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Chapter 11
Friday, December 11, 2009 @ 3:45 PM
Title: Pearldrops.
Author: Яįє
11. The unexpected twistThe best things in life are unexpected – because there were no expectations.Persistent thumping on the door interrupted the melody of water trickling down. I sloshed about in the bath tub happily, ignoring the knocking that seemed endless. Answering the door meant facing the harsh reality and embracing the problems that came along with it. I was not about to let them torment me.
“Aquarelle, I know you’re there. Are you all right? You’ve been in there for an hour,” Ray shouted above the hissing of the torrents of water running from the shower.
Leave me alone. The water enveloped me, caressing my face and loosening the knot that had formed in my heart. It was exactly what I needed now. Nothing else mattered. Even the world would have to wait. The gurgle of water sent peaceful tinkles up the end of my tail; it was so refreshing.
“I’m going to barge in right now,” Ray’s voice could be heard interrupting my revelry. Sure enough, the door burst open. My tail shot back into the bath tub immediately with a splash. I tried to hide beneath the foamy waters, but not before I caught him looking. Ray’s eyes were wide open. I hung my head. Despair gnawed at my insides, eating away at whatever short-lived joy I had. He stared at me and I blinked. For a minute, no one moved. I could sense the impending doom. I was such a troublesome guest. The host would probably throw me out of the house now…He was definitely not going to let me go for flooding the toilet.
“I just wanted to swim,” I mumbled guiltily. It sounded like a whine. I stared at the ripples as the water level rose stealthily, unable to look straight at him in the face. Ray strode towards me with a frown. His jaw was set in a thin line. I squeezed my eyes close, waiting for the expected reprimand.
It never did come.
Instead, I found myself being lifted out of the bath tub, bridal style. He cradled me in his arms when I tried to slip away.
“Are you abducting me? Put me down!” I screamed hysterically. He was going to murder me, I knew it!
“Hush Relle,” he muttered, ignoring my flailing arms and my scaly, slithery tail that tried in vain to make him lose his hold on me. I was outraged. The way he talked to me, it was like he was coercing a crying baby. When my demands were not met, I changed tactics.
“Drop me,” I begged him. My helpless pleas turned into echoes and I realized where he had brought me to. We were in the basement where there was an artificial lake! I looked down. His feet were planted right beside the swimming pool. I could see the crystal-clear water lapping at his toes.
“Stop thinking that I’m going to hurt you,” he whispered as he released me gently. The cold water raced through me. I could feel a beat pulsating through my veins. Never had I been this alive. I cut gracefully through the water, going back and forth. The water waves broke beautifully as I swerved about delightfully.
“This is paradise,” I said in exhilaration, leaning out the edge of the pool, expecting Ray waiting for me. Instead, there was nobody around.
“Thank you for everything,” I muttered foolishly under my breath when I realized I was talking to myself.
“You’re welcomed,” a voice resonated behind. I jumped at Ray’s voice. I had failed to notice him gliding up from behind.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“Humans swim too,” he said smugly. “Mermaids are not the only ones who do.”
He edged closer, pressing me into a corner. The water crept between us, licking deliciously at our shoulders, pulling us closer to each other. I could literally taste the smell on him. My heart leapt wildly when I saw that his shirt was off. The intimacy of it threw me off. His lean biceps made my mind wander into sweet little fantasies. I blushed horribly, half-ashamed, hoping he could not see it.
“Do you fear me?” he asked.
“No,” I answered a little too quickly. “Why do you ask?”
“Because every time I try to get closer to you, you move further away,” he said without pausing.
“In short, you push me away.”
Bingo. He had hit the nail on the head. How many times had I put on a pretense, appearing cold and distant when all I wanted was get to know him better?
“Don’t make wild guesses that you aren’t capable of,” I snorted, irritated by the truth in his words.
“I am
NOT afraid of you.”
“Really?” he seemed unconvinced. “Let’s step up the game.”
“Try me,” I sneered.
I caught a glint in his eye; something was about to happen.
No, wait, this can’t be happening! I screamed silently when he edged closer. His face was inches away from my face. Time seemed to crawl. I froze as he pressed his lips against mine. They were warm and gentle, nothing like the rugged edge they had in appearance. He kissed me lightly, but fiercely. Against my wishes, my body longed for him to deepen it. I felt myself leaning towards him as my heart betrayed my mind. I slipped my hands around his neck, unseeing, arching my face upwards, hoping to intensify the moment. He cupped his palm over my cheek, placing the other free hand around my waist and drawing the full length of my torso against him. Carefully, his hand slid slowly down the nape of my spine, creating sensations that tingled down my dorsal tail. I melted, suddenly kissing him with such ferocity I never knew I possessed. To my disappointment, the kiss ended as fast as it started.
His strong hands locked me in a vice-like grip as he pulled away. His face was flushed and I could hear his rasped breathing and the thundering of my palpitating heart. It had been such a tender kiss. His sculpted figure glistened with water as I tried to control my thoughts that threatened to go astray. I calculated my chances tackling him. I could take him down. Mermaids were surprisingly strong, even for females.
Stop it! Don’t go crazy. Get a grip. You can get through this! I willed myself against the persistent instinct to mate. This was not the time for
THAT. He was human; I was fish, for now. We could not possibly do it.
“I’m sorry... I.. I couldn't control my feelings for you,” he said apologetically.
“I guessed I showed them to you huh?” he continued jokingly, trying to alleviate the situation that had turned from awesome to awkward.
It sure was intense. I could see that he was embarrassed. I giggled silently. This was unlike him. He was always a picture of confidence. I stayed quiet, not making it any better for him. This was going to be fun; it was my game now. Ha.
“I’ll leave okay? Enjoy your swim,” he mumbled. Seeing he suffered enough in uncomfortable silence, I made a grab for his hand before he turned to go. The words came out in a rush.
“Where’re you going? I
want you here. I want you to continue with the game…” I trailed off, slightly abashed, my dorsal fin flicking nervously now.
Seconds ticked by as he took time to register my words.
“I need warming up though. Care to wait?” I tossed him a careless look. Though I acted like I didn’t care, my insides were already turning to mush.
“I’ll wait,” he beamed, breaking the silence. Knowing he was referring to my ‘warming up’, I refused to acknowledge it.
“You can wait for me to finish my swim,” I granted.
Without looking at him, I splashed off, deliberately creating a mini tide that swelled around him. If he thought I was showing off, whatever. That was exactly what I had in mind. Smirking to myself, I curved fluidly in water, moving towards the far end. Knowing he would be looking on at my lithe reflexes, I propelled forward, cutting through with grace. At that moment, I slowed down. Something, or rather, somebody was grabbing on to my tail and
HE was tugging me backwards. I twisted around. Sure enough, it was Ray. For that few minutes, we engaged in skirmish, both man and fish; he trying to delay me while I attempted to squirm my way out.
“I’m going to reach there first,” he said in between gasps when we both surfaced, winking at me. The tussle had definitely tired both of us. Madly peeved, I shinned up the length of his body and promptly steered forward, tickling his sides with my fin and not forgetting to elbow him in the ribs. He, unfortunately, failed at an attempt to dodge. Smiling to myself evilly, I raced forward. First was mine!
The end of the pool was getting nearer and nearer. I could see from the corner of my eye, Ray tailing after me in neat strokes. I raged on, amazed by his tenacity. As I was about to touch the wall, overconfidence got the better of me. When I pivoted around to catch a glimpse of his whereabouts, the unexpected happened. Appearing suddenly like a ghost, he shoveled past me and slapped his palm victoriously on the concrete tiles lining the pool before I had the chance to do so.
“Like I said,” he panted.
“You almost lost it,” I snapped at him, sulking a little.
“Yea, that was close,” he scratched the back of his head while saying in an undertone, “Bloody neat underhand you’ve got there. Just you wait and see what I’ll do wit'cha the next time.”
A blush crept up the nape of my neck which I stopped in time.
“Like there’ll
be a next time,” I replied tersely, still fuming at having to concede defeat to the likes of him.
“There’ll be.” He said mysteriously, winking at me. The enigma of it puzzled me.
“Says who am I coming back?”
My eyes dilated when he continued to emphasize, “You’ll find us living under the same roof,
SOON.”
“WHAT?” I almost screamed.
“Don’t you like it here?” he asked instead, ignoring my shock.
“I do love it,” I stuttered.
Especially the lounge.
“The lounge. Oh yeah, right. It’s a three in one. Mini jazz, disco bar and plain old hip hop,” he said excitedly.
Had I said that out loud? I stared at his outpour of elation, shock numbing my limbs and taking control of them.
What was happening? He could read my mind? Ray seemed oblivious to my perplexity. He kept going on about how great it was that the lounge was finally ready and that it had taken a long time to install the finishing touches.
Stupid human. Shut up will you? That’s not what I meant. Thinking discreetly, I continued to stare at him. He did not seem to hear me. I sighed deeply. What was that just now? Dismissing my unsettlement, I relinquished the idea of wrangling him. He would never fully understand how homely I felt at the lounge.
He was, only human after all.
Author's note:
My ever-first kissing scene. It wasn't exactly very easy since I couldn't really imagine it. Can you imagine writing a kissing scene when you haven't kissed a guy in your entire life? That's how it is for me. Do give encouraging comments because I sure need them. Arigatou!
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