6. Chapter 6
DAREN
Daren and Lilo’s time together didn’t always culminate in earth-shattering sex. It was a courtship! No doubt about that now. And both continued to treat it as such.
Since Lilo was curious about Daren’s life and the world outside the ocean, that first day after their time in the hot spring, Daren decided he would bring something new to show Lilo each time they met—starting with a book.
“Lilo no like.”
“You didn’t like it?”
“End sad! Lilo not turn to foam!”
Admittedly, Daren had forgotten how unhappily the original Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid ended for the title character.
If only he could show Lilo the Disney version, although he might not like that the otherwise vague description of the sea witch from the book is elaborated into a villain with tentacles in the animated film.
He could maybe show Lilo anyway on his phone or a tablet, but it was difficult to get a good signal out on the water, especially tucked back behind the cliffs.
He’d have to download it, once he picked a few other films as backup in case Ursula really was upsetting to Lilo.
After The Little Mermaid, Daren purposely chose contemporary books so what Lilo learned was how the outside world truly was. Lilo especially liked when Daren read him romances. He even eventually started teaching Lilo how to read the words himself.
In turn, Lilo would tell Daren stories, more mimed at times to traverse the remaining language barrier. If it was a true story, Lilo would begin, “From heart,” and pat his chest, whereas fiction would begin with Lilo tapping his temple and saying, “From head.”
The fictional stories were myths and legends, some of which Daren thought humans had their own equivalents of, like ideas of the ocean being ruled by gods in grand underground cities like Atlantis.
There were communities, Lilo explained, and once there had been many closer to shore, where he was from, but as humans expanded on land, Lilo’s people had escaped to deeper waters and made new homes farther away.
While Daren couldn’t always get a great signal on his phone, he had plenty of music downloaded that he could play.
Lilo liked all of it to some extent but gravitated toward folk and bluegrass, the kind that told stories through song.
It was after playing a whole album once that Lilo first began to sing for Daren.
Like his speaking voice, it was two-toned and haunting, in the language of Lilo’s people that seemed impossible to emulate, so Daren merely listened.
These must have been the songs of sirens, but if ships crashed against rocks trying to get closer to the source, Lilo’s people were likely just trying to share stories with them, not send anyone to their graves.
Daren even showed Lilo some of his failed art projects, like the scarf he had knitted once that was far too lumpy, and the painting that was more like a muddy blob. He then showed Lilo better examples of what such pieces were supposed to look like, and Lilo laughed.
“Daren good at other things.”
“Thanks. I try.”
Daren was actually fairly talented with a camera, first showing Lilo photos on his phone, and then taking some with the more expensive camera he rarely dredged out anymore.
He was careful with how he took photos of Lilo in case anyone ever saw them, never catching his webbed fingers, gleaming teeth, or the curl of a tentacle, but still capturing beautiful shots of him in the water or near the rocks.
When he showed Lilo later, Lilo was always amazed, likely only having seen his reflection in water.
Or so Daren assumed at first. He learned not long later that Lilo had access to mirrors and broken glass like he did all those other items from centuries of shipwrecks, because another time he brought Daren to the hot spring, he showed Daren his art.
It was clear to Daren then why Lilo hadn’t wanted Daren to venture into certain caverns, because he hadn’t finished the piece he wanted to show him yet.
The now completed work was incredible. Lilo had used some sort of mixture of substances from the ocean and cave to adhere broken mirror pieces and other bits of glass like a mosaic on the walls, creating the silhouette of a boat with a figure atop it, and another figure outside as if in water—with obvious tentacles.
Daren was enchanted, seeing the glass glitter to life from Lilo’s bioluminescence and the cave’s natural glow. Their reflections were both captured in the pieces as they looked at it, fractured but multiplied.
“Others underwater,” Lilo explained.
“You make art like this all the time? Underwater?”
Lilo nodded.
“This is amazing, Lilo. Beautiful.”
“This one for Daren.”
Daren honestly began to grow misty-eyed and pulled Lilo to him for a passionate embrace.
That first month together quickly turned into several, and it was practically summer before Daren realized it, with the water growing warmer even outside their private cave system.
Though Daren still gathered his fish each morning, it was like being on an extended vacation with a whirlwind love affair to fill his days.
With the warmer weather and longer days, Daren could stay longer too, sharing more of human culture through items and stories. They also shared more kisses and intimate connections, and sometimes Daren even floated in the water with Lilo.
“Why did you never go with the others?” Daren asked Lilo one day, while doing just that. “Why did you stay, knowing you’d be alone?”
Lilo was quiet for a while before answering, “This home. Like Daren. Still home, even alone.”
Daren had told Lilo about how he had moved away from this place once but came back when his father got sick.
His father was gone now, and he didn’t have much other than an empty house, his business, and his parents’ wedding rings.
He stayed because it was easier and didn’t risk him having to go down an unfamiliar path.
Well, he couldn’t call these past few months familiar or at all ordinary, but he was glad he had finally taken a risk and followed Glooscap into the inlet.
“Home better with Daren,” Lilo added softly, and Daren turned to look at Lilo, righting himself in the water to steal a kiss.
“Home is better with you too, Lilo.”
Daren whistled to himself as he gathered some needed groceries from the shop. He enjoyed bringing Lilo different foods to try, even sashimi and cooked seafood, since it was different than any way Lilo had it underwater. So far, nothing Daren had given Lilo had resulted in an upset stomach.
Lilo’s favorite food was sea scallops. Daren had brought a portable hotplate several times, originally just to show Lilo as promised how Daren ate fish, but also so he could prepare different meals to share with Lilo.
Tonight, he was going to make seasoned scallops with butter and a nice crust, so he was shopping early, before heading out on the water for the day’s catch.
It was a date—on the ocean with his sea creature boyfriend.
“Someone’s sure been happy lately,” Curtis commented, since Daren was still whistling as he placed his basket on the counter.
“I’m not allowed to be happy?” Daren beamed.
The shop and town were overall busier this time of year, so there wasn’t as much time for chitchat when Daren came in, but that didn’t stop Curtis from leaning closer and asking, “Are you ever going to tell me who you’re seeing?”
“Are you ever going to ask Bradley out on a date?”
“We have been out!’ Curtis argued.
“On a date?” Daren pressed. He’d seen the two together more often, and not only in passing at the shop, but it never seemed romantic.
Daren had yet to catch them holding hands or stealing kisses or even leaning close together in more intimate conversation.
It was a friendship and a growing one, just with one half of those friends pining so hard that he might as well have grown branches and called himself a Christmas tree.
“We aren’t talking about me,” Curtis avoided the subject—again. “But seriously, Daren, you should bring him in sometime so I can meet this mystery man. Make sure he’s good enough for my old pal.”
If Lilo was anyone else, Daren already would have.
But Lilo wasn’t anyone else, and Daren couldn’t bring him in.
Ever.
“Yeah…” Daren said, a little absent-minded now, being pulled down from the high of “vacation love affair.”
Reality was bound to catch up eventually, but he suddenly felt weirdly…
Wrong.
“Hey, if you’re worried I’ll steal him, I promise I can turn down the charm. Slightly.” Curtis snickered, as if that was the reason why Daren was suddenly hesitating and letting his thoughts wander.
It wasn’t. Curtis was a flirt, but never a boyfriend-stealing jackass. The wrong feeling wasn’t only because Daren was contemplating the current state and future of his relationship either. He was feeling… achy. Feverish. Exhausted.
“Whoa, you don’t look so good.” Curtis reached to grab Daren’s arm.
Daren felt worse. He was close to dropping his grocery basket, but Curtis must have noticed, because he took it from him and set it aside. The whole shop seemed dimmer suddenly. Hazy.
“There’s this summer flu going around. Maybe—”
“No.” Daren shook his head, trying to clear the pain and malaise away. He felt awful, the proverbial “hit be a truck” sensation of… damn it. Getting the flu. “I can’t be sick. I need to get back out on the water.”
“Dude.” Curtis grabbed his arm again to keep him from moving away from the counter.
Daren didn’t even know where he had been going.
He hadn’t paid for his items yet. “You have been bringing in record amounts of fish lately. You made up entirely for last year’s slump. You are allowed to break for the flu.”
No. How would he tell Lilo if he didn’t go out to see him? What would Lilo think if Daren just didn’t show up? And how the hell had Daren gone months in frigid weather and water, playing fast and loose with his health, only to get the flu now when it was summer?