What the Tide Brings

Chapter 24 - Liam - Our Song

Liam had never understood why people called it making love. He thought it was a corny phrase made up by Hollywood to make sex seem more meaningful in romantic movies. For him, sex had always been just a fun way to spend an afternoon with a girl that he liked or found attractive. He believed that if he couldn't find meaning in that extremely awkward first time with Gretchen, whom he actually maybe had loved, then the myth of making love couldn't possibly be true.

He had never been more wrong about anything.

Of all the girls he'd ever been with, he had never felt such a strong connection to anyone. That's not to say that he thought what he had with those others wasn't great. He'd had some truly memorable experiences without much emotional attachment. However, being with Kaelin was unlike anything he felt before. It was more than physical. It was on a whole new level that he didn't know existed.

At first, he was nervous, which was new for him. She was so perfect. Her skin and body were flawless. But he was thinking too much, worried about nothing, as it turned out. It all happened very naturally, from the first kiss. Each touch, each kiss, each time their eyes locked on each other, every moment intensified the feelings they already shared, making it all the more intimate and special.

One thing that surprised him was the quieting of his mind, focused solely on Kaelin. From his experiences kissing her, he expected a flood of memories that would distract him. However, there was nothing but the two of them, thoroughly locked in the present time. When he told her this, she laughed. "I was equally surprised."

They laid on the floor, Liam on his back, Kaelin draped across him, staring at each other. Neither one could wipe the dopey grin off their face. Kaelin hummed softly under her breath as she drew lines with fingers across the planes of his face, down the bridge of his nose, and along the outline of his lips. The song, whatever it was, made his smile grow wider until his teeth showed.

Liam moved his arm under his head to act as a pillow, unable to take his eyes off of her. "What is that song?"

She swept her silvery hair to one side, leaving her porcelain skin exposed. Every time the huge light circled around on them, it almost made her skin look aglow. She just shrugged. "I do not know what it is, in truth. It's not a song I've ever heard. It came to me just now. Perhaps it's the next verse of our song."

"We have a song?" Liam asked. Then, it hit him. "The one you were singing, the night we danced in the water."

"Yes," Kaelin lifted her free hand to stroke his cheek. It trailed down his neck and came to rest on his chest, over his heart. "It comes in fragments. That night was the first verse. I think this is the second."

"How many verses do you think there'll be?"

"The song will be as long as our love. However long that is." Her cheerful mood faltered, reality having clearly set in again. Then, she added, "There are some in my clan whose songs would take years to sing."

Despite her effort to walk back what she'd said, the truth of their relationship had been put out there. Because neither of them knew how long they had to be together. If they were correct in assuming that the naked men Molly saw rising out of the ocean were the mermen after her, then they could swoop in at any time to take her home. She could disappear without a trace, and he might never know what happened to her.

After laying there for a few minutes, thinking, Liam made a decision. "We have to get those mermen off the island. No matter what. I can't lose you." It wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it if she didn't have to go.

"Mm-hmm," Kaelin kissed his shoulder before going back to her humming.

This time the melody was a wistful, melancholic sound. It was the sound of something about to come to an end. At least, that's what it sounded like to Liam.