TO THE LIGHT

6 | JUST ONE LOOK

Italian translations are in the comments!

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| JUNE |

During the perilous voyage from Capri to Sorrento, Lucia went to a happy place by imagining herself on her rock, a book in her hand and Harry by her side. That's all she wanted. Her little slice of heaven with a man just as heavenly.

And fortunately for her, that's what she's had for the last month. He came back to Lucia five weeks ago, and he's barely left.

With Harry around every single day, the pair have not only grown closer, but they've both learned a lot, too.

For example, Harry quickly discovered that Lucia likes to watch him splash his fins in the water as she does the same with her feet, so he put on a show for her. That earned him sweet giggles upon her seeing the playful action.

She figured out that Harry enjoys both giving and receiving physical touch. They held hands all day on their first one back together, only separating the hold earlier on in it when Lucia ran up to the lighthouse to grab A Streetcar Named Desire so she could continue reading it to him.

The pair were back to linking their fingers together again with shy smiles in no time. It made turning pages a bit of a faff, but neither of them cared to point it out or change a thing.

After she wrapped up reading the book a little after sunset the very same day, her feet and calves still submerged in the ocean alongside Harry's fins and tail, that's when the lessons truly began. Lucia would soon come to know all about her merman both that night and the coming weeks.

One story was finished, closed and out of the way. Theirs was about to continue.

"I have questions." She spoke softly, Harry's eyes and grin sparkling even in their dimming surroundings upon hearing her voice say such a thing.

He chuckled and nodded, "I'd be worried if you didn't."

Lucia laughed as well, soon removing her feet from the sea to turn and face Harry in a cross-legged position. His fingers still remained linked with her own, and he moved them to rest their held hands on her bare left knee instead. That had Lucia's breath faltering, but she pulled herself together in the name of curiosity.

"When I was under the water... you came to my rescue." She started carefully, feeling a small bout of fear and nausea as she thought about her horrid drowning experience, "How did you find me?"

Harry shifted a little nervously where he sat, his thumb lightly tracing the back of Lucia's hand in a calming manner. Just like his stare made her skin tingle, his touch did, too.

"I've been watching over you." He murmured shyly, his cheeks a light shade of crimson, "I know I left you so suddenly, but I was never truly far away. I came to the surface every day to see you, but at a distance. You wouldn't have seen me from where I was, however I would've seen you if you were down by the cove. You never were, though."

Lucia had holed herself away up by the lighthouse lamp for the last month, so that's the reason why Harry never saw her. She wasn't ready to brave Piccola Fetta di Paradiso given what had happened, and it seemed Harry felt the same way. He didn't want to be seen until the time was right.

"During the storm, I was swimming nearby when I saw the boat you were on." Harry explained further, a sadness in his eyes as he squeezed Lucia's hand that had started to sweat slightly, "I didn't see you at first. The rain was so thick and the waves were too large, but I could make out two people in trouble, so I swam closer to help. I knew it would be needed, that the boat would capsize. There's no way it wouldn't."