4EVER | NETEYAM

0:14

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The fish boy swung an arm around Neteyam's shoulder and spoke. "Don't get your expectations too high, you are not her type." Neteyam scoffed and snatched Ao'nung's arm away from him.

"How would you know? She has kissed me, if she hasn't told you shit then that's not my problem." He hit back, leaving Ao'nung speechless. Neteyam turned his heel to leave and walked away with his braids swinging from side to side, like always.

Adhara had already reached the shore with Tsireya, her arm interlocked with Tsireya's arm. "I'm sorry." Adhara apologized for scolding her cousin. "Why apologize? It was just a silly race." "No, Tsireya, not that. I am sorry for telling you what you can and can't do, that isn't up to me and you can love whoever your heart desires." Adhara smiled at her cousin.

She had felt the need to apologize for so long, but never got the chance to. "I forgive you." Tsireya yanked both of Adhara's arms and embraced her in a big and tight hug. "I love you, stupid." Adhara muttered, Tsireya only hugged her even tighter.

"I know you guys are having your own moment and I apologize for interrupting, but we can't find Kiri." Ao'nung informed the girls, Tsireya almost immediately left with Ao'nung.

"Eywa, don't ever let me be as empathetic and gullible as my sweet younger cousin, it will be the death of me." Adhara drew on the warm sand with her finger, her fingers were doing her own thing. Her body was moving subconsciously and her fingers were slowly illustrating a certain person.

Adhara snapped out of her trance and took a look at what her body had done. "Fuck." She quickly rushed to smother the sand and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her body had traced Neteyam's outline, it was like that boy was all she could ever think of — and her body knew it.

She stood up rather fast, but took a moment to regain her balance. Her heart rate was high above the moon and back, it was racing. The girl had never felt like this, well maybe once when she was 12.

There had been a Metkayina boy that would not let Adhara reject him and it made Adhara like the boy, his name was Ewät. Ewät was always with her, always by her side and protecting her from other boys. He was special to Adhara even if she didn't show it to him.

With time, they slowly separated and drifted apart. They saw each other every now and then, but they both wouldn't dare to speak a word to each other.

They would pass by each other, giving the other an empty look. Of course, she missed him. Ewät was Adhara's first love, her first crush.

He was always head over heels for her, but Adhara pushed him away, even if she wanted him closer. She wanted to test his loyalty and his patience. Obviously, he wasn't the one for her.

Adhara will forever miss him, Ewät was the dearest friend she had at the time. Giving each other the cold shoulder really had an effect on her. She just wanted it to be like before.

Their parents are still good friends, but Ewät always avoided her at all cost. He'd been avoiding her from the moment his parents arranged him with another girl. Adhara wished for Ewät to be arranged with her, but it was just absolutely delusional of her. Ewät was not hers and would never be hers.

"I do not like this at all." The girl muttered under her breath. Adhara hated what she was feeling, but she could never regret it. She stepped on the net to get to Tsireya's cot and basically just to hang out with her.

"Cousin." Adhara called out, her cousin turned her head to Adhara and smiled. "Did you guys find Kiri?" She asked.
curiously. "Yes, she was just exploring the sea." Tsireya giggled along with Adhara at the thought of Kiri.

They were all worried for nothing because she was perfectly fine. No scratches or anything, just Kiri. "I am very glad to know she's alright.

"Tsireya?" Adhara called out for her cousin, Tsireya looked at her and tilted her head slightly. "How are you supposed to tell your parents about your connections with the Omaticaya boy?" Tsireya sighed, "I don't." Her head hung low and Tsireya's eyes glued to the net beneath their feet.

"We don't?" Adhara questioned, she saw how her cousin's face turned into discomfort. "Alright, we won't." Adhara placed a hand on Tsireya's shoulder, comforting her as much as she could. Tsireya grinned ever so slightly and leaned her head into Adhara's shoulder, resting the worries away.

"Tsireya— oh." Lo'ak entered the Marui pod, searching for Tsireya like always. "Lo'ak." Tsireya mumbled in a tired voice as she was rubbing her eyes to wake herself up fully. Adhara smiled gently and pulled away from her little cousin.

"What happened, Lo'ak?" Tsireya asked curiously, her ears perking up at the boy. Adhara looked at Tsireya's eyes for a split second and took notice of how in love her cousin was with the boy.

"Nothing, just wanted to... spend time with you?" Lo'ak looked everyone but into Tsireya's eyes. Adhara snickered and took his nervousness as a cue for her to leave the love birds alone.

It had been a rough and long month. Lo'ak's presence would define help Tsireya with her unnecessary worries about her own parent's approval or disapproval.

Adhara looked back at them one more and saw how Tsireya had a huge grin plastered on her face, caused by the one and only Lo'ak. Adhara slightly sighed, feeling peaceful, and walked over to Ronal and Tonowari's Marui pod.

"Adhara, come help us with this soup. We have to make a big batch of it for the celebration reunion this eclipse." Ronal didn't even give Adhara time to consider, she grabbed Adhara's hand and dragged her to where everyone sat.

There were other Metkayina women, they where all already preparing the ingredients for the soup. All of them had genuine smiles on their face, greeting Adhara.

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