AR-131

Fish Tank

I walk into the apartment at 9:34 PM, done with my work at the ice cream shop on the corner. Selene is waiting for me, smiling in her candle-lit apartment.

"I have something to show you," she whispers. Her cheeks turn faintly pink. She takes my hand and leads me to the back wall. A space has been cleared, and a brand new fish tank is set up, the water swirling through the filter. Playing inside are miniature otters, dolphins, and various fish, even a few different kinds of sharks.

"They're not really alive," Selene quickly says. "I didn't hurt any animals for this. My friend, he can draw things that come to life. I asked if he would draw this for us and, well... I think he did a really good job. Plus we don't have to worry about feeding them or cleaning the tank!"

I smile and nod. I'm entranced by the sight.

"I thought you would like it, especially since... you know."

"I do," I say. I turn and hug her. "Thank you."

Selene turns her eyes away and then looks up at me. I almost feel my mouth go dry.

"Ari, do you... how come you never go out with any of those boys?"

"What?" I ask.

"The ones who give you their numbers. They think you're pretty and they want to... date you."

"You don't want me to date them."

Selene turns away. "I never said that. If you want to, you should. It's part of being human."

I look at her curly hair, glistening with the blue light from the tank and the warm glow of the candles.

"I don't really know if I want to. How do I know?"

"Oh, well, you feel your heart beat really fast, and it's hard to breathe, your mouth dries up... sometimes you can get a stomachache."

I think about the things that I can feel and can't feel, and the way I've almost felt for the past few months. "Selene, I can't really feel most of those things. But if I could... I'm pretty sure I'd be feeling that about you."

Selene's head jerks up, and she looks at me. I can tell she's nervous. I feel like maybe I'm supposed to be nervous too, but I just feel warm and happy.

"That's how I feel about you," she whispers.

We're quiet for a moment, still in our hug from earlier. I'm not sure what to do. We never talked about this- I've only watched TV and read books, so I'm pretty sure that what I'm supposed to do now is—

"Can I see if you feel this?" Selene asks. I nod.

She leans forward, and our noses are touching. She looks in my eyes one last time, then closes her eyes, her long black eyelashes brushing her cheeks. I lean forward the last couple of centimeters and our lips touch, and I'm on fire.

I feel so many emotions I've never felt before. At this moment, I am positive my heart exists, because I can feel it beating. I know I can.

I press farther into the kiss and feel her hands wrap around my waist. I do the same to her, and now I can feel everything at once. Everything I've ever wanted to feel or longed for is right here in Selene's arms, in her hair, in her lips. I can smell the fresh scent of plants and the warm, underlying scent of her skin, and I don't want to ever let her go.