“Hey, where are you going?”
She collapsed face-first, panting heavily, burying her fingers in the hot sand. I crawled after her and rubbed her back gently.
“Maia? You okay?”
She was trembling all over, clearly in shock. Maybe she took on more water than I thought? She sighed into the sand, bringing on a fresh bout of coughing, and I rubbed her back harder, feeling helpless and more than a little responsible. I should’ve warned her, should’ve told her what to do if that happened.
“You got dumped by a wave,” I panted, hoping that hearing my voice would reassure her she was alright. “Bet it tastes like shit, too.”
She struggled to push herself upright, kneeling on the sand. She didn’t say anything, but she looked petrified. Sand covered her face, and her eyes looked bloodshot as she wiped her hand across her mouth, accomplishing nothing except smearing herself with more sand. She pulled at the leash around her wrist, unburdening the board from her body, and pushed herself unsteadily to her feet.
“Hey, slow down. What are you doing?”
I didn’t even know if she’d heard me. She just dropped the leash and stumbled back across the sand towards the car park.
“Maia, wait!”
I KNEW WHAT IT FELT like to be buried under a tonne of water. It turned your world upside down, in more ways than one. For several minutes afterwards, you couldn’t see straight, you couldn’t concentrate. You sure as hell couldn’t drive, which is exactly what it looked like Maia was planning to do. She couldn’t even walk properly.
I grabbed both boards and hurried across the beach after her. For someone who probably only had half her regular lung capacity right now, she was fast. She was almost at her car by the time I came up over the top of the grass and into the car park.
“Maia!”
Either she didn’t hear me, or she was ignoring me. Either way, she didn’t stop. I threw the boogie-boards onto the deck of my truck as I passed it, making a bare-footed beeline for her over the stony ground. When I finally got to her car, she was already sitting in it, staring straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel for dear life.
I tapped on the closed window. “Hey, what are you doing?”
She turned to me slowly, as if she’d never seen me before. No sign of recognition whatsoever, just a haunting, empty look in her eyes that sent a shiver through me. No way was I letting her drive, not like this. I made my way around the car and got in the passenger side, leaving the door open.
The car was like an oven. I glanced over at her, but she was still staring out of her window, away from me. Something was definitely amiss. She was freaking out, no doubt about it. But, unlike most people I knew, she was doing it quietly. It was unnerving. I’d have preferred yelling and screaming and hysterical crying. Anything but this silence.
“You should probably take a few minutes,” I said, as calmly as I could. “You had a bit of a scare out there.”
I didn’t mean to sound condescending, but she didn’t seem to notice anyway. Several seconds passed. Finally, she let go of the steering wheel, her hands dropping into her lap helplessly, as if whatever surge of strength she’d experienced had now deserted her.
“Sorry,” she murmured, staring at her hands.
“Are you feeling okay?”
No reply, just a slight nod of her head.
“It’s happened to me before, too. Still happens, now and again.”
Nothing. I hoped I was making her feel better. Getting dumped by a wave wasn’t something that only happened to grommets.
“Let me take you back to my place, okay? I don’t think you should drive. We can have a cup of coffee – or something stronger, if you prefer – then come back and get your car later.”
Slowly, she seemed to come out of the trance she was in, turning to me. Her eyes were red and glassy, probably from the sea water, and her face and hair were still smeared with sand, but it was her expression that made me want to take her in my arms.
“I’m fine, but thanks,” she said, managing a weak smile.
I had to admire her determination, but she wasn’t the least bit convincing.
“Nice try, but I’m serious. I can’t let you drive.”
The smile faded and she stared at me, her eyes searching deep inside mine. I felt the same sensation I’d felt the first time we met, except for one major difference. Whatever it was she was looking for, I found myself wanting to give it to her. It was a primal instinct, an urge that came not from my physical self, but from somewhere deeper, harder to reach. Somewhere I thought was inaccessible after so long.
I was in real trouble here. Like Maia, I felt like I’d just been dumped by a wave. Slightly breathless, elevated heart rate, body tingling with the last threads of an almighty adrenaline rush.