Page 93 of Deep In Love
“When the whale falls to the seafloor, scavengers descend on whatever remains. Sevengill sharks, octopi, crabs, and other deep-sea organisms eat the remaining tissue.”
“Then the bone-eating worms appear…” Charlie says ominously, never looking away from the screen.
“Bone-eating worms?” Jett asks, and for the first time on this trip, he looks slightly uncomfortable.
“They secrete an acid that dissolves the whalebone. They don’t even have a stomach,” Charlie exclaims, failing to read the room. “Or a mouth!”
Confusion flickers over half the faces in the room. I can hear the silent questions.
How do they eat the bones if they don’t have stomachs or mouths?
The simplest explanation is that the natural world is fucking insane, and everyone should hold a healthy amount of fear for the wild shit that’s evolved.
“A symbiotic bacteria digests the organic material, and that’s how the worm gets energy,” I explain, but it’s futile. It’s only creating more confusion. “It’s wack,” I amend.
Doug and Jett nod, and I drop the topic. Most people don’t find bone-eating worms as exciting or appealing as Charlie.
I stand back, content to watch her excitement as she chirps in Vivian’s ear, asking her to circle the whale remains so she can count the number of octopus and rattail fish.
There’s little flesh left, but organisms pick at what remains between the rib cage. The vertebrae are void of flesh, covered by a layer of orange-pink fuzz. Bristle stars are scattered along the seafloor, surrounded by a bed of worms, feeding on the nutrients released into the sediment.
While Vivian communicates with the captain to circle the boat so the ROV can hover over the whale, Charlie appears at my side.
“This is on my scientific bucket list,” she whispers, snaking her arm around mine to hold my bicep.
“Why are you whispering, bruja?”
I have to fight my laughter as her shoulders press up to her ears and she bounces on her toes.
“I think I might faint from excitement.” She presses the back of her hand to her forehead. “Catch me, Mateo.”
Her body goes limp, crashing into my side as I stumble to catch her. The smell of cinnamon and menthol fills my nostrils, and I take a deeper breath. My hands dig into her waist, holding her steady as she completes her dramatics.
“Charlie, get over here,” Vivian yells. “There are worms!”
“Shut the fuck up!”
She darts out of my grip, and all I can do is watch her. The way she beams and laughs. How she chatters with Jett, pointing out things on the screen. The blood rushes to my brain when she peers over her shoulder and points excitedly at the decaying flesh remaining on the bones.
Fucking remarkable.
Chapter 27
Charlie
The door slams shut, Mateo facing away from me, and I push against his back with the force of my body so he launches forward.
He releases a yelp but flies onto the bed.
Right where I want him.
I catapult myself, colliding with him and pinning him beneath my weight.
“What are you—”
I cut him off with a sloppy kiss.
It’s a desperate action, one I’ve been waiting for all day, since the last time I kissed him. In front of everyone. In my fervor, I smooched the shit out of him, offering the crew a free show, and I’ve yet to regret it.
