It’s almost dinnertime. Tai tosses more vegetables into a wok on the stovetop. Ollie’s home. It’s a sweet, sharp pain to know he’s here, though he disappeared downstairs with his boards after an awkward welcome-back not-quite-hug. When he met Tai’s glance, Tai had to steady his breathing.
In the living room, Jaime’s convinced Sunny and Hannah to try origami with him. Hannah’s attempts are a mess. She gives up and admires the others’ pieces. Sunny and Jaime are pretty good. Across the room, Tai can see miniature cranes and frogs and flowers. He watches them now and then from the kitchen while he stirs the chicken fried rice.
“Dinner’s up,” Tai calls when it’s ready. “Can someone get Ollie?”
“Ollie!!” Sunny raises her voice so Ollie can hear from the laundry where he’s messing with the boards.
Ollie thuds up the stairs. Jaime puts all the leftover paper and the most successful origami onto the bookshelf before grabbing a plate of food. He sprawls in one big chair and Sunny sits cross-legged on the floor. Tai sits on the couch. He’s surprised when Ollie sits beside him. He moves over to make space.
While Tai eats, Ollie’s flickering gaze lands on him. Tai’s heart twists traitorously in response. But when he glances at Ollie, Ollie’s eyes shift away. Tai’s skin simmers. The time apart has only made this whole thing clearer. Tai’s in love. He honestly doesn’t know how he’s going to stop.
Toward the end of dinner, Ollie says, “Hey, is that a new tattoo?” He touches Tai’s arm fleetingly. His voice is pitched low, but there are only five of them in the room. The other three look over.
“I figured you’d be pretty clear on the precise whereabouts of all of Tai’s tats, Oliver,” says Sunny. Hannah turns away and smiles at the wall.
Tai ignores them. “Yeah, it’s new.” He runs his fingers over the band of waves and heartbeats that trace around his wrist. It’s recent enough that the tattoo is still slightly red and raised on his skin.
“I like it. It suits you.” Ollie sounds so sincere it makes Tai uncomfortable.
“Thanks. Dude. Stop being weird.” He scrunches up his napkin and throws it at Ollie. Ollie winces. It’s the wrong thing to say and do, but Tai’s not sure what would have been better.
Jaime looks at them both and rolls his eyes. He finishes his last mouthful and drops his fork to his plate with a clatter. “Okay,” he says, “Who’s ready to help me with my homework? Sunny? Hannah? It’s math, you know you want to.”
“Yeah, okay,” says Hannah. She grabs her plate along with Jaime’s and takes them to the kitchen.
“What kind of math?” Sunny asks. She takes a slow mouthful.
“Something complicated,” says Jaime. “It’s about derivation of logs.” Sunny continues to relish her last few bites. Jaime presses a hand to his chest. “Help me, Sunny, you’re my only hope.”
She grins at him as she finishes her dinner. “Okay, okay. Though I don’t get why our precious idiots can’t talk somewhere else.” She glares at Tai and Ollie. Something’s going on. Hope hurts, sharp like a knife in Tai’s chest.
Jaime sighs dramatically and drags her out before she says anything more.
Tai looks across the couch at Ollie beside him and doesn’t say anything. Ollie twists his fork in his mouth. “Good dinner,” he manages awkwardly around it.
“Ollie?” Tai asks.
Ollie’s gaze flicks around the room. He runs a hand through his messy hair. “It’s gotta be my turn to do the dishes. I’ve been gone almost two weeks.”
“Oh,” Tai says at last. “Yeah. Okay.” Maybe he’s imagined the tension and got his hopes up over nothing. “It probably is.”
Ollie’s shoulders drop as he heads into the kitchen, whether from relief or something sadder, Tai can’t tell. Ollie stands at the sink and runs the water, his feet are bare, his hips are narrow, and his hair sticks up on his head in all directions. Tai wants to watch him do ordinary things forever.
“I’m heading out for a walk,” Tai says to Ollie’s back. He needs to take some time outside his head.
Ollie half turns. He looks as though he’s about to speak, but just lifts a hand in farewell. Tai goes down the stairs and out onto the beach alone.
It’s dark, of course, though bright moonlight breaks through the cloud cover. Tai walks a familiar path along the beach, around to a point where the rough sand juts out before sloping suddenly into the ocean. He stands still and wraps his arms around his body. The waves and the sand are a second home.
The last plate is in the drying rack. Ollie is a fool and a coward. He turns off the hot tap and watches it drip once, twice. Outside, the surf is thunderous. A car drives past the house.
Ollie doesn’t need to imagine the worst that could happen between him and Tai. That already happened, Tai moved out. Now Tai’s back. It makes no sense for Ollie to stand here and do nothing.
Ollie heads to the beach. He knows where Tai is.
“Hey.”
He can hear his own heartbeat over the sound of the surf. Tai turns. His eyes are red-rimmed. He doesn’t try to hide it. If Ollie could, he’d go back in time and take it all away. “Hey.”
“So hey,” Ollie says at last. “I’ve known you for a really long time—”
“It’s cool, Ollie, you don’t need to tell me again. I get it. I got it last time.” Tai’s voice is flat, defeated.
“No. That’s not—” Ollie takes Tai’s hand in one of his. Tai looks down at their hands, then up to meet Ollie’s eyes. “Let me say this,” Ollie says.
“Okay.” Tai sets his shoulders.
Tai is Ollie’s best friend, his family. Ollie forces himself not to look away. “You’ve been part of my life for so long. I took that for granted. I thought that nothing would change. But.” He wants to explain this perfectly but even now he hasn’t found the words. His breath comes in a gust. “It’s bigger now. What you are to me. It’s big-big. Like you’ve woken me up and there’s this part of me that I didn’t know was there.” He takes Tai’s other hand.
Tai opens his mouth as though he might say something. But if Ollie doesn’t finish now, he might never work out how to start again. He takes a breath and says everything. “I can’t tell whether I’ve felt like this for a long time or if it just started. I’ve been turning all the words for how I feel over and over in my mind trying to figure out what it means and I still don’t know what to say but—” He exhales. Tai’s eyes are moonlit, dark and clear. “Not long ago you said you were in love with me. Tai. You know I’m an idiot. You’ve always known that. Give me another chance to answer?” He pauses, takes a breath. “Don’t tell me I’m too late.”
Tai is still. “You’re not too late.”
The mountains of Oahu fold up sharply toward the black sky. The waves stretch out forever. Unexpectedly, it’s simple. Ollie doesn’t rush the words. “I’m in love with you.” He exhales. “I love you, Tai.”
The ocean keeps its ageless beat around them.
“You can say something any time now,” Ollie says.
Tai’s face is vivid, all ease and amazement. His expression is really all the reply Ollie needs. “What do you want me to say?” Tai’s teasing.
Ollie tackles him to the sand.
Tai laughs up at him. “I love you, Ollie. I love you.”
“Yeah?” Ollie beams helplessly. Tai’s covered in sand. This is ridiculous. “You do?”
“You already know how much I’m in love with you, asshole. I told you. It’s not about to change.”
Ollie leans down to kiss Tai. This is nothing new. They’ve kissed before, most of the time beside the Pacific Ocean. But this. This is huge and safe: on their beach, with a past and a future, with their stretch of water and waves to watch over them.
When they sit up, side by side, Tai is wide-eyed. He takes a slow breath.
“Did I surprise you?” Ollie asks, trying not to be smug.
“I’d convinced myself this would never happen.”
Ollie kisses him again He might never stop. “It wasn’t as complicated as I expected.”
“What wasn’t?”
“Telling you that I love you. Figuring it out.”
“Fuck, I missed you,” Tai breathes.
Ollie shakes himself internally and focuses. He’s thought about this. He has to make it work this time. “But hey, I don’t want to do all this and never communicate. You know. ‘Cause we tried that once before. And I don’t want to mess this up.” He’s embarrassed to be so earnest.
Tai nods. “Sure. Let’s talk.”
Ollie hasn’t actually thought about what to say next, of course. It’s usually Tai’s job to get the words right. “What I wanted to say was—I’d like it if this isn’t just about kissing. Not that I don’t like kissing. Because I do.” He stops. Starts again. “When I say I love you, I guess I’m wondering if we could maybe give this a try. This, you know, thing with us.” The words are getting away from him.
Tai grins, radiant. He takes Ollie’s hand. “Sure, let’s do this thing with the thing.”
“Fuck off, Tai. You know what I mean.” Even through his irritation he can’t help but move back to kiss Tai again.
Tai speaks against Ollie’s lips. “I know what you mean. And yes, we should give this a go. I’m in. Anything. Everything.”
Happiness simmers inside as Ollie leans back to look at him. “Really?” he asks.
“Yeah, really,” says Tai, as though everything is easy.
“How can you do that?” Ollie asks.
“What?”
“How can you say that so easily, say ‘everything’ like it isn’t the most terrifying thought in the world?” Ollie bites his lips and considers Tai in the almost-dark. He’s the most beautiful thing Ollie’s ever seen. He always has been.
“I don’t know,” Tai says. “It’s easy to say because it’s true. And there are some things that are just worth being terrified for.”
“Yeah.” Ollie nods. “But hey. I don’t want you to be terrified.”
“I’m less scared every second,” says Tai against his hair.
They stay out on the beach for a while. But Ollie’s only just back from South Africa. His eyes are drooping by the time they head back. He doesn’t let go of Tai’s hand the whole way home. When they get there everything’s dark. The other kids’ bedroom doors are closed.
“Will you come to my room?” asks Ollie in a whisper, and Tai hums a quiet, pleased yes.
They make their way through the house, unerringly avoiding the worst of the squeaking boards in the hallway.
Music comes from Hannah’s room, but even so, the sound of Ollie’s door closing echoes in the hall. They stand close together. The walls around them have been their walls forever. Ollie’s shoes are lined up behind the door. His bed is rumpled. Hannah’s next door. Jaime and Sunny are down the hall.
Ollie moves to drop the blinds over his window. When he turns back, Tai’s closed his eyes.
“It’s kind of strange to be here,” Tai says when he opens them. “Good strange.”
“I know.”
Tai steps closer. It’s not strange anymore. Ollie puts a hand on his waist. His fingers curl under the waistband of Tai’s shorts. Tai pushes Ollie down onto the bed and tumbles on top of him, kissing up Ollie’s neck and grinding against his upper thigh. The bed creaks a protest.
“Oof.” Ollie muffles his laughter against Tai’s shoulder. “Slow down babe, hey, easy. We’ve got so much time,” Ollie says. “Promise.” He rolls them over so that Tai is on his back and looks down. He’s tired, but simply and gorgeously happy. “At least let me take off your shirt.”
Tai arches his back and then lifts his hips so Ollie can struggle with his shirt and peel off his board shorts. He lies back, naked. Ollie kneels beside him, sits back on his heels, biting his lip. Everything has narrowed to this one person. Under Ollie’s gaze, Tai’s breathing hitches. When Ollie’s hands trace a light path over Tai’s body, Tai whines. He tries to push up and press against Ollie’s hands, but Ollie just grins at him.
“Hold on, now,” he says. “Patience.”
He closes his eyes, takes Tai in by touch. Tai’s skin is electric, his muscles taut. Ollie counts his abs, slips a hand down to skim over Tai’s inner thigh and upward. Tai sucks in a shaky breath. Ollie wraps his hand around Tai’s cock.
“Come down here with me.” Tai’s voice is a moan. He pulls Ollie’s body over his own. Ollie huffs out a laugh and kisses Tai deeply. Their hips move relentlessly against one another. There’s not quite enough lubrication, but Ollie knows what he’s doing. He flicks his thumb over the head of Tai’s cock to gather what moisture he can.
“Is this good?”
“Fuck,” Tai mutters.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
Tai reaches between them to where Ollie’s cock rubs against his thigh. Ollie’s body melts into him as they move together over and over, taking one another in a rhythm that’s grown familiar and still reaches deep to Ollie’s core.
Tai comes with a voiceless moan, shaking and breathless. His gaze is caught in Ollie’s. The pleasure flares white in Ollie’s chest and ripples over his skin, wave after wave, down his spine and into his toes. It leaves him soft-limbed. They breathe into the space between them, quiet and content. They’ve said everything already.
Ollie wakes to Tai’s warm body. It’s late, and the sun is already pooling warm on Tai’s belly and chest. Ollie stretches, then bends his head to kiss Tai. Tai rolls to one side, facing away and reaching an arm back to pull Ollie close against his back. Ollie presses happily into him, sleepy and hard. He wants all of this.
Later, Ollie makes his way up the hall, leaving Tai to the bathroom. They’re not hiding things, but he’s not about to show up for breakfast clutching Tai’s hand, either. Hannah and Sunny are out on the deck. Ollie pours a cup of coffee and joins them. When Tai shows up, stretching distractingly and scrubbing his face with his hands, Ollie can’t help staring. Tai meets his gaze and smiles slowly. Ollie feels it to the soles of his feet.
A gull cries out in the wind. The waves keep up their usual rhythm.
Hannah says, “So hey, if you guys want to keep this whole thing quiet that’s cool. But we kind of can’t miss the way you’re looking at one another right now.” Her voice is warm.
Ollie blushes and studies the floor.
Sunny laughs. “Honestly, guys, if you think you’re fooling anyone with your secret lovesick puppy looks and turning up five minutes apart, you’re not. You might as well be making out in front of us. Plus, Hannah could fucking hear you last night.”
Hannah waves a hand dismissively. “Not like that,” she says to Ollie’s startled glance. “Anyway, that’s not what matters here. We want you to be happy.”
“You’re not worried?” asks Tai.
“Nah,” says Hannah. She smiles at them both. “You got this.”
Sunny adds, “Well, sure. I mean, you’re both idiots. You’re guaranteed to fuck everything up. But you’ve got our shoulders to cry on and you’ll probably get through it. Especially if you listen to people who’re smarter than you.” She looks at them. “We’re happy for you, babes.”
Ollie meets Tai’s gaze again and can’t not grin.
When Jaime stumbles out of bed, half an hour later, Tai and Ollie are sitting together on the swing seat. Tai’s fingers are tangled up with Ollie’s. He drops Ollie’s hand as Jaime approaches. Jaime considers them with blinking, just-awake eyes.
“About fucking time,” he says, and grins.
They’re out at Pipeline. The crowds are out too. It’s mostly tourists, and they leave Tai and Ollie alone, but that doesn’t stop everyone from watching Ollie. Tai swells with pride at that. It’s the way it should be.
They meet in the shallows and paddle out together.
“I’ve got a question for you,” says Ollie as they slide down the back of a wave halfway to the lineup.
Tai eyes him, one eyebrow raised. “Yep?”
Ollie doesn’t look at him as he paddles. “You told me you only wanted something casual.”
“I never said that.” Tai frowns. Things with Ollie could never be casual for him.
“Yeah you did, in Australia. You said you’d keep things easy and secret and wouldn’t bring me poems or flowers.”
“Oh.” Tai thinks. “I said I wouldn’t do that stuff. I never said I didn’t want to.” A wave moves under them. “Though the poems’d be a stretch.” Ollie meets his gaze. “I was trying to convince you that we shouldn’t stop having sex, Ollie. Because I hated the idea of giving up touching you but I didn’t know what you wanted. It wasn’t about casual; it was about making your decision simple.”
“Huh.” They’ve slowed down outside the zone. They watch the surf side by side. A set sweeps through the lineup with surfers scattered across its face. “But you’re all about the casual thing. You weren’t a tiny bit interested in something long-term with any of the boys before. I thought—” Ollie leaves it hanging.
There’s a simple answer, of course. “None of them were you, Ollie.”
“Oh.” Ollie flushes. His smile is helpless and fond, the way it is only for Tai. “Well, that works out. I never wanted to touch anyone who wasn’t you.” He looks back at Tai as he paddles into the line-up. “Come on.”
Later, when the tide is out, all five of them head onto the beach flats, standing barefoot in the low sheen of water that covers the sand. The ocean’s dead here, nothing to surf. Tai is happy all the way to his bones.
“I’m thinking of making an offer to buy the house,” says Ollie as he tosses a Frisbee for Hannah to snatch out of the air. Tai’s not surprised; Ollie had talked about it this morning in bed.
Sunny has to pick up the Frisbee Hannah throws before a rippling wave grabs it. She looks stunned. “What?” she asks.
“I figure I could make an offer to the landlords,” Ollie says. “See if they’d sell it to me.”
Sunny whips her head toward Tai. “What?” she says again. “The Blue House?”
Ollie shrugs, “I wanted to talk to you guys first. I mean, it’s not a big deal. Mostly I hate that they’re telling us to move out. It’s our home. This way we could all live there as long as we wanted.”
“And this is not a big deal,” says Sunny, echoing Ollie and amazed. “You’re joking.”
“It’s not like you need to buy the place, Ollie,” says Hannah. “That’s huge. Something will come up.”
“Yeah, maybe. But think of this, guys. This way you’ll always have a place to live.”
Jaime bounces closer. He says, “I’m in. At least until I head off for college.” Sunny throws the Frisbee toward him. It’s caught by the wind and veers wildly. It bounces against his chest. He wrinkles his nose as he brushes wet sand from his white T-shirt. “Careful, Sun.”
Sunny ignores Jaime. “What are you thinking, Oliver?” she says. She tilts her head to one side as she steps toward him. Jaime throws the Frisbee to Tai, who catches it and holds still.
“You mean, practically?” asks Ollie. Tai watches Sunny. She’s careful about financial stuff and accustomed to making decisions about money for all of them.
“Yeah,” she says.
“I’m thinking that I buy it, we all live in it.” He shifts closer to Tai but doesn’t touch him.
“There’s a lot to consider,” says Sunny. “Financial stuff. Rent. Bills.”
“Yeah. We’ll talk it through. But I figure no one pays rent. We can split bills like we always have but it’ll be easier to pay them.”
“I’m—that’s pretty huge. It’s really what you want?”
Ollie glances at Tai then turns back to Sunny. “You all got me through for years before I pulled that prize money. The way I see it, the money isn’t just mine. It’s ours. The best use for it is making our family happy.”
No one says anything. Tai’s still got the Frisbee.
“Imagine,” says Hannah. “The Blue House. Ours. Safe for all of us.”
Sunny glances between them, then lets go of the tension in her shoulders. She beams. “Okay. Wow. Okay.”
Hannah says, “Give my cousin Linda a call. The lawyer. She’s your cousin too. Cousin-in-law.” The meaning makes Ollie blush.
“What do you reckon, Tai?” asks Sunny. She raises her eyebrows at him. She’s relaxed into the idea now.
He tosses the Frisbee to her and wraps his arm around Ollie. “I think it’s an amazing plan,” he says.
“Ugh,” she says. “You’re in love. Of course you fucking do.”
He beams. “That doesn’t mean I’m not right, though.”
“They’re not budging on that price, Ollie,” comes cousin Linda’s voice through his phone. “I know how much you kids love the Blue House, but I gotta say, it’s totally not worth the kind of dollars they’re talking about.”
Ollie switches off the TV playing in the background and looks out the window.
“Damn,” he says. “They won’t negotiate?”
“Afraid not.”
“Damn,” he says again.
“You know I’m right,” says Linda. “I can’t recommend offering more. It’d make no financial sense. Sunny’d kill me.”
“Yeah, I just hoped—” says Ollie.
“I know, bro. It was a nice idea.”
Disappointment rests heavily in Ollie’s chest. He wants to see Tai. He grabs his skateboard from the side of the house and goes up the headland to the factory.
At the gravel parking lot, he tucks the skateboard under his arm. The big doors of the warehouse are rolled up. Tai and Tadashi are at work, lining up a set of eight or ten boards. Tai runs careful hands over the one he’s holding before putting it back on the stacking pins. He turns to talk to Tadashi. As he does so, he sees Ollie. His smile is as bright as the sun at the horizon. Despite his disappointment, Ollie beams back.
Tadashi turns and nods a greeting. “Afternoon, Ollie.”
“Hi. Are these the boards you guys are taking to Europe?” Ollie asks.
“They are,” says Tadashi.
Tai’s still smiling. He comes close to Ollie. “I missed you,” he says quietly.
“It’s been a long six hours,” Ollie says. It’s part teasing and part sincere. He wants to touch Tai all the time. “I spoke with Linda about the house,” he says. Tadashi looks at them, then turns back to check on the contents of the resin barrels.
“What’d she say?” Tai studies Ollie’s face.
“Tai. It’s not going to happen.”
Saying it makes it real. It sinks like concrete in Ollie’s stomach. He’d been so sure. The Blue House is their house, it’s their forever, and yet they’ll be out of it almost as soon as he and Tai are back from Europe.
“I’m so sorry, Ollie,” says Tai. He moves toward Ollie and stops just in reach. Ollie’s the one who reaches out with the arm not holding a skateboard. He wraps it around and rests his head against Tai’s shoulder.
“I wanted to be able to fix everything,” says Ollie. He breathes against Tai’s shirt.
“I know,” says Tai. “I know. Hey. We’ll all be okay.”
He doesn’t sound as heartbroken as Ollie is. Ollie steps away. He pushes at Tai’s chest and Tai steps back. Ollie says, “What do you mean, ‘We’ll be okay’. Are you psychic now? Tai, this is our house we’re losing.”
Tai exhales through his nose in an impatient half-laugh. “I’m upset too, Ol. You know I am. But we’ll be okay.” He glances around the factory and then back at Ollie. “Everything’s already more than we thought to want. For all of us.” He shrugs. “Especially me. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
“Yeah,” says Ollie, somewhat appeased. He considers the warehouse. The boards look good, lined up to go. “Have you and Tadashi booked your flights to France yet?”
“Yeah, we’ll be there the day after you are. You can keep the bed warm for me.” Tai takes Ollie’s hand. It makes things easier. “I can’t wait to try it out. A French bed has to be good.”
Ollie laughs. “Are you almost finished here or will it be a while? No one else is gonna be home ‘til late.”
Tai turns to Tadashi. “Are we done here, Tadashi?”
Tadashi nods. “Yes, we have everything. I’ll close up in a minute.”
“Thanks, man.”
They walk down from the headland, then along the beach just out of reach of the water. They don’t touch much as they walk, but Ollie feels Tai’s proximity. Now and then their arms brush. Every touch hums in Ollie’s blood. He watches the Pacific. The waves are coming in long, clean lines. Maybe later they’ll get their boards and go out.
It’s unexpected, the ease of all of this. Even with today’s disappointment, Ollie can’t be anything but happy. He walks closer to Tai, letting their shoulders touch.
“Hey,” says Tai. “Check it out.” Ollie looks. Tai’s pointing at where the sand ends and the grass rises sharply to a line of houses.
One of the houses has a sign out the front. “FOR SALE.”
Tai says, “Remember this place? Some kids lived here when we were growing up. Jade and Meri.” He sounds thrown, a little puzzled.
Ollie shakes his head. He vaguely recalls some leggy girls living at this end of the beach.
They turn and walk up the sand. It’s soft and sinks under their feet as they get close to the house. They stand side by side. “Are you thinking—could it be big enough for all of us?” Ollie asks.
“I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I’ve been inside.”
The house faces the ocean. It’s unimposing, wood, with wide steps leading up from the grass to a deck that stretches the full length of the building.
The sign has pictures: a view, a large kitchen, a backyard. It lists an agent. Ollie tries the number but there’s no answer.
Tai approaches the sign. He looks as though he expects it to disappear. “The first open house is tomorrow,” he says. “We can go and see it together. All of us.”
Ollie exhales. “Fuck.”
They’re silent most of the way home. Tai takes Ollie’s hand and squeezes. Before he can let go, Ollie tangles their fingers and holds tight. The connection isn’t just between him and Tai; it stretches deep into the sand to the ocean at the center of the earth. Ollie doesn’t let go until they reach the Blue House.
As they head up the stairs, Ollie runs his hand along the handrail. The peeling paint is rough under his skin. In front of him, Tai slides his key into the temperamental lock. It turns easily. Tai’s always had that knack, ever since they moved in. He swings the door open and waits for Ollie to pass him into the empty living room.
Ollie’s too excited to think but he can’t stop. The place for sale may not have enough bedrooms for all five of them; it might not be what they want, at all, the asking price might be excessive. But there’s a bubble of hope in his chest. His brain buzzes.
Tai says, “We don’t need to talk about this. Not yet. We need more information.”
Ollie’s relieved. “I’m not sure I even want to think.”
Tai nods, as though he knows what Ollie means. “I’ve got the solution for that,” he says. He holds Ollie by the shoulders and pushes them both toward Ollie’s room.
It’s early in the morning. Tai reaches for Ollie without opening his eyes. He runs his hand over Ollie’s chest and curls it around his taut waist. He lets his palms re-learn the muscles and bones beneath Ollie’s skin. Ollie stirs.
“Morning, sweetheart,” says Tai. When he opens his eyes, Ollie’s gaze is the dreamy blue of summer.
“Morning.”
Tai could watch Ollie all day, but the surf’s up. They’re out on the water in minutes. There’s no one else here. Just the two of them, with the ocean stretching all the way to the horizon.
“We could have stayed in bed for another five,” says Ollie. “It’s not like we’re fighting the crowds here today.”
“Yeah, but what would we have done with five minutes?”
Tai’s teasing. Ollie raises an eyebrow and doesn’t answer. They could have filled the time.
The wind’s offshore. The waves aren’t forming tubes today, but they’re not small. They’re hard work; good training for messy, three- and four-foot swells. Tai tests his own board and takes his time watching Ollie. They don’t say much. Tai knows what he’s hoping for with the boards; Ollie knows what he’s out here to practice.
Sometimes Tai looks back at the shore. He can make out the Blue House among the palms. Farther down the beach, fronting the ocean, is the place that’s for sale. Tai keeps an eye on the angle of the sun. It’s early. They’re not going to miss the open house.
The five of them step through the front door, one after the other. The real estate agent eyes them. She’s dressed in a tidy skirt suit with a flower behind her ear.
“You’re interested in buying?” She manages to hide most of her doubt.
“Yes,” says Sunny. “You bet we are.”
Tai refuses to be offended. He can’t blame the agent. They’d walked up the road instead of along the beach, so they’re not covered in sand, but he doubts they look like her usual buyers.
They stand in the living room. The windows look straight across the sand to their stretch of the ocean. From behind the house, the sun lights the water’s surface. The waves glint. Tai takes a deep breath and looks around.
The kitchen’s larger than what they’re used to, and it has an island in the center with pots and pans hanging above. There are five bedrooms and a large, light studio. Even standing here is weird and maybe disloyal, but Tai can’t help comparing. This place doesn’t have the Blue House’s quirky wooden charm, but the walls are more solid. The windows have real working blinds. The place isn’t falling down.
Out in back, there’s a huge shed. Tai suppresses a grin and catches Ollie watching him fondly.
They head onto the deck. All five of them lean on the sturdy white rail and look out to the ocean. Tai stands next to Ollie. Ollie lines his hand up against Tai’s on the rail and loops a finger under the string around Tai’s wrist. When he glances over, his eyes are soft and hopeful.
After a moment of silence, Sunny says, “Damn, guys, it’s actually kind of perfect. This has everything we want.”
Hannah nods in agreement, her mouth and brows thoughtful. “It’s a good place.”
“You okay, Jaime?” Tai asks. The kid was quiet while they looked around. More than anyone, the Blue House has the whole of Jaime’s life in it.
Jaime falters. “I don’t know. Yeah. It’s not the same.”
“No,” says Hannah under the pounding of the surf. “Sometimes we don’t get to keep things exactly the same. They can still be good.”
“Maybe even better,” says Sunny. “You’ll have all of us. Plus, there’s a lot of light in that back studio. Play your cards right and you can paint there. This could be an incredible thing, James.”
Jaime’s still silent.
“You don’t like it?” asks Ollie. Tai places his hand over Ollie’s.
“It’s not blue,” Jaime persists. He looks down, over the railing to the sandy ground below.
“Bro,” says Ollie. When Jaime lifts his head, Ollie grins. “Fucking paint it then.”