"Hey! I am a handy teammate to have, thank you very much," Tristan countered with a playful glare. "See how you like sleeping alone from now on."
"You can't resist me, but go ahead and keep trying to convince yourself," Aeson countered with his confident swagger.
Tristan scoffed before laughing and shaking his head at his boyfriend, "You're lucky you're sexy, brat."
"So, how long have you two been together?" I couldn't help my question, my filter had been gone for years. They didn't seem bothered at all, just giving each other a small smile before Tristan answered.
"About a year now," he replied as he pulled out keys and hit unlock on the fob. A sleek, burgundy SUV chirped to life across the lot. He tossed the keys to Evander, who caught them easily and let out a loud whoop. It must usually be a fight over who got to drive.
"But we are willing to take girlfriend applications if you're interested," Aeson teased. I looked over at him and blushed at his heated gaze. It was honestly the first time someone had made me feel desirable. Tristan's steps faltered, making me stumble for a moment before turning to see what was wrong. He had a look on his face I couldn't quite decipher. He turned to me and put a hand on either side of my face. My heart rate sped up at the close contact and the serious expression on his face.
"The fact that nobody has ever made you feel sexy or special is a fucking tragedy. You're gorgeous, Lennox, and more than that, you're strong and fierce. You'll find your worth, and I for one, am so excited I get to witness it." Tristan's words were beautiful, and everything in me wanted to believe him. It was time I let go of the hate and embrace the feelings these guys brought out in me.
"Thank you," I whispered back, my voice choked with emotion. "Now let's go, no more mushy stuff." He smirked at my words and let go of my face. The others were already in the car, so he led me to the passenger side and slid in, pulling me with him.
As we drove through the town, I took it in as if seeing it for the first time. Really, it might as well be. I rarely drove through except for holidays, when the tinted windows and relief at leaving didn't leave much time for sightseeing. It had a cute town feel for a bigger city, everything based around the ocean. Obsidian Cove played it up for tourists who wanted to visit the dark waters of the Obsidian, and we were one of the few areas where they could be surrounded by the sea and still have comforts like hotels and restaurants. The town took up the main portion of the peninsula that wasn't surrounded by mountains or trees.
The Obsidian Sea's waters appeared darker than the average ocean, thanks to the dark vegetation that grew just under the surface. There was an old legend that townspeople loved to share anytime regional history was brought up, about the island sinking little by little over the years, the lands underneath the water making it seem more ominous than it should.
The city kept most of its larger buildings inland; all of the cute and cozy oceanside homes were on the outskirts with all the tourist trap shops and activities. Evander drove toward the town's pier and boardwalk, where most of the tourists ended up. Since it was winter and the offseason, and most shops had shorter hours, the town was pretty dead. Luckily, that meant we wouldn’t have to deal with any crowds, just whale watchers and locals.
Once the car was in park, Evander jumped out and pulled my door open before I could even reach for it. He gave a bow before offering his hand and peeking up with a smirk. His dark hair fell in front of his eyes, the deep blue orbs lit up with amusement.
"Thank you, kind sir," I joked, taking his hand and letting him pull me out. I took a deep breath of ocean air and started to relax. I guess now I knew why I felt so at home here, so drawn to the sea. It was the siren in me perking up, begging me to go for a swim, but I pushed the urge away. Something told me turning into a siren in the middle of the boardwalk was a bad idea.
Aeson walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist, before leaning down and whispering in my ear. There was nothing sexy about his words, but the feel of his breath on my neck was torturous, my body perking up at the closeness. "There's only one actual restaurant here, and it's lined with fish tanks and overlooks the ocean. We thought you might like it. Want to check it out now, or look around first?" My stomach rumbled in answer, officially breaking the intense moment.
"That answers that! Now, quit flirting and feed the woman. I don't know if she gets hangry, but I'm not trying to get lured into the ocean by a hangry siren," Tristan joked, butting his boyfriend out of the way. I tuned them out as we walked onto the main part of the boardwalk, where the pier jutted out into the sea. Before I could stop myself, the ocean's call was dragging me forward. The sea filled my senses, the cool breeze blowing off it swirling around me and bringing my feet closer to the edge. Images of plunging between the dark waters filled my mind’s eye, blocking out my vision. I couldn't hear the sounds of people passing by, or see the railing that separated me from my heart's desire. I just wanted to go home.
"Oookay little psycho. You can't jump in, so snap out of it," Calev hissed, his cool fingers wrapping around my wrist and pulling me back to reality. I had to blink several times before I could see his face, the frown I was growing used to replaced by a look of concern. "You with me?"
"Kind of," I mumbled, still disoriented. "I think I need to be in the water again, Calev." The truth was, it scared me. I should have been able to resist the temptation like I had before, but something within me needed to be in the water.
"We'll do that tonight then. Doesn't Obsidian Cove Prep have a pool?" he asked quietly, pulling me away from the concerned onlookers. I nodded numbly, hating myself for ruining a nice outing. My relaxed muscles tensed as the ocean continued to try to pull me away from my new friends. "Stay with me," Calev whispered again, linking his fingers with mine and pulling me forward. His cool fingers helped ground me, giving me something new to focus on and block out the call.
"We said restaurant, not catching our own fish," Tristan teased, giving me an understanding smile. It helped knowing that they had their own secrets hidden away, that I had someone who knew what I was dealing with. Do they still feel a call to the source of their power? Will this pass? Will I always have to stay away or be lured to sea? The thoughts swirled around in my head, as they led me the rest of the way to the restaurant. A flashing neon sign distracted me from my inner panic, the restaurant’s name causing me to giggle. The 'Boisterous Barnacle' seemed like a fun place to eat.
"Welcome to the Boisterous Barnacle, we're glad you came to visit us today!" The waitress’s cheerfulness seemed fitting for the name of the place. She gave an overly wide smile, as she grabbed our menus and ushered us to a table against the window. I didn't miss Aeson slipping her a tip and flirting with her to get his way. A small twinge of jealousy made me narrow my eyes at the pair. Tristan nudged me and gave a small smile, picking up on the emotion. If he wasn't jealous, then I had no right to be. I wasn't even dating him.
The restaurant itself was definitely one of those hidden gem type of places. Beautifully maintained fish tanks lined the walls, filled with gorgeous saltwater fish and flora that kept the place looking bright and colorful. The tables looked like they were made from driftwood, the faded tops fitting perfectly with the bright white walls and pale blue tiled floor. The decor all centered around the beach, but it wasn't over the top.
My stomach gave another rumble as the smell of fish and fresh bread wafted out from the kitchens. A menu was slid in front of me, but I was too busy looking out the window that Aeson had snagged for us. The view of the sandy beach and the dark, choppy waters was perfect. The sun was still high, making the light dance off of the surface.
"Come on, Little Psycho, find something to eat," Calev teased, tapping my menu and bringing me out of my gawking. I glared at the new nickname, which only seemed to amuse him more. I couldn't deny how nice it was to see him loosen up, his usual stoic behavior made him a bit more intimidating than the others.
With another rumble of my stomach, I opened my menu and started looking through everything they had. After reading it way more thoroughly than I needed to, I finally settled on a sampler plate that had a few different things to try. Our waitress came back just as I shut the menu, taking all of our food and drink orders before shuffling off again with one last smile. She came back a few moments later with drinks and a basket of bread.
"So, you clearly aren't from around here. Where are you from?" Lachlan asked, starting up the conversation. I gave him a grateful smile, happy to avoid the awkward silence that would have fallen without him.
"I grew up in Linet, a small tow
n about an hour inland. My... adoptive father owned a chain of food packaging factories along the coast," I explained, stumbling over what to call the man who raised me now that I knew the truth. The word father only brought me back to that awful letter, and the secret they’d dropped. I wanted to know who my real father was, and why on Earth he thought it was a good idea to leave me with those assholes.
"We can look into it. I'm sure someone at our school will know something," Tristan said with a reassuring smile. I hoped he was right, but it seemed like a stretch. I didn't even know my real last name, let alone any clues that could lead to my biological parents.
"Let's not talk about my depressing upbringing, someone talk about something else," I mumbled, hoping someone would be kind enough to listen. Aeson gave me a wink when I peeked up at them, and started a new conversation.
"So does this mean we have to attend classes while we're here?" he mumbled dramatically. "I don't think Economics will be helpful to me later in life."