Free Limits by Liz Reinhardt, Steph Campbell Page A

never even noticed. We follow a long, winding road to a tiny shop by the ocean. A surf shop.
    “You know this place?” I ask as I pull in and park.
    She nods, but doesn’t bother to explain any further. As soon as we’re stopped, she hops out, barefoot, arms wide, and runs through the sand and down to the waves. I walk after her, glancing back at the shop I’m sure is her maybe-boyfriend’s place. I just don’t get why she’s wasting time with an asshole like him.
    Not that it’s my business to wonder. I’m a failing PhD student who’s about to get his visa revoked and lose his right to even be in this country. It’s not exactly like I’m the best candidate to be with her either. But she could do better than that asshole. That’s for damn sure.
    “Adam!” she calls over the crash of the waves. “Come here!”
    I run down the beach to her. “Why?” I ask.
    “Because look at this!” she yells, jumping back away from the waves, then biting her lip and darting forward. “Isn’t this amazing? Doesn’t it just make you feel like...no matter how bad things are, they just can’t be that bad. Right? Because look at this!”
    The sky is starlit, the waves are dark and harsh, but beautiful. The air feels like it’s buzzing with an energy that’s impossible to resist. I catch her happiness like a fever.
    “It’s amazing,” I agree.
    She stops jumping in the waves and pushes her hair back from her face with both hands. “You aren’t seriously saying this is amazing while you still have your shoes on. Take them off. Now.” She crooks her finger at me.
    If there’s a man on this earth who could resist that crooked finger, I’d love to meet him and shake his damn hand. Because he’s a stronger man than I am.
    My shoes are off and I cuff my jeans, then wade out to her side.
    “That’s better.” She grins, focused on me, as a huge swell gathers and breaks right at the back of her legs. I know she’s not gauging for it, so I grab her around the waist and hold her still until the water sucks back out.
    “Careful,” I say, my voice quiet because she freaked me out. It scared me to think of her falling under the water, getting pulled out. What if I wasn’t here to catch her?
    Which is an idiotic thought. I haven’t been around for most of Genevieve’s life, and I’m positive tonight isn’t the first time she’s done something bordering on insane.
    I also realize it must have been the exact way she felt when I was standing on the ledge of the observatory like an idiot. Only she couldn’t catch me. It’s shocking, sometimes, what a complete and total jackass I am.
    “You’re making a habit of this whole knight in shining armor thing, aren’t you?” she asks, tilting her head back and laughing.
    Which leaves her neck exposed. I’m about to kiss the line of her neck and up her jaw. I think about kissing her the way I bet her boyfriend never has. Like she’s the only goddamn girl in the world. Like I never want to kiss anyone else.
    But I don’t. No matter how amazing this whole date feels, I’m still just her tutor. And it’s probably for the best that I have no choice but to keep it that way, since I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hang around before I officially get booted back. I hold out on the tiny sliver of hope that my extension requests work some desperate, last minute magic and they extend beyond what they’ve already offered me, but I seriously doubt it.
    “Hey, come here!” Genevieve cries, dragging me by the hand. I follow her.
    Of course I follow her.
    She leads me up a craggy bunch of rocks just out of reach of the surf, slick with seaweed and damp with the sea spray. She pulls my sweatshirt down so she can sit on it and pulls her knees up to her chest, yanking the bottom of the sweatshirt over them and down to her ankles. I sit next to her, watching the waves smash close to where we sit, protected for this minute. Until the tide pulls in.
    “It makes me feel