Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog and its creators.
A/N: Hi, here is another chapter. Thank you again to the people reading this story for the support hope you like it so far. Well, just a few chapters left for the conclusion of this story so let go with the chapter.
Chapter 26: Two Days Before the Competition
Joel has invited the boys to his house to talk to them about the tournament and about the training they were getting for that. All of them came early in the morning expecting more practice, but Joel has some other news for them. So now all of them were sitting in his backyard listening to him.
"Okay, guys the competition will start Saturday and will continue until Sunday as it will be a two-day event. There will be some solo competition from group teams that they included this year. Ellie, Robbie, and I will go tomorrow to give them the information I will collect from you today. So please fill in the papers I give you when you arrive and pass them on to me when you're done. The two minors will need to give me permission from the adult in charge of you here okay?" Joel waits for the boys to nod before continuing. "Okay. now to the other thing I want you here today. Since there is nothing more that I can teach you before the competition starts, I was thinking that all of us can use a little break to relax," said Joel while standing in front of the boys.
"So we're not going to practice today?" said Matt quickly.
"No… you can do some tomorrow if you want… but you don't need anything more for me, at least not for the competition," answered Joel while looking at him, then to the others. "To be a great and professional surfer it takes years of practice, so how good you want to be is up to you guys. I can only give you some advice and teach you a few techniques… but the rest is on you."
"So what else are we going to do today?" asked Paul.
"Yeah… we're all here… so why not do something fun?" added Martin.
"Well, you're free of practice so you can do whatever you want… I mean go to the beach and have some fun or there are other places you can visit around here," said Joel while moving closer to them. "But before that, fill out the papers and give them to me."
"What about Ellie? She is not here yet and she is part of the team."
"Yeah… it will be good to have a fun day with the entire team," said Paul.
"What about a trip around the island?" said Ellie while walking into the backyard of the house with Rodrigo beside her. "Joel can give you a tour… or you can go to the island Adventure park… you can have some fun there too."
"Yeah that is a good place for you boys… or I can take all of you on a trip in my boat… Puedo llevarlos a un paseo alrededor de la isla, si todavía no han tomado uno." said Rodrigo as he walked behind Ellie.
Joel quickly walked toward them and stopped in front of Ellie. "Hi…" he said while moving his hand behind his head. He wanted to hug her, but not in front of the boys.
Ellie looked at him and smiled. "Hi… Joel," she answered him back.
"Are you okay?" he said casually, then moved his head forward and closer to her. "I really miss you around here," he whispered.
"Yeah… I'm fine… thanks… and I miss you too," she replied with a smile.
Joel smiles back, before turning around and looking toward the boys. "Okay, guys this is Rodrigo, an old friend of mine. I know you don't understand what he said in Spanish early, but don't worry about it, he speaks a little English too." Joel watches how the boy comes closer to meet the old man and welcomes Ellie. "Now Rodrigo said that he can give you a tour around the island if you like one… so it is up to you… so what do you want to do?"
The 4 boys look at him and smile. "Let's go for a boat trip." said all of them at the same time.
( Two hours later )
Joel, Ellie, and the boys were aboard the Rodrigo boat. The man guides them to his house and takes them all into his boat and drives to the open sea. He was taking them to one of the smaller islands. Where they can go swimming and spend some time together to relax. On the way, Joel moved up to the driver part with Rodrigo to give him some company while Ellie was with the boys on the deck of the boat.
"Ya decidiste qué vas hacer? I see how sad Ellie looks sometimes back in my house… I know you love her." said Rodrigo while looking at him. "And I can see how much that girl loves you…too. Así que no sé cual es el problema entre ustedes dos."
Joel looked down at where Ellie and the boys were talking and laughing. "El amor no es el problema," he said sadly.
"No… pero veo que lo de la edad lo es… Se que lo de Tommy fue difícil y eso fue lo arruinó lo de Tess y tu, pero no deberías dejar que la diferencia de edad te cueste esta segunda oportunidad de ser feliz."
"Si… se que es algo estupido… pero no puedo quitarmelo de la mente. Ellie es una buena chica, joven e inteligente. No quiero que arruine su vida por estar con una persona como yo."
Rodrigo looks to the back of the boat. "Yo creo que es todo lo contrario… my friend. I can see how you change her life and how she changes yours… and I know that if you work on this, both of you will end up fine…"
Joel looks down to the deck and watches Ellie with the boys. He didn't know what to do, he wanted her to be happy and he thought that it was better if she was with a man closer to her age.
After one hour of traveling, they arrive at one of the small islands closer to them. Soon they go closer to the shore Rodrigo stops the boat and orders one of the boys to lose the anchors. The boys quickly get excited by the clear water and the beautiful island in front of them.
"Okay guys, the last one to get to the shore will take care of the food we bring," said Matt before starting to take his t-shirt and pants off and quickly moving to the edge of the boat. "See you on the Island…" he said before jumping into the water.
"Hey… that is not fair…" Paul and Martin said before following him taking their t-shirt and pants off and jumping into the water too.
"Teeneyers what can you say?" said Robbie while starting to take his t-shirt off. Soon it was off and he looked at Ellie. "Are you coming… Ellie?" he asked while taking off his pants.
"Go ahead… we will join you guys in a minute," she answered with a smile.
"Okay…" he turned around and went to the edge of the boat. "Hey… wait for me," he yelled before jumping into the water.
Ellie turns her head as she notices Joel climbing down from the driver part of the boat. "I think that this was a good idea for the boys… they need to do something to relax a little before the competition," she said as soon as Joel got down onto the deck.
Joel moved to the side of the boat and opened the box that contained the little raft. "What about you? Are you doing okay with all this?" asked Joel while putting the thing out.
Ellie moves closer and starts to help him. "You mean the break or the competition?" she asked back.
"I guess… both. You tell me that you don't want to be a professional surfer and look into what I get you?" Joel put the raft on the floor deck and moves to the edge of the boat. He looks toward the boys and watchmen as they swim around and play. "I know this is too much pressure for vacation time, and not only on them but on you too."
Ellie moves beside him and looks at them. "Yeah… but it was fun. And I don't mean only for me, you make those boys happy and teach them a lot. Besides you said that this is only a local competition so I think we will do fine in it. You also did a great job with those boys and I'm really proud to be part of that too."
"I practically did nothing, those boys were good already. They only need some inspiration and some good advice." Joel turns his head and looks at her. "I couldn't do it without you… so thank you."
Ellie turns her head and looks at him. "I was glad that I could help you with that… and for the competition? Maybe it's time to make a few changes around here."
"Yeah… I have been living here for too long and some people never change… So it will be good to make them change their mind about women surfing."
"Hey… ¿Por qué Sigues aquí? Go and have some fun, I will take care of the rest," said Rodrigo before pushing Joel overboard.
Soon he hit the water, and the boys and Ellie start to laugh. A few minutes later Joel surfed and looked toward the boat. "What the fuck… man? That is not funny," Joel said while wiping the water from his face.
"It was for us…" she said while moving closer to the edge of the boat and starting laughing again.
"Hey, I said both of you," said Rodrigo before pushing Ellie overboard too.
As soon as she surfaced, she could hear the length of the boys in the distance. She shook her head to take some of the water away. "Hey, that wasn't very nice… old man… I was going to change first."
The man lagged a little. "Sorry, but you two were wasting too much time talking." Said the old man while looking at them. "Now go and have some fun with those boys. I will get the thing you will need for the campfire and bring them to the beach as soon as the raft is ready."
Joel looks at Ellie… then back of the boat. "You will pay for this later… old man… I promise," he said while taking out his shirt and throwing it toward the boat.
"Yeah, yeah… now go."
Ellie does the same and takes off her t-shirt. "I'll see you later… Rodrigo, if you need help just yell," she said before turning her sight toward Joel. "Do you want to do a race toward the beach?" she said with a smile. "We can make another bet if you want?"
"You still own mine from the last one… So do you really want to make another?"
"You got lucky last time… So I want to even the score now… are you ready?"
"You are on!"
( Two hours later )
"You're making those kids crazy… with that bikini," said Joel while sitting beside her in the sand.
Ellie turns her head and looks at him. "Yeah, probably. Are you jealous of them? Because Robbie offered himself to put some lotion on me like 10 minutes ago and the rest of them after that," she said with a smile on her face.
"Really!... And why don't you let them?" he said in a mocking way. "They can use some practice."
Ellie turns her head and looks at the water. "Yeah, they could and it was so cute of them… but I prefer someone else to do it."
"Who? Rodrigo?" said Joel with a small laugh.
Ellie turns her head again and looks at him. "Yeah, I can ask him since he already did that for me a few days ago… and I can tell you that he is really good at it… because he makes sure to put sunblock in every inch of my body."
Joel opens his eyes wilder. "He did what?... that perverted old man… I need to have a chat with him as soon as possible," said Joel with a more serious voice.
Ellie moves one hand and hits Joel on the shoulder. "I was just joking… Joel," she said with a laugh. "So… Please don't go to him and try to kill him for that… he is a sweet and decent man."
Joel just rolled his eyes. "I see that you don't know him very well…" said Joel with a smile. "He is just an old pervert… I was just surprised that he has not hit on you since the beginning."
"He is not… he always treats me with decency, but he did tell me a lot of things about you…"
"Okay, whatever he tells you about me is a lie… especially if he said bad things…"
"On the contrary, he talks good about you… That man loves you as if you're his son," said Ellie more seriously now.
"Yeah he does… he has lived here alone for too long… so we get along well from the beginning. Rodrigo is a great man and he helps me a lot."
"I can see that… " Ellie looks at her small bag. After one hour of being there, Rodrigo brought their bags with some food and towels with the small raft he had on the boat. "So…" said Ellie while opening her bag and starting to look for something.
"So… what?"
"Can you put some sunblock on me?" she said while passing him the tube. "Well, that is… if you're fine with the boys see you do it? Or I can ask Robbie to do it, he will be really happy to do it," she said with a smile.
Joel grabs the tube. "No need for that… I can do it," Joel opens the tube and puts some of the creams in his hand, and turns to face Ellie. "Now lay down on the towel… and get ready kiddo."
Ellie smiles at him and lays on her towel. "Ohhhh… I miss when you get all bossy and say things like that."
Joel quickly looked around to make sure none of the boys were close. "Oh please don't start…" he said while starting to pass his hands on her back.
A little far from them. The boys were now sitting on their towels talking to each other. "Hey, Robbie? I think the instructor beat you on the girl," said Martin while looking toward Joel and Ellie.
"Yeah… I'm sorry for you… man. I know you liked her…" add Matt with an amused tone.
"Ahhhh!" The other two boys make the same sound at the same time.
"Can you three stop that? I already told you that I knew that Mr. Miller and Ellie have something going on… they just try to hide it from people. So I'm not going to try anything," said Robbie while looking in their direction.
"So, Ellie likes older men… I don't see that coming," added Martin.
"Is that not weird?" asked Paul.
"That is not our problem. If Ellie likes older men or Joel likes young women that only concern them … so don't make any stupid comment about that.
"Well, that means you're out of the game … sorry dude," said Paul trying to mock the boy.
Robbie gets up and looks at his friends. "While not all of you stop talking about them? Whatever is going on between them is not our business. We should be grateful that he is helping us to beat those assholes from the beach… so don't ruin it."
Matt gets up and moves beside him. "Yeah… he is right… So let's give them a little privacy. Besides, if they like each other that is fine with me… my dad was 39 when he married my mom and she was only 24 and they love each other very much, so I don't see any problem with all that.
"Yeah, Matt is right… let's give them some space…. So who wants to get back to the water?" said the boy while putting his arm around Robbie's shoulder.
The other two boys get up quickly. "Let go," they said before running toward the water.
Ellie was with her eyes closed absorbing the feeling of Joel's hands on her body. She wished Joel was doing more to her than just putting sunblock on her skin right there, but the things between them are not good for that right now. She is not sure yet what will happen between them after the little break they are having, but she needs to tell Joel that her vacation time here is almost over. She received a call from her friend telling her that some important exams had been postponed and she needed to get back to school as soon as possible. So Ellie had to call the airline and buy the ticket early that she wanted.
Ellie does not want to tell Joel that she already bought her flight ticket back to the USA for the day after the tournament. She wants to wait for the competition on Sunday to end before telling him and hoping that he decides what he wants to do with their relationship before that. She has missed him these past few days. Yeah, she wanted to give him the space he needed to think about what to do, and talking with Rodrigo was helping too, but she really missed him. Not only his company but also his touch and the sex… oh she really misses that so much now. She also misses his talking, his arm around her shoulder while watching the sunset, also his wild and complex personality.
"Hey… you're not sleeping right?" asked Joel while moving his hand over her shoulder.
"Mmmmm… No, but if you continue like this I will be," said Ellie with her eyes closed.
"Okay… then I should stop?" he asked while rubbing her shoulder softly.
"Nooo please… it feels so good… I really miss all this… I mean you and I together like this," Ellie opens her eyes and turns her head toward him. "Joel… I know that I said that I will give time to think about us… so I don't expect to get an answer right now from you, but I really want to-" Ellie stops when a louder horn sound comes from the ocean.
Joel stops and moves his hand away from Ellie. "Rodrigo is back, so I think our time here is over…" said Joel while looking at the ocean and seeing Rodrigo's boat get closer.
Ellie turned her body and sat up on the towel and looked toward the boat. "Yeah, I guess it is…" she said sadly.
The boy gets out of the weather and walks toward their things. "Hey… Rodrigo is back…" yells Robbie while looking toward Joel and Ellie.
Joel stands up and offers Ellie his hand to help her up. "Well… our break time is over… I thought Rodrigo would come later, but maybe this was for the best," Ellie grabs his hand and stands up.
Ellie tore her head and looked at him. "Why… it's still a few hours before it gets dark," she said before starting to grab her things from the sand.
"Yeah, but I was planning on doing a gathering for the team tonight at my house… so it is better if we get back early…. So you're coming too, right?"
Ellie turns her head and looks at him. "Sure… I want to be there," she said while continuing to put her things in her bag. "You're going to tell them… Right?" Ellie grabs the towel from the sand that was her last thing for pick up and looks at his questioning face. "You have to tell them… you lost the bet this time, remember?" she said with a smile on her face.
"Yeah… yeah, I know. But I never said that I was going to tell them tonight… but I guess this will be the best time for that. Also, I have something for them… and you. So you need to go."
Ellie looks at the boys as they get their things ready to go. "Joel… I'm really proud of what you did for those boys and I was thinking that you don't need to stop with them… I mean you can get back to teaching surfing." She grabbed her bag and moved closer to him. "I saw how much you love doing this… not only when you start with me… but when you teach the boys too."
Joel looks at them and smiles. "Yeah, I did miss doing this… and other things too… but I don't know. It was good helping them, but I don't know if I can do it like before."
Ellie moves one hand and touches his cheek and smiles. "You don't have to do it as you did before… you can start over and do things differently… I know you can."
"Thank you… Ellie."
"You're welcome… Joel."
( Later that night in Joel's house )
Joel and the team were now in Joel's house's backyard. The loud music can be heard all around the beach but lucky for them no one lives closer to Joel's house. The boys brought a few girls with them whom they met on the beach a few days back and were staying in the same hotel as them. It has been a few hours since the party started and now the boys were dancing and having fun. Rodrigo was in charge of the grill, so he was cooking some of the fish he caught early and some rips Joel bought a few days ago. Since the tournament starts on Saturday Joel needs to go tomorrow to give them the papers so the team gets subscribed to the competition officially and finishes to get things ready for them. So there is no alcohol allowed tonight at the little party, Just music, dance, food, and regular drinks. That was for Joel and Ellie too, but since Rodrigo was not part of the team directly he brought his own Puertorican alcohol.
Joel finished talking with Robbie and walked toward Rodrigo to see how the food was. The man saw him and quickly hid his drink from him and turned around. "The meat will be ready soon," said the man with the cup in his hand behind his back. "Que lástima que esta fiesta no pueda ser como la última que tuvimos aquí…" he said with a smile on his face.
"No me la recuerdes… algunos de los muchachos del restaurante, amanecieron en la playa desnudos… y sin saber por qué."
"Si… creo que no sabían beber… those losers can't hold a good liquor."
Joel laughed at that. "No creo que ese fuera el problema… esa bebida que consigues de Puerto Rico… Can make people do stupid things and not remember it the next day."
The old man laughs at that. "True my boy…" he said before looking toward Ellie who was talking with one of the girls the boys brought. "So… what are you going to do about Ellie?"
Joel turns his head and looks at her. She was laughing at something that the girl in front of her said. She looks so happy and Joel does not want to ruin that. "I don't know… old man. I don't want to fuck things up like I did with Tess."
"I think that you should stop thinking about the past… and start to think about the future." The old man moved closer to Joel and put one arm around his shoulder. "Te voy a dar un consejo my friend… no desaproveches una segunda oportunidad de ser feliz… so stop thinking about her age… I start thinking about her heart."
Joel stayed looking at Ellie, that was now looking at him with a smile. "Oh man, I think that I can use some of that disgusting drink of yours right now."
The gathering continues for a few more hours. The boys enjoy the party and dance with the girls they brought. Even Ellie dances a little with some of the boys and she even gets Rodrigo to join them. As it was getting late, Joel decided to give the boys his surprise. So he walked toward his little shack and stopped in front of the door. He told Rodrigo to lower the music before he started to speak.
"Okay, guys… can all of you come closer… I have something for you." As the music stops the boy walks toward Joel and stops in front of him.
"I just hope that this is not a long speech… we need to drive back to the hotel," said Matt with a smile on his face.
Joel looks at him and smiles too. "Don't worry guys… it won't." Joel turns around and opens the two doors of the shack. "I have something for all of you guys… so let's start with this," Joel moves to the side so the boys can move closer to the entrance and see the four surfboards in front of a table inside.
"Oh… OMG!" said Matt as soon as he saw the name Maverick written on the boards. The boys quickly moved forward and started to look at the boards closer. They never dream of having surfboards like those.
Robbie touches the one closer to him with an open mouth. "Are… those?" said Robbie, before turning his head toward Joel. "Are those… your competition boards?" he asked excitedly.
"Well, a replica of them, but yes…" said Joel while looking at him. Some of the original boards got really damaged during a competition, so I have to get a new one for the next one. With time I repair some of them and now they are yours."
"Really!" said the boys at the same time.
"Oh man… so you're really him?" asked Paul while grabbing one of the boards.
"I knew it… I knew that it was you… oh man… this is so great." Robbie started while practically jumping around. Robbie moves closer to Joel and hugs him. "Oh… man… you were my hero… I watch all the competitions you're in… I'm a real fan of you."
"Is okay… kid… no need to get all emotional," said Joel before the boy started to move away from him.
"Sorry… not always you get surfing lessons from your hero…" said the boy as he stood in front of him. "I was sad when you quit, but I always wanted to be like you… you were the reason that made me want to be a surfer.
"Thank you… but I was not a hero, I was just a normal guy."
Ellie moves beside Joel and grabs his arm with hers. "Don't listen to him… he was great and he is happy that you were his fan… he is just a shy man."
"So those are your winning boards?" said Paul while moving out from the shack with one board in his arms. "And you're going to give it to us?"
"Yes… but as I said before, they are only replicas of the original ones, but yes they're yours." Joel turned his head and looked at Ellie that was still on his side. "I only have one that is intact and that is going to be for Ellie." Joel guided Ellie inside the shack and showed her the board that was still hanging on one of the walls. It needs a bit of touching, but it will be ready for Saturday.
Ellie looks at him with surprised eyes. "Oh my God… Joel, I can't accept that… that is part of your life."
"And now is going to be part of yours…"
"Oh… Joel, thank you." She wanted to kiss him right there, but she knew that with all the people there it would be impossible. As the boys were inside the shack with the girls looking at the surfing boards, Ellie moved closer to him and kissed him on the cheek when the other no was looking. "You know what I think? That those boys are not going to sleep tonight… especially Robbie… you just gave him the best vacation experience ever," she said while staying closer to him, but not too close.
Joel was a little surprised about the kiss on his cheek but tried to hide it. "Well… a bet is a bet and you win this time… so I don't have any choice."
Ellie turns her head and looks at him. "You know what? I think you let me win on purpose… I know that deep inside of you… you wanted to tell them."
"Are you serious? Why do I want to do that?" he said while looking at her face. "The last thing I need is a bunch of kids looking for me to give them lessons."
"Why not? You can start to give classes again… you can get good money with that." Ellie moves away and stands in front of the shack. "You can put a sign here that says. 'Maverick tourist guide and surfing instructor.' not bad… right?"
"Yeah… that sounds nice… but I don't know."
Ellie smiles at him. "Yeah… I'm so cool at this… Anyway… you did a cool gesture for them and gave them those boards? That was an excellent gift from you,"
Well, I thought that they deserve that."
Ellie grabs Joel's hand and pulls him to the other side of the shack so that way the boys can't see them. "Joel you're an amazing guy… Please don't change." Ellie quickly moved forward and gave him another kiss but this time on his lips. "That was, for be so cool… and help us with the surfing thing."
Joel looks at her and smiles. "Oh… thanks… that feels great, but the night is not over yet." Joel walks to the front of the shack with Ellie. "Okay, guys I have another thing for all of you."
"Really?" said some of the boys.
"What more can you give us…? You're ready to make our day great… what I said our entire life," said Ribbie.
"Well, it is not better than the boards, but you will see." Joel walks inside the shack and pulls up a box from a corner and put it on the top of the table there. "Okay, boys… I hope I got your size right." Joel opens the box while the boys move closer to him. He got out a plastic wrap with some clothes inside. "I think this one's for you… Paul," said Joel before throwing the wrapping clothes toward the boy. Ellie moves closer to him as he continues calling the boys names and gives them the wrapped clothes.
As Paul was the first to get it, he was the first one to open it and look at the. "Wow… look at these guys," he said while holding in front his swim shorts and a jacket that said Team Maverick. "Is this not so cool?" he said while looking at the others.
The other boys get out tiers and look at them. "Yeah… this is awesome," said Matt.
Robbie looks at his friend and smiles, then he looks toward Joel and Ellie that are still behind the table. "Thank you… for all this… sir," he said with a smile. "This means a lot to me… I mean for all of us… we will do our best tomorrow in the competition and win it for you."
The rest of the boys got closer to Robbie. "Yeah!... we will win this… is a promise."
"No need for that, just do it for yourself… guys. And remember the best part of this is enjoy surfing… and no matter what happens know that you did your best."
"Yeah!" yell all the boys at the same time.
After a few minutes, Robbie looked toward Ellie. "Hey… what about Ellie? Did she get one of these too?" He asked. The other boys stop talking among themselves and look toward Joel.
"Yeah, what about Ellie? She is part of the team," said Paul while the other boys nod.
Joel turns his head to look at Ellie and smiles. "Of Course, she will get hers… but you guys have to wait until tomorrow to see it… sorry."
"What!... that is no fair man… we wanted to see it," said Paul with a disappointed tone.
"Yeah… we want to see it, we want to see it" The boys start to say at the same time.
Rodrigo quickly moves between Joel, Ellie, and the boys. "Okay… Boys and girls… Why not all of us continue with our party? The food is done and I can put on more music… so you can dance a little more," said the old man while making them move out of the shack. They start to protest but move back to the backyard with the help of the girls they brought. Soon the music started again and the boys were away. Ellie turns around and looks at Joel.
"So… it is true? You have swim pants and a jacket for me too?" she said with a giggle.
Joel turned to stand in front of her. "Well… you get the jacket… but the other piece of clothing will be a little different."
"Really!" she said, a little excited. "And… are you going to show it to me now?"
Joel turned his head toward the party where the boys were dancing. "It will be better if I give it to you when the party's over… and the kids are gone."
Ellie moved closer to him and put her hand on her shoulder. "Why? Is it too sexy for them to see?" she said with a teasing tone. "They're going to see it tomorrow anyway… So why the mystery? Not that I do not love it…" she said with a grin on her face.
Joel moves his hands on Ellie's back and pulls her closer. "I just wanted us to be alone… when you see it… that is all."
"Oh… really," she said with a smile. "Well, I hope it is not too sexy… or you will give those boys a reason to stay up late after the tournament." she giggled at that.
"Well, I hope they don't… because if I found out they're thinking of you the wrong way… I will have to do something to them and it is not going to be good."
"Oh… that is so sweet… I love it when you get all jealous," Ellie moves one hand and touches his bear. "Well… I hope you don't need to do anything bad to those poor kids… I really like them,'' Both of them stay looking at each other's faces. Ellie was hoping for Joel to say something to her and Joel was like he didn't know what to say. But their body touching again felt good on both of them.
After what feels like an eternity, they move apart without saying anything. "I think… that we… should get back to the party… I need to send those boys back to their hotel soon," said Joel, trying not to sound so weird.
"Yeah… we should go back there…" Ellie was a little disappointed. She was expecting to have a better conversation with him about them, but it seems that Joel's showing his affection for her in front of people is still bothering him. So after a few minutes, they walk out of the shack and get back to the party. The little party lasted one more hour. After that, Joel told the boys to go back to their hotel and get some rest. Joel, Ellie, and Robbie need to be at the beach at 9:30 am tomorrow. So after they said their goodbyes and drove away. Rodrigo and Ellie help Joel to clean the backyard a little. Lucky for them, the boys didn't make a significant mess there, so they finished really fast. After that, Rodrigo and Ellie were ready to say goodbye to Joel and go back to Rodrigo's house.
The three of them were in the kitchen cleaning what was left. "Okay… son. I think it's time for us to go back to my house and pick you up tomorrow. I promise to be on the beach on Saturday… I will not miss this for anything." he said before moving closer to Joel and giving him a hug. "What you did for those kids was great Joel… I'm glad that you get some sense in that mind of yours, even if not completed."
"What the hell is all this for an old man? You're talking like we are not going to see each other in a long time."
The old man moved away and put his hands on his shoulder. "We never know… but I just want to let you know that I'm so proud of you my boy. I know why you stop surfing and teaching, but what you did in just a few weeks… it was really really incredible," he said with a smile on his face.
"Okay… you're starting to freak me out old man… so get out of here before you… start to get the urging to kiss me too… so see you on Saturday," said Joel while moving away from him.
The man laughs at that and then looks toward Ellie. "Yeah… I think it is time to go." He starts walking toward the front door but stops before going out. "I will wait for you in the car," he said before opening the front door and getting out.
"Okay… I will be there in a minute," she answered before looking toward Joel. I know that I already told you this, but I'm really proud of you… Rodrigo is right… you did a lot for those kids… and not only about surfing but making them believe in themself and work as a team is great too," Ellie walks toward him and kisses him on his cheek. "See you tomorrow Joel…" she said before turning around and starting to walk toward the front door.
Joel stays looking at her while she walks away from him. He feels a weird sensation inside but doesn't know what to do with it. One part of his brain does not want Ellie to go, but the other part doesn't want to hurt her and he is scared that in the end that will happen. "See you tomorrow… Ellie."
Ellie opens the door and turns around to look at him. "Oh… you never show me my surfing clothes… so I guess that you will show me when I get back tomorrow." she smiled at him before getting out and closing the door. Joel stayed looking at it for a few minutes. Then he takes a deep breath and walks toward the sink to start cleaning the last of the dishes.
Soon Ellie got out of the house and saw Rodrigo already in his car with the engine running. She walked toward him and stopped in front of the driver part. "Thanks for waiting for me… even if it was a short goodbye," she said a little sadly.
The man look at her and shook his head. "Oh, I was not really going to wait for you… I just wanted to see if you two get more time to talk… but I can see that both of you're so stubborn… that you need me to help you with that too."
Ellie looked at him with a surprised expression. "I know that you're trying to help, but I don't know what else to do…" said Ellie while moving her arm up in a frustrated way. I was trying to talk to him, but he still wanted to hide our feelings in front of people… and I can't live like that…"
"Then make him change his mind… he loves you Ellie… and I know that you love him too… so if he does not want to make a move… do something yourself."
Ellie lowered her head and looked at the ground. "Why do I have to be the one to make all the effort for us to be together?"
Rodrigo moves his hand out and grabs one of hers. "Because you're the stronger and fighter one… and if you want to be with him… you need to fight for it," he said with a firm tone.
Ellie raises her head and looks at him with more determination. "You're right… I will do my best on this, but if it does not work out… it is because it is not meant to be." Ellie put her other hand on top of his. "I don't know why, but you sound like a guy that wants to help the couple to get together in a romantic movie."
"Well, I love romantic movies, especially the ones with happy endings… So you can't blame this old man for seeing that ending come true," He let go of Ellie's hands and smiled before putting the gear in reverse. "See you on Saturday chica… Y traten de no cansarse mucho… los dos necesitarán mucha fuerza y mente clara para la competencia."
As the car starts to move, Ellie gets away from it. "What did you say?" I did not get the last part?" she started to say as the car drove away.
"Chao… chica… see you." said the old man while driving away.
Ellie watches him go, then turn her head toward Joel's house. After a few minutes, she takes a deep breath and starts walking toward the front door. Soon she gets close, and Ellie hears the back door open. So she knew that Joel got out through the back door of the house. So she starts walking around the house and gets to the backyard. Soon she passed the side corner of the house she saw the shack light on, so she knew that Joel must go back there. So she walked toward it until she was in front of it. Ellie saw Joel back as he was checking a board that was on top of the center table. Ellie stood there for a few minutes before Joel noticed that someone was there and turned his head.
"Ellie?" he said with a surprised tone. "I thought you… you and Rodrigo go back to his house…" said Joel before turning around. "Did something happen?"
"No… he just goes without me…" she said with a soft tone.
"What? He goes and leaves you here just like that?" said Joel while walking toward her. "That fuck old man… how he could do-" Ellie moved forward and put one finger on his lips to stop him.
"Is okay… Joel. I told him that I wanted to stay here tonight…" she said before moving closer, grabbing Joel's face, and kissing him.