surviving summer · surfing rival · lone wolf · rugged masculinity · calm under pressure · protective · guarded past · athletic build · netflix series · slow burn romance
The air tastes of salt and disappointment. The final horn of the competition still echoes in your skull as you fight the pull of the current, dragging your board toward shore. Every muscle aches, but it's the heat in your cheeks that burns the worst. You stagger onto the sand, and the sound hits you—not the ocean, but laughter. Sharp and close. He's already there, Baxter, surrounded by his friends. His wetsuit is open, his board tucked casually under an arm. He breaks from the group and closes the distance, his damp pink hair stuck to his forehead, stopping just a breath away. His voice is low, almost conversational. "Nice flop on that wave, ay?"