Amongst The Water-Fresh Waters

Chapter 18: Past Is The Past! Part 2

    First Uploaded: March 2014 Dates updated: January or February 2018; October 31, 2019; Jan. 27, 2020 2PM)

                   Kylie is lying on her back in the cave pool alone praying hard that her anxiety goes away. "Hey." Kylie opens her eyes and looks at Finn standing at the edge of the pool of water. "Jakobe told me everything. Mia and I were just catching up. I swear. She was telling me that Jakobe has been there for Damien, his baby; when he's not at school or at work." Kylie swims up to Finn. "That's good. I was wondering if he had anything do do with his kid." Finn nods. "Yeah. I didn't expect it from him. I expected him to ignore her and his child. He usually runs away from his problems or starts fights when he doesn't approve of people's opinions." Kylie rolls her eyes. "You guys have to get over this ridiculous rivalry!" Kylie yells. Finn jumps back startled. Kylie looks at him. "Sorry. I'm just tired of you guys always fighting. And I'm sick of being in the middle Finn." Finna shakes his head. He walks back toward her. He hesitantly leans down to Kylies level. "I know. He kind of apologized to me when he told me to come back in here. He said you have something to tell me. It was weird because he has never acted that calm around me before. It was refreshing." Kylie smiles. "He kinda owes me." Finn flinches. He moves his hand off Kylies. "Is there anything going on between you two. When I came into the cave. You guys looked like you were..." He clears his throat. "About to kiss." Finn says. His voice cracking. Kylie shakes her head. "Eeewww no!" She reaches for Finns hand. "I was helping him with something. Something he didn't want to tell anyone because he felt vulnerable." Kylie says. Finn nods. "Okay." He says relieved. Kylie smiles. She looks down at her hand over Finns. " I wouldn't do that to you Finn. I...." She looks back at Finn. "I went to the Crab Shack earlier today to tell you that I want to do that date. But then I saw you with Mia." Finn sighs. "Oh."  Kylie nods. Finn looks into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I wish you wouldn't have ran off. Because it wasn't romantic at all." Kylie nods. "I know that now. I hope your not mad at Jakobe for telling me." Finn shakes his head. "I thought I'd be. But I'm actually relieved. I had no idea how to tell you. It's confusing and complicated. And you were already going through so much with Jacob and dealing with being a mermaid. I didn't want to pile on." Kylie nods. "I understand. But I hope you'd tell me eventually if he didn't." Finn leans down. Their faces inches apart. "Of coarse." He says softly. Kylie smiles. Their intense eyes contact stirs something inside him. Finn stands up and quickly takes his shoes off and his shirt off. Staring at Kylie intensely. Kylie looks at his chiseled abs in awe. Her mouth hanging open. Finn chuckles. "I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to jump into the water with you. I thought it was at first. But I don't have my swimmers." He winks at Kylie. He waves his hand in front of her, noticing she's not blinking. She blinks quickly. Finn smiles at her. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed." He says looking at her flushed cheeks. Kylie covers up her cheeks. Finn laughs. Kylie smirks. "How can I not be when you look like that." She points at his abs. Finn shrugs. "I was going to jump into the water in my boxers. But then I saw your reaction when I took my shirt off, so I didn't think it'd be wise." He sighs. "And besides, I'm really trying to change myself for the better." He also realized he's wearing briefs and not boxers. Briefs that are uncomfortably tight. Kylie ignores the odd comment about him changing himself for the better and bites her bottom lip and flutters her eyes. Hoping to entice Finn into the water. Finn purses is lips. "Are you trying to charm me?" He says walking slowly toward Kylie. Kylie twirls her hair. "No." She teases. Kylie looks up at Finn as he bends down to her. She flutters her eyes again. "It's more like, entice." Sounding more alluring. Finn blinks, taken aback by her flirting. Finn winks. "Really?" She nods. "Kylie Couture. Queen of shyville is trying to entice me? I must be dreaming." He says flirting back. Kylie lays her head on the edge of the pool staring at the walls of the cave. "You still think I'm shy?" She questions him. Finn places his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. That's what I like about you. You don't have to throw yourself at me Kylie. I don't think that's what you really want. And I won't like you any less if you'd stop. In fact, I'd like you more because it shows how special you are." Kylie looks into his eyes. "I'm sorry. Being a mermaid is more difficult than you could imagine. My emotions and hormones are really whacked out." Finn blushes a little. "I'm sorry Kylie. If there's anything I can do, let me know." Kylie smiles. "Thanks. Unless you can figure out why I haven't been acting like myself, then I don't think there's anything you can do." Finn nods. "Okay." Finn grabs her hand. Kylie looks at him and smiles sweetly. "If you want to get in the water. You can." Finn tilts his head. He winks at her expecting her to blush or cover her face. But she doesn't. Kylie stares at Finns abs instead. He chuckles. "Have you not seen a shirtless guy before." Kylie looks up at Finns face. "Yeah." "You are just way more fit than...." "Than Jacob." Finn finishes. Kylie looks away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you don't want to hear about him." Finn huffs. "Not really. I know he has problems, but I wish I could kick his ass for hurting you." He turns her face back to him. "Everyone has a past. You shouldn't be ashamed about it." He smiles at her. He bends down to lightly give her a kiss on her cheek. She giggles. "I don't know how, but I feel like you wanted more than just that kind of kiss. But I don't want us to go too fast Kylie." She lets out a sigh of relief. "I don't either. If I wasn't dealing with these mermaid issues. Then  probably wouldn't constantly keep flirting with you." Finn grins. "So you cant flirt at all?" Kylie shakes her head. "No. Not until I transformed and my emotions and hormones changed. It's embarrassing how terrible I am at it." She laughs. Finn smiles. "Well you did fine just now." He winks. Kylie blushes. "So. Did you like me before you transformed?" He asks her the most difficult question he's been thinking. She sighs. "Yeah. That's why it was difficult for me to stay with Jacob. And the I swear he was hiding something from me the day I left to come here. Which apparently he was." She says trying not to think about his betrayal. Finns face is blank. He doesn't know what to say. He wants to be with Kylie. But not if she still loves Jacob how she always has. He looks at Kylies sad face. "I hate to ask you this. But I feel like I need to." Kylies chest tightens, sensing he's going to ask her if she and Jacob ever done things. She seriously can't deal with THAT right now. But he should know the answer by the confrontation they had with Jacob the day she broke up with him. She takes a deep breath and releases it. "What's that." She says weekly. "Ummmm. Do you still love Jacob. Like love him like you always have. Like do you still want him?" He slowly asks her. His voice low and unsure of himself. Totally unlike Finn. Kylie has always thought has Finn as a confident person. Not someone who keeps repeating words. She sighs relieved. She smiles at Finn. "He was my first love. A small part of me will always love him. But not romantically. Right now it hurts so much. But I can't even think of being with him ever again after what he's put me through. He needs to be alone for a while to heal and get proper care." She says trying to keep herself together. Finn nods. Kylie continues. "Honestly, i never given it much thought if I still love him right now." She looks at Finn and shakes her head furiously. "I don't think I do. I wish I could show him what it feels like to get betrayed like this. I want to punch him in his gut. Because that's what it felt like when he told me about those girls. I felt 20 times worse when he said that he met up with the 1st one the day I left West Virginia." Finn takes her hands. She looks down at them and smiles. She looks up at him. "I don't think I've ever talked about this to anyone besides Darla. And I couldn't get the words out how angry and sad I felt." Finn nods. "And she's his cousin. So it probably would have been awkward for her." Kylie shrugs. "Nah. That wouldn't have mattered. She heard a different voice on the phone the same day I heard a voice when I talked to him. She wouldn't have cared. She was pissed at him as much as I a was." She laughs, then shrugs. "Maybe not as much." "Maybe not." Finn laughs. He was taken aback for a second when she cursed. Kylie apologizes to Finn. "I'm sorry I unloaded all that on you. It's not something I should've done." Finn sighs. "To be honest. It's not something I'd like to hear. But, I'm really glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me. And I can see you feel better. I hate seeing you hurting Kylie." Kylie smile widely. "That means so much Finn. You don't understand how much." She says as a tear runs down her cheek. He leans over and gently wipes it off with his thumb. Kylie looks up at him. She hoist herself up and presses her lips to his. Finn let's their lips touch for a few seconds. Taking all the control he has, he slowly pulls away. Kylie sinks back down into the water. Trying to hold back tears. Finn lifts her chin up. "Kylie." He whispers sweetly. Kylie looks at him upset.  "Why don't you want to kiss me?" She says her voice cracking. She lets a few tears fall. Finn shakes his head. "I do. I so desperately want to. You don't know how much I want to." He smiles at her and wipes a few more tears away. "I just think we should save it for our first date. That is if you still want to?" He asks. Kylie grins. "Of coarse I do." "Good. I think you're going to like what I have planned." He grins at her. Kylies brow rose curious. "You already have it planned?" She asks. He nods. "Yeah. I've had it planned for a little while." He admits. "I've had my eyes on you for a long time Kylie. Even before I found out you had a boyfriend. But when you told me you thought Jacob was hiding things from you the day we did the fake play. I couldn't stay away I wanted to be there for you as your friend. Then you told me more about how you thought he was cheating on you during our 3rd surfing lesson. I didn't want to be one of those guys who tries to steal you away. But I had a dream about the perfect date. And I immediately thought of you Kylie. So that's how the date got planned. I'd never have the idea for anyone else." Kylie grins shyly, blushing a little. "You had a dream about me?" She couldn't decide if it was weird or cute. Finn shrugs. "I didn't say that your were in it." He pokes her side. She yelps. She looks at him a little upset. "Okay." Finn playfully shoves her. "Of coarse you were the girl I was on a date with in the dream." He winks. She smiles. "Good. There better not be anyone else." She says. She flinches, realizing she sounded obsessive. "I mean. I hope there isn't anyone else because I really like you Finn and I can't deal with another heartbreak so soon. You're the first guy I've ever like this much." She grins Finn shakes his head. "Of course there's no one else Kylie." He says. He looks at Kylie curiously not wanting to ask. "And Jacob?" His face plain. Kylie sighs and rolls her eyes. "I only felt like this when we were 13 & maybe part of 14. After a certain point, when he started getting more into drinking and more into sex. I didn't feel that much of a connection with him anymore. That lasted a year. The last several months before I moved, he was distant and when we were together it was all about s...." She pauses. Her voice cracks a little. "Ummm s....ex." She mumbles. "Or partying and drinking. He got so much more aggressive when he drank. And that's how I got the scar on my leg and this scar right here." She says pointing at her wrist. Finn shakes his head. "That's awful. I'm sorry about everything. Why did you stay with him after everything?"  "I think it was because I don't know how to deal with everything and found it easier to stay then to leave. And I was afraid for him. He told me several times when he was drunk that he'd die if I'd broke up with him." She looks down at the scar on her wrist. She points at it. "That scar. He threw a cup of whiskey at me when I didn't want to...." Kylie's voice wavers. She regains her composure. "Do things with him. And he said he'd kill himself if he'd ever lost me." Kylie says calmly. She shakes her head. Finn takes her hand. "That's insane. What did you do after that?" Kylie blinks a few times. She takes a deep breath. "I told him that wouldn't happen and he scared me. But I was also drunk because he spiked my drink, so my hormones weren't normal. So he kinda got a different vibe apparently." She blurts. She covers her face embarrassed. Finn looks shocked and a bit confused. "Umm okay." He says not completely understanding how everything went together. He looks at her shocked. "You drank alcohol?" She doesn't answer. Finns mouth keeps opening to say something, but he doesn't know what else to say. Kylie realizes she confused him by not telling him everything. "Gosh!" She exclaims. "Why'd I have to tell you any of that. Because now I have to tell you everything for it to make sense." She says. "That was the first time he tried to...." she trails off. Finns face reddens. "Oh." Kylie nods. "Yeah. He was drunk and he spiked mine. And he was getting really really..."   Finn clears his throat. "Frisky?" He finds a word that'll embarrass her less. Kylie nods. "That's not what I was thinking, but yeah. He started taking his clothes off and I saw everything and he tried to take my clothes off and when he realized I wasn't liking what he was doing, he threw his drink at my hand and the glass cut me and I had to get stitches." Finn shakes his head. He's silent for a few seconds. "Wow! I'm sorry." He looks at her sympathetically. Then he looks at her curiously. "So you saw him naked?" He asks slowly. It's the first thing he thought of.  He can't imagine her looking at someone naked. Pure and innocent Kylie? Kylie nods embarrassed, her cheeks completely red. "Yes. It was..." She turns her head sideways not knowing what to say. At the time she was curious and turned on, but then she was shy and wanted him to put his clothes on. She also was intoxicated at the time, so her normal behavior wasn't that reachable. After all she was a teenager who was drunk with a naked teenage boy in front of her. Finn nudges her. Kylie shakes her head. "Sorry." Finn nods. Kylie looks at him, her face red. "I don't think I want to talk about this anymore. Definitely not with you. It's getting awkward and embarrassing." She admits. Finn chuckles. "Ummm. Okay. But if you want to tell me, you can. Because I have a messed up past that is weird, confusing, awkward and hormonal too. So I'd like for you to tell me eventually. It'd be easier for us to know each others past if we did that." Kylie sighs. "Can I tell you another time?" She asks. Finn nods. Kylie sighs relieved. She smiles.

"So I have to tell you my entire history with Jacob? Isn't that awkward? Why do you want to hear about him?" Finn nods. "You have to because I have a past too. And it'd be easier to know your past relationship so I can understand you more. And so we can find out how serious we are about each other." Kylie nods. Then she shakes her head. "I guess I understand that. But I don't want to. It's embarrassing!" Finn laughs. "More embarrassing than the time I told you that you smelled good after you came out of the girls locker room?" He asks. Kylie laughs. "That wasn't embarrassing. That may have been a weird time to say that. But it was sweet. I did just use my new body spray." Finn smiles. "Yeah. Lavender Vanilla. I noticed. It's my favorite. " He winks. She giggles. She takes a deep breath.

"Okay so the day I saw him naked. I was watching him strip like a weird peeping Tom. He had no skill." She laughs remembering him stumbling over his pants. "He tripped over his pants a few times. But for some odd reason. I still liked it. Then he was just in his boxer briefs and my eyes were out of my head and the stupid whiskey along with annoying teenage hormones and curiosity took over and I...." Kylie motions in front of her embarrassed. "I..." Finn nods. "You what? She shakes her head embarrassed. "I touched something." She covers her face and squeals embarrassingly. Finn laughs at how embarrassed she sounded at that moment and how embarrassed she is now. "I didn't think you'd actually do that." He admits. "So what did you do when he took them off?" He asks. His face pale, not really wanting to know the answer. But if he's going to tell her his ENTIRE history, then he needs to know. "I admired him for a bit. Then like I said before, I told him to put his clothes back on."  He nods. "Wow! First, That's a lot of self control. I didn't think anyone would have done that." Kylie shrugs.  "Second, I couldn't imagine you drinking and well doing any of that." He chuckles. Kylie closes her eyes. "I was embarrassed that I touched him, So I didn't want anything else to happen." She admits. He nods. "Yeah." He reaches for her hand. "I know we aren't that serious right now. But I want you to know that I'd NEVER EVER pressure you into anything and I'd NEVER spike your drinks." He sighs. "I know I'm a flirt and I hit on girls and I've done that to you plenty of times before. Even when I shouldn't have." He looks into her eyes. "But I don't purposely mean to come off as a playboy type. That's the old me and I'm still working on the new me. And that's why I was interested in you from the beginning because I could tell you were so different than other people." He gently kisses her on her cheek. She grins from ear to ear.