Magic. My magic.
“Happy anniversary, Ty,” he says the second I pick up.
I can only stare at him for a second, grinning, taking him in from the blonde strands he’s pushing back to that full bottom lip I’mdyingto pull between my teeth again.
He’s back on the bus, curled up in his bunk, the curtain pulled shut to give us a bit of privacy and the lighting just soft enough to make him look even more unreal than usual. I swear my heart skips a fucking beat.
“Happy anniversary, Jacie,” I reply softly, my voice catching just a little. “It might be a little late, but I mean it more than ever.”
His answering smile is just as soft and full of warmth and love as mine.
“How’d your interviews go?” I ask before he can reply, settling back on the bench, giving him all my focus.
“Ah, same old, same old,” he says with a shrug. “People ask me shit, I answer and flirt and smile a bit… There really isn’t much to it.”
I huff. “Don’t tell me it’s already getting boring. You just started in the business.”
“Should I start a scandal just to spice things up? Show my ass on stage? Make out with Missy on stage? That shit will blow up in an instant.”
I glare at him, suppressing a grin. “Don’t even joke like that.”
“Relax. My lips are only for you. And occasionally your dick.”
I groan. “Jacie...”
He grins, unapologetic, eyes sparkling.
With a tap on my screen, I switch to the back camera and tilt it toward the view. The path, the sand, the waves crashing in the distance. “Recognize it?”
His silver-flecked eyes seem to shimmer as he spots it.“Our bench.”
“Yup.” I run my hand over the scratched-in heart, show it to him. “You’re still carved in here.”
A soft sigh. “Tell me something new,” he says, voice quieter now, like he’s holding his breath.
“Something new?” I exhale slowly, not even having to think about my response. “I miss you more today than yesterday. But less than I’ll miss you tomorrow.”
I can see him swallow, eyes intent on mine. “I love you so fucking much…”
The sky’s deep orange now, the sun kissing the edge of the horizon. Warm, golden light paints the ocean in fire. And I can’t wait to go back out there with him. Just us and our surfboards, chasing waves and leaving the rest of the world behind.
“Next week, you’ll see it with me. You’ll be here.”
“I will. Eight more days, Ty,” he replies, that soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“We got this, right?” I say.
“Of course we do, baby,” he whispers. “It’s countdown time, I can almostfeelyou in my arms. I’ve got a few minutes. Let me just... watch the sunset with you.”
I do as he says, turn the camera back toward the sea and let the silence speak for us. We stay like that, just us, quiet and connected, watching the sky burn down into the night. Until he apologizes he has to go and the screen goes dark after a soft goodbye.
And even though I’m still sitting on our bench, with our ocean in front of me and his voice still echoing in my ears, my hand still flies to my chest, like I can stop it from aching.
When I get back to the house, it’s quiet. According to the pile of duffles just inside the back door and the lingering smell of one too many body sprays, the guys already went out.
I smile at that, kinda glad, since I’m just not in the right headspace to go with them today, and I know that if they’d be here, they’d have pushed until I caved and went with them.
Deciding tonight is a good night for some comfort food, since Ididalmost play an entire game and need my weekly fill of carbs again, I open the fridge for a beer and grab a stack of takeout folders from the counter.
