Nice to Meet You Again (Indefinite Hiatus)

3: It's Not the Same, Though

As the vessel bobs atop the waves of the sea, so too does Henry's gaze upon Kenji. The tan skin of the fisherman's bare arm glistens gold in the rising sun's rays, rippling like the ocean as his muscles flex.

Henry bites back a yawn as his gaze flits to the floor of the boat. Another wave rolls beneath and Henry's eyes rise again. Kenji's calves flex as he crouches down at the tackle box, fingers picking up a jelly-like silicone squid lure and massaging it.

Seabirds call from overhead and Henry's eyes shift to the open button-up donning Kenji's torso as its hem blows back in the salty breeze. He never would have imagined a Kenji who wears teal blue let alone hibiscus prints. The man he knew was always dressed in dark colors, black suits specifically in the last two decades—as if always in mourning. Henry wondered if this was the degree of potential change when you erase all your memories. If the child saw him, would she tease or be stunned silent?

"Too early for you?"

Startled, Henry's eyes meet Kenji's. Seeing the man's mouth in a soft smirk he only now realizes that his is frozen open in the midst of a yawn. He doesn't know when the motor was turned off nor how long he was caught gazing in awkward silence. Quickly closing his mouth, he clears his throat and replies.

"No! Not... too early." He scans Kenji's face, ready to read any changes. "I told you yesterday. This time is fine." Having been sat on the boat's hard bench with his arms folded and calves crossed, Henry's pose only becomes more rigid.

The either amused or mocking glint in Kenji's gaze remains. "Really? That's good. I actually set out later than normal to accommodate you."

Stunned, Henry blinks far too many times. "Oh, really?" Hoping to compose himself, he looks away, turning his head towards the ocean. "You didn't have to do that."

Just as he finishes speaking, something rough yet malleable slaps him across the face. Stunned, he looks down at his lap to see a straw sun hat.

"Oh—"

His eyes shoot over to Kenji whose expression stuns him even more. With slightly raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes, his emotion is hard to read. And then the corners of his mouth tilt down almost imperceptibly.

"Not very good reflexes, huh?"

Disgust, Henry determines. The emotion on Kenji's face is undoubtedly restrained disgust. Picking up the hat, Henry tries to mask the crisis embarking in his mind.

"You'll need it for when the sun gets higher in the sky."

His mind's journey begins with, What happened to the smiles from yesterday? That talk of fate?

"It gets hot quick out here on the ocean."

Perhaps it was the fact that Henry yawned. Or maybe the issue lies in that Kenji had delayed his daily fishing for a tourist and that tourist had the nerve to yawn.

"Are you alright with live bait?"

This really isn't too early for Henry. It's just that nerves made last night's sleep difficult, and he still isn't used to needing nightly rest.

"Henry?"

That familiar voice calling his old name snaps Henry out of his spiral. Unfortunately, when he raises his eyes, the view of Kenji's face is half obscured with a small, snapping crab.

"I can't say I've ever felt so ignored. Are you that tired? Should we head back?"

"I'm sorry," Henry blurts, eager to mitigate any hostility. The letter had said 'if you're curious what we'd become' and enemies had never been factored into the possibilities.