𝑨𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑭𝑻, jj maybank

TWENTY - bumblebee

TWENTY —— bumblebee

Dawn seemed to brightened the sky sooner than usual. At the first hint of light and with sleepless circles under her eyes, Bee Flynn ventured into the ocean, her surfboard snug under her arm. Salt prickled her tanned legs and the waves tugged and pulled, luring her further and further. She paddled out into the hazy, watery darkness, a sliver of the sun glowing through the sky, barely enough to light the way. Bee was the only person at the secluded beach, and the silence soothed, allowed a moment to reflect and let her mind wander freely.

Absentmindedly, she paddled out past the lineup, the area where the waves usually broke. There, Bee sat silently, marvelling at the sunrise and its timeless beauty. When the sky was just light enough for her to see what she was doing, Bee made her way back to the lineup and caught her first wave of the day.

The swell of the water beneath her board and the spray of the wave at her ankles exhilarated her, bringing back surfing memories from her childhood and last week and everything in-between. She let the ocean breathe for her, direct her where to go and which tricks to perform. When the wave fizzled out, she paddled back and restarted the process.

As always, her mind wandered away from consciously surfing and now, all she could seem to think about was last night. The way her breath caught in her throat like she never expected it to, the fluttery beating of her heart, how her body seemed to gravitate toward JJ's on instinct.

And then she thought about him.

The intrigue glistening in his curious eyes, the way he glanced between her eyes and mouth, the small step he took to be closer to her. The signs pointed to mutual feelings, which was supposed to be a good thing. It was supposed to be good, yet Bee was terrified.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that, as she was exiting a pipeline wave, the nose of her surfboard dipped into the water. The sudden change in pace made Bee fly off her board and into the water. Before she even hit the surface, the breaking wave slammed against her, forcing her down. Salt flooded her eyes, her nose, her mouth, and all she could do was hold her breath as the heavy wave thrashed her body around. Bee couldn't tell which way was up and her lungs screamed for air.

She remembered the first time she ever wiped out on a real wave, and how her father had been there with her, laughing with amusement when she had resurfaced and promptly cried. The memory made her heart ache for her dad, for the man who taught her the art of surfing, who taught her how to love it even if it was difficult and impossible at times.

She screwed her eyes shut and held her breath, and then her face broke the surface. Bee managed to breathe again after coughing up salt water, adrenaline pumping through her body and buzzing in her veins. After she wiped the water away from her eyes, she paddled over to her board, laughing at herself and the dumb mistake she had made.

Bee climbed back onto her board and paddled back out, determined to leave the ocean on a positive note that day. So, after she caught another wave and performed a damn near perfect trick, Bee paddled back to shore. Surfing always left her with a positive mood and a sense of clarity. Today, though, all she felt was an ache in her neck from falling and confirmation that she at least felt something for JJ, she just wasn't sure what.

༄ ･ ｡ﾟ

"Hey, look, a bumblebee!" JJ called from the HMS Pogue as he, John B, and Pope pulled up to Bee's dock.

She rolled her eyes at the nickname, though a small smile teased her lips anyway, and she hopped down from where she had been perched on the railing. "I can't even get mad at that one."