Page 2 of Waves

When someone ultimately spotted me, it was not the strange fisherman. A black snout peeked over the edge of the boat and whined at me. Before anyone else noticed, I dipped my head below the surface of the water, low enough for human eyes not to see me.

“Ishmael!” The human came forward and pulled the dog back by his vest while he barked at the water.

He attempted to assure the dog all was well before walking away from the railing. Once they both disappeared, I swam back to my rock and slept away the rest of the afternoon. I devoted no additional thought to the man with the bright eyes. But the next time I noticed his boat not too far from me, I didn’t feel annoyed or even anxious. I was curious. So, I left the beach and swam as close as I dared, then watched him while he watched the coastline.

Soon, I found myself approaching each time I spotted his vessel, even going so far as seeking him out occasionally. He did nothing but observe, but I suspected he was some kind of learned person. His boat kept coming back to the same spots and in a somewhat predictable pattern, I suspected to collect data of some sort. While he attempted to study the ocean, I kept creeping nearer and nearer to study him.

And now I ran into him yet again. Only, for the first time, I caught him watching me—with both his legs planted on either side of his bike while he stared almost wistfully at the scenery. I told myself he didn’t even notice me trudging out of the water, but he tracked my movement up the beach. Maybe I never should have called him over. We could have easily parted without ever seeing one another again. After all, he didn’t know me. Not like I knew him.

Still, what were the odds? We would never get another chance to meet this way, so I decided to seize my only opportunity. I didn’t know why I couldn’t bear to let him go—only that I never had an interest in the lives of men before I met him.

I dragged my hand down my face, releasing a deep sigh while leaning back on the metal bench in the empty locker room. Today was not going according to plan at all. Sometimes, I wondered why I even bothered. Before heading to the shower, I pulled my phone from my bag and checked my messages. One from Mary, the closest thing I still had to a friend nowadays. I swiped across my screen to unlock it.

Mary and I met while we were both in high school, two lost souls slaving in a retail hell at a small department store. When we were younger, I suspected she was into me, but thank goodness she never pursued that kind of relationship. We stayed close throughout college and after, both of us ultimately returning to the area we called home. Mary got engaged last year and now spent most of her time planning a massive wedding to be held this winter.

Lunch? You promised, Mary’s message read.

I did. I did, in fact, promise we would get lunch this week, but I was not in the best mood right now.

Mar, I’m kinda tired, I typed back.

My phone lit up with a slew of red-faced emojis sent by a redhead with an infamous temper. I didn’t like getting on her bad side.

Fine. When? I texted back.

Now. I’m hangry.

Sushi?

Yesssssss. Meet me there.

I closed out our conversation and stared at the only other message. The number appeared as an unknown—not saved to my contacts—but I still knew those digits by heart. He blew up my phone enough. I frowned while swiping right and deleted the thread without reading a word of what he had to say.

When I arrived for lunch, Mary sat at the sushi bar already, shoveling a tuna roll in her mouth. I didn’t mind since I’d rather she ate and be in a better mood than wait for me while I ran late. Late by her standard, but with plenty of time for us to have a satisfying lunch.

Mary and I always came here, since the restaurant provided a weekday all-you-can-eat lunch special to keep business alive during the off-season. The price was a steal, but even without the special, the food was pretty darn good for such a quiet town. Mary and I had always been more than happy to give this place our patronage by eating our weight in discount sushi.

After sitting on the vinyl stool next to her, I ordered my usual to start: spicy avocado. I didn’t even need to ask, just nodded at the chef and she smiled back. We came here that often.

“Took ya fucking long enough,” Mary grumbled.

“Aren’t you all sunshine and daisies?” I laughed. “Dress shopping went well, I take it?”

“I’ll choke one of those bitches before I even walk down the aisle. Mark my words.”

“What did they do now?”

“They can’t all agree on a dress!”

I snorted at her answer and rolled my eyes. Mary knew full well exactly how I felt about her bridesmaids. They were the kind of women who only talked about finding their next fling, and their idea of a good time was grinding on the dance floor with each other after too many fruity cocktails.

“You’re too nice,” I said with a shrug. “You should just tell them what they’re wearing and be done with it. Real friends wouldn’t care if you asked them to wear a potato sack. Real friends want to be there for you on your special day, no matter what.” I would know. I planned a wedding once, too.

Mary nodded and downed the last of her chilled plum wine and signaled for another glass. “That’s why I needed guy time. Though I do wish you were a woman sometimes.”

“I sure as hell don’t,” I scoffed.

“Wow, something has gotten you all sassy. What’s up with you, mister?”

---