Page 5 of Little Saint Nautilus

The risk was big, huge. This area was too big, too populated. I’d never done anything like this before. The years I’d spent migrating and returning to this location pressed in on me. My inner compass pointing me here, the tug too strong to ignore. Knowing he was so close, how could I possibly leave? With one last look, I bolstered myself, and crawled back out, leaving a part of me behind.

I looked at the giant rocks and they seemed far too daunting to traverse. The only other option was to go back in the water and swim around, but I didn't dare with my shell now hidden away in the cave. There was a set of stairs that led to the top of the rocks.Stairs. We had no use for them underwater and I'd only had to use them acouple of times before, though those had only been two or three, nothing as steep or high as these.

The pull within was impossible to ignore. I didn't understand it. Why was the need to see this particular human woven into my every fiber? After crossing oceans, all that stood between us was a set of stairs and a wall of rocks. I placed my hand over my ribs and breathed in deep, feeling my chest expand with air. It was a strange sensation, but one I found calming in this form. Lifting one foot to place it on the first step, I gripped the railing and held tight.

“I can do this.” My voice always sounded funny to me. I could go months without saying a word, and it always surprised me to hear myself or to realize that I remembered how to create words and vocalize them. It was as instinctual as gliding through the water in my nautilus form. This side of me was as much who I was as my shelled side. It was easy to forget, though.

My legs were shaky, and my breathing came harder by the time I reached the top of the steep steps. I took a minute to appreciate the view that was offered from the top, revealing the length of beach that stretched out before me. It was quite big, but luckily not crowded. Only a few people could be seen. He was out there, I could feel him. If I was going to do this, I needed to act soon, before more humans arrived.

Thankfully, there was a path that led down on this side of the rocks. No more stairs. With my heart poundingso loud it thrummed in my ears, I began down the path. If I was seen by other humans, I looked the same as them. They would have no reason to suspect I was anything else…I hoped.

Sitting in my shop, my hands gripped the thermos of coffee I’d brought. I didn’t have any hot drinks in the store unless I brought them in. On days like this, I was tempted to set up a coffee station, but it was a lot easier to deal with pre-packaged foods and drinks. So I sipped my coffee and let the heat of the thermos warm my hands.

It was early, but with nothing else to do, I rolled up the doors to my shop and put on some music. I scrolled through social media before switching to the surf reports, a habit that was hard to break. After looking at the waves at all the prime surfing spots, I pulled up a fish report. Skimming through it, I tried to see if there were any reports of anything unusual in the area. I didn’t know what it was, but something about the touch on my hand niggled in my brain, and Icouldn't let it go.

Website after website, including the local beach groups on social media, and nothing stood out. I let out a heavy sigh as my gaze drifted toward the water, longing to close the shop and go back out there. But for what? I couldn’t simply paddle around all day looking for something under the water. I shook my head.Ridiculous.

As I looked at the sea, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I blinked to focus and my jaw fell. There was a man walking across the sand. That in and of itself wasn’t unusual, but the fact he was butt-ass naked was. I stood up and watched for a minute, looking around to see if anyone else was with him or if he would be intercepted. The lifeguard towers weren't open yet, and the few people on the beach were busy.

He seemed…lost. The beach attracted a lot of different people for different reasons, but something tugged at my heart. No matter the situation, I couldn’t simply let the man wander around in the buff, especially when it was this cold out. I grabbed a blanket off one of the shelves in my shop and jogged toward him. My knee twinged with pain, which was nothing new, but it made my limp more pronounced as I hurried toward him.

When I was about ten feet away, he looked up and our eyes locked.His eyes! I’d seen them a million times. Air punched out of my chest, surprise freezing my feet in place. It couldn’t be. It was impossible. I stared, trying to process. He stared, saying nothing. I blinked again to see ifhe was merely a mirage of some sort, but he remained there. Completely naked. My gaze dropped to take in all his fair skin on display.Allof him. He looked to be in his twenties, had a small stature, at least a foot shorter than me, and a thin, lithe body, which was smooth, not a single hair on him besides the medium-length brown hair on his head.

When my eyes roamed upward and connected with his once more, he simply tilted his head, watching me as I ogled him like a creeper. His gaze shifted to the blanket I forgot I was holding.

“Shit! I’m so sorry. Here, you must be freezing. Let’s get you warmed up.”

“I’m not cold.” His voice was high and light.

I chuckled awkwardly, not really sure what to do. “Nonetheless, you can’t be out here…like this, so let’s uh…” I threw the blanket over his shoulders, closing it in front of him to cover his junk. “…Yeah. There.”

He clutched the blanket, and a soft smile appeared, making him look even more radiant. “Thank you.”

“Sure. Do you need anything? Do you want me to call someone?”

“Call?”

I ran a hand through my hair and looked around to see if anyone was watching. This man who had been in more dreams than I could count stood before me, but not in a way I ever expected. I was tempted to scoop him up and have him cling to me, so overwhelmedby the fact he was here. But that would be weird…right? Especially since he was naked. And a fucked-up part of me wanted to pull the blanket back and enjoy the view. I needed to take a step back. “Yeah. Is there someone you want me to get a hold of for you? Is anyone looking for you? Are you hungry maybe?”

He tilted his head once more. “I am looking for someone. Can I touch you?”

“What? Uh…yes?” Being asked to be touched by a stranger who showed up on the beach without clothes and didn’t appear to be cold, while I felt the chill of the air whisper against my neck… should send up warning signs, and Ishouldkeep my distance. I should definitelynotbe excited about being touched by him.

He stretched his hand out, and I couldn’t help but lift mine to match. His fingers floated over the back of my hand and each of my fingers as if he were examining them. A spark jumped from my skin to his, the wind likely creating static electricity. Except there was something familiar about it. I looked at my hand, my skin still tingling, and my mind returned to when I was in my kayak, and the tendrils had caressed my skin.

The man before me stepped closer and tilted his head back to meet my gaze. His beautiful brown eyes gleamed and a wide smile stretched across his face, reminding me so much of the face I’d seen under the water eightyears ago.

“I found you,” he whispered, with a sound of wonder in his airy voice.

“Me?”

“Yes. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

I was speechless. Was he really the same one who rescued me? Why had he been looking for me? A million questions fought to be asked, but not here. Not standing on the beach with him naked.

“Will you…come with me?”

“Yes,” he said with a grin. Just as soon as it appeared, the grin fell again. He looked behind him, toward the rocks that led toPirate’s Cove. When he faced me again, the glow in his eyes was gone, but he rolled his shoulders back with determination. “Yes. I will come with you.”

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