Page 14 of Diving In

I kept my head down and scrolled through my apps until I came across Uber.

I felt his presence before I heard his voice. Cal stood just inches behind me, but I swore I could feel electricity radiating between the two of us. I closed my eyes, allowing myself a moment to take it in.

“Do you need a ride?” he whispered as he put his hands on my shoulders.

I hesitated. I did need a ride, but riding in a car with him might prove to be just the distraction that I absolutely didn’t need. What I needed was to wrap my brain around what he’d shared with me, focus on the task at hand, and then get the hell off this island.

Apparently interpreting my silence as a yes, Cal said, “Great, thought so. Just give me five minutes to check on a few things.” His breath was hot on my neck, causing my thoughts to spiral once again.

He released his hands, and I felt his absence instantly. As I turned and watched him go, it was like I was watching a younger version of Jack, so eager and in love with what he was doing. That was something that I always envied Jack for. Fletcher too, for that matter. It was like that gene skipped me.

I slowly dragged my hands across the glass as I followed behind Cal, the coldness making me draw back. It was almost as though I was craving something familiar, some core memory that I knew was held sacred in this exact spot. I think I was expecting the feel of the glass to take me back to the times I was here with Jack—simpler, happier times.

A sea turtle was approaching the glass, heading directly toward me like he’d been waiting for me. I did a double-take, not believing what I was seeing. The space in my heart that used to be reserved for this aquarium swam back to the surface the very minute I recognized him.

“Finn,” I whispered under my breath.

Finn was rescued when he was just a hatchling, and it was a huge day for the aquarium to have gotten him. Jack picked me up early from school just so I could be here when Finn was brought in, and I recall being so mesmerized by a creature that was so tiny yet so magical.

“Old friends, huh?” Cal spoke softly.

“You could say that,” I said. I realized that I wanted to share more, which was… rare for me. “When Finn arrived, he had an extremely slim chance of surviving. I remember rushing to the aquarium as soon as school was over every day for months until he was cleared. I would sit by his tank and just watch him and talk to him, repeatedly telling him that everything was going to be okay.” I let out a breath, vividly recalling those moments.

“Sounds like he was a pretty lucky little dude to have someone like you to hang out with. I actually remember when he came to the aquarium too. It was the talk of the town. No one could believe that Jack was able to talk them into rehoming Finn at our little aquarium. Especially because we didn’t have any other sea turtles at the time and there were far bigger, more established aquariums in the running,” Cal recalled, his voice filled with awe.

“Jack always was a smooth talker,” I said.

“That he was.”

“You know he got his name because of his one usable fin?” I asked with a laugh. “He would never be able to be released back into the wild because of it, and even though I kind of felt bad for him, I was mostly just happy. Finn had become a companion to me, and if you had told me back then that eventually I would forget about him…” I trailed off, taking a moment to compose myself. “Well, here we are, once-cherished memories long forgotten. It’s funny how something so important to you can gradually fade from your mind.”

I wasn’t sure where that all came from, but I was nervous I’d shared too much. I stared into the tank, inspecting the ways Finn had changed over the past fourteen years and wondering if Finn had forgotten about me too.

I gathered my courage and glanced at Cal, somewhat expecting him to be laughing at me for oversharing, finding what I was saying to be ridiculous.

Instead, he was leaning against the corner of the tank, both hands in his jean pockets, and a look on his face that appeared to be full of admiration. His strong gaze ramped up all sorts of unknown feelings inside me.

I sort of wanted to kiss him, I sort of wanted to hug him, and I sort of wanted to ask him what he was thinking.

Thankfully, before I could do any of those things, he said, “I get it. This place is pure magic. I knew the first time I stepped foot in this aquarium that I never wanted to leave, so I didn’t.” He looked around with reverence. “I took a job here after high school, cleaning the tanks and doing whatever I could to help out. Thankfully Jack kept me around all those years. And look at me now, I’m running the place.” He grinned before continuing, “You must’ve been here all the time back in the day.”

“Every chance I got. I spent all my summer months helping Jack at the aquarium, making friends with all the sea creatures. I vividly remember helping Jack during feedings in this tank because I always admired how brave he was, fearlessly jumping into that 2.3-million-gallon tank filled with fish that were five times his size and could eat him in one bite,” I said on a laugh, recalling how crazy it really was.

For some reason, this was the first time I’d felt like I was able to share some of the good memories without fear of losing them.

It was typical for Fletcher to always be right next to Jack in the water, especially during these feedings. While Fletcher and I were alike in so many ways, that had never been one of them. Fletcher shared the same undeniable love of the water that Jack had, and I’d been slightly jealous that Fletcher and Jack were a little bit closer to each other because of that bond.

They used to try everything to get me in the water, telling me I was missing out on a whole other world, one that was filled with extraordinary views. Much to their dismay, they were lucky if I even dipped my toes in water unless we were at the local swimming pool. And even then, I was always the last one in and the first one out, constantly playing it safe, my need to be in control an ever-present force in my decision-making.

“It sounds like this place holds some pretty damn good memories. I’m glad you got the chance to remember some of them,” Cal said with that piercing gaze and lopsided grin, telling me he knew exactly what he was doing to me with both his words and his look. Cal motioned to the glass and suggested, “I think he remembers you.”

When I looked into the tank again, I couldn’t stop the smile that overtook my face. Finn had become my shadow, pressing his whole body against the glass, moving as I did. I couldn’t express the feeling it evoked, knowing that even though he’d become a lost memory in my mind, I was still alive and well somewhere in his.

CHAPTER 8

“Can you give me two minutes?” Cal asked, making his way toward the doors marked “Employees ONLY.”

As I saw him disappear through the exit and reappear at the top of the tank, I took a moment to finally marvel at all that he was. And Jesus Christ, he was delectable.

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