains control of the vehicle before screeching it to a halt. The dust dances in the air and Liam exhales deeply and realises that he has rage rammed into someone. He watches the rearview mirror carefully and his heart comes to a stop when he sees her light brown hair emerging from the ground. Liam immediately put his gear in reverse and accelerates the vehicle backwards, cursing under his breath. He stops the car and runs outside.

"Are you hurt?"

Aimee is covered in mud, a gift from the storm that passed through the night, and is trying to tumble her cycle backup, which is bent. "Oh, fuck!"

It was the first time he heard her swear.

"Are you hurt?" he repeats the question.

Aimee huffs, "No, you haven't killed me yet." She has scrapes all over her body. She looks down in the ditch and sighs. "Not the board..." she murmurs. "I just rented it yesterday."

The surfboard is laying on the muddy ground broke in half.

"Oh, men... I'm definitely losing my deposit."

"I didn't see you."

Aimee shoots him a pointed look. "You would not see a whole cow in front of you at that speed!"

Liam chuckles at the comment.

"You think I'm joking? You could have killed me! You are out there lecturing me about sharks and rips and whatnot, and then you try to ram me off the road. Would be better off with the shark, man!" Aimee squats and tries to fix the bike, but the chain is missing. "Have you seen the chain?"

Liam glances quickly around and shakes his head.

"Josie is going to kill me. You managed not only to make me lose my deposit on the surfboard, and now I also owe my cousin a new bike."

"Why are you cycling, anyway?"

Aimee turns a finger on him. "Don't you dare!"

Liam holds his hands up high, half-amused at her reaction. "Let me give you a ride back to the farmhouse."

"No way" she rebuts.

"How are you going to get there?"

"I'll walk if I have to."

Liam frowns, "You're hurt. I need to at least get you checked out."

Aimee snickers, "Right..."

"Please let me take you back to the farmhouse."

Aimee sighs. "I need to be somewhere else. I can ask for some gauze or something when I get there."

"Okay, tell me where it is and I'll take you." Aimee cocks an eyebrow at him. "Don't be stubborn, pommie."

Aimee grunts, "Fine. It's your brother's house. That's where I need to be."

Liam's interest peaks. "Why?"

"If you must know, because Isabella asked me."

Liam takes the bicycle and the surfboard that is now into two pieces and puts them in the back of his truck. Aimee walks to the passenger side and enters the car that still blares the music through its speakers. She scrunches her face and puts the music off. Liam enters the vehicle and stares at her.

"Just drive," she says and rolls her eyes in annoyance.

Liam drives painfully slow, and, once in a while, glances at the girl next to him that keeps her head towards the window.

He clears his throat. "I think I have some tissues in the back."

She stares at him in disgust. "Are you calling me dirty? I'm in this mess because you threw me off the road."

"I meant for the blood. You're bleeding from your leg."

Aimee looks down at her left leg and notices the thin line of blood dripping slowly down her leg. "Oh, I didn't even notice."

Liam stretches to reach for something in the back.

Aimee screeches. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He glances at her, confused. "Getting the tissues for you. I have some in the back."

She opens her eyes menacingly. "Your eyes stay on the road, those hands stay put on the wheel. I'll get the damn tissue."

He nods at her, amused.

Aimee stretches to the back and tries to find the tissues. She turns around to the back of the car, her rear in full display. Liam stares at it momentarily and coughs awkwardly, trying to distract himself.

"They should be behind my seat."

Aimee takes a box and returns to her seat. "Got it. You're really messy. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

"My mother, only all the time."

Aimee takes the tissue to clean the blood.

"Keep it pressed. We're almost there." Liam steals another glance. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Is that the question you want to ask?" she says within a split second.

Liam chuckles at how painfully annoying and yet somehow endearing she can actually be. "Why are you so bent on surfing?"

Aimee turns her head back to the window and stays silent.

Liam senses the change in her mood. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"My father was from around here, and every year we used to travel to Portugal, where my other father is from, for holidays. He tried to teach us, but neither I nor Callum ever had any interest, but he was crazy about it. I remember seeing him in the water, catching wave after wave, in such a majestic way. He said that his riding those waves was the same as me playing my piano. Wondrous and terrifying, a mountain to be conquered." Aimee rubs her hands on her bare legs nervously. "He's gone now, and here I am, in the place that was once his home, looking at the ocean that once he swam in, thinking about how he used to play his own tune with the deep blue sea with his board. And I thought I could be a little closer to him if I was the one performing out there."

It surprised Liam that she opened up to him and, for the first time, he regrets his past actions towards her. He places his right hand on her knee instinctively. Aimee's eyes open in surprise at the intimate gesture. She stares down at where his hand is. The realisation of what he just did dawns on Liam. He quickly takes his hand away. Aimee turns her face back to the window, with goosebumps prickling her skin. Liam keeps his eyes steady on the road, avoiding glancing at her again.

As soon as Liam parks the car, Potter comes to greet him. He stares for a moment at his passenger. Potter opens the car door. "Miss Aimee."

Aimee gets out of the car. "Thank you, Ben."

Potter takes sight of her bruises and scrapes.

"I know I'm a mess."

"Potter, can you get the first aid kit? And ask someone to get this car in the garage?"

Potter nods at Liam and disappears back inside.

Liam points to the house's entrance. "Shall we?"

As soon as they enter the house, there's a familiar voice. "What happened?" Eva asks concerned. "Potter told me he was getting the first aid kit for you." She takes sight of Aimee and stares in disbelief. "Look at you." Her focus shifts towards Liam. "Does this have anything to do with you?"

Liam shifts uncomfortably. "Yes, it's my fault. I was going too fast and didn't see her."

Eva's gaze turns cold, and she glares at Liam. "You could have seriously hurt her or worst. How many times, Liam?" she scolds him in a motherly manner.

Liam looks down at the floor, embarrassedly.

Aimee notices the tension. "I'm okay. Really, it was as much my fault as his."

"What happened?" Isabella asks, while coming down the stairs.

"Let's not even talk about it. How are you Izzie?"

Izzie chuckles while skipping the last two steps. "Better than you."

Aimee laughs at Izzie's comment. "You're right."

"Are you leaving with your brother?" Eva asks Liam.

Liam nods. "Yeah, just want to help her first."

Potter walks in with the first aid kit and lays it on a coffee table nearby. He also brings a small stool and points it to Aimee, that sits down and allows Potter to tend to her scrapes.

"We got this covered. Just go shower quickly and change." Eva tells Liam.

Liam glances at Aimee, unsure how to proceed.

"I'm fine," she says.

He nods and disappears up the staircase.

"This might sting a bit," Potter advises Aimee.

Aimee glances at Izzie and her outfit. "So, is that it?" Aimee asks Izzie.

"No, I was waiting for you. Let me change quickly." Izzie runs upstairs.

"No running!" Eva admonishes. Eva looks at Aimee again and places her hand over her shoulder. "Are you really okay? Should we take you to the hospital?"

Aimee smiles at Eva's concern. "I'm fine. No hospital required."

Eva sighs and shakes her head. "That boy..." she looks again to Aimee. "Have you had breakfast?"

"I'll have something when I get home." She shrugs.

Eva dismisses her excuse by wafting her hand gently in the air. "Nonsense, my brother-in-law just ran you over with his car. The least that I can do is to offer you some food."

Fifteen minutes later and Aimee is sitting in a luxurious kitchen, enjoying breakfast with Eva while watching Isabella parading her new dress.

"She had to make you come here in the morning to show you this dress."

They both chuckle.

"Not just the dress. I finished the project that Aimee helped me with." Izzie says excitedly.

"I thought that this afternoon, after our lesson, we could go out and hang out by the park," Aimee says while spreading a thin layer of blackcurrant jam on a piece of toast.

Izzie's eyes widen. "The park? Where do all my classmates hang out?"

Aimee nods and takes a bite of her toast.

Eva gets up and pours a cup of coffee into her mug and Aimee's. "I think that is a great idea."

"What's a great idea?" Charlie walks into the room, wearing a classic black suit and a friendly smile on his face. "Morning, sport," he says to his daughter and plants a tender kiss on his wife's lips. "Morning, Aimee," he stares at her, noticing her scrapes and muddy appearance. "What happened to you?"

"Uncle Liam ran her over with the car." Izzie declares amusedly.

Charlie raises his eyebrows angrily.

"It's not like that." Aimee intervenes before he asks anything further. "We had a minor accident, but it was as much as my fault as his, really. I shouldn't have been so close to the middle of the road. If I had stuck to the sidelines, then none of it would have happened."

Charlie's face contorts, clearly not happy with the explanation. "Was he?"

Eva nods.

"I'll have a talk with him. Where is he?"

Izzie grabs another croissant. "Upstairs."

Aimee gets up. "Seriously, it wasn't entirely his fault. He's feeling bad as it is."

Charlie chuckles. "You're defending my brother? The same guy you were fighting with a few days ago?"

Aimee shrugs, "Pick your fights. This is not one of them."

Unbeknownst to them, Liam stands on the other side of the door, listening to every syllable that falls from her lips. He takes a deep breath and enters the room. "How are you?"

Aimee looks at her legs and arms that are full of iodine covering her scratches. "I had worst scrapes than this, to be honest."

Liam smiles at her comment.

"Are you ready? We can't be late." Charlie asks. "And we will talk about this." He points at Aimee. "Regardless of the fact that she is sweet enough to defend your reckless actions."

Liam glares at his brother, unamused at being scolded in public. "Do you need a ride?" he asks Aimee.

"I'll give her a ride after we drop Izzie," Eva interjects.

"Yes, and you are driving with me this morning. Enough adventures behind the wheel for you." Charlie admonishes him once again.

Liam takes a croissant from the table and looks down at the project that sits on top of the table. "Cool art project, kiddo. Picasso, hey? You have really outdone yourself."

Izzie smiles, "Thank you, uncle Liam. But Aimee helped me. She actually had the idea of making a diorama."

Liam glances at Aimee that drinks her coffee, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Are we still going to see a film tonight?"

Liam gives Isabella a side hug. "Absolutely. Have a good day at school."

Charlie kisses Isabella's forehead and Eva's cheek and both the men make their way out.

"Right, let me get my keys and let's also get going, so we're not late." Eva disappears back inside the house.

"Do you need some help to carry out your project?"

Izzie nods and Aimee picks up the diorama that depicts the life and death of Picasso.

"This is pretty awesome."

Izzie takes her backpack, both start walking towards the door.

"Is, does your uncle live here?"

Isabella nods while fixing her backpack. "Yeah, since he moved back from Sydney, he's been staying here."

Author's Note:

Photo by Rafael Leao on Unsplash