Page 35 of Waves

Kai gave Ishmael head scratches before we left and let out a deep sigh once we were in the car, but I didn’t fill the ride with chatter. Without using words, I could see what was on Kai’s mind. I was upset as well, and I was going to miss him, too. Most people our age texted each other every night and got together for drinks twice a week at minimum. Who was I kidding, most people our age were either like Mary or Natasha, planning a wedding or enjoying serial dating. I didn’t want either of those things right now. I wanted a chance at a semi-normal relationship with the best person I ever met. Instead, I found myself trying to cram a month’s worth of interaction into only three days.

When we got to the marina, I went beneath the deck to check on the cooler with Kai’s coat. I half expected the carcass to be rotting, but his sealskin still looked fresh, and the yuck factor was the same as before—so no better but no worse.

Kai remained painfully quiet once I steered toward the tiny, rocky islands off the coast. I figured it made sense for me to drop him off where I picked him up instead of making him swim through the marina. Our equivalent to dropping my date at his door, I supposed.

The sun shifted across the sky until the water tinted orange and purple when we arrived, reflecting the sunset on the surface. Once I turned off the engine and walked away from the helm, I found Kai brooding while he watched the dark water lapping at the sides of the boat. When he turned to look at me instead, my heart melted for his soulful eyes all over again.

“I really am not looking forward to leaving, you know,” Kai said while he leaned more against the rail.

“I know,” I said with a quick nod.

“I want to be with you always, exactly like this, but I can’t... and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone... and I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

After consoling him with a tight hug, I rested my head against his with a sigh. “I found you once before, and I will again.”

“What if you can’t?”

“I will,” I said with more determination, “and I won’t risk missing you by chasing false leads up and down the coast like last time. I’ll come here every day until I find you, or you find me.”

Kai only frowned harder at this promise.

“You can do this. I know you can,” I said while rubbing my hands up and down the length of Kai’s arms. “Go have some fun, and I will be right here when you’re ready to come back.”

The slow shift of his lips from a frown to a smile put me more at ease, but honestly, I felt worried sick. Despite my pep talk, I internally fretted about overfishing, and fur trading, and plastic pollution, and a million other things that had always concerned me; only now I had a specific reason why. Kai had to leave though, and seeing me upset would only make this harder for him, so I smiled as best as I could. He kissed my forehead before he pulled away.

Kai shucked his outfit from his body with the sort of confidence that suggested clothes were never really meant to be on him. Despite being ever so slightly desensitized now, I chuckled when I thought of the first time I saw him walking out of the water to approach me. Most people didn’t meet with one person clothed and the other naked. Then again, we weren’t like most people.

Kai turned back to look at me once more before he jumped in the water with his coat in hand. Despite having seen this before, I still couldn’t say for sure how he did it. Kai moved so fast underwater. Amid the small rising bubbles, he became nothing more than a blur of flesh, then light fur appeared beneath the dark water. His pale, speckled form dove beneath my boat before he circled back around and popped up a few yards away. His wide, brown eyes were unblinking while he bobbed in the water and watched me in his seal form. Too quickly the moment passed, and he opened his mouth for a burst of chatter before darting off toward the large rocks in the distance jutting from the sea.

I smiled wider while I watched Kai go. His species was notoriously quiet, and the males only vocalized for mating calls. I laughed to myself at the thought of being catcalled... or should I say seal-called?

I slapped my flippers against my belly while lying out in the sunshine. The sun shone so hot these days. I often spread out on the warm rocks and slept, but when the heat became oppressive, I would roll into the water for some relief. I even napped in the shallows a few times, bobbing like a cork while half-asleep.

Rolling onto my other side, I heaved a sigh. I felt as if I forgot something again, but that was impossible. I ate and napped quite a few times already today. What else was there?

A distant ship’s horn hit me like a strike of lightning and I remembered: Ezra. I forgot about Ezra. How could I? Pulling myself down into the water, I dove under the waves. How long had it been since I last saw him? I couldn’t even say for sure.

I chastised myself while I darted under the waves. The ocean still felt tepid to me, which should mean the seasons hadn’t changed yet—hopefully. I swam frantically though with no clear direction at first. All I knew was I had to find Ezra, but his boat was nowhere in sight. I slowed my movements and tried to gather my thoughts. Ezra... where would Ezra be? Then I suddenly remembered where I saw him last: the islands. I had to go around the islands.

I moved as fast as my flippers could take me, but I still had to surface many times on my journey. When I finally spotted his boat in the distance, I couldn’t contain my joy. My skin burned in the water—somehow even more than the last time—and worse than it ever had. I wanted out of the ocean and out of this body now. Still, I tried to hold out as long as I could because I was a much better swimmer while a seal. The closer I got, the more painful the urge became, until I felt as if I were swimming through a sea of broken glass. After stretching and shaking my coat off underwater, I broke the surface with a gasp. Stupid human lungs and their inferior oxygen capacity.

I paddled the last few yards to Ezra’s boat and scrambled up the ladder on the side as fast as I could. He was sound asleep on the deck, one leg resting across the other and a book tented over his face. Ezra jolted to a start when Ishmael came rushing from the bow end, his foam jacket still clipped around his chest. Ezra threw his book down and scrambled to his feet then ran to me without even a second of hesitation.

“I... missed... you... so much,” Ezra emphasized with a shower of kisses on my face. In case there was any room for doubt, he threw his arms around me for a tight squeeze.

As much as I enjoyed the enthusiasm I’d come to expect from his greetings, I had to know how long it had been. The guilt was already killing me. “How long have I been gone?”

“Not long.” Another kiss muffled Ezra’s answer.

I took his face in my hands so I could look in his sparkling eyes, already filled with such adoration. “How long has it been for you, Ezra?”

“Two and a half weeks,” he said with a wide grin.

“I did it.” I let out a short laugh before breaking into a smile. Not much of an improvement but still sooner than last time.

“I knew you could,” he whispered while he nuzzled closer.

“You think I can do two weeks next time?”

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