In Waves | ✔️

48 | walls

Nate hasn't acknowledged his fight with Alex since we sat down at Shelly's, and I can tell that she's under his skin from his lack of enthusiasm for the simple things. An afternoon of surfing; getting his booth with the ocean view, a chocolate milkshake, the plate of fries we're splitting. These things usually make his day, but none of it is enough to shake her off.

He forces a smile and raises his glass. "Here's to kind of almost riding your first wave. I'm proud of you, DeMarco."

"Couldn't have kind of almost done it without my teacher." I clink my vanilla milkshake to his, stealing one of his cherries off the top before he drinks.

Nate's milkshakes are always decked out compared to mine. Filled to the brim, extra whipped cream, extra cherries. The works. I'm pretty sure it's Cora's doing, or literally any waitress who serves him. This time, my cherry-stealing gets no reaction.

I watch him watching the last of the sunset. "You okay?"

His gaze shifts to me. "A-okay."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"You don't sound sure."

"Wanna hook me up to a lie detector machine so you can be sure I'm sure?"

"Wouldn't do anything since those things are hooey. People cheat them all the time."

"Hooey?" Nate snickers. "Should we get some cards and play a game of bridge after this, grandma?"

My eyes roll.

"Or maybe you prefer bingo night down at the old folks home. I can call-ow!" He lurches from my shin kick under the table. "Christ, are you smuggling rocks in your shoes?"

"Stop trying to change the subject."

"Stop stuffing your shoes with rocks. Also, why'd you do that?"

"Because you're trying to change the subject."

"I'm not."

"So you're okay after that fight?"

Nate's eyes roll now. He stops rubbing his leg, straightening in his seat.

"I wouldn't be okay if I had a fight like that with Matt."

"Well, I'm not you, am I?"

I can see that wall building behind his eyes. Brick by brick.

"You can't brush everything away, Nate. If things aren't working then you should address it."

He plucks a fry from the plate. "Alex was just in a mood. She'll be good tomorrow."

"Yeah? And the next day? And the next?" I press. "Issues don't disappear with bad moods."

He stays quiet, dipping the fry in his milkshake, brushing me off. I chew on my straw so hard it hurts my teeth. Blake wasn't kidding, it's like his emotions have been reeled in and barricaded. But I need to break through.

I'll risk injury and I might be left in a pile of rubble, but so what. It's Nate. I'll reopen my old wounds if it means his can stay closed.

"Has Rob ever told you anything about our dad?"

The question seems to throw him off, and for a moment, I can see the wall halt construction.

"Only that your parents are divorced," he replies, his expression guarded.

"In a nutshell, yeah. That's what happened," I say, my voice threatening to break. "And it happened because my dad cheated. A lot. And then he walked out on us and he never looked back. We haven't heard from him in nine years."