Ocean Kisses

Starry Night

Keralis pov

To my surprise, XB and Beef hit it off remarkably well. It started with a simple exchange of jokes and quickly turned into a full-blown discussion about fishing techniques and sea folklore. Watching them interact so effortlessly was both amusing and oddly satisfying. I couldn’t help but smile as Beef’s hearty laughter echoed across the campsite.

Meanwhile, I decided to take a barefoot stroll along the shoreline with Xisuma, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for most of the night. The soft sand shifted underfoot, cool and damp from the evening tide. The moonlight reflected off the rippling water, casting a silvery glow across the beach. The waves lapped gently at the shore, their rhythm a calming background to our conversation.

“Someone saved you,” Xisuma said suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence. His voice was thoughtful, almost puzzled.

I stopped walking for a moment, turning to face him. “What do you mean, someone saved me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“I saw them,” he replied, glancing out at the ocean as if expecting to see the figure again. “When you and Beef were down there, I saw their fins breaking the surface for just a moment. But I didn’t get a good look at them—not until you called to them. XB... you called. I don’t think you realize how close you were to the boat when it happened.”

His words hit me like a tidal wave. I replayed the scene in my mind, remembering the panic, the blurred images of XB pulling me to the surface, and the desperate gasps for air as I ripped off my mask. I hadn’t realized we were that close to the boat, and hearing Xisuma say it now sent a chill down my spine.

“You’re sure it wasn’t just a dolphin or something?” I asked, trying to dismiss the thought, though my tone betrayed my uncertainty.

Xisuma shook his head, his expression firm. “No. Dolphins don’t have fins like that, and they definitely don’t respond to someone calling them by name.”

I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to brush it off, to pretend it was nothing more than a trick of the light or Xisuma’s imagination. But the other part—the part that had seen XB’s glowing fins and teal eyes—knew better.

“Look, Shishwammy,” I started, trying to sound casual, “maybe you were just seeing things. It’s been a long day, and—”

“Don’t do that,” Xisuma interrupted, his voice sharp but not unkind. His eyes fixed on mine with the intensity of someone piecing together a puzzle. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. That guy with Beef? The one who’s suddenly all buddy-buddy with him? He’s the same one that saved you. And don’t think I didn’t notice—you called him by the same name.”

I froze, the waves lapping at my ankles suddenly feeling much colder. “What are you talking about, Shishwammy?” I asked, feigning ignorance, though my voice wavered slightly.

He sighed, his tone softening but his determination unwavering. “Look, I’m not blind. When you yelled for XB earlier, I saw him—saw his fins, his teal eyes. And now, here he is, completely dry, perfectly normal, sitting at our camp like he’s just some guy. You don’t think that’s a little... odd?”

I swallowed hard, glancing back toward the campsite where Beef and XB were laughing like old friends. XB looked so casual, so human, it was almost impossible to reconcile him with the glowing fins and sharp, otherworldly features I’d seen underwater.

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” I said weakly, knowing how unconvincing I sounded. “There could be a perfectly logical explanation.”

Xisuma arched a brow, crossing his arms with an air of skepticism. “A logical explanation? Like what, exactly? That there’s just another guy named XB who happens to be an excellent swimmer with glowing fins and a knack for saving divers in distress? And while we’re at it—how exactly did he get here? We’re on an island, remember? I didn’t hear another boat approach, and we didn’t bring him. So unless he sprouted wings and flew, he swam here. And, might I add, swam through waters full of guardians without getting so much as a scratch.”

He wasn’t angry, but his confusion and curiosity were palpable. His gaze softened slightly as he continued, “Look, I’m not upset that he’s here—he seems decent enough, and Beef clearly likes him—but I just want to understand. How did he manage that? And why doesn’t he seem the least bit concerned about the dangers in these waters?”

I let out a long breath, running a hand through my hair as I tried to come up with an answer that wouldn’t throw XB under the metaphorical bus. “Okay, I’ll admit it’s... odd,” I began hesitantly. “But maybe he’s just... really experienced? You know, with the ocean and all that. Maybe he’s used to dealing with guardians.”

Xisuma gave me a flat look, the kind reserved for someone who knows they’re being fed a half-truth. “Really? He’s ‘experienced’? That’s the best you’ve got?”

I shrugged, trying not to let my nerves show. “Hey, you asked for a logical explanation, and that’s all I’ve got. Maybe he’s some kind of marine biologist or something.”

Xisuma pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly unimpressed. “A marine biologist who just happens to be named XB, shows up out of nowhere, and doesn’t bat an eye at the idea of diving near an ocean monument? Sure, why not.”

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, but before I could come up with a retort, Xisuma sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Look, I’m not trying to give you a hard time,” he said, his tone softening. “I just think there’s more to this guy than meets the eye. And if he’s tied to all the weirdness we’ve been dealing with lately, I think we deserve to know.”

I glanced back toward the campsite, where XB and Beef were still talking animatedly by the fire. XB looked completely at ease, blending into the scene as if he belonged there. But I knew better. I’d seen the fins, the glow, the way he moved through the water like it was a second home. Xisuma wasn’t wrong—there was more to XB than he was letting on. But whether or not it was my place to reveal that was another question entirely.

“I get it, Shishwammy,” I said quietly. “But maybe... just maybe, we should let him explain himself when he’s ready. Pushing too hard could make things worse.”

Xisuma studied me for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “Fair enough,” he said. “But I’m keeping an eye on him. And you, for that matter.”

I snorted. “What are you, my babysitter now?”

He smirked, the tension easing slightly. “Someone has to keep you out of trouble.”

As we made our way back to the campsite, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. XB had his reasons for keeping his secrets, and I didn’t want to betray his trust. But Xisuma’s questions lingered in the back of my mind, like the distant crash of waves against the shore—a reminder that the truth, like the ocean, had a way of surfacing when you least expected it.