After the trees, the seas | Neteyam

Chapter 10

When I woke up the next day, Norm and Max were already there, checking on Kiri. They confirmed that it was a seizure, but her brain hadn't been affected, which was a good news. I was sitting with Neteyam, Lo'ak, Tsireya, Aonung and Rotxo, we were waiting for Kiri to wake up. Neteyam had his hand on my thigh, comforting me.

"Neteyam, Lo'ak, Hayla! She's awake" Tuk screamed with an excited voice. We all stood up and sighed in relief as we rushed to the hut. Kiri was in Neytiri's arms. We stayed close to her for the rest of the day, she was kind of shook since she woke up, but she was fine, and that was the most important part. Later, past eclipse, I joined Kiri and decided to have a little chat with her. "How are you?" I asked her softly as I sat next to her. "Better" she simply replied. "You're strong Kiri, I wanted to make sure you knew that" I told her. She looked at me and smiled a little. "Thank you, Hayla" she said kindly. "If you need anything, just let me know okay?". She nodded and I laid a kiss on her shoulder before I got up and walked out the hut.

I walked to the sea and decided to take a little night swim. I swam far enough from the village to not get disturbed and kept swimming until the water level was at my chest. I then laid on my back and floated as I looked at the stars. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the silence and the sound of nature. Then my ears twitched at water movements coming from behind me. I stood on my feet and quickly turned around. It was him. "Neteyam, you scared me" I said to him. "Sorry" he said as he smiled from seeing me flinch like that. He got closer to me. "What are you doing?" he asked me. "Trying to relax, which is clearly impossible when you're following me like that" I said teasing him. "I was just wondering where you were going" he said smiling. I chuckled. "It's fine, I like when you're around" I said to him. "You do?" he asked smiling. I looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I mean sometimes". He laughed and became serious again.

"I wanted to apologize again for shooting at you, I did it because I care for you, I really do" he admitted as he looked at the water. I approached him and took his hand in mine. "I forgive you and I care for you too Neteyam" I told him softly as I tried to catch his sight. He raised his head and looked at me in the eyes. He shook his head slightly. "No Hayla, I care for you in a different way, not like I care for Lo'ak, Tuk or Kiri, but in a way I never cared for anyone" he said. Did he just admit his feelings towards me? I had always feel the same way towards him, but never admitted it. He had always been more than a friend, he was always there for me whenever I needed him. I smiled as I put both of my wrists around his neck, getting my body close to his as I rested my forehead against his, my eyes closed. "I see you Neteyam". He rested his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him. "I see you Hayla" He replied smiling.

Then my lips were against his. We exchanged a soft and passionate kiss. My lips left his as a smile appeared in my face. He smiled too. "I wanted to do this for so long" I said softly "but I want more". His lips rushed against mine once again as he placed his hand on my cheeks. This time our kiss was harder, deeper. I ran my hand trough his hair, his neck, letting my fingers exploring his strong body. Gosh I wanted him so bad. His other hand was running trough my back. All of a sudden, he grabbed both of my thighs and lifted me against his body. I wrapped my leg around his waist and laughed a little. He smiled back, looking at me from downside. "You're so beautiful" he said. I grabbed his face with both of my hands and kissed him again. He was all I ever wanted, he was mine now.

After our infinite kiss, he let me down, back in the water. "We should go sleep" I said softly. "Yeah, you're probably right" he said, kissing my cheek. We walked together back to the beach and Neteyam was heading to the village, but I stopped. When he noticed, he turned to me, smiling. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Actually, I don't want to sleep in the hut". His smile became wider and he approached me, waiting for me to continue my speaking. "Why don't we sleep here, on the sand, you and me?" I said, smiling. "How could I say no to that?" he replied smiling with all his teeth. I kissed him again. I could kiss him all day, stopping only to catch my breath.

We both laid in the sand and he passed an arm around my body as I rested my head on his chest. We cuddled under the stars, just the two of us. It was magical. "I could stay like this forever" he said in a low voice. I smiled to his remark. "Same, how have we not come to each other before?" I asked chuckling. He laughed a little. "I don't know, looks like we're both skxanwgs" he said. I laughed more. "Yeah we defintly are, but the most important is that we've found each other now, even tho it took us forever" I said tighning my embrace around his body in affection. "You're right, and I'm not leaving your side, ever" he added as he gently stroked my hair. I then fell asleep in the arms of the man I loved, at the sound of his heartbeat.