Chapter 3b
Jensen was swimming with Blue in their private beach when Chris arrived. He closed the back door with a slam and marched into the sand getting closer to Jensen. The way he looked, Jensen would bet he didn’t have a great afternoon. His face was red and his eyes were wild.
“I hate humans!” he exclaimed while pacing back and forth on the sand. Jensen envied him. Resigned he ran his hand over his tail.
Blue eyed Chris impatiently. Jensen sighed. He and Chris would never change. Their love-hate relationship was as solid as a rock.
“What did they do to you now, Chris?”
Chris stopped his pacing long enough to stare at Jensen.
“It’s all you fault, you know? They wouldn’t be going after me if you hadn’t fallen for their friend!”
Jensen wanted to follow Chris reasoning, but he didn’t have enough information.
“Who are you talking about?”
Chris threw his arms in the air.
“That crazy man of the kiosk! He kept following me until I inquired him what was the matter. He told me he was checking if I was as crazy as you. I’m going kill him.”
Blue decided that was enough for a tirade. Jensen’s only warning was the swordfish pulling him back. Then, with no regret, Blue jumped over the water, splashing Chris and turning him back into a merman.
“You fucking piece of-” Chris shouted when he fell.
“Hey!” Jensen interfered “No calling him bad names.”
Chris ignored Jensen. Crawling into the water, the shouted to Blue:
“I’m gonna kill you!”
But the swordfish was already gone.
Jensen couldn’t help it. He started laughing. Blue had a way of getting under Chris skin that no one ever could. And he was counting Steve.
“Jen, I swear, this is the last time you are gonna see your swordfish alive.”
Jensen didn’t take the threat seriously.
“Oh, come on, Chris, he was trying to help.”
Chris eyed him incredulously.
“Help? Help? How did he help me? He made me fall!”
Jensen shrugged and swam closer to Chris.
“You looked stressed. Blue knows getting into the water helps us. He did what he thought was right.”
Chris shook his head.
“You need to educate him, Jen. I’m just saying, one day, you won’t be there to help him.”
Jensen couldn’t take the warnings to heart. He knew Chris. And he knew Blue. The two of them would protect one another no matter what happened. If nothing else, at least because them both were his friends.
He sometimes wondered how he had managed to attract such amazing living beings.
“So, you wanna tell me what happened earlier today?” Jensen asked Chris when it became clear that his friend wasn’t going to talk on his own.
Chris sighed. He looked back at Jensen, his face serious, no trace of mischief in his stare. Suddenly Jensen didn’t want to hear what Chris was going to say.
Chris told him anyway.
“I can’t find this divinity, Jen. It doesn’t make a difference if we are together or not, we can’t find this person. We don’t even know what gender they are.”
Jensen took a deep breath. He knew sooner or later Chris would tell him that. But he was hoping it would be later, when Jensen would have been able to formulate a good reason to keep searching. At that moment, Jensen was as helpless as Chris.
“Chris-” he started.
“No. You have to understand,” Chris said interrupting Jensen, “I walked around this whole island searching for someone who could fit the pattern Carlson created. No one matched it. There’s no one visibly connected to this island. There’s no one with extraordinary abilities. All there is is a bunch of humans enjoying their time at the beach. Nothing more, nothing less”
Jensen didn’t know if he should agree or if he should ague with Chris.
“You want to go back?” he asked, testing the territory.
For a moment Jensen thought Chris was going to shout. His chest inflated and shrank again. He shot Jensen a frustrated look.
“I have no idea, Jen.”
“Then we should stay.”
Jensen knew his solution was lacking some attitude, but couldn’t go back to his king with nothing. He was counting on them to uncover this mystery.
Chris nodded in agreement.
“Then we’ll stay,” he sighed. Jensen could feel the tension leaving his body. “Hey,” Chris gave Jensen a little push to get his attention. Jensen saw some light returning to his eyes. “That poor bald dude was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Jensen knew there was more to the story then just Mike being annoying. He almost regretted asking.
“What happened?”
Chris smirked.
“He decided to appear at the very moment I decided this whole quest was useless. I turned around and found him looking at me behind a tree - a fucking tree, can you imagine, Jen? - So, I told him that if he wanted to talk to me he would have to come closer, because I unfortunately didn’t have super-hearing.”
Jensen could picture Chris being all scary toward Mike.
“That little fish smirked, came closer and asked me if I was as crazy as you.”
Jensen flinched. He knew he wasn’t doing a very good job of impersonating a human.
Chris gave him a dirty look.
“Do you mind? I’m telling a story here. We don’t have time for your insecurities,” he said, the teasing tone taking the sting from the words.
Jensen smiled. Chris was unique.
“Carry on.”
“I decided he wasn’t worthy of my time, so I kept walking. But he came after me. You see, he was testing my patience. I told him that if he didn’t get lost in five seconds, he would regret ever coming near me.”
Jensen smirked. Chris could be a bit threatening when he wanted.
“What did you do, Chris?”
“Well, when he got close to me again, I grabbed him, threw him over my shoulders took him to his kiosk and tied him upside down on that hook he hangs the coconuts.”
Jensen took a moment to digest the information. When his moment ended he threw his head back and started laughing. He wondered if Mike knew who he was messing with when he started following Chris.
Jensen was at the small market. He still thought it amusing that there was only one in the entire island. Even underwater they had at least three in each city. But Jensen imagined that an island as small as that wouldn’t demand a greater number.
He sighed and ran his eyes around the place again, Steve’s lists secure in his hand. After Chris had told him they wouldn’t find the so called divinity, Jensen took it upon himself to accomplish the mission. It was a matter of pride.
Jensen had taken all Steve’s notes and isolated himself in a corner of the beach. He wouldn’t pay attention to either Blue or Chris. Chris had taken this new attitude with amusement, but Jensen had seen Chris shake his head in incredulity when he saw the large map Jensen was drawing.
It had taken an entire day, in which Jensen had compared all Steve’s notes with the island topography, but he had been able to trace a pattern. If there really was a divinity on that island with characteristics Steve described, the person would have to be on one of the places Jensen picked.
And one of them was the market. When Jensen told Chris, his friend snorted and with more cynicism than Jensen thought was possible, told him that of course the divinity had to go to the market. They had to eat and drink, the same as every human on that damned island.
Jensen took a deep breath and refrained from telling him that the market was a crucial point because it was located at the exact point the sound could reach the whole island. If someone decided to shout from there, everyone would be able to hear. Thus, Jensen was in the middle of the fruits section, trying to identify a possible divinity.
Jensen’s life was joke. And he was completely aware of that.
“Hey, that’s Jared’s crush!”
Jensen turned around trying to identify the voice and found himself face to face with Jared’s blond friend. Beside him, a small brunette woman was carrying a basket full of groceries.
“Hi!” Jared’s blond friend said.
Jensen didn’t reply. He didn’t know what to think of the man in front of him. All he knew was that this man had made him blush within five minutes after introducing himself. And Jensen didn’t appreciate it at all.
The small woman took a step forward.
“Wow, you are beautiful!”
Jensen kept silent. What was it with these humans? Were they always so forward like that? He wasn’t used to being so open and honest with strangers.
But the woman’s smile was friendly and her eyes soft. Jensen immediately liked her better than the blond man.
“I’m Sandy. Nice to meet you.”
Jensen decided he had better say something before she thought he was mentally impaired.
“Jensen,” he replied with an easy smile.
The blond man’s face distorted. Jensen thought he was having a heart attack.
“That’s totally unfair, man!” he said shoving Jensen.
Jensen wondered if the humans were as uncivilized as Chris said. He also wondered if he should shove the man back. But the blond man wasn’t interested in Jensen’s musings.
“I talked to you first. You should at least be polite to me. You should reciprocate. I was being polite! Sandy, wasn’t I being polite?”
Jensen saw the small woman - Sandy - roll her eyes impatiently.
“You were being, a lady, Murray.”
Oh, yeah, Jensen thought. His name was Chad Murray. Chad Murray nodded in agreement, happy with the answer.
“Damn right, I was being polite!”
Jensen didn’t understand him.
“She was being sarcastic,” he pointed out.
Murray dismissed him. With a wicked smile, he confided to Jensen:
“That’s because she loves me.”
Sandy hit him on the back. Murray shouted.
“Jesus, Sandy! Warn a guy first! I’m not into S and M!”
Sandy’s eyes boggled.
Jensen decided he really didn’t want to intrude.
“You are impossible, Murray! That’s why no one ever wants to be with you,” she said with more sting than Jensen thought necessary.
Murray shot her a bewildered look.
“You are with me, Sandy.”
“Not by choice, I guarantee you. I’m only here because Jared couldn’t come sooner.”
Murray recoiled as if he had been hurt. Jensen felt sorry for him. Sandy ignored him.
“So-” Jensen said “I guess I’ll go now…”
“Oh, no!” Sandy said, her voice losing the iced edge it had assumed when she was talking to Murray “Jared said he was meeting us later. Stay for a while, I’m sure he would be pleased.”
Instantly, Jensen remembered Murray saying he was Jared’s crush. A funny feeling in the pit of his stomach mad Jensen a bit dizzy. He like being Jared’s crush, even though he knew it would only cause him trouble.
“Jared’s coming?”
Sandy nodded happily.
“Yes. Stay for a while. He would love to meet you again.”
Murray had recovered in the meanwhile. His face had once again the relaxed disinterest that had been there before Sandy reproached him.
“Oh, man! He’ll flip!” he said calling Jensen closer to him, “He goes batshit crazy whenever he talks about you.”
Jensen flushed, and then cursed. He needed to watch out for this man.
“Chad!”
Murray span around missing Jensen by millimeters.
“No hitting, Sandy! Jesus, I should report you to the authorities!”
Sandy shoved the basket to Murray.
“That’s it. You finish the damn shopping! I’ll wait for Jared outside. Come on, Jensen,” and, grabbing Jensen’s hand, she marched toward the exit.
Jensen didn’t have a say in the matter. Obediently, he followed her. He thought this small woman should never be crossed.
“But I don’t know anything about shopping!” he heard Murray shouting. “Sandy!”
Sandy shook her head, muttering to herself. Jensen caught the words “stupid boy” and “can’t believe I considered”.
Sandy got outside the moment Jared was turning the corner.
Jensen smiled happily when he saw him. Jared was wearing a yellow shirt with blue flowers and jeans. Jensen thought he was amazing in it. Chris would tease him endlessly if he found out.
“Jen?” Jared asked with an adorable confused look on his face.
Jensen rolled his eyes. Now he was calling a giant ‘adorable’.
“What are you doing with Sandy?”
Jensen opened his mouth to answer and realized he didn’t have one plausible enough. He wouldn’t say he was too scared to contradict Sandy when she started pulling him out of the market. He had his pride.
“Jay!” Sandy said ignoring Jared’s question to Jensen and throwing herself into Jared. Jared caught her effortlessly.
Jensen felt a bit jealous. He wondered if Jared would be able to catch him. His arms seemed strong enough.
“Hey, Sandy!” Jared said with his wide smile. “Where’s Chad?”
Sandy’s eyes became darker.
“Inside. I left him there. He’s in one of those days.”
Jared rolled his eyes.
“Oh, no.”
Sandy agreed with him. A small smile adorning her face.
“Exactly.”
Then, she suddenly let go of Jared. “I better go see if the cashiers hasn’t killed him already,” and even if Jensen wasn’t paying attention, he would notice wink. Sandy made no effort to hide it.
Jared smirked.
“Make sure he stays alive.”
Sandy ran all the way back to the market leaving Jared and Jensen alone.
Jensen raised an eyebrow. Jared put his hands in his pockets and shrugged apologetically.
“What can I say? She doesn’t know how to be discreet,” he offered as a way of explanation.
“Does it have anything to do with me being your crush?”
Jensen didn’t know what it was about Jared that made him loose control of his mouth.
Jared blushed. Jensen watched fascinated as Jared tried to find words to explain himself.
Adorable.
Jensen sighed. Jared would be the death of him.
Finally, Jared seemed to have come to terms with his embarrassment. With a resigned shrug and a small smile he said:
“Well, I was surprised Chad had managed not tell you for a whole week.”
Jensen didn’t expect Jared to admit it. It seemed he was bound to be forever surprised by Jared.
“Huh.,” was the eloquent response he gave.
Jared got closer to Jensen, his confident behavior returning, his eyes wicked.
“And, as you already know I like you, would you let me do something I’ve been dying to do since the first time I saw you?”
Jensen took a step back.
“Wh- what is it?”
Jared smiled softly to him. Jensen felt as if Jared’s whole world was him.
“I’m going to kiss you.”
Jensen took two more steps back. Jared always seemed so sure of himself, it frightened him.
Jared followed Jensen.
“You don’t want me to?”
“I-” Jensen’s head wasn’t functioning. It had retired the moment Jared told him he would kiss him. So, it wasn’t a surprise Jensen couldn’t come up with a reply.
Jared’s smile turned into a teasing smirk.
“If you don’t answer me, I’ll assume you have nothing against my lips.”
Jensen’s eyes dropped to Jared’s lips. He didn’t have anything against Jared’s lips. In fact, they were extremely beautiful lips.
“I want-”
Jared glued his body to Jensen’s.
“You want…?” he instigated.
Jensen gave up.
“You. I want you.”
Jared smile was larger than life. For a moment, Jensen really lost himself in it. He felt as if he were somewhere else, where only Jared and his fullness existed. Jensen could live in a place like that.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
And Jared’s lips met Jensen’s.