Page 13 of Fionn
The confidence in his tone made me sit straighter. Whoever Kelon was, he clearly thought very highly of himself.
“An honour?” I repeated, letting a little humour slip into my voice. “Well, that depends on how good your table manners are.”
There was a cough, possibly a laugh, from another male voice, quickly stifled. I bit back my own smile. Someone over there appreciated sarcasm, at least.
I didn't know what to say. Without seeing them, or their reactions, it was hard to hold a conversation. I took a few spoonfuls of soup instead. Fish soup with a fine note of lemongrass. Delicious.
If they were also enjoying the multitude of dishes arranged on the table, I couldn't hear any evidence of it.
This was awkward. To cross the silence, I asked, "Who else is there besides Kelon?"
"Rainse Arken-Clutch of Eynhallow," a melodious voice said from the left.
Someone else hissed something I couldn't understand.
"That is an unusual name, Rainse."
"It is to your ears," he chuckled. "Next to me are my brothers, Cerban and-"
"Fionn."
It was the man who'd cough-laughed. His voice was dark velvet on a warm summer's night. It had been just one word, just his name, but I already knew that I would listen to him read the phone book.
"Yes, yes," Kelon interjected. "Let me tell you more about myself..."
Kelon launched into conversation without pause. He spoke about wealth, influence, his family’s holdings - things that felt like a cross between a job interview and a sales pitch. I made polite noises, but my gaze drifted to the solid screen, willing it to become transparent. I wanted to see the other men. Specifically, the one with the beautiful voice.
In a rare moment of silence, I was quick to ask another question in the hope that Kelon would shut up.
"Thanks, Kelon, that's a lot of information. But what do you like to do in your free time? Maybe the others could respond first."
Velvet-voice - no, Fionn - chuckled again. “I like the sea,” he said before Kelon could start another monologue. "Not just to swim in it, but to feel it. The salt, the spray, the sound of waves against rock. It reminds me I am alive.”
The words stopped me mid-bite. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. That wasn’t the kind of answer you rehearsed. That was real.
“That,” I said quietly, before I could overthink it, “I understand.”
"I like to swim, too," Rainse muttered, but it was without the passion Fion had shown.
"All of us do." That was the third brother, Cerban. He laughed and the others joined him. I didn't quite get the joke. So they all liked to swim, so what.
"Tell us more about yourself," Fionn asked softly.
"I don't know where to start. Until yesterday, I would have told you that I swim for Britain. I'm on the national team. I was going to compete in the Olympics, but... Anyway. I don't. Not anymore."
"You no longer swim?" It was Fionn again, sounding sad for some reason.
"I... I don't know. I won't be competing. That was my life. Training every day, long hours in the pool and the gym. I'm not sure I remember the last time I went swimming for the joy of it. It's been about times and technique for so long..."
I stopped before I sounded melodramatic. A deep sadness washed over me. When had I lost finding pleasure in swimming? It used to be my refuge. Underwater, I could think. Peace and quiet. But then it became all about performance.
I suddenly wanted to run out of the building and into the sea, swim in the warm ocean, see what it was like. Reclaim the joy I'd lost. But I was in the middle of a strange first date with four men I couldn't even see. It was ridiculous.
Kelon's raspy voice cut through my thoughts. "As I was saying, I will be able to offer you whatever you want. A pet, your own private island, all the pearls in the ocean-"
He was back to his sales pitch. I had zero interest in the guy. It didn't matter how attractive he may be beyond the screen. I didn't like how self-obsessed and pompous he was. He didn't realise though. He kept talking without pause. I let it wash over me and focused on the food again. One dish in particular was so delicious that I made a mental note to ask the chef for the recipe. Some kind of white fish with spicy pineapple and pok choi. I could have eaten a second bowl of it, if I hadn't been so full already. And I hadn't even touched the four little desserts to my right.
"What's your favourite food?" I asked when Kelon stopped to have a drink.
