Everblue (27 page)

51

FIN

We finally disconnected ourselves enough to get the boat closer to shore. Though her face beamed now, I grieved at how much she’d hurt in my absence. Was she wearing the same swim team jacket from the time before?

“I wish I would have taken a shower today,” she finally said, smoothing down her red fly-away curls.

“Ash, you’ve never looked more beautiful to me.”

She blushed and pulled her jacket down over her hips. I docked the boat and reached for her hand, pulling her into my arms. She melted into me and I never wanted to let her go.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she whispered.

I planted feather-like kisses up her jaw line and she giggled. “Being apart killed me.”

She moaned lightly in my ear and swayed. “Then don’t ever leave me again,” she said.

I inhaled deeply and hugged her tighter. “I promise.”

She giggled again. “Can I please go shower? I look horrible and I’m pretty sure I reek.”

“No,” I said, wanting nothing more than to hold her all day.

She pulled back and gave me a crooked smile. “Please?”

 “Fine, if you insist.” I took her outstretched hand and kissed it.

She stood with a slight tilt, favoring her right foot. Then I remembered she was still injured.

“Wait.” I had her sit on the bench on the dock. “This is going to be weird but I have something to help your leg. We need to take off your bandage.”

“You do?” She pinched her eyebrows together, but folded up her pajama bottoms to reveal a large ace bandage that covered her thigh.

“Trust me.”

Together, with our hands touching, we loosened the wrap. I winced once I saw the horrific bruise and jagged red line held closed with Steri-Strips.

She frowned. “Looks ugly, doesn’t it.”

“Not for long,” I said with a wink and left her to return to the boat.

Earlier while rowing, I’d noticed the jagged metal piece she’d probably torn her leg upon when she fell into the water. With a quick flick of my arm, I made a matching gash.

“What are you doing?” she shrieked at the sight of my blood spilling onto the dock.

“Just trust me.”

Horror crossed her face as I came back to her and held my arm over her cut. The blood seeped into her wound, absorbing like a sponge. I’d never witnessed a mer’s blood heal human injuries before, so I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right. Miraculously, the skin around the injury began to glow and change from a nasty red to a tender pink––the color of new skin. The trickle of blood slowly stopped as my own gash healed before our eyes, turning into a matching scar.

“Now I have a token to remember that day as well,” I said and touched our scars together.

She looked up at me with innocence sparkling from her eyes. “What are you?”

I smiled and covered her lips with mine. “Yours.”

She laughed and hugged my neck again.

I swooped her up into my arms and carried her to the house like I’d wanted to do the first time I’d seen her.

52

ASH

I showered quickly, afraid when I got out Fin would be gone, the whole thing a dream. The water trickled over the pink scar, tickling the new skin. I laughed, my insides filled with unexplainable richness. While hurrying to brush through my wet unruly hair, I heard a knock at the door.

“Ashlyn?” Mom asked, apprehension looming in her voice.

I opened the door, letting the steam escape. Her face brightened as she scanned my fresh appearance—my first shower in almost a week.

“Why didn’t you call and tell me you had company for dinner?”

“I’m sorry.” I shrugged. “He just got here. Would it be all right if he stayed?”

From down the hall I could hear Gran, Lucy, and Dad talking to Fin about the explosion on the lake. His presence made me giddy inside and I bit back my grin.

“Of course. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

I smiled, probably for the first time since the accident and a tear glossed the corner of her eye. “Yeah, Mom. I’m feeling a hundred times better.”

From nowhere, she wrapped her arms around me and sniffled in my ear. I rubbed her back, trying to soothe away all the grief I’d caused her the past few days.

She let go and composed herself. “Well, hurry up. I’m almost done reheating the lasagna.”

I closed the door and counted my blessings for a moment. Though it brought me Fin, what I did tortured my parents. I’d worried them needlessly and took everyone on such a crazy rollercoaster of emotion with me. I’d never do it again. I couldn’t watch them suffer like that. Somehow, I needed to make it up to them.

A quick blow dry and a little makeup to cover the grey smudges under my eyes made a world of difference. When I walked around the corner without a limp, everyone gasped. The fact Fin was here, hit me again, his gorgeous face melting my knees. His smile, a ray of sunshine after a storm.

“Man, I’m gone a few weeks and miss all the crazy stuff happening on the lake,” he said with a wink.

“Totally,” I said with nervous laughter.

Everyone’s relief-filled giggles cleansed our living room now that I’d returned back to my old self. He patted the couch cushions and I joined him, feeling his warm thigh next to mine. As the conversation continued, I kept staring at him, marveling that he was here. All the questions I thought of in the shower tumbled in my brain: How did he escape the blast? Where did the bad mermen take him? How did he get away? Where was Tatchi? How did the whole mermaid thing work anyway?

But even if my family wasn’t engaging him with their own theories of the explosion, including an attempt to bring Tessie to the surface, I knew once we were alone, I wouldn’t be able to ask him mine. My lips would be busy kissing his instead.

And as if he knew I needed reassurance, his hand wove delicately with mine and my heart raced even more. How I could be so miserable one minute and elated the next, escaped me. But I didn’t want him to ever leave. His presence blanketed all my fears I’d suffered from since the accident.

Dinner went smoothly and once the sun started to set, Fin grew nervous and asked if we could go outside. Mom shooed us out, insisting she’d do the dishes. We walked hand in hand into the dim twilight. I kept a watchful eye on him, concerned about the change in his behavior.

“I can’t stay much longer,” he said after we kissed again under the swaying pine trees down by the dock. “I
change
when the sun goes down.”

I creased my brow.

“Into a m—” he looked off towards the beach were it all happened. “You saw what I am. Let’s not pretend anything different and I’m sure you’ve got tons of questions.”

My heart filled with compassion and I squeezed his hand. “And I’m okay with it.” I looked at his luscious lips, finding it hard to concentrate.

He ran his finger along my jaw and tilted my chin up. “I promise to answer anything you want to know tomorrow. No school, right?”

I started to answer when he smothered me with another kiss. I pressed my body against his, feeling the strength of his chest and arms around me. He couldn’t leave. Not yet.

Breathless, he pulled away. “Great. I’ll see you then.”

His lips pecked mine one last time as he attempted to leave, but came back for another. I giggled, watching him war with himself. Then the panic on his face took over as the sun made its final descent and dipped under the horizon.

“Good night, Ash. Sweet dreams,” he called over his shoulder as he sprinted towards his house.

I swooned and waved back. “You too, Fin.”
My love.

53

FIN

I ran into the house and stumbled to the floor as scales burst down my legs. My fin pulled an
Incredible Hulk
routine and ripped my favorite jeans to shreds. “Crap.”

“Finley, is that you?” I heard Mom call from the basement.

“Yeah,” I said as I shuffled down the steps on my scaled butt like a seal, trying hard not to lose control and fall the rest of the way down.

In the pool, Mom and Dad swam together, dancing to an unheard melody, enjoying each other’s company after being apart for so long. I understood, being promised myself and finally getting to be with Ash again.

“How was your visit?” Mom asked, looking at me briefly.

“Good. I almost didn’t make it back in time.”

She glanced over and handed me a coy smile. “I see.”

I looked down and groaned. The waistband of my jeans still hugged my waist, making a frayed mess. I plopped into the water, ripped it off the rest of the way, and swam over to my floating raft, finding it broken.

Part of me wanted to swim out to the lake and stare up at Ash’s window rather than stay here and watch my parents flirt. Another part of me wanted to call her, though I didn’t know the number. Maybe she’d sneak out to the dock tonight instead. The thought of waiting all night to see her again killed me, especially since the pool suddenly felt too small with my parents in it.

“I’m going out,” I finally said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dad said. “The lake is crawling with boats and divers looking for the source of the explosion.”

I hit my fist against the water and groaned.

“Why don’t you just call her on the phone?” Mom suggested.

I rolled my eyes. “How can I without the number?”

“Tatiana put it on speed dial,” she said.

“She did?”

Mom smiled.

Without hesitation, I swam to the other end of the pool, and slithered to the stairs. I closed the basement door after catching Mom’s giggle, happy to give them some privacy.

The upstairs bathroom, where I’d planned to hide-out with Tatch, had a super huge jaccuzi tub. The reasons Tatch escaped upstairs some nights suddenly made sense. Mom must have known she was making secret calls to Ash.

After the tub filled to the top, I stared at the phone, wondering when to call. Unable to wait, I pressed the speed dial button. If someone else answered besides Ash, the night would be mighty long. My pulse beat harder waiting for her to answer, my finger ready on the hang-up button.

“This is Ash. Leave a message.”

“Ash—” I cleared my throat, wanting to hear her voice again even if recorded. “It’s Fin. Call me when you get a chance.”

I hung up and sunk under the water. Her face decorated the backs of my eyelids. Being apart, even for the smallest amount of time drove me crazy. Talking on the phone would hopefully help. We had to figure out how to manage this relationship the best way possible.

Relieved she hadn’t rejected me, I marveled at our promising. If I knew how spectacular our love could be, I wouldn’t have waited so long. Then I thought about Tatch and guilt gripped my gut. Did Tatch feel this way for Azor? I worried about her, wondering if the promise squelched all her dreams of college, of being human. I formed my fists into a ball as I remembered Azor laughing at me in the palace after he’d stolen a kiss. Revenge was going to be sweet.

So many decisions now. We couldn’t stay in Tahoe forever. And if I became a man to join Ash’s world, I wouldn’t be able to avenge Tatch. Would Ash and I be able to survive until I could get Tatch away from his evil clutches? And once I became a man later, would our feelings for each other remain after the bond of the mer left our relationship?

I blew bubbles to reduce my nervousness, hoping the phone would ring soon.