Restless Waves

Chapter 35

The boys sat together for a while on Shroud Island. When it was time for Rowan to go back to the mainland, they felt very comfortable in each other's presence and had talked a lot about surfing. Kaerius took Rowan back to the rocks and was a little reluctant to let him go.

Rowan felt him holding on, even when he tried to clamber out of the water. "I have a two-hour seminar soon. I'll come back to see you after."

Kaerius nodded, and his hands loosened on Rowan's waist. Kaerius hated waiting for him, but he figured that his life was going to be like that forever. He would always be waiting for Rowan to come back to the ocean.

"Go see Jaiker or Laiken. Go find some fish or whatever it is you do under there," Rowan smiled.

"Find fish. Kaerius hungry." Kaerius patted his stomach and Rowan chuckled.

"All right, well, I'll see you later." Rowan, with a thumping heart, leaned forwards and kissed Kaerius on the cheek. His skin was cold and wet. Kaerius looked sheepishly away. Rowan hadn't seen him shy; it was cute.

When Rowan was out of the water, he waved goodbye to the Thalassic Mortal. Kaerius waved a webbed hand in return and didn't want to be the first one to leave. Neither did Rowan, so they both edged backwards until the bond felt uncomfortable.

It was easier for Kaerius to leave if he was already hurting.

Rowan's walk to university felt long. With every step, his brain felt like it expanded and pressed against his skull. Rowan had a lot to think about, but at least his relationship with Kaerius was levelling out. Without worrying about what his mother would think, he worried about what his mother was hiding. Rowan buried his thoughts when he saw the grand building looming over the beach.

He couldn't yet decide if the university was getting in the way, or somewhere for him to escape from the chaos.

After the two-hour seminar, Rowan packed his things clumsily fast.

"Solar," Jack said, walking out of the room. Rowan had sat on the front row, and Jack had sat a few seats away. They didn't have one conversation the entire time. Rowan had tried, but Jack ignored him. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk about the group assignment. You still haven't added me to the Facebook group."

"I sent you the work. What more do you need?" Jack stopped and peered at him over his thick-framed glasses. "You look... odd."

Rowan raised a brow. "You look exhausted."

"I am. I've been up for almost three days."

"And you... think I look odd?" Rowan asked, pulling at the bottom of his t-shirt. He suddenly felt nervous. Jack was sleep-deprived enough. Maybe the bond was visible somehow. "Wait, why on earth have you been up for that long?"

"Yeah. Something's off about you." Jack stared harder until Rowan squirmed under his gaze. "Just kidding," he said and slapped Rowan's chest a little too hard. He turned and marched towards the library, sighing when he heard Rowan's footsteps following.

"You're not a very good team player. I want to speak to the other group members," Rowan said, trying to act as average as he could.

"Well, look for them yourself. It's in your emails, but I suggest not wasting your time. You and I, we are the only smart ones. We'll carry the load."

Rowan scoffed, and Jack stopped so abruptly, Rowan tripped over himself to avoid crashing into Jack's back. They were outside the library doors, and the sky was beginning to look bleak.

"I'm serious, Solar. The other group members are not pulling their weight. They don't care. We care. That is why we are going to study at your house."