Page 120 of When the Stars Rise

Should I have stayed by his side and tried to help him instead of pushing him away? I couldn’t do it, though. When he was risking his life for a total stranger, I’ll bet I never even crossed his mind. And when he told me he was going climbing the next day, I didn’t even question it because I trusted him.

When did you start lying to me, Noah?

He point-blanktoldme that he would never lie to me. Was that just another lie?

For all our issues, I always took comfort in knowing that at least he was always honest with me. But now I can’t even count on that anymore and it has me questioning everything.

My gut is telling me that it’s not the first time either. It’s just the first time I caught him in a lie.

I found out about Norway from Bodhi. After the show that night, he called me to see how I was doing, and he let it slip. When he realized what he’d done he said, “Oh shit.”

Which told me that Noah must have asked him to keep it a secret. I promised Bodhi I wouldn’t reveal my source but after we hung up, I remembered the dream. When my mom said,‘Choose me. Choose me. Choose me,’she wasn’t talking about choosing her over Shiloh.

She was talking about me and Noah.

But now I’m wondering… what else has he lied to me about?

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Noah

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.”

With a groan, I swat Bodhi away and pull the pillow over my head. “Go away.”

“Come on, mopey. There’s a swell from a hurricane moving toward Hawaii. Waves are barreling down at the break.”

My mouth is desert dry and there’s a jackhammer working on the inside of my head. I don’t give a shit if the waves are barreling. “Not interested in your weather report.”

He rips the pillow out of my hands and throws it across the room. “Not interested in much of anything these days, are you?” He peers down at me, eyes narrowed. “What the hell is going on with you? You just gonna lay down and die?”

I swat him away. “Fuck off.”

“Nah. We’re going surfing. So get your ass out of bed. I’m not leaving without you.” He widens his stance and crosses his tattooed arms over his chest like he’s planning to stand there all day. “And if I don’t get my daily surf in, you know how I get.”

Yeah, I know how he gets. Grouchy as fuck. Bodhi lives for surfing. He’s been surfing since before he could even walk. Surfing isn’t just a sport for him, it’s his religion. But it’s not mine so I just want him to go away. “Go surfing on your own and leave me the fuck alone—”

“Come on.” He rips the top sheet off my bed and gives me a shove and then another, trying to push me off the bed. He’s relentless but I hold my ground. “All you need is surfing and some vitamin sea. There’s no better hangover cure. The ocean can heal all your wounds and even mend a broken heart.”

Once again, it’s painfully obvious that Bodhi has never had his heart broken. He’s never even been in love. So, he’s not exactly an authority on the subject.

My eyes feel gritty and there’s a shitload of sand in my bed. Where did all this sand come from?

But I’m awake now with the hangover from hell and I know he won’t give up easily, so I might as well go surfing. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and run my hands through my hair, showering the floor with more sand as I get to my feet, swaying a bit. A bit unsteady, stomach churning, but if nothing else, maybe surfing will cure my hangover.

“Where did you end up last night, anyway?” Bodhi asks when we grab our boards from the garage and head out the door. We only live half a mile from the break so it’s walking distance.

The sun is just rising, and there’s still a chill in the air. The streets are quiet, the sky tinged with orange and bronze as we walk down the winding hill past terracotta-roofed houses and palm trees swaying in the sea breeze.

Costa del Rey is a picture-perfect beach town that looks like a Mediterranean village but today I’m immune to the beauty.

I’m trying to piece it all together but last night is hazy.

Guess I’ve been hitting it pretty hard since I got kicked off that tour. I can barely remember last night.

“Mavericks.” It sounds more like a question than a statement. I glance over at him to see if I got it right. Which is pretty fucking pathetic.

He gives me a look like I’m a dumb shit. “I was with you at Mavericks, but you took off. Sage found you slumped outside the front door at four in the morning and dragged your sorry ass inside.”