Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Just as she was about to call Kate early that morning without getting much sleep, Tyler burst into her room.

“Want to come to the beach?”

Olivia was so shocked she almost knocked over a small antique on the bedside table.

“Minus hundred gentleman points. Where is the man who would knock on glass doors twice before entering someone’s office?”

“On vacation. Come, if you want to go; stay, if you want to stay,” he said, closing the door behind him again.

“Fine,” she screamed.

“Wear your polka dot bikini! I'm sure you'll have one.”

“In your billionaire dreams. I'm not swimming with this chilly wind blowing,” she replied after him through the door as she heard his steps continuing down the hall.

She quickly changed into much more comfortable clothes. A long jean, colourful sweater over her long sleeve T-shirt, sneakers and a knitted beanie on her head were just right for the occasion. That only took her the customary minute or two.

Then she made her way downstairs. After a few wrong left and right turns, she finally managed to get to the front entrance. Only then could she really see the glory of the entrance. She couldn’t really see anything when they arrived, because it was still partly dark. Two staircases started in opposite directions at the bottom and met in the middle at the top in front of a big window overlooking the countryside. On the wall hung portraits of ancient heroes with what she assumed was a brush of gold on the frames. But, nothing attracted her attention as much as the chandelier which hung from the middle of the high ceiling. While keeping her eyes firmly on the chandelier above, she walked round and round in circles. In the movies, it always appeared as though palaces were dusty places. This chateau wasn’t a palace, she knew, but it certainly looked and felt like one except that it was spotless. Even the chandelier’s intricate shiny crystals, candles and connecting strings of what looked like pearls had been immaculately cleaned.

All the while Olivia looked at the beautiful room, Tyler looked at her from the side entrance doors.

“Beautiful,” he asked, shocking Olivia back to earth. “You should stand directly underneath it and look up.”

“You know, there is a better way to make yourself known to people than scaring them,” said Olivia. Yet, she took his advice and stood directly underneath the dazzling chandelier and looked up. For a few seconds she could say nothing. Then, “Wow…,” was all she could manage in a whisper.

“Told you that was the best shot. Come on, the tide is getting low and there won’t be any good waves if we don’t move it.”

Olivia and Tyler walked out to the front. Something puzzled her.

“Where’s the car?”

“We are going to get it.”

“Wait, you are driving?”

“Yes. You don’t have to wear a helmet, if that’s what you were wondering.”

“Tyler Brown driving a car. Never thought I would see the day. Never.”

As they took a left turn around to the east side of the house, an unfamiliar car awaited them.

“1968 MGB. My grandpa’s,” he quickly added.

“Nice,” Olivia might not have known a lot about cars, but she still appreciated beautiful ones, especially if she know she would never be able to afford them.

They took to the road. Behind the wheel, Tyler already had his wetsuit on. In the back, Olivia caught a glimpse of his surfboard. It looked like it had been used quite a lot in his youth, considering all the stickers on it. The wind was blowing strong, so a conversation was not possible. She just threw her hands in the air and let the cold wind blow through her hair. He looked at her every now and again, with that smile that lit up her face even more.

After a short drive, they could see the ocean in the distance. She never saw a more satisfied and happy Tyler Brown. Not even when million dollar deals went smoothly.

When they stopped in the parking lot, she could barely keep up with him. He was too excited to wait for her.

“You’re going to swim?”

“No. I’m just going to observe the waves.”

“Come on! Don’t be a spoilsport.”

“I don’t trust the sea that much, especially when it’s high tide. Besides, it's probably freezing cold”

“Okay.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you surf,” she asked him, before he went into the water.

“I don’t know. I guess there’s some things I like to keep to myself. Not in a bad way. Sometimes too many things,” Tyler said as he walked away towards the waves.

Olivia found a spot on the sand and sat on a towel. She could feel the goosebumps from the cold air blowing. Watching the waves calmed her thoughts and for the first time in a long while she started to think about herself and her own well-being.

Tyler regularly surfed passed under the curl of the wave. She tensed up every time a wave closed in on him, but then he came up and she felt exhilarated. That made her realise that she cared a lot more about him than she had thought. Even though she could see that he knew what he was doing, she still worried about him. Perhaps she worried as much because she so vividly remembered the day that the waves slammed her off her feet and rolled her, wave after wave, deeper into the ocean. She was only seven; the first time she had visited the beach. Her father swam after her, pulling her out just in time. Since then, she had been much more cautious about the ocean.

When she looked on her phone again, she realised that they had been at the beach for almost two hours. She meant to call Kate before leaving, but forget. At that moment, Olivia just didn’t want to ruin the calmness.

Instead, she watched as Tyler paddled back to shore and stood up from his board when the water was only knee high. He unzipped his wetsuit to his hips and walked the rest of the way out with his surfboard tucked under his arm. She watched him in slow motion. He had a clear six pack and more muscles in his arms than she ever noticed before under his suit. He put his hand through his wet hair, leaving his hair standing on end. As he came closer, she watched the water dripping from his face and legs. She forced herself to look away to prevent indicating that she was looking at his attractive figure. Olivia never gave men the attention that they wanted and she especially never stared at them.

Tyler stuck his board in the sand and took his place beside her.

“I feel like I don’t even know you; you don’t tell me the things usual people tell each other.”

“What usual people,” he asked, sarcastically.

“Please, don’t go there. What am I even doing here? You haven’t even told me that.”

“I think there’s a lot more you know about me than you let on.”

“I did some digging,” she said, laughing at herself.

“I knew it,” Tyler laughed.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Mr Brown.”

“I wanted to show you the other side to me. I’m more than just suits and numbers. I also…wanted to learn more about you.”

“By kissing me?” The words slipped out before she could stop herself.

He blushed. “I guess so. You were there for me when I needed it most.”

“Is this your happy place,” Olivia asked to prevent another uncomfortable silence.

“It used to be. This was my life, you know. This is what I wanted to do with my life. Travel the world by boat; search for the best wave.”

“Until…” Olivia started, already half knowing the answer.

“My mother died. I tried to escape from all the sadness. Then my father passed away shortly afterwards. Most of things were left to me, including the company. My father always taught me about business so I could run the company one day. I felt that was the only way to keep the memories alive.”

“So you just gave up on your dreams?”

“Yes.”

Olivia could hear his voice quavering. Tears welled up in his eye; he quickly wiped them away.

She wanted to ask about his assumed brother, but the thought of asking any more questions at that moment was unthinkable. He sat with his elbows on his knees as he looked at the ocean. She curled her arm around his, putting a warm towel around him and laying her head on his wet shoulder.

Time slowly passed by as he gathered up the courage to rest his head on hers.