Sparks Like Ours

by Melissa Brayden

  Gia hoped Elle finally understood how heroic her actions were. She was grateful the doctor took the time to say so.

  “When will she wake up?” Dash asked.

  “Anytime now,” Dr. Kulka said, and shook all their hands.

  He was right. An hour and a half later, a very groggy Holly opened her eyes. Dash and Elle stood at her bedside. Gia watched from a cautious distance away at the door. They gave her a minute to orient herself.

  “Hey, Weasel,” Holly said in a raspy voice.

  The sound of Holly’s voice brought with it a wave of comfort. “Hey, yourself,” Elle said, holding her hand. She brushed the happy tears from her cheeks. “Dash is here, too.”

  “Hi, sweetheart,” he said. “You don’t know how good it is to see you.”

  Holly nodded but didn’t say anything further after that, her droopy eyes closing once again. But she was breathing on her own, and awake, and speaking, which felt like a big step forward. With a positive prognosis, Gia was feeling hopeful, amazed that they’d made it through this night unscathed. She gestured behind her to silently communicate to Elle that she was off to check on Autumn. Elle smiled and mouthed the words “Thank you,” and blew her a final kiss. Things were going to be okay on the Holly front.

  She found Isabel, Hadley, and Kate all gathered around a smiling Autumn sitting on the edge of her hospital bed. The image was like a much-needed breath of fresh air.

  “Check this out! You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you,” Gia said, grinning from the doorway.

  “Gia-Pet! I’m sorry if I scared you yesterday,” Autumn said. “I’m so grateful for all you did.”

  Gia shrugged, embarrassed to have the spotlight shift to her. “No big deal.”

  “It is, too,” Kate said. “We’re incredibly grateful.”

  “And she’s getting sprung in a matter of minutes!” Hadley said, radiating the kind of sunshine they all needed. Her exuberance pulled a laugh from the room.

  Isabel sat on the bed next to Autumn and bounced. “That’s right. Fucking free as a bird. Well, for at least a few more weeks.”

  Autumn grinned. “I feel like we dodged a bullet. Oh! And how’s Holly?”

  “Awake and going to be okay.”

  Hadley leapt up. “That’s fantastic. This is a huge day and we can’t let it go unnoticed. I feel like we have to celebrate.” An idea seemed to occur to her and she beamed. “Later, I’m bringing you all ice cream! Meet me in the center of the complex at two this afternoon. Forget it,” she said, gaining momentum. Her smile tripled. “Not just ice cream, I’m bringing toppings, too!”

  “Whoa,” Isabel said. “Toppings? That’s quite an offer.”

  “Nothing will keep us away,” Autumn said happily. “Thanks, Had.”

  Isabel turned to Gia and Hadley. “You guys ready to head out? Let these folks get discharged in peace?”

  Gia nodded. “Just need a moment to say goodbye to Elle. You two can go ahead.” She kissed Autumn’s cheek. “I’m so glad you and the babies are okay.”

  “Thanks, Gia. See you at home soon.”

  She waved to her friends and headed to the fourth floor. Gia found Elle in the hallway when she returned, appearing more relaxed now, which made perfect sense. She reached out and tugged on Gia’s sleeve, drawing her closer. “You’re about to leave me, aren’t you?”

  Gia nodded. “Autumn’s being discharged, and Holly’s on the mend. Everyone seems to be doing okay.”

  “I’m so glad,” Elle said. She placed a hand over her heart. “Thank you, Gia, for being here for me, staying with me last night. I can’t imagine what it would have been like without you here. It means…a lot to me that you were.”

  Gia nodded, not sure what else to say. It was almost like the spell had been lifted. Without the drama of the past twelve hours to hold them together, they were left in the very same spot as before. She didn’t want to leave Elle, but she knew that it was the mature thing to do. “I guess we go back to our status as acquaintances now.”

  “Tour mates,” Elle said, flatly.

  A long pause hit, anything to delay Gia saying goodbye. They’d felt like them in these desperate hours, and she didn’t want to let go. She studied Elle’s features, her blue eyes, that mouth that communicated so much with a smile or grimace. The way it felt against Gia’s. She blinked against the ache. “I guess it’s been good for you, though. You’re back at number one.”

  Elle smiled, but her eyes carried regret. “You’re climbing your way up the board yourself.”

  “Yeah.” They nodded and stared and steadied themselves against the blanket of sadness that fell over them. She met Elle’s eyes and touched her face gently. “Take care, Elle. I’ll see you in Honolulu. Final stop of the season.”

  Elle leaned into the touch and closed her eyes briefly, as if to hold it in for just a little while longer. “I’ll see you there.”

  “Tell Holly I’ll be thinking about her.”

  “Of course.”

  Gia could feel Elle’s gaze on her as she headed down the hallway, which made sense because their connection hadn’t dimmed. While more than anything she was grateful for Elle’s safety, her well-being, underneath it all, she carried regret about the way things stood between them. The familiar lump in her throat presented itself as she made her way to the front of the hospital. It didn’t seem fair that, at long last, she’d found someone who’d grabbed hold of her heart so fiercely, and it was the one person she couldn’t have.

  Suck it up, she told herself, doing her best to remember the bigger picture.

  Champions didn’t wallow in their feelings.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “No one said this ice cream gathering was a theme party,” Gia said, surveying Hadley, who was dressed, as best she could characterize it, as a cow who walked upright.

  “It’s not technically a theme gathering,” Hadley said. “I have a Beach Blanket Bingo party on tap for next week, but I couldn’t resist adding to the festivities a little today.”

  Gia nodded stoically. “Right. As a cow.”

  “Cows make milk, G. And milk is used to make—”

  “Ice cream,” Gia finished.

  “Now you’re with me!” Hadley fluttered away, tail swaying, to make sure no one needed any extra hot fudge.

  Their friends were gathered outdoors around the couches in the center of the complex, making sundaes from the vast buffet Hadley had assembled on the coffee table. She was happy to see that Taylor and Kate had joined them, as had Barney and their surliest neighbor, the heavy-eyelinered Stephanie, who only emerged from her apartment for free food and disparaging remarks in a monotone delivery. Oh, and of course, Larry Herman was there, never one to miss an event thrown by his beloved Hadley. Apparently, Gia was the last to arrive. She made herself a mint chocolate chip bowl smothered in Oreo crumbles, perfect for the warmer weather that had blown in with the summer, and joined Isabel on the couch.

  “Whoa. You’ve made the most colossal sundae I’ve ever seen,” Gia said, taking in Isabel’s towering bowl of ice cream, covered entirely with large pieces of candy of all varieties.

  Isabel pointed with her spoon. “I don’t mess around when it comes to food. It’s too important. How’d things go at the hospital?”

  “With Elle? As good as can be expected.”

  “It was cool of you to stay with her.”

  “Thanks, Iz. Wasn’t as easy a decision to leave her there, though.”

  A pause. Isabel opened her mouth and then closed it.

  “Were you about to say something?” Gia asked, squinting.

  “I don’t know if you want me to.”

  “Well, now it’s out there. You have to.”

  “What’s out there?” Hadley asked, trotting over in her ridiculous getup. “Autumn, what are they talking about without me?”

  Autumn, who sat on the couch across from Gia with Kate, didn’t miss a beat. “Pretty sure Isabel is about to get real, real honest wit
h Gia over there. Gia looks curious. Taylor looks concerned. She’s probably thinking Iz should throttle back.”

  As if on cue, Taylor leaned in to Isabel’s ear. “You sure you want to do this?”

  “No,” Isabel answered loudly. “But if I’m the one who got her into this mess, I should at least be ballsy enough to try and get her out of it.”

  “You go, little pale girl,” Stephanie said, with zero inflection, as she slowly walked past.

  Gia exhaled. “I’m ready, Iz. Go.”

  “I get that jobs are important. Hell, I almost ruined my entire relationship over one. But at the end of the day, you don’t grow old with your job. You don’t kiss it good morning. It doesn’t hold your hand when your friend is sick in the hospital. So, I guess what I’m saying is…fuck surfing.”

  “Language,” Larry Herman mumbled between bites of caramel fudge ripple.

  “I can’t temper it, Herman,” Isabel bit out, “because this is my friend’s future we’re talking about.”

  “Fuck surfing, huh?” Gia said. “How is it that easy? It’s my entire life.”

  “Didn’t look like it yesterday,” Hadley offered quietly, and went meekly back to her ice cream. That one hit a nerve. Because no, all that had mattered to her in the world twenty-four hours ago was Elle, and that she was okay. When she left her at that hospital, all she wanted to do was run back to be by her side. But no, it wasn’t that easy. She had a whole life to consider and all the time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears, and that wasn’t even taking into account what Elle had on the line, too.

  “It’s a nice thought, and trust me, I’d love to buy into the happy fairy tale, too, because that would make everything so much easier. But, listen, there are real-world logistics at play. I can’t just throw away everything I’ve dreamed of because my emotions got in the way.”

  Hadley intervened, playing mediator as she so often did. “It’s okay, G. We all just want to see you happy. That’s the only reason we check in on you.”

  She nodded, letting her blood pressure simmer. “I know.”

  “And nobody faults you for following your dream,” Autumn said.

  Isabel opened her mouth and, with one look from Taylor, seemed to think better of it. “Agreed,” she said finally.

  “Great! We should probably have more ice cream,” Hadley said, clapping once and scrambling to get them back on track. “Larry, what can I get you for round two?”

  “I’ll stick with vanilla,” he said, straightening, as if having been called on in class.

  “How ’bout some caramel lattice drizzled on that?” Autumn asked with a knowing wink. That seemed to perk him up.

  As the group chatter took over and the afternoon blossomed into laughs and their typical fun-loving antics, Gia found herself unable to fully engage. When everyone agreed to head to the beach to watch the sunset, she opted out altogether.

  “I think I’m gonna hang back,” she said, trying to appear casual.

  “You sure?” Hadley asked. She studied Gia with sympathy, which just made the whole thing feel worse.

  “Yep. I need some downtime.”

  “Okay,” Had said reluctantly, and caught up with the others.

  Gia didn’t sleep well that night.

  Or the night after.

  Too many emotions that she didn’t know what to do with swirled and circled endlessly. She attempted to take it out on her board and spent the third morning surfing. Not just any surfing, either, angry surfing that released a great deal of that pent-up energy she hadn’t been able to shake for days. By the end of the marathon session, she was raw, exhausted, and spent. With literally nothing left to give, she stared up at the clouds that moved quickly across the sky, signaling an impending storm. Something important was brewing in her, too.

  She dragged her board back to her Jeep and fastened it to the rack.

  The drops fell about that time, but she welcomed them. Feeling more than a little sliced in half, she trudged back out to the sand and took a seat as the drizzle evolved into a downpour. She watched as stragglers raced to their cars, but Gia didn’t move. For the first time, she allowed herself to be open to what the universe had in store for her. As the rain fell in a blinding onslaught, and the wind whipped past, and the waves crashed, for the first time, she admitted to herself what was most important. Scary? Hell yeah. But it was the most honest moment of her entire life.

  “Fuck surfing,” she mumbled, and a smile crept onto her face. Then and there, she understood. She wasn’t the same person as she was six months ago, so why would she expect her priorities to be the same? Honestly, how could they be? She loved surfing with all her heart, yes, but taking control of her life and living it with Elle didn’t mean she had to give it up entirely. She stood up and stared into the tumultuous ocean, recognizing the parallel in herself as of late. She laughed. No more.

  In the scheme of things, did it really matter if she dropped a tournament here or there if she was in love and happy? So she’d be number six or seven instead of number one or two. She was ranked seven just a year and a half ago and had been pretty thrilled about it at the time.

  She ran a hand through her drenched hair. She could have Elle and still surf. It would just take some readjusting in her head. Gia squinted happily through the pouring rain and kicked a puddle with renewed energy. And what was more? Maybe, over time, she and Elle would figure out how to be together and still surf their best. Crazier things had happened in life, and wasn’t it worth the risk? Wasn’t Elle?

  “Hell, yeah,” Gia said to the empty beach, reaffirmed and ready.

  She had her path.

  * * *

  Elle watched the storm on the beach not far from her back door. The sky had gone dark and swallowed up most of the morning’s light altogether. The beach was desolate, and she’d given up her morning workout entirely as a result of the unexpected storm.

  “She’s doing much better,” Elle told her mother as she watched the rain.

  “Fantastic to hear. And her strength?”

  “We took a short walk last night. I think it’s slowly returning. Don’t want to rush it, though.”

  “I’m glad you’re there with her. She’s lucky.”

  “Thanks,” Elle said, taking a sip of the vanilla coffee she’d brewed. She closed her eyes and the liquid warmed her throat. A loud clap of thunder struck, shaking the house.

  “And how are you?” her mother asked.

  “I’m okay.”

  A pause on the other end of the line. “That doesn’t sound convincing at all.”

  “Well, I have a feeling you don’t want to hear the reality of my situation. I thought I’d spare you.”

  Her mother’s voice was softer, warmer when she replied. “I don’t want anything softened when it comes to you. What’s got you down? Is it the breakup with Gia?”

  The walls came tumbling down. “She came to the hospital. She was so wonderful, Mom, and life without her is just not the same. It feels pointless.”

  “I’ve been thinking,” her mother said. “And just let me get this out before you say anything.”

  “Okay.” Elle traced the drops of water on the window as she listened.

  “I’m not proud of the way we handled your relationship with Gia.”

  Elle perked up, intrigued now. Was this really happening? She stood and crossed to the center of her living room, pleasantly surprised by what she was hearing. But to honor her mother’s wishes, she didn’t interrupt.

  “You have a plan on how you’ll react to any given situation that involves your children, until you’re in the middle of it and lose your way. I feel like that’s what happened when I found out you were dating a woman. I let my alarm take over, and, Elle, that’s not how I feel at all. I’m not alarmed.”

  “You’re not?”

  “No.” Her mother sighed into the phone. “I just needed a moment to find my bearings. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. If you find that happiness with a woman, then I�
��ll be nothing but thrilled for you.”

  Elle gripped the phone tightly, closed her eyes, and allowed the tears that threatened to fall fully. She swallowed back the emotion. “Does Dad feel the same?” Elle asked, her heart in her stomach.

  “He does. We’ve talked in depth on the issue, and we’re both ashamed of how we behaved in Portugal. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from him at some point once he’s ready.”

  Elle opened her eyes and studied the ceiling as the wash of warmth came over her. “You don’t know how much of a relief it is to hear all of this. I really needed it.”

  “Just know that I don’t claim to have all the answers, and I might say something stupid or awful again, especially if you give me a martini. I hope you can be patient with me.”

  “I can,” Elle said. “It’s new for all of us. I get that.”

  “Oh, and now I’m all misty,” her mother said, laughing, “which is my cue to let you go. You don’t need an old woman blubbering on the phone to you.”

  Elle laughed. “Mom. Stop.”

  “It’s true! Please send our love to Holly. We dropped a care package in the mail for her yesterday. It has some spaghetti fixings. Maybe you can help her out with that.”

  “Of course, and thanks, Mom. For all of it.”

  “Just part of the job.”

  When they clicked off the call, Elle wasn’t sure what to do with herself. The storm, the one that, just a few moments ago, seemed threatening and dark, was now beautiful and mysterious. She snuggled further into the maroon hoodie she’d grown to love and watched the rain in wonder. She didn’t know what came next, but Elle knew one thing for certain: The world never ceased to amaze her. She tapped her lips in anticipation.

  Chapter Twenty

  It was seventy-four degrees in the west corner of Maui, typical for July. Gia liked the even temperatures of these summer tournaments. There was something motivating about them that made her fight that much harder to win. If the conditions were ideal, her surfing should be, too. And while winning was nice, it was not her top priority for the trip. She had her sights set on another goal: taking control of her life, instead of letting her life control her. She just needed to talk to Elle, convince her of the same.