Chapter Twenty-Two #2
Sunlight kissed his skin, making his blue-green color shimmer like a calm sea. In a way, that’s what he was. His presence was steady, allowing an inexperienced sailor like me to navigate the ocean of feelings I had for him.
Fuck. Cyrus’s deep poetic nature was rubbing off on me.
He noticed me glancing at him out of the corner of my eye and he gave me a sleepy smile. “Where are we?” he asked.
I laughed and shook my head. “I told you that you were just going to have to wait. I want it to be a surprise.”
Cyrus’s brows drew back, his tiny nostrils flaring. “Well, I can already tell we’re near the ocean. There’s no disguising that smell. Or hiding the dunes.”
Well, I guess it was sort of stupid to think I’d be able to keep it a surprise until we arrived. Why did he have to wake up before we got there?
It was fine. He was still happy. That’s what mattered.
“Well, you said it’s been a while since you swam in the ocean. I wanted to make that happen for you.”
“You planned all this just so I could take a dip in the sea?” he asked, his voice tight.
I nodded. “I mean, that and because I wanted to spend time with you without looking over my shoulder.”
When he didn’t say anything in response to that, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach.
Was it a problem that I wanted us to be out in public together? Or did he hate the fact that it was a secret at home?
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled. I looked over at him again, noticing the shiny glaze of tears lining his eyes.
“Hey.” I reached for his hand, bringing it to my lips and placing a soft kiss on the back.
“Sorry,” he sniffled. “I’m just very touched. I’ve never had someone do something like this for me.”
I let out a heavy breath, letting my anxiety slip out with it.
So he wasn’t mad about the whole secret relationship aspect of this. He was touched by the fact that I’d planned something nice for him based on a comment he’d made in passing.
“I, uh, I’ve never done something like this for someone before. I never wanted to until I met you.”
It was the truth. Not once in my life had I ever felt the urge to do something romantic for a partner, but then again, I’d never had an actual partner.
Outside of fulfilling my sexual needs, I’d never actually felt something for another person. Not like the romantic attraction I felt toward Cyrus.
It was strange and it was scary, but the more time we spent together, the clearer it was that there was something going on between us. We were more than just fuck buddies.
“I—” Cyrus started.
I gripped the steering wheel tight, holding my breath while I waited for him to say whatever it was he was going to say.
“I appreciate you,” he said after a few tense seconds.
It felt like I’d taken a punch right to my stomach, and I didn’t know why. Was I expecting him to say more than that? It was sort of unfair, given all the things I hadn’t been able to articulate.
I swallowed hard, forcing my disappointment down with it. “I appreciate you, too.”
The GPS had me make a right turn, and we pulled up to the main house of the Airbnb. It looked just like it did on the listing, a white Cape Cod–style house with beachy turquoise blue accents.
I would have preferred to drive straight to the bungalow to check in, but an orc stepped out onto the porch to greet us.
He was big and burly, dressed in a linen outfit with his black hair hanging down his back in a long braid.
If I remembered his profile photo correctly, he was definitely the owner, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran a meditation retreat or an ayahuasca commune out of this place on the side.
I’d try ayahuasca.
Maybe it would heal my childhood trauma.
Cyrus rolled down his window and waved with one of his tentacles.
“You made it,” the orc said, smiling so wide the blunt tips of his tusks dug into his upper lip.
“We did,” Cyrus said cheerfully, the sunshine to my grumpy.
“How was the drive?” the orc asked.
I really wasn’t in the mood to socialize, at least not until I had another cup of coffee, but it was in our best interest to be nice to the host. Especially since he’d helped me out by taking a last-minute booking like this.
“Not bad at all,” I said honestly.
He nodded. “You left early enough to beat the traffic. Any later in the day and you would have been parked on the bridge. I’m Brok, by the way.
My partner, Rob, is still asleep, but I’m sure you’ll see him around at some point during your stay.
We have you set up in bungalow number three, the one closest to the beach.
Just follow the driveway straight down and you can park right out front.
On the kitchen table you’ll find a binder full of restaurants.
There’s also a little grocery store in town, but it’s quite overpriced, so I hope you followed my advice and brought anything you might want to eat with you.
Rob and I spend quite a bit of time out on the porch here at the main house, and you’re welcome to join us.
Just let us know if there’s anything you need. ”
“Thank you so much,” Cyrus said, beaming.
“Thank you,” I added.
Brok nodded and started to head inside, but he stopped, turning back toward us again. “I know you’ve had a long drive. Can I get you anything? A cup of coffee? Tea?” he asked.
“Coffee, please,” I rushed to say. I needed it like I needed air.
Brok disappeared inside the house, returning a few seconds later with two paper cups of coffee for us.
“Gods, thank you,” Cyrus said. Two of his tentacles reached out the car window, carefully grabbing the cups from Brok. “I can’t handle this one until he’s had his coffee,” he said, flashing me a teasing smile as he passed me my cup.
“My Rob is the same way,” Brok said. “Thirty years later and I still get up early to start the pot.”
“Thirty years together,” Cyrus said in awe. “That’s lovely.”
They’d been together almost as long as I’d been alive…
“What I would give for thirty more,” Brok said dreamily. “Anyway, I’ll let you get settled in. Enjoy the beach.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Brok gave us a little wave as I pulled off down the driveway.
“He seems nice,” I said.
“Very nice. And he’s been with his partner for thirty years. Can you believe that?”
I laughed. “Thirty years is, like, a blink of an eye for you.”
“It is, but I’ve never been around the same person for that long.”
“Been around?” I asked. What exactly did he mean by that?
“Mm-hmm. Been around.”
I cocked a brow. “Like, dated?” Previous dating history wasn’t a topic we’d really breached, not that I really had much to discuss there.
“Why do you ask?” He flashed me a sly smile.
I shrugged again, trying to act casual but failing miserably. I shouldn’t have cared, but the thought of him with someone else really pissed me off.
“Oh my gods,” he laughed, obviously enjoying this. “You’re jealous.”
I shook my head, my cheeks already flaming. “I am not,” I lied.
“You are, too. And don’t even act like you haven’t dated other people. I mean”—he gestured at me with his hands—“look at you.”
“That’s the thing, though. I, uh, I haven’t dated anyone, really.”
Cyrus was silent for a moment, his wide blue eyes staring at me. “You what?”
“I don’t date. I just—fuck.”
“So that’s what you meant when you said you’ve never done something like this for someone before?”
“Yeah. All of this is new for me.”
“Why me?” he whispered.
I put the car in park and looked over at him. I wanted to have his full attention for what I was about to say. “Because you’re special to me, Cy. You do so much for me, and I wanted to give you back just a fraction of the kindness you’ve shown me.”
He leaned over the center console and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Thank you, darling. You’re special to me, too.”
We got out of the car, but before I could grab our bags and the cooler, Cyrus’s tentacles had already snatched them up.
“You could have let me help,” I huffed as we walked up to the cottage. It was a replica of the main house, just on a much smaller scale. Perfect for the two of us.
“You booked the place, you drove, and you surprised me with the sea. The least I can do is carry everything.”
I typed the passcode into the electronic lock, and we stepped inside the bungalow.
It was the size of a studio apartment, one big room with a queen-size bed, a tiny kitchenette, and a compact en suite.
Light blue paint covered the walls, and every opportunity to use seashells in the decor had been taken.
Seashell bedspread. Seashell shower curtain.
Seashell tablecloth. Behind the bed? A painting of a sandpiper running along a beach covered in—you guessed it—seashells.
From the listing photos, I had an idea of what we were in for, but the place was really giving off snowbird-vacation-home vibes. The only thing it was missing were doilies and a basket of decorative seashell hand soaps—ones that weren’t meant to be used.
I’m sure Brok and his partner were nice guys, but they desperately needed an interior decorator.
Cyrus set down our stuff and shuffled around the room, taking everything in. “Reece, this place is adorable.”
With a smile on my face, I leaned against the doorframe, watching him check out the place. “I knew you’d like it.”
I didn’t, actually. I was worried it would be too tacky for someone like Cyrus, but it wasn’t like I had a ton of options.
I flopped down on the bed, propping myself up on one arm to stare at him. “So, anything you want to do?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows. My muscles ached from the drive, but with Cyrus, there was one thing I was always in the mood for.
“Swim,” he said, staring out the window toward the ocean, totally ignoring my advances. “Let’s go for a swim.”
I chuckled and hauled myself off the bed. I should have known that was the first thing on the agenda. “Let me finish my coffee and I’ll get changed.”