The Uneventful Life of Harvey Mackler

c h a p t e r | e i g h t e e n

"AH, AB-WATCHING. My favourite hobby."

That comment comes from none other than the great and wonderful Gianna Marie Benedetti, a whole three seconds before she plants herself on the sand next to me.

The weather is sweltering hot today, giving every guy within a 10 mile radius of the beach a good enough excuse to not wear a shirt.

Usually, Gia's teasing remark would warrant a chuckle, or at the very least a hum in agreement out of me, if not for the fact two out of the five sets of abs Gia is currently ogling at belong to my brothers. Coupled with the events from her party two days ago still fresh in my mind, it's enough to instantly make me feel queasy.

"I thought you were supposed to be training him today?" Gia asks me, her eyes trailing after our favourite blond wanna-be surfer boy.

My gaze flitters to Finn. He's currently laughing at something Jay says, deftly whisking his surfboard to the side, splashing water over Jay and Hayden as he surfs around them.

Lancer yells at the disturbance they are creating on the surface of the water. He came over this morning, whining about how his whole body ached after getting beat up by a bunch of violent 8 year olds at his last kickboxing class. His self-prescribed remedy for his aches was of course sunbathing on an inflatable donut in the middle of the ocean.

"I did. We had a session earlier this morning. The rest of the boys showed up towards the end, so we decided to cut it short," I explain.

Gia nods slowly. She raises a hand to shield her eyes from the sun's rays. "It is really hot today, isn't it?" she says. "But why aren't you out there with them?"

"Hmm?" I try not to look too tense as I turn to face Gia's questioning eyes.

"Surfing, I mean," she expands. "The waves look good today. Is it your leg? Are you still not allowed to surf?"

Gia's inquisitive gaze morphs into worry in an instant.

"Nah, it's not that," I assure her in a casual voice, digging my toes into the sand. "It healed a while ago. But my surfboard's still broken. I haven't found anyone I trust to repair it yet."

Gia relaxes a little. "See, this is why you shouldn't attach too much value to material objects. The surfboard isn't what made you a great surfer, Harv. You did that all by yourself."

"Mm, I know, I know. You're right..." I strain a smile. "I guess I'm just too attached. I don't like surfing without it."

"It was your favourite board, so I guess I understand," Gia says. "That's the only reason, right?"

"Of course," I answer back. "By the way, who let you in? We were all outside here. I was expecting to get a phone call when you arrived."

My gaze drifts from Finn and the other guys in the sea, to Hunter who lingers closer to shore with Harry and Eva, adjusting the inflatable armbands around Harry's arms as he tries to teach them some kind of game.

"Hollis."

"He's still inside?" I reply, surprised. Looking around, I confirm that Hollis is nowhere to be found. 

Gia shrugs. "He looked like he was in the middle of some video game or something. He had a headset on and he was talking to someone while opening the door."