The Perfect Spiral (by Ashley Constantine) novel Chapter 50

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The morning was still fresh at eight o’clock, and I found myself out on the sea with Ben. We had risen early, eager to catch the first waves of the day.

We were now lounging on our boards, letting the rhythm of the ocean lift us gently up and down. The beach was still deserted, our family yet to stir from their slumber.

But they’d be up soon. My mom, in particular, would probably be in a state of mild panic, wondering where I’d disappeared to. She had a tendency to worry, especially when it came to her children.

“I saw you out here last night with Carter,” Ben’s voice broke the silence, his words aimed at the sky. “You two looked pretty cozy.” His head dropped to meet my gaze, his smile fading when he realized I wasn’t returning it.

I was lost in my own thoughts, not entirely present.

“Alex? You alright?” Ben’s concern was palpable as he paddled over to me. He positioned himself directly in front of me, his head tilting slightly as he followed my gaze down to his board.

“Sweet cheeks, what’s wrong?” His hand found the back of my head, pulling me towards him. His lips brushed my forehead in a comforting kiss, his voice a soft whisper against my skin. “You can talk to me about anything, Alex.”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired today. I’m in my own little world,” I managed to force a smile, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. I avoided his gaze, those captivating blue–green eyes that reminded me of

the ocean.

“Don’t shut me out, Alex. I know when you’re lying to me,” he murmured, his lips still against my skin. He had a knack for comforting me. I finally met his gaze, offering him a genuine smile.

“I feel like you’re my soulmate, Ben,” I confessed, a chuckle escaping my lips.

I did feel that way, not in a romantic sense, but in the way we just clicked. It had been a bit scary at first, but I found myself drawn to him. We had an instant connection, and we hadn’t looked back since.

“I’m one of your two soulmates, sweet cheeks, and you’re one of mine,” he grinned down at me.

“But you have another one,” I retorted, rolling my eyes. In response, he pushed me off my board, and I was suddenly submerged in the cool ocean. I resurfaced, splashing him in retaliation.

“What was that for?” I squealed, laughter bubbling up from within me. I brushed my hair out of my face, the wet strands sticking to my skin. I probably looked like a sea monster emerging from the depths.

“You went all sappy on me, Thompson,” he smirked, echoing my words from our previous night out. I clambered back onto his board, my own board floating nearby, and scooted back towards him.

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I could really use one of his comforting hugs right now. His arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder.

“I really like Hannah,” he confessed, his words muflled against my shoulder. I couldn’t help but smile at his admission. I ran my hand over his arm that was wrapped around me, pressing a kiss to it.

“I’m glad, honey. She can’t stop talking about you.”

“Really? She’s so beautiful, Alex. Every time she talks, I get so lost in her words that I zone out and just stare at her. I thought I’d creeped her out a few times by now,” his chuckle vibrated against my back, making me giggle.

You could tell he was smitten by the way he looked at her when she was around.

“She said the same thing to me last night when she slept over. I haven’t seen her this smitten with anyone. She usually picks really shitty guys who treat her like crap.

But I know you won’t be like that. I’m glad you two found each other. You both deserve the best. Even

if it’s not with each other.”

“I’d like to take her out before I leave, to spend some alone time with her, just the two of us without any interruptions. Any recommendations? You are her best friend after all!”

“Aww, Ben, that’s adorable! Who knew you’d be such a romantic. She’s an active girl, loves sports, she’s not one for just going out for a meal to a fancy restaurant. How romantic are we talking?”

“As romantic as possible. I want to woo her.”

I laughed out loud, shaking my head as I nestled into him.

“Well, I strongly recommend going hiking and having a meal up there. If you want, I know a guy who can set it all up for you. Do it at sunset, there’s a specific spot for it and it’s one of her favorite places.”

“Oh yeah? That would be perfect, sweet cheeks. You’re the real MVP, not Carter!”

“Don’t mention him, you ruined the romantic effect. But yeah, I can direct you to the place and the guy will have it all set up, plus he’ll give me a deal. He owes me a favor so it won’t be too expensive.”

“Money doesn’t matter to me. Just as long as it’s perfect.”

“I’ll call him the moment you ask her out and she says yes!”

“How do you know she’ll say yes?”

“Trust me, I’m her best friend. She will.” I kissed his arm once more, feeling his smile against my shoulder as he returned the gesture.

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I know it looks like we’re a couple, but honestly, we’re not. There’s nothing more than friendship between us. Neither one of us has tried to make a move, it’s just too weird.

“Come on, I could use some food right now. Plus, the waves are dying out.” I agreed with him and jumped back on my board, paddling to keep up with him as we made our way back to shore.

After drying off a bit, he gave me a piggyback ride to the house. We stowed our boards in the shed and headed into the kitchen, me still clinging to him.

Knox was sitting at the counter with his mom and Adam. My mom was bustling around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for everyone when they woke up.

Knox was shooting daggers at the sight of me on Ben’s back. I couldn’t help but smirk to myself.

“You two are up early?” Delilah asked, sipping her morning tea and eyeing us curiously.

“Yeah, Ben hauled me out of bed because he noticed the waves were big. We usually surf together.” I explained.

Sliding down from Ben’s back, I greeted Delilah and my mom, planting a kiss on Adam’s head as I passed by. I muttered a morning greeting to Knox, careful not to meet his gaze.

“You should come down more often when you have time, Ben. We love having you here. I’m sure Alex would love seeing you here too,” my mom suggested, to which I nodded enthusiastically while reaching for a strawberry.

“I would love that, Annie. It all depends on the workload. Always love seeing my sweet cheeks,” he teased, pinching my cheeks in a patronizing manner. I swatted his hand away, laughing.

“I might come back at the end of the summer too. This place is great!”

Just then, Sam and Tyson walked into the kitchen, drawn by the delicious aroma of the food being

cooked.

“Well, Ben, you’ll be coming down for the wedding, right? I want you at my wedding!” Delilah pleaded, clasping her hands together and giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

“Come on, Hendrix, she’s giving you her puppy dog eyes,” I teased. He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, I’ll go if I must,” he said, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

“Hendrix? Ben Hendrix? As in the old UCLA running back Ben Hendrix?” Tyson’s sudden question caught everyone off guard, except for Ben, who was smiling down at his hands and nodding casually.

Tyson knows him? “Dude! I envied your side step. This guy was unbelievable! Much better than I was! Why didn’t you go pro?”

Tyson was suddenly intrigued by Ben. I didn’t really know much about this side of Ben. He always kept

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it quiet.

“Got injured pretty badly in my third year in college. I never recovered from it. I honestly wasn’t pushed to go pro either, but the kid who played my position got a chance and now he’s pro. Edison, Rob Edison,” he explained to Tyson in a casual tone. Tyson and Knox bobbed their heads, recognizing the

name.

I could tell he was being honest about it all, especially not wanting to go pro. I knew he didn’t like to talk about it much. I got the feeling it was a pretty bad injury, so I never asked him. He can tell me when he wants to, if he wants to.

“Man, such a shame! Then again, I probably wouldn’t be playing if you went pro!” Tyson laughed, making Adam giggle. I ran over to him, hugging him from behind,

“My boyfriend!” I exclaimed loudly, engulfing him in my arms.

“Alex! … Grandma! Alex was my first kiss! Can I have another one?” he beamed up at me, bending his head back.

“Oh really? Well, your uncle won’t be too happy about that!” She raised a brow over to Knox.

“Don’t worry, buddy, she was mine too! Something we have in common,” he smirked while drinking his

water.

“She was your first kiss too?” Delilah asked in disbelief, much like my reaction when he told everyone outside that night.

Knox nodded, looking at me. I felt the heat rise on my cheeks, so I looked away and sauntered back over to the fruit bowl. I hopped up on the counter to face everyone who was staring back at me.

“What?” I asked, studying the pineapple piece in my hand like it was the most interesting thing in the

room.

“Was he yours?” My mom asked me.

“How did it go from talking about Ben playing for UCLA to mine and Knox’s first kisses?” There was silence until my mom saw me nodding, making her and Delilah squeal out loud.

It was a high–pitched squeal, one that reminded me of someone strangling a cat, like Kyle’s singing. I mumbled a ‘whatever‘ to myself, simultaneously chewing a grape.

I could see him smirking to my right, so I chose to look over at Ben, who was grinning too. Fine, I’ll look over to Adam, who was so focused on the food in front of him

I clapped my hands twice, getting Adam’s attention, and widened my arms out, hopping down off the counter. “Come here to your girlfriend and give her a hug!”

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Hearing the chair screech across the tiled floor, I saw Knox making his way over to me with a grin on his face. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up, squeezing the life out of me. Damn his bear

hugs.

“What are you doing?” I mumbled into his bare chest. This guy needs to start wearing a shirt.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m hugging my girlfri-” I couldn’t let him finish. He was messing with me now, and it wasn’t funny.

“I’m not your girlfriend, Knox. Put me down so I can hug my real boyfriend.”

“Not yet,” he whispered lowly in my ear, causing me to shiver a little. Did he mean not yet to putting me down or to being his girlfriend? Let’s go with the first one, more realistic.

“I think you have me mixed up with Lauren, idiot,” I retorted, backing away from him to create some distance. Adam pouted up at him.

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