Trapped in Neverland

17

The next day, I walk down to the ocean's shore. Peri, Amora, and Wendy went into town, leaving Felix and I alone, while he sleeps in the house. I know that fae don't like going in water, because you can't fly with the water on your wings like that, as it is too heavy.

But today, I want to go into the water.

As I walk into the ocean, and the water laps around my legs, the chill of the ocean claws up my body. I don't care, despite the cold. I sit down and let the water lap up around my chest. I'm still in the shallow end, and I let my wings soak up some water. Make them a bit shinier.

I sit for a while, and then I hear footsteps in the sand. I turn around and see Felix walk up, and take off his shirt. I nearly gasp when I see the muscles and the scars on him. He walks over to the water's edge, and looks at me, pulling up his pant legs.

"Your clothes are soaked," he says.

I blush and look away from him. I was staring, wasn't I?

"You don't have to come in the water, too," I say.

"I wanted to," he says. He looks down, below the waves, and he sits down beside me. "So, what's going on in your head?"

"Nothing," I lie.

"Don't lie to me." I look at him, shocked at the sharpness of his voice. He sighs. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just worried about you."

"You don't need to be," I say.

"Yes, I do," he says. "Tink, I know that this is hard, but —"

Suddenly, something stirs. In fact, I think Felix felt it, too. He looks at me.

"Did you feel that, too?" I ask him.

He nods. "What was it?"

"I don't know," I say.

Then, I remember the dream I had, so I decide to bring it up to him. I tell him everything... and then, he looks over at me, a sparkle in his hazel eyes.

"You think it was him?"

"Who?"

"Pan."

I blink. "Um ..."

"I know it sounds crazy, but I think I had a similar dream, and it was about him, too. I just don't remember anything else about it aside from that it was Pan."

"Well, I know that something was wrong with him the last time we saw him," I say. "But I don't know what was wrong, though."

"I don't know, either," he says.

"Well maybe we will figure out what happened to him someday. But right now, I don't want to think about Pan."

"What do you want to think about?"

"I honestly don't know," I say.

As the tide comes in, I get up and sit in the shallower end of the water, where it swirls around my lower chest area. Felix gets up and sits down beside me. I look at him, and he looks at me.

"You know ..." I say, "I don't know what is going on with the whole world right now, because it seems like everyone is dead who knew us before. Like Hawk. She's ..."

"You don't have to say it," he says softly.

"I do," I say. "She's dead, and I have to move on and figure out what to do now. And it's just hard. You know?"

"Well, I certainly do know what you're talking about, but enough on him," he says.

"Okay. Now what?"

He looks at me, and then his gaze trails down. Beneath the water. I blink and he looks up at my eyes again.

"Sorry," he says, his voice turning deeper.

"For what?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, and the strange look in his eyes makes me feel weird. I look at the sky, where the sun is now setting a little lower than before.

"Okay, I'm just gonna ask you this," I say. "Do you like me?"

"Very much so," he says.

"Okay, um, why?"

He laughs. "Why? Because you're you, Tinkerbell. I don't just like you, I ..."  He swears. Then he kisses me.

My eyes widen, but then, my arms wrap around him, and he deepens the kiss, exploring my mouth with his. I close my eyes and let myself fall into his kisses. Kisses that I didn't know I needed so badly.

"Sorry," he says softly after the kiss ends. "I just had to —"

I kiss him on the lips. He cups my face in his hands, holding me like I am the most precious thing. He holds me tight but gently. We embrace then, and continue to kiss for a while, before we head back to the house.