Elianna followed Nicholas and Celine as they descended the stairs. When they reached the white sand of the beach, they turned and walked toward the first floor of the beach house.

  Nicholas approached the sliding glass doors and slid them open, then walked inside.

  Following Celine onto the first floor, Elianna's brows raised as she looked around. She observed how they entered an open floor area, which had black leather couches situated in a U-shape in front of her, facing the wall. Against the wall facing the couches was a pedestal used to hold illusionaires. To the right and left of the pedestal were shelves that were filled with illusionaires. When Elianna looked right, her eyes fell on a small indoor bar area that had an icebox to the side. When she looked left, she observed there were several game tables placed here and there.

  "Wow," Elianna commented as she looked around. Her soft-looking lips curled, "This place looks cozy."

  Nicholas nodded and looked at her, "This is where we can hang out, watch illusionaires, or play indoor games while taking a break from the beach."

  "Just be careful of the couches," Celine chuckled, as she eyed them.

  Elianna tilted her head slightly. "What's wrong with them?"

  Celine shook her head. "Nothing is wrong with them." She shot Elianna a jestful smile, "They're just so comfortable that you'll fall asleep in them."

  Elianna chortled, "Oh. Good to know."

  "Come on," Nicholas said, gesturing to the left. "The surfboards and other supplies are this way."

  "Other supplies?" Elianna said curiously, as she followed Celine and Nicholas to the left.

  Elianna watched Nicholas as he walked over to a door, which she assumed to be a simple closet. But her brows raised a moment later when he opened the door and walked inside. Celine walked in next, and Elianna followed. When she entered the closet, she instantly realised it was not a simple closet at all, but a large storage area.

  Looking around, Elianna's eyes skimmed over numerous large shelves that were filled with a variety of miscellaneous items. She observed a box of sports equipment, a shelf filled with towels, and another shelf that held board games. At the back of the room, she saw surfboards stacked against the wall.

  Nicholas walked over to the back wall and picked up a green surfboard from the top. He held it, placing the tail on the floor, with its deck facing Celine and Elianna.

  Elianna's brows furrowed, and her skin tingled in disgust. "Uh, why is it peeling like that? What even is that?"

  Nicholas looked at the deck of the surfboard, seeing that it was indeed peeling. He sighed, "That would be the wax peeling off. It's old, dirty, and worn out."

  Celine smiled at Nicholas' reaction, "What did you expect, Nick? I doubt that anyone has used these boards in a while."

  Nicholas nodded, "True.

  Elianna looked confused. "There is wax on a surfboard?"

  Celine chuckled and looked at Elianna, "Yes. The wax helps us keep traction and stay on the boards while riding the waves."

  Elianna nodded, then her brows furrowed. "So, does that mean we need to get new surfboards?"

  Nicholas and Celine looked at her, confused.

  Seeing their confused expressions, Elianna shrugged, "You know, since the wax is peeling. I doubt we can surf with the wax like that."

  Celina and Nicholas shared a gaze before they laughed.

  Elianna's brows raised, feeling like she said something stupid, "What?"

  Nicholas waved his hand, calming down from his laughter, "No, nothing." He smiled at her, "We'll just peel off and reapply the wax. Then we can use the boards."

  Elianna nodded, "And how long will that take?"

  Celine and Nicholas shared a gaze before they shrugged, and Celine said, "Less than half an hour, I suppose."

  Elianna nodded, then smiled, "Cool, then let's get started."

  Nicholas chuckled and smiled at Elianna before leaning his surfboard against the wall and reaching back to grab the red board on top.

  "I'll take that one," Celine said, stepping forward.

  "As expected," Nicholas chuckled, holding out the board to her.

  Celine took the board, giving Nicholas a playful scowl. She turned and smiled at Elianna as she walked past and left the room.

  "Alright," Nicholas said, looking at the other boards.

  Elianna walked over and stood beside him, looking at the different-colored boards stacked together.

  Nicholas grinned, "I assume you want the pink one?"

  Elianna raised a brow, "Because I'm a girl?"

  Nicholas chuckled, "No. Because it's your favorite color."

  Elianna pursed her lips in a pout and looked to the side, "Yes, I'll take the pink one."

  Nicholas laughed and nodded, "You got it." Nicholas slid the pink board out from the pile, but to Elianna's surprise, he didn't give it to her. He leaned the board against his own and picked them both up. When he noticed her confused gaze, Nicholas shrugged, "I can carry both."

  Elianna smiled, "Thanks." She looked at him curiously, "Is there anything I can carry?"

  Nicholas hummed and looked around, "Nah, it's fine." He shrugged, "I'll just come back and get the supplies we need to wax the boards."

  "You sure?" Elianna asked.

  Nicholas nodded, "I'm sure." He jerked his chin toward the door, "Come on."

  Elianna nodded before turning and walking out the door.

  Nicholas followed, trying but failing to keep his eyes above Elianna's waistline as he followed her. When they walked outside, he noticed Celine had already placed her surfboard down and was inspecting it as she knelt beside it.

  Celine looked up and smiled, seeing Nicholas and Elianna walk out. But when she noticed Nicholas carrying Elianna's surfboard for her, she chuckled and grinned.

  Nicholas raised a brow, "What?"

  Celine shook her head, standing up, "Nothing."

  Nicholas shrugged, placing the boards down on the beach sand. He stood up and said, "I'm going to get the supplies."

  Celine and Elianna nodded, watching as Nicholas walked back into the beach house.

  Elianna looked at the pink surfboard before she knelt beside it. Her head tilted, and she felt the dry, brittle texture.

  "That's old wax," Celine shrugged, and Elianna looked at her. "The new wax we'll apply will feel a lot smoother."

  Elianna let out a sigh of relief, "Good. I was thinking this was going to cut up my skin."

  Celine shook her head, "We'll peel off the old wax first before applying a new coat."

  Elianna raised a brow, before looking at the surfboard, "Won't that damage the board. The old wax seems tough."

  "That's why you let it sit in the sun to warm up," Nicholas said as he walked out.

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  Elianna and Celine looked at him, seeing that he was carrying three foldable stands.

  "But in our case," Nicholas said, as he set out the stands one by one. "We'll just warm up the wax with magic."

  Celine picked up her board, "Come on, Elle. We'll show you how it's done."

  Elianna nodded and was about to pick up her board. However, before she could, Nicholas reached down and picked it up for her.

  Elianna smiled at him, "You know I can carry my own board."

  Nicholas shrugged, "I know." He placed her board down on the stand, "But I already did it for you."

  Celine looked away, trying to hide a grin.

  Elianna smiled and shook her head, "Well, thanks."

  "Don't mention it," Nicholas said as he picked up his board and placed it onto the stand. Nicholas held out his hand, and there was a flash of green light before three scrapers appeared in his hand. "Here," Nicholas said, handing one scraper each to Celine and Elianna.

  Elianna looked at the scrapper, then shot a curious gaze at Nicholas. "Now what?"

  "Now," Nicholas began, and snapped his fingers.

  A wave of fire magic flashed over the three surfboards, making Elianna jump slightly. When she looked at her surfboard, she noticed the wax now looked slimy.

  Nicholas smiled, "We scrape." He smiled at Elianna, "Like this."

  Elianna watched Nicholas as he easily scraped off a chunk of wax from his surfboard. She blinked before she tried it herself and was surprised by how easily the wax peeled off.

  As they were peeling the wax, Celine looked at Nicholas, "Have you already grabbed new wax?"

  Nicholas nodded, "Yep."

  Celine nodded, and the three of them scraped off the wax from their boards in silence. It didn't take long for them to peel off the wax, and when they were finished, Nicholas took out the wax from his spatial ring.

  Nicholas tossed one of the pucks of surf wax to Celine, who caught it.

  Elianna watched Celine curiously as she began to apply the wax to her board.

  "Here."

  Elianna looked to her left, seeing Nicholas standing beside her. Her eyes fell to his hands, seeing that he was holding a puck of surf wax. She smiled as she took the wax, "Thanks."

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Celine, watching her apply the wax. Her lips pursed before she looked at her board and pressed the wax against it. She began to glide the wax across the board.

  "Not so hard," Nicholas said from beside her.

  Elianna looked at him, "Huh?"

  Nicholas smiled and chuckled, "Keep a light pressure, and wax in a circular pattern."

  Elianna stared at him, dumbfounded.

  Nicholas let out a humorous chuckle.

  Elianna pouted, "Don't laugh at me! I've never done this before!"

  "I'm laughing with you, not at you," Nicholas reassured.

  Elianna playfully narrowed her eyes at him. But her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned apple red, as Nicholas approached and stood right behind her. She breathed in sharply, feeling his chiseled chest press against her back. Her heart began to race like a marathon, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers.

  Celine looked up, and her brows raised, while her lips curled into a grin.

  Elianna didn't know what was happening, but she definitely wasn't going to complain. She tried to control her rapid breathing as Nicholas reached out from behind her and gently grasped her hand, which was holding the wax.

  "Light pressure," Nicholas whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

  Elianna felt as he pressed the wax ever so lightly on her board.

  "Circular motion," Nicholas whispered, as he began to move her hand in a circular pattern. "Remember to apply a good base coat and get the rails."

  "R-Right," Elianna said, sounding breathless. And that's because she was. She was breathing languidly, her heart was racing, and her face felt so hot it might melt off. She swallowed hard as she leaned back ever so slightly, feeling Nicholas' chest muscles against her back. "L-Light and c-circular."

  Celine bit her lips between her teeth, keeping her eyes on her board.

  "Good," Nicholas whispered. "Now keep at it."

  A wave of disappointment washed over Elianna as Nicholas let go of her and took a step back. Her eyes flicked to the side, watching as he approached his board. She thought she noticed his face and ears were red, but she couldn't tell as he cleared his throat and began to wax his board.

  Elianna pinned her eyes to her surfboard as the three of them waxed their boards in silence. Elianna's heart continued to race as she remembered how Nicholas' body felt against hers. It was a sensation she wanted to feel again.

  After a few minutes of silence, Nicholas looked up and said, "Everyone done?"

  Celine nodded, "I am."

  Elianna smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Y-Yeah."

  "Cool," Nicholas said. "I'll take your scrapers and wax, then we can head out."

  Celine and Elianna nodded and walked over to him.

  As Elianna approached Nicholas, she swallowed hard and smiled when their eyes locked. She placed the scraper and wax into his hand, her heart skipping a beat as her skin grazed against his.

  Elianna felt her face starting to become warm and quickly shook her head, trying to compose herself. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. It wasn't like Nicholas hadn't touched her before.

  Taking a deep breath, Elianna watched as Celine walked over to her board after giving Nicholas the items.

  Celine smiled as she picked up her board, "Let's go."

  Nicholas and Elianna nodded as they picked up their boards and began to walk toward the ocean. Elianna's eyes glistened, and her lips parted, seeing the shimmering ocean before her. It filled her with a sense of excitement, knowing she was about to go surfing in it.

  "How're you feeling?" Nicholas asked as he caught up beside Elianna.

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, took a calming breath, and smiled, "Excited."

  Nicholas chuckled and nodded, "Good. Now, listen, there are some things to know about surfing."

  Elianna nodded and stared at Nicholas as he explained the dynamics of surfing to her. But she was really only half paying attention. She was starting to get lost in the beauty of his sea green eyes, the more she looked into them. She recollected how his skin felt against hers, and her body began to feel hot.

  Nicholas smiled, "Got it?"

  Elianna blinked, only catching half of what he said, "Y-Yeah." She returned his smile, "Got it."

  "Good," Nicholas said, as he looked forward. "But most importantly, let's have fun."

  Elianna nodded and looked forward. She was filled with glee as they approached the ocean. She kicked off her flip-flops and smiled when her bare feet met the soft, warm, white sand. She walked forward and was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the crystal-clear ocean water felt as it hit her smooth, ivory skin.

  Elianna, Nicholas, and Celine walked deeper into the water, and Elianna followed Nicholas' and Celine's lead as they mounted their surfboard. As they paddled out, Elianna found it easy enough to glide across the ocean water. Occasionally, a wave of water would hit Elianna in the face, but she would just spit out the saltwater before continuing forward. They continued to paddle out until they were close to the tips of the wardstones that were sticking out.

  "This is as far as we go," Nicholas said, as he sat up on his board.

  Celine followed suit, "Any farther and we'll be past the wards."

  Elianna nodded as she carefully sat up and straddled the board. She followed Nicholas and Celine's example, carefully swiveling around to face the beach. That's when Elianna noticed how far they were from the beach, which surprised her, as she hadn't thought they had gone that far.

  "Alright," Nicholas began, and looked at Elianna. "Remember, the key is foot placement and balance."

  "Here comes a wave," Celine said, looking behind them. She smiled at Elianna, "Why don't you watch me go first?"

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "Sounds good. Good luck."

  Celine shot Elianna a wink before she lay flat on her surfboard and began to paddle forward. It didn't take long for the wave to pass beneath Elianna and Nicholas. Elianna watched intently and curiously as the wave approached Celine. Her eyes widened in awe as Celine slowly got to her feet, and she looked like a pro as she surfed the wave back to the beach.

  "Whoa," Elianna said, then chuckled. "She made that look easy."

  "She's always been a good surfer," Nicholas smiled. He looked back, then at Elianna, "Ready? Another wave is coming."

  Elianna took a breath and nodded, "Ready."

  "Alright," Nicholas said, lying flat on his board, and Elianna followed his example. "Let's go!"

  Nicholas and Elianna both began to paddle forward, gaining speed. As they paddled, Elianna felt the water beneath her rise, and she began to go faster.

  "Now!" Nicholas yelled as he began to stand up.

  Elianna took a steeling breath, telling herself she could do this. She placed her hands on her surfboard and slowly stood up. She wobbled as she got to her feet, almost losing her balance. She quickly fixed her foot placement and leaned forward, trying to maintain her balance.

  The sensation was weird, as she felt the water gliding beneath the board. But, as Elianna began to ride the wave, standing there, feeling the wind brush past her ivory skin, she couldn't help but smile widely.

  Elianna felt a jovial wave as she rode the wave, watching as the beach got closer. But as she shifted her body, her eyes widened as she lost her balance. Elianna let out a yelp as she fell off her board, then took a deep breath before plunging into the water.

  Elianna felt the water current push her body forward and flow around her. It was tough, but she kept a calm mind. That was, until she felt something come loose, and a wave of fear washed over her.

  When the ocean current lessened around her, Elianna pushed her head above the surface. She immediately wrapped an arm around her chest, holding it closely. Her eyes were wide as she quickly looked around.

  "Oh no..." Elianna whispered, her voice shaky. "Where is it???"

  "Lia!"

  A sense of dread washed over Elianna like another wave. She sank deeper into the water, her arm around her tightening. Her fear-filled eyes fell on Nick, who was paddling over to her with one hand while holding her surfboard in the other.

  "Nick!!!" Elianna screeched. "Stay back!!!"

  Nicholas' smile faded, and he looked at her, concerned, "What? Are you okay?"

  Elianna began to kick away as he got close, "I said get back!"

  Nicholas raised a brow, "Why? What's wrong?"

  Elianna swallowed hard, seeing that he was still approaching. She desperately looked around, trying to think what to do. Suddenly, a wall of water rose up, separating Nicholas and Elianna.

  "Lia?!" Nicholas called out.

  "She's fine!"

  Elianna twirled around, seeing Celine paddling over to her from the opposite direction. A sense of relief washed over her as she saw Celine holding Elianna's bikini top.

  "Just stay over there for now!" Celine yelled.

  "Why?!" Nicholas called back.

  "Just do it!" Elianna screeched. The last thing she needed was Nicholas seeing her bare breasts.

  "Fine!" Nicholas called back.

  Elianna sighed with relief and smiled at Celine as she approached, "Thanks."

  Celine returned her smile, "Don't mention it." She looked at Elianna apologetically, "I should've warned you about your top. I'm sorry."

  Elianna shrugged, "It's fine. Nick didn't see anything."

  Celine chuckled and nodded. "Here, turn around."

  Elianna nodded and turned around. Celine stayed on her board as she tied the neck part of Elianna's top back on. Elianna then tied the torso string and let out a sigh of relief.

  "That's better," Elianna said.

  The water wall separating them fell, and Nicholas had a curious gaze as he began to paddle toward Elianna and Celine.

  "This should help," Celine said, waving her hand—a wave of emerald energy washed over Elianna. "That'll keep your top on."

  Elianna gave Celine a grateful smile, "Thanks."

  Celine winked at her, then looked at Nicholas as he approached, "She's fine. Don't worry."

  Nicholas eyed Elianna with concern, who gave him a reassuring nod. Nicholas smiled before sliding her board to her. "Want to go again?"

  Elianna smiled excitedly as she climbed onto her board. "Absolutely."