Forever(3)

“I’ll have to think on that.” He kissed my forehead, unwrapping himself. “Let’s get to land.”

Swimming in-between the two small islands was similar to diving in an Olympic sized pool, only this pool was littered with small reefs fiercely protected by rainbows of fish. The white, sandy floor was home to the occasional mollusk and giant oyster. With the water so shallow, the colors stood out vibrant and rich.

Clown fish defended their homes, daring to leave the safety of the tiny reefs. It was impressive to watch them try and battle us. They showed a lot of courage.

Thayde raised an eyebrow. Courage? You think they’re courageous?

Of course, I explained, they may be fearful of us, but they’re still brave enough to try and defend their babies from the giants invading their territory! That takes courage.

I thought being courageous meant having no fear?

No. To be courageous means you go forth, despite your fear.

He thought about what I’d said. I’d never thought about it that way before. He made a sarcastic face. You’re so wise!

Well, one of us has to be, I joked and his mouth opened in mock outrage.

“How dare you!” He grabbed at my sides, but I was too fast, easily slipping away.

“Oh, that is it!” In an instant, he shot toward me and the game was on.

Thayde was incredibly fast – so much so that I had a difficult time keeping away from him. Being The Link is great if you have mastered your powers, but I hadn’t experienced all of them and swimming at Thayde’s speed was not something I had yet perfected. After just a few seconds, he had me back in his arms.

“You need a few lessons, baby?” He whispered.

“Only if you’re willing,” I nuzzled his ear with my lips.

I’m always willing, he thought, fingering my bikini strap. I ran my hand over his hard chest, marveling at how quickly he was rebounding from The Shadow and its atrophic effects.

My touch made him shiver in the warm water and he pulled me toward shore. Phasing, we crawled out of the waves, dripping wet and all over each other. Seagulls shouted angrily as if we had stormed the beach with the soul intent of forcing them to move their corpulent bodies.

Thayde’s touch was always subtle and light. My hands gripped his muscled back as I pulled myself into his kiss. His fingers lightly traced the length of my thigh, making goose bumps jump out all over my body again. The sun crept across the sky as we loved each other on the wet sand; the blue sky and green palm trees our only witnesses.

Thayde shifted to his back, pulling me to him. Golden rays caressed my arms and legs and the rhythmic sound of the lapping waves made me feel safe and secure. After several minutes, Thayde pulled on his shorts and walked up the beach to the coconut trees. Sleepily, I rolled onto my side and watched him pick a fresh coconut from the ground.

With one sharp blow against a stump, he had broken into the husk. Two rips later, the coconut was ready to be opened. Twisting it in his hands, he simply pulled it apart, the juice spilling over his hands.

Thayde’s strength was awesome. Merpeople were naturally stronger than humans, but it still shocked me to witness them doing things humans would never be able to do. Taking a sip from the coconut, he smiled.

“This is fantastic!” Trotting back, he handed me the coconut. “Try this!”

Holding it with both hands, I filled my mouth with the warm, sweet juice and practically melted. Back in Idaho, I’d made the mistake of buying coconuts once in a while and the juice was always sour – rancid most times. This was like drinking the nectar of the Gods.

Being this happy didn’t seem possible, but here we were, enjoying each other and the beautiful scenery of the French Polynesia. Nothing had spoiled our time and this was the most content the both of us had ever been.

“You’re happy?” Thayde asked, as if he didn’t already know.

“Very,” I leaned back on my arms, letting my head loll around my shoulders.

“What more could we ask for?” He plopped beside me, wiping the glittering sand from his tanned arms.

“Exactly,”

A gentle wind caressed us and I sighed in content. There you had it – perfect bliss. We ended up staying on that little island for the rest of the day, foregoing the Tahitian Feast and traditional dancing. Being alone with each other was the best thing we could have asked for.



“Hi!”

“Uh, hi,”

“What’s your name?”

“Thayde – what are you doing here?”

“That’s a really cool name! We’re here on vacation with our families. They always take us somewhere every year.”

“No, I mean, what are you doing on our dock?”