❝You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to face them.❞
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After wiping out on the waves and spending the last six months in a physical therapy centre recovering, pro-surfer Thalia Monroe, heads to the small coastal town of Sandy...
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KNOCKING ON ATLAS'S apartment door, I release the breath I've been holding and tap my fingers against my thigh nervously as I wait.
Surfing on some of the biggest waves in the world in front of crowds and on live television is easily less nerve-wracking than standing in front of Atlas's apartment right now. When I'm out on the waves, I'm fearless, or I used to be, anyway. There were no nerves. You would just dive in headfirst and let the ocean take control. However, tonight the nerves flutter in my stomach and I am way out of my element.
My eyes flicker around the apartment hallway and knowing how this town is, it wouldn't surprise me if some locals were peeping through their doors right now and gossip spreads like wildfire tomorrow.
The door opens and Atlas smiles as he pulls it open, before leaning against it with his hand on the handle. His blonde curls fall over his forehead, slightly in front of his eyes, before he pushes them back. A black button-down shirt covers his chest, with some of the top buttons open and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, plus a pair of dress pants.
His eyes flicker down to the summer dress covering my body before his eyes connect with mine once more.
"Hey sunshine."
The nickname rolls off his tongue easily, as it always does, and the rustling sound of pots and pans coming from his apartment breaks our moment. He turns his head to look over his shoulder and I tease him, gesturing over my shoulder back to the stairs.
"You know, if you have other company, I can just leave."
Taking a step back, I don't get far before he takes my hand in his and pulls me forward closer to him, so I'm standing right in front of him, looking up at him. "Oh, no you don't. Come on, I'll show you what that's about."
Leading me into his apartment, he closes the door behind us before keeping hold of my hand as we walk through. An older woman stands in the kitchen wearing an apron with ingredients spread around her on the counters, with a smile on her face as she watches us walk in.
"What's all this?" I ask him, confused, as we come to a stop at the counter.
"This is a cooking class." Atlas smiles before holding his hand out in front of him to the woman. "This is May. May here hosts cooking classes in her spare time and I convinced her to do us a private one."
"He's very charming when he wants to be," May says, smiling as she wipes her hands on a rag as she comes over to hug me as a greeting.
"Oh, I know," I tell her, looking at Atlas, who winks at me.
"Well, I've heard a lot about you from our little town of gossipers, and also this one here." She points to Atlas.
"How do you two know each other?" I ask her, walking over to put the apron around me and handing one to Atlas.
"Atlas used to come to some of my classes as a child and be my helper." May smiles at him as he puts the apron on.
"Did he now?" I question, and Atlas rubs the back of his neck.
