The Fate of the Muse - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,119
asked.
“Nevermind,” I said, “There’s another good set coming.”
Nixie started joining me as I surfed, lying flat at the nose of my surfboard with her arms stretched out ahead of her. She laughed, giddy with delight, as I cut back and forth across the waves like a ship with its own little mermaid figurehead. I watched Ethan surfing, dancing with the sea in the silvery moonlight, and I shivered with happiness. I wished it could last forever.
The fog rolled in, obscuring the moon and making it hard to see anything more than a few feet away. Ethan drew closer to me, and I sensed him wanting to stay in contact more and more.
“Aren’t you thirsty?” he finally asked, and I realized that we’d been out here for hours, and it was getting late.
I was grateful that he was there. When I surfed with mermaids, I became oblivious to my body’s signals, and would keep going, surfing again and again until I was literally too weak to stand. They never tried to stop me, ignorant of the fact that no human could compete with the stamina of a mermaid.
Ethan hadn’t complained once, and it made me love him even more.
“Let’s go home,” I said.
After a swift tow back to Aptos, I thanked Lorelei, warning her to be extra cautious. Ethan and I paddled back to the deserted beach in silence, slipping out of our suits and packing our bags in the foggy darkness. He handed me a bottle of water out of his bag, insisting that I go first, then polishing it off. He bent down to take our bags and his board and we walked up the stairs in complete silence. When we got back to Abby’s the lights were out and Dutch’s car was still in the driveway.
“Where’s your truck?”
He pointed to where he’d parked it a little ways down the street.
“Are you alright?” I asked. He seemed dazed, and he moved slowly, like he was in shock. I started thinking the whole thing might be too much for him to accept, and his silence must be a sign that he was freaked out by the experience. I suppose it’s only fair, I thought. After all, hearing about it and seeing it were two different things.
“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight,” he said. He didn’t sound happy.
My heart sank, for as beautiful and magical as I found night-surfing with mermaids to be, it hadn’t occurred to me until now that Ethan might see it very differently. My profound supernatural experience might be his dangerous freak show. Tonight was the ultimate reality check; fair warning to get away from me while he still could.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked quietly, wondering if I should tell him about the meeting I had planned with Evie.
“I have to work,” he stopped himself, adding, “But maybe I can get started late…”
“Oh… Well… You should try and get some rest then.”
He just stood there silently, watching me. I realized that I’d probably mistaken his shock for awe, and falsely assumed that wordlessly sharing moonlit surfing felt as intimate to him as it did to me. I realized then, just how much I’d really wanted him to accept that half of my family.
“I’ll walk you to your truck,” I said, setting my bag on the porch.
He moved down the dark street slowly, like he was thinking about what to say. His silence made me increasingly nervous, and my stomach tightened up. He put his things in the back of his truck and turned to face me.
“Are you okay?” I asked again, only getting a nod in return.
I leaned in for a quick hug and was surprised to be seized in a sudden ferocious embrace. He pulled me as close as he could, his breath warm in my ear.
“Thank you,” he whispered harshly, “Thank you for showing me,” he stopped to catch his breath, “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen… ever done in my life.”
“Really?” I asked, looking up at him, “I was starting to think–”
He cut me off with a passionate kiss that left me panting, finishing off sweetly, brushing his lips across my cheek to whisper to me again, “I don’t see how I can get by without you tonight.”
I laid my head on his chest with a sigh, relieved. Something inside of me surrendered.
“Wait here,” I said, untangling myself from him and rushing back to Abby’s. I crept in, silently packing a large bag.