Whispers of the TidesA Romance NovelBy Mrs. Diana Boatbil---(Turn the page to begin the story...)Whispers of the TidesIt was the summer Ella turned twenty-four, the year everything changed.Ella had lived her whole life in the coastal village of Crescent Bay, a small town where everyone knew everyone, and the sea was both a friend and a thief. The waves had taken her father when she was only eight, and since then, she had learned to both love and fear the ocean.Working Whispers of the TidesIt was the summer of the year Ella turned twenty-four, the year everything changed.Ella had lived her whole life in the coastal village of Crescent Bay, a small town where everyone knew everyone, and the sea was both a friend and a thief. The waves had taken her father when she was only eight, and since then, she had learned to both love and fear the ocean.Working at the small seaside café, Ella spent her days serving coffee and pastries to locals and tourists alike. She had always wondered if this was all life had in store for her. Until he arrived.Liam was a travel writer, tall, with dark hair that caught the sun in glints of chestnut. He had a way of smiling like he already knew the punchline to the world’s joke. He sat at her table by the window every morning, sipping black coffee and typing furiously on his laptop. For days, he was just another visitor. Until the rainy afternoon when the power went out.Ella was stacking chairs when she heard the soft scrape of his chair. She looked up, and Liam smiled. "Guess you close early without electricity?"She laughed. "Looks like it. Want a refill before I kick you out?"That was the beginning. A refill turned into a walk along the beach, then a shared umbrella under a sudden downpour. Conversation flowed easily. He told her about his travels—Morocco, Iceland, New Zealand. She told him about Crescent Bay, the legends of the sea, the tide pools she explored as a child.Days turned into weeks. Liam stayed longer than planned. He claimed it was writer's block, but Ella suspected it was something more. They spent their afternoons together, wandering the cliffs, laughing over ice cream, lying on the sand watching stars emerge one by one.One evening, as the sun painted the horizon gold, Liam took her hand. "Ella, have you ever thought about leaving?"Her breath caught. She had, many times, but fear always held her back. "This is my home," she whispered.He squeezed her hand gently. "But it’s not your whole world."Their first kiss came unexpectedly, under the old lighthouse. They had been arguing playfully over who could skip stones better. He leaned in mid-laugh, brushing a damp strand of hair from her cheek, and kissed her softly. The world stilled, the sea’s whispers surrounding them.But love, Ella knew, was never simple.As summer faded, Liam’s deadline loomed. His editor was calling, assignments waited. She tried to hide her growing dread, but one morning, she found him on the beach, a faraway look in his eyes."I have to go back," he said quietly.Ella felt her heart crack. She wanted to ask him to stay, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t be the reason someone gave up their dreams.They spent their last night wrapped in each other’s arms, under the stars. Promises hung unspoken in the air.When Liam left, Ella returned to her café, to the familiar rhythm of waves and routine. Days passed, then weeks. She tried to move on, but everything reminded her of him—the window seat, the beach, the lighthouse.One stormy evening, as Ella closed the café, she saw a figure standing by the shore. Her heart leapt.Liam.Soaked to the bone, he smiled. "I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave you."Tears blurred her vision as she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His lips found hers, tasting of rain and salt."Stay," she whispered.He laughed softly. "I already am."That autumn, Ella and Liam walked the cliffs hand in hand, no longer a girl bound by the past or a man chasing the next horizon, but two hearts learning that love sometimes means choosing where you belong.And for them, that place was Crescent Bay, where the tides whispered stories of love and home, and the sea, once a thief, became a giver of second chances.---(Turn the page to begin the story...)Whispers of the TidesIt was the summer Ella turned twenty-four, the year everything changed.Ella had lived her whole life in the coastal village of Crescent Bay, a small town where everyone knew everyone, and the sea was both a friend and a thief. The waves had taken her father when she was only eight, and since then, she had learned to both love and fear the ocean.Working at the small seaside café, Ella spent her days serving coffee and pastries to locals and tourists alike. She had always wondered if this was all life had in store for her. Until he arrived.Liam was a travel writer, tall, with dark hair that caught the sun in glints of chestnut. He had a way of---

Heartthrob of YouthIn the small coastal town of Willow Bay, everyone knew the name Aidan Cross. With a crooked smile, sun-streaked hair, and eyes that flickered like sea glass, Aidan wasn’t just the captain of the surf team — he was the boy everyone watched, everyone whispered about, and, let’s be honest, everyone secretly crushed on.But what most didn’t know was that behind the dazzling grin and effortless charm, Aidan was just… tired.Every morning, he woke before dawn, helping his mom at the bakery they ran together. His afternoons were packed with practice, photoshoots for the local surf brand, and tutoring sessions — yeah, turns out the “golden boy” barely scraped by in math. At night, he’d scroll through his phone, reading DMs from fans and friends, feeling the weight of all the expectations pressing in.Then, one rainy afternoon, something shifted.Aidan was sitting at the bakery counter, hoodie pulled up, trying to study, when Mira, a quiet girl from his literature class, walked in. She wasn’t like the others — she never stared at him in the hallways, never gushed about his latest surf win. She just gave him a little nod and ordered her usual chai latte.That day, something made Aidan look up. Maybe it was the way Mira tucked a damp curl behind her ear or the way she hummed softly while waiting. He watched her, curious.“Hey,” he found himself saying. “You’re in my lit class, right?”Mira blinked, surprised. “Yeah. You… noticed?”Aidan grinned, and for the first time in weeks, it felt real. “I notice a lot more than people think.”From then on, things changed.The heartthrob of Willow Bay began spending more afternoons at the bakery, not just to study but to talk — about books, about music, about life — with someone who didn’t see him as just a poster boy. Mira teased him when he flubbed his Shakespeare quotes and cheered him on when he finally passed his math test.Slowly, the weight lifted.Because being the heartthrob of youth might make you feel like you’re on top of the world — but having someone who sees the real you? That’s what makes you feel grounded.The Heartthrob of Youth: Summer AdventureSummer in Willow Bay was magic — warm breezes, pink sunsets, and the smell of salt in the air. But for Aidan and Mira, it was also the summer they decided to break free.One afternoon, as they lay on a blanket at the beach, Aidan turned to her, eyes sparkling with mischief.“Let’s take off,” he said.Mira raised an eyebrow. “Take off… where?”“Anywhere. Just you, me, the road, and the ocean.”Two days later, they were packed into Aidan’s old Jeep, surfboards strapped to the roof, playlists loaded, snacks piled high, and no real plan except freedom.---Their first stop was a hidden cove two towns over, where the waves were legendary. Aidan surfed while Mira sat on the rocks sketching, her notebook filling with doodles of him riding the water, the way his face lit up in the waves.That night, they made a small fire on the beach and roasted marshmallows.“You’re terrible at this,” Mira laughed as Aidan pulled a burnt marshmallow from the stick.“I’m great at a lot of things,” he grinned, nudging her. “Just… maybe not this.”She leaned against him, the firelight dancing in her eyes. “You don’t have to be great at everything, you know.”Aidan fell quiet, then kissed the top of her head. “With you, I don’t feel like I have to be.”---The next morning, they drove inland to a little lake Mira had always wanted to see. They rented a tiny canoe, paddling out under a wide blue sky. At one point, Aidan rocked the boat just to make her shriek, but when she splashed him back, he pretended to fall overboard — only to pop up a second later, laughing, his hair dripping.“Heartthrob and dork,” Mira teased, pulling him back in.“You love it,” he smirked.---Their last stop was a tiny coastal town known for its old lighthouse. They climbed to the top just as the sun was setting, painting the world in pinks and golds. Standing there, arms wrapped around each other, they felt like they were the only two people in the world.“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Mira whispered.Aidan smiled softly. “We can’t… but we can remember it. Always.”---As they drove home under the stars, Mira fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, the windows down, music humming softly. Aidan glanced at her, his heart swelling.For the first time in forever, he didn’t care about the fans, the titles, or the expectations.He just cared about this — the girl who saw him, the memories they were making, the summer that would live in his heart foreverThe Heartthrob of Youth: Finale ChapterThe last night of summer arrived too soon.Aidan and Mira sat side by side on the beach where it had all started — the stars above them, the cool sand beneath, and the hush of the ocean wrapping them in its rhythm.Neither spoke for a while. They just watched the waves, fingers laced together.“I wish summer never end