Page 19 of Seashells and Daiquiris

“Nosy.”

That’s when his lips spread wide to reveal rather nice teeth, and a handsome-ass smile. “I don’t think that’s what was said.”

I go quiet for a moment, because honestly, the more I look at him the more good looking he seems to become. “So, did she tell you that she recommends me living with you?”

He nods a few times. “Yeah, I don’t disagree with her, either. Are you okay with that?”

“I don’t think I have a choice.”

“It’s alright, Freddie. We can do this however makes you the most comfortable, alright?”

I nearly down the cortado in one go, the caffeine hitting my system quickly. “Okay… okay, fine. Let’s go get my things.”

We walk back to Dove's beach house together, and I notice immediately that nothing tries to kill me. No rogue flower pots. No kamikaze seagulls. No mystery puddles.The sun is warm and the breeze is salty and the worst thing that happens is the shell commenting on the way Liam's hair catches the light.

"It looks like liquid silver when the sun hits it. We should touch it."

“Are you wanting to touch my hair?” He asks, and there’s a play to his voice that has me both encouraged and worried for myself. I really like the way he flirts with me.

“I’m just noticing that it definitely doesn’t seem like normal human hair,” I reply, glancing at him while he walks beside me.

“It has a unique look when underwater, you know.”

“So you’re a real merman?”

“Yeah, one that spends way too much time on land.”

“Okay, I’ve been here a lot, but never really encountered a lot of, well, whatever you’d classify yourself as. A magical person?”

“That’s because we don’t usually live in the cove itself.”

I glance his way, some part of me registering that there’s a chance he might be my literal soulmate. Nope, still not able to accept that. “Why are you here, then?”

“The sea witch business. She makes being in the ocean unbearable.”

“Ah,” I reply, facing forward and spotting Dove’s cottage.

It’s a literal awkward in the silence, but more from the fact that we’re near each other for very specific reasons. Like what do we even talk about? Is he okay with the silence? Are we going to ever discuss the whole ‘we’re fated for each other’ thing?

I try to shake those thoughts away, entering the cottage. It takes me me ten minutes to pack up because I never fully unpacked in the first place. Liam waits in the living room, looking at Dove's bookshelf with his hands in his pockets, and I try not to think about the fact that this absurdly beautiful man is standing in my temporary living room while I shove underwear into a suitcase in the next room.

"She has a good book collection," he calls out. “Especially on Celtic lore.”

"Are you a mythology nerd? Is that a merman thing?"

"It's a ‘I’ve been mostly stuck on land for six years with nothing else to do’ thing."

I laugh so hard I drop a shoe, which feels dangerous in many ways. I haven’t felt something like this since Tommy. I grab my three suitcases, because yes I intended to be here for a while roll them into the living room. Liam looks at them. Looks at me.

"You packed for a while.”

I drop my hands to my side, then place them on my hips. “Yeah, I didn’t really want to go home any time soon.”

While his hands are still in his pockets, he faces me and takes a slow step forward. “Why not?”

“Oh, you don’t want to know.”

“I mean, I kind of do.”