This is Book 1 of the Arcelia Series.* Book 2 is in the works!
*Can be read as a stand-alone
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Malik Jackson needed help. After being exiled from the ocean, he washed up on the beach covered in injuries and missi...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~ ~ Malik ~ ~
I healed slowly over the next few days. As promised, Xander stayed with me the entire time. We talked about everything and nothing. The time passed so easily when we spoke, conversation flowing effortlessly. I had never clicked with anyone like that before.
I was able to leave the tank on the fourth day, just after a week since I was brought here. Xander already had a warm towel waiting for me. He wrapped me up and dried me off so my legs came back, and then took me to the changing wall. He gave me a set of new clothes, and then let me have some privacy while I changed.
After I was ready, he walked with me back to my room. "I'm gonna go make sure you're ready to be released. I'm not taking any chances with Virgil's wrath if I take you home too early," he gave me a little smile before he walked away.
I could tell he was excited to show me where he lives, but I hoped that he would be okay with me just staying there. I am kind of a stranger, and we hardly know each other. My thoughts spiraled easily after that, running through every possible outcome. I worried about being a bad roommate, or about Xander getting tired of me, or about getting spotted at the nearby beach by someone from the ocean. What if they tried to kill me again?
I didn't even notice when Xander walked in. When he placed a hand on my shoulder, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Hey," he sat down in front of me on the bed, tilting his head slightly as he looked at me. "You have nothing to worry about." His soft voice seemed to soothe and comfort my soul.
"Are you totally sure that this is what you want?" I was still quite insecure and really thought Xander would reject me when he got tired of me.
"What, this relationship? Malik, I've never wanted anything more in my entire life," he reached out and took my hand, rubbing his thumb along my knuckles. The action sent a little jolt of affection through my chest. "I want you with me for as long as you'll have me by your side, that's for certain. Please don't feel so insecure, you have no reason to."
I opened my mouth to reply, but he beat me to it. "And don't even think about apologizing for feeling this way. I don't know what kind of relationships you've had in the past, romantic or otherwise, but I do know that something is causing you to think that you're unworthy of a soulmate, and that is not true."
I nodded, staring down at our hands. "I was raised to believe that being gay meant that I would never have a real soulmate, and that I was a sinner, a freak. Now that I have you, I'm just waiting to wake up, like it's some kind of dream."
"I understand," Xander gave my hand a squeeze before he let go. "You deserve happiness, Malik. That sounds really cheesy, but I'll wait as long as it takes for you to realize that this isn't a dream."
"Okay," I took a deep breath to rid my mind of those worries. "Am I free to go?"
"Yes, but apparently Adrian wants to say goodbye," Xander let out the softest, most attractive giggle I'd ever heard. "He took a liking to you."
