Chapter 13 Cam
Chapter thirteen
Cam
After a day spent deep-cleaning my houseboat until I was sweating, despite the cold, I decided I had to know more. There was no way I could wait another day. The thought of possibly seeing Rowen come in for a coffee while we skirted the elephant in the room.
Or the squid in the small town? The alien in the houseboat?
The fact was I didn’t know, and not knowing was killing me.
Also…I may have gone down a path of looking up tentacle porn. I found everything from old Japanese art to fully animated monsters. I learned about a cecaelia, which was a tentacled creature who had a humanoid upper body, and wondered if that was what Rowen was.
The imagery was oddly hot, but I kept finding AI or extremely non-consensual scenes.
The former I was ethically opposed to after seeing how it was used in the tech world.
The latter might have been a turn on in the right situation, but I couldn’t imagine Rowen treating me that way, and my boner died.
Twice, I’d started walking towards Ship Shape, thinking about demanding answers, before turning around. Rowen offered to talk and I turned him down. He’d given me a way to learn more, and I was going to take him up on it.
Riley had run into me the second time I turned back towards the marina, wondering if I had errands to run and needed a ride. Taking him up on the offer, Riley drove me to BJ’s Bi-Lo, the only market in Blue Lake.
He mentioned a rumor about me getting pizza after volunteering in the park with a certain shy redhead, and I couldn’t believe that was only the night before. When Riley helped me carry my groceries down the pier, I admitted I was thinking about going for a swim with Rowen.
Riley seemed surprised, and I assured him I was used to swimming in the lake and the Pacific. I had to wonder, though…Did Riley know about Rowen? I couldn’t risk saying something without knowing, but assured my new friend I would be safe.
When he left, with a promise that I would check in after my swim, I unpacked my groceries. Normally, I was too tired to cook after walking up Main Street to the store and back, but Riley’s help meant I had a lot of energy.
Cooking the salmon I found, I used my pressure cooker to make a bunch of rice. I’d have leftovers, but I needed to do something. Finally, when the sun set, I pulled on my wet suit and packed a bag with clothes to change into.
Rowen was going to give me answers, and then I’d decide if I liked him as much as I thought before learning whatever his truth was.
Walking up to the spot where I’d left his coffee that morning in my haste to get away, I found Rowen bobbing in the water. His head and upper body were visible, and he quickly gave me more questions than answers when I learned he didn’t get cold.
Or if he did, it wasn’t in Blue Lake in mid-December.
While I was in full coverage besides my face, Red was likely naked under the surface. I was blushing at the thought, distracted from our conversation about telling Riley I was there, when Rowen dropped another bombshell.
“Shifters?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“That’s not for me to share. At least not yet,” Rowen shrugged, treading water. Chuckling, he added, “You will find out eventually, I’m sure.”
He didn’t add more, so I slipped into the water beside him. We stared into each other's eyes, and I needed to break the tension. “Promise you won’t drown me?”
Taking my words as more serious than I’d meant them, Rowen nodded solemnly. “You won’t ever be hurt so long as you’re swimming with me. I’ll make sure of it.”
Swallowing I nodded, unable to find the words. Moving away from the pier, I wondered how he swam in pitch darkness. I usually went out right as the sky was getting light, so I only got more visibility as I swam.
“How do you see where to go at night? Aren't there rocks on this side of the marina?”
“I have excellent eyesight.” Rowen reached up to tap his temple, where the frame of his glasses usually sat. “I can see pretty well in the dark.”
“But you wear glasses. Are they only for show?”
“No. I’m colorblind,” Rowen explained. “They help me see more than only in black and white. I can tell the shades apart, but not name the colors without my glasses. Plus, I’m told glasses suit my face.”
Taking in his warm brown eyes, I noticed the pupils were more rectangular than round. They were beautiful. “You’re handsome with or without them.”
Rowen licked his lips. His body shivered and I looked down to see movement under the water. The light from his houseboat only penetrated a foot or two, but I could see shapes and movements that were not at all like legs. I wasn’t ready to see yet.
“Are we going to swim or talk? Because I’d rather talk somewhere warm if that’s what we’re doing.”
“Let’s swim,” Rowen smirked. His arms started moving him backwards, away from the safety of the light. “I’ll call out if you’re going towards anything dangerous.”
“Does Blue Lake have a Nessie monster I need to worry about?” I asked, Following him with a slow breast stroke, I wondered if he was going slower for me.
“Maybe I am the monster of Blue Lake.”
My entire being rebelled at the idea of Rowen being a monster, but I had no reply. I didn’t know what secrets he was keeping, but I could tell the offhand comment was from a deep place inside of him.
My eyes adjusted to the moonlight, and I could see the shape of Rowen ahead of me.
We swam in the opposite direction of the marina as I kept pace, and could tell Rowen was going slower for me.
Every once in a while, I caught sight of something slipping out of the calm water, like a rogue little wave.
Following him towards an area hidden from the road above by an outcropping of rocks, I knew it was time to get some answers. Pulling myself out of the water, I scrambled to sit above the lapping water. The rocks were rounded by years of water erosion, and comfortable to sit on, though still cold.
My body had gone mostly numb from the cold seeping through. The Pacific Ocean around the Bay Area wasn’t as cold as the lake, and my wetsuit only worked so well. I shivered as Rowen stopped with his upper body out of the water while the rest stayed hidden.
Rowen seemed to notice my attempt to see under the water, with just enough bright moonlight to make out his pale face. “Do you want to know more, now?”
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I rubbed at my arms and nodded. “First, shifters?”
“Alright. Blue Lake has many kinds of shifters, but none like me.”
Taking a beat to let his words sink in, that the small town was filled with people who could somehow change into something else, I asked the most important question.
“And what kind are you?”
“Why don’t I show you?” Rowen met my gaze, holding it as he took a deep breath. Water was dripping from his beard and hair onto his bare shoulders, capturing my attention until he spoke. “Are you ready to see what you glimpsed this morning?”
Suppressing a shiver, I glanced behind him. Expecting tentacles to shoot up, I braced myself, but Rowen didn’t move. His patience won me over.
“I’m ready.”