Ocean Kisses

Lunch

keralis pov

I led XB to a little surf-and-turf café, the kind of place that offered a relaxed vibe with the ocean’s salty air mingling in the background. It wasn’t fancy—more like a cozy, laid-back spot where you could get a great steak and a side of fresh seafood if you wanted to. I wasn’t sure if he’d be into the whole “surf” part, but I figured I’d let him decide.

We sat down at a table outside.

As we sat there, enjoying the view of the waves lapping against the shore, the waitress came over with a bright, professional smile. "Good afternoon! How are you two today?" she asked, setting a pair of menus in front of us.

I gave her a casual smile, already knowing what I was going to order. "We’re doing good, thanks," I said, glancing up at XB, who was already eyeing the menu like it was a complex puzzle.

The waitress, clearly accustomed to tourists and regulars alike, launched into her routine. "Well, for today’s specials, we’ve got a beautiful selection of fresh seafood. We have grilled lobster tails, shrimp scampi, and the catch of the day—pan-seared sea bass, straight from the docks this morning. Our chef’s special today is a seafood platter with oysters, calamari, and clams on ice."

As she rattled off the list, I could see XB’s posture stiffen. His teal eyes flickered faintly with a glow, and his fingers twitched, like he was trying to hold his discomfort in check. I raised an eyebrow, noting how his lips pressed into a thin line, his body language giving him away. It wasn’t just the menu; it was the whole situation.

I quickly jumped in to spare him further distress. "We’ll just stick with the usuals. I’ll have the steak and potatoes, and as for the appetizer, we’ll get the fried mushrooms and fried pickles." I smiled at XB, who seemed a bit taken aback by my choice of appetizers.

The waitress nodded cheerfully, scribbling down our order. "Fried mushrooms and fried pickles, wonderful choice! Those are some of our most popular sides." She flashed a smile at XB, who was still eyeing the menu with wariness. "And for you, sir? Have you decided on a dish?"

XB hesitated for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping the table. "Yeah, I’ll just go with the steak," he said, clearly trying to sound casual, but there was an almost imperceptible edge to his tone. "Thanks."

The waitress gave a friendly nod and handed us the wine list, then walked off to put in our orders. I turned back to XB, who was now looking at the table, clearly still a little unsettled.

I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. "You looked like you were about to bolt when she started talking about fish."

He glanced up at me with a small, almost apologetic smile. "It’s just… I’m not really a fan of seafood. Or, you know, anything aquatic," he muttered, his voice lowering just slightly as if he didn’t want to admit it out loud. His eyes briefly flickered over to the water, and I could tell that, while he was trying to keep his cool, the whole ocean-related thing was weighing on him.

I laughed, teasing him lightly. "You know, for someone who’s so composed, you sure seem to be a little squeamish when it comes to fish. What’s the deal? You’ve got a bad experience with seafood?"

He shook his head quickly, avoiding eye contact. "Not exactly. Just… a personal preference," he said, his voice tight. He seemed like he wanted to leave it at that, but there was something in the way his hand clenched around the edge of his glass that told me it wasn’t just a simple dislike of fish.

I decided not to push him too hard. "Fair enough. More steak for us, then," I said, lifting my glass of water in a little mock toast.

XB nodded, his shoulders relaxing a fraction. "Yeah, steak’s safe. Can’t go wrong with a good steak."

As we sat there, waiting for our meal, I could tell the conversation had shifted, and he was slowly starting to open up more, though his eyes still seemed to flicker back to the water every now and then, like he couldn’t fully relax. I wondered if he was still thinking about the ocean, or maybe something deeper than that.

The fried mushrooms and pickles arrived soon after, and I passed them over to XB with a grin. "So, ever tried fried pickles or mushrooms before?" I asked, my voice light.

He eyed the plate curiously. "Pickles?" He sounded genuinely confused, which made me laugh.

"Yeah, you know—sliced pickles, battered and fried. It’s a thing here," I explained, holding one up for emphasis.

He blinked a couple of times, clearly trying to process the concept. "You… fry pickles?" He seemed completely bewildered by the idea.

I just nodded with a grin. "They’re surprisingly good. Try one. They’ve got a nice tang to them."

XB took a cautious bite of a fried pickle, his face a little unsure at first, then slowly, his eyes widened slightly as the taste hit him. "Huh. Okay, that’s actually pretty good," he said, clearly surprised by the flavor. "I don’t know what I expected, but this… this isn’t bad."

I chuckled, watching him as he took another bite, clearly warming up to the idea of fried pickles. "See? I told you. Sometimes, the strangest things taste amazing."

He nodded slowly, looking at the fried mushrooms. "I’ll take your word for it with the mushrooms, though. You’re on your own there."

We sat back and ate, the conversation easing into more casual topics, but I couldn’t shake the thought that there was still something else beneath the surface with XB—something I hadn’t yet fully figured out.

"You know there's an ocean monument not too far from here, right?" I asked, hoping to strike up a conversation, but XB just looked at me for a moment with a raised brow, his eyes narrowing slightly. He gave a small nod, though, acknowledging my words.

"Yeah, I've heard," he said, his voice quiet, like he was processing the information before replying.

I leaned back slightly, thinking about the experience. "There's a whole bunch of guardians and stuff there too. I saw one once… I’m not sure what to think of it. I think it was a hybrid—guardian and human of some sort. So, like a merman, but not really. It was… different."

As I closed my eyes, trying to figure out the best way to explain what I'd seen, the sounds of the bustling street filled the air around us. Cars cruised by, their engines humming in the background, the distant chatter of pedestrians mixing with the sounds of a city waking up for the day. The clinking of glasses and silverware from inside the restaurant added a subtle soundtrack to our conversation.

Suddenly, I noticed XB’s posture shift ever so slightly. He sucked in a breath, his eyes growing more intense as he listened, and for a brief moment, I thought I heard him mutter something under his breath. It was so quick, I wasn’t sure if I’d even caught it correctly, but I thought I heard him say, “So it was you…”

Before I could react, a car zoomed by just a few feet away, its engine roaring past, momentarily drowning out his voice. He didn’t repeat himself, though, so I couldn't confirm if I had actually heard what I thought I did.

I paused, glancing over at him, my curiosity piqued. XB wasn’t looking at me now; his gaze had shifted to the window, watching the traffic outside, his expression unreadable. He seemed like he was deep in thought, but I couldn’t quite tell if he was processing my words or something else entirely.

A waitress arrived just then, interrupting the moment. She set down two tall glasses of iced tea, the condensation on the outside of the glass beading up in the warm afternoon air. "Here you go, gentlemen," she said, her tone cheerful. "Enjoy your drinks!"

I gave her a polite smile, thankful for the distraction. XB didn’t immediately reach for his glass. His eyes lingered on the drink, then flicked back to me, his expression still hard to read. He finally took a sip, the ice clinking in the glass as he set it down with a quiet sigh.

I watched him carefully, wondering if he was going to address what I had said or if he'd let it go. The cars outside seemed to speed up, their tires humming on the pavement, while a few people walked by, oblivious to the conversation inside.

“So… uh,” I said, trying to fill the silence and keep the conversation moving. "I mean, have you ever heard of something like that? A hybrid guardian?" I looked at him, my curiosity growing stronger with each passing second.