The inside of Gage's house was even nicer than the outside. The carpet was white and black appliances covered the walls with silver accents. An island was in the middle of the large kitchen with two levels. One for prepping food and the other for serving. My heart sank as I saw the house of my dreams right before my eyes. I'd never been so in love with anything in my life. Connected to the kitchen was a dining room with windows going the entirety of the walls. The water crashing on the beach below.

"I see why it was so easy for him to spot us down by the water." Sammy leaned in to whisper in my ear. We both chuckled under our breaths in hope that he wouldn't notice. She was right. The view of the beach was impeccable. He was close enough that he could probably see our footprints in the sand. I took a few steps to the window, taking in the beautiful scenery. The rocks below holding the house stable, the stilts creating a stable resistance to any kind of potential natural disaster.

"How long have you lived here?" Sammy questions, running around to look at every intricate detail. From the details of the brand of the fridge to how shiny the silver sink faucet was, I knew his house was something out of a dream.

"My entire life," Gage shouted from the room he was in. Noises of boxes clattering rang out before he appeared with another board. "Okay here is my old one." He handed the board to Sammy. I smiled, that was probably the smartest thing he could do before she touched any more items in this house, something was bound to break. I caught the glimpse of some birds flying by the window, letting their wings glide them to the water below. My heart was beating fast. I'd never been more excited to be this close to the ocean before. A tingling taking over in my body as I tried to manage a normal composure.

"Okay, here." He came back to the kitchen holding yet another board. "I think we're ready to go now." He carried the board while Sammy carried hers. I was relieved to not have to navigate one of them through the fancy house. Unlike Sammy, I was almost guaranteed to break something.

When our toes were back in the sand, Gage set the boards on the sand before grabbing some wax from his stuff next to our shoes. He quickly went to work on waxing all three boards before standing back up, putting the stuff away. "You guys ready?" He smiles. Sammy yanked the board out of his hand before hooking the strap around her ankle, making a run for the water.

She runs until the water is too deep. Throwing the board into the water, she jumped on it and started swimming out. I cautiously grabbed the other board, holding it delicately in my hand. I tugged at the strap, trying to mimic what Sammy had done. Placing it around my ankle, I stood there watching for a moment before taking a few awkward steps.

"You've never surfed before." Gage folded his arms across his chest, he obviously noticed my hesitancy to enter the water. I shook my head informing him that he was indeed correct.

"Never," I whispered, letting my head sink with my shoulders. He closed the distance between us, now holding his board as well. The strap already wrapped around his ankle.

"Here, I can teach you." He smirks, my heart fluttering with the way he was looking at me. He was adorable. I shook my head, trying to get those thoughts out. I couldn't get involved with someone if I knew there wasn't going to be a future. Plus, what if Sammy liked him?

Gage and I began taking careful steps towards the water, getting a feel for the temperature. When it brushed our skin, I wanted to yelp with how cold it was. How did Sammy just run and jump into this? She sat out on her board, watching the waves as they rolled in. She was a seasoned vet when it came to surfing. Though, this being the first time she had gone in years, I wasn't sure she would just floor it out to the water like that.

The water was now crashing over our ankles as Gage explained to me things about surfing. My feet were tingling in the cold water.

"The waves here are a little unpredictable before the quarry on each side, but if you pick a smooth wave, it will be easier for your first time..." His words drone on my brain was focused too much on the feeling in my toes. Tiny little needle pricks danced across my skin. Was this what it felt like to get frostbite? I tried burying them in the sand, making the temperature more of a constant instead of smalls bursts. "Are you ready to go out a little further?" I heard him ask, his voice coming out barely audible over the sounds of my thoughts. I nodded my head, glancing down before taking a few steps further into the water. While shuffling my feet, I caught a glimpse of something strange. The water surrounding my feet was bubbling softly against my skin.

Gage wasn't paying attention as he walked further into the water, mumbling about something I was supposed to be listening to. I quickly removed my foot from the water, letting out a gasp at the sight. Gage shot around to see what was wrong. I slammed my foot back into the water, hoping he didn't see anything.

"Sorry, thought I felt a crab," I blurted, my face flushing bright red.

"Um, okay." He watched me carefully waiting for me to catch up to him. I panicked, not sure what to do. I knew I couldn't lift my feet out of the water unless I wanted him to see the scales that had appeared in a bright blue-green on my foot. My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it crashing in my ears as I searched for an escape route.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I bent down, acting like I was adjusting the strap around my ankle. Gage took a few steps toward me causing my heart to race even faster. My fingers were fiddling with the velcro as I raced to get it off of my ankle. As soon as I was free, I turned on my heel, running as fast as I could towards my shoes. I left the surfboard on the beach, not worrying about grabbing my shoes either. I needed to get out of there. I ran until my legs couldn't carry me anymore. Until I was standing at the front door of Sammy and my new home. I bent over gasping, my body choking due to its lack of oxygen, begging for more. My feet stung from running down the sidewalk all the way home. I cursed myself mentally. I should have stopped to pick up my shoes.

I walked around the back of the house, heading to the back porch. My brain was racing with possible explanations. There had to be a way to explain this. Maybe it was just an optical illusion, or maybe I had some really weird seaweed stuck to my foot. Once I sat down, I closed my eyes and bending over to mentally prepare myself. Once I felt like I was ready, I opened my eyes and stared at my feet in confusion.

There was nothing there.