where the water meets the moon | e.d.

twelve

ethan

i really did sleep until dinner, and i woke up with a frustrated evan in the midst of an attempt to drag me out of my bed.

my muscles are sore, but i feel rested.

"addy's not getting up either," he groans, walking out into the hall to knock on her door harshly. "wake up! i'm serious this time."

both of us hear nothing, so he nudges her door open a little.

and there she lays, completely sprawled out on the bed. her head is where her feet should be, and her blankets and sheets are twisted around.

i stifle a laugh at her messy, staticky hair and the lines on her arms that tell me she might've even had a better nap than me.

"slap her," i whisper.

"no, are you crazy?" he whispers back. "if you want to hit her so bad, go for it. see where it ends you up."

i lean against the doorway with an eye roll, crossing my arms over my chest. addison is still out like a light to the point where i'm not even sure she's breathing.

"addison, we're sinking...." evan sing songs, trying to prompt her awake.

nothing.

"my leg just got bitten off by a shark. i need emergency surgery," he says.

nothing.

"one direction is back together," i try.

and boom. her eyes are open.

"really?" she asks in a gravelly voice, not moving anything but her mouth.

"no," i push myself off the door frame. "you just seem like you had that phase. get up."

she groans, but sits upright and stretches her arms over her head that's covered in a bird nest of hair. it looks like it was previously in a ponytail, but i can't even tell at this point.

"avery's frying some more fish he caught while you guys were asleep. hurry up, he's in a rough mood," evan warns and i follow him out the door of the small room.

sure enough, as soon as i step foot into the dining area i hear a sizzle of oil and a string of curses fly from the old sailer's mouth.

"ow," he clutches his finger that got hit by the hot oil drop. "damn it."

we take a couple seats in the booth, and i watch as evan doodles on napkins. he draws dolphins, whales, waves, and starfish. he's a good drawer, apparently.

"ethan, you gotta do something about your sleep mumbling," avery shakes his head as he drops a piece of fish into the oil. "every three minutes i have to listen to you going on about the most irrelevant things."

"i know," i sigh. "i've seen a couple of doctors about it. they said it's common and might wear off with age. i've been doing it since i was young. my girlfriend hates it."

evan looks up from his drawings. "really? that doesn't seem like a very girlfriend-y thing to do."

i shrug. "she just thinks it's annoying. i can't help it."

"it's mildly relaxing," addison yawns as she makes an appearance into the kitchen and the conversation. "seriously, if i ever need a source of entertainment before i fall asleep i just listen to you unknowingly ramble on about climate change and margot robbie. very different topics, by the way."

i feel my face redden as i realize that this boat is so small that everyone can hear it. "just shut up about it, addison."

her eyebrows furrow as she confusedly looks between evan and avery. "b-but they— you didn't tell them to stop talking about it? why me?"

i ignore her as she takes a seat across from me and starts to talk to evan about his drawings. i can't help but notice her hair isn't as unruly as it was before, and i almost laugh at the memory of it.

as soon as avery is done with the first couple pieces, he hands them over and let's us pick our choice of condiments. addison eats ketchup with her fish, i choose hot sauce, and evan... ranch. gross.

"there's supposed to be a strawberry moon tonight," captain avery says, stuffing a piece of fish into his mouth. "supposed to be real pretty."

for some reason, my eyes find addison's. she looks just as confused as to why she looked to me as well.

i clear my throat, looking back down at my plate and pretending i don't care.
because i don't.

strawberry moons are caused by partial eclipses, and it would be really nice to see it with the open water around. but i know that addison would be out there too.

after we finish dinner, avery throws away all the plates, puts the rest of the fish in the freezer, and tells us to make ourselves busy doing whatever.

evan decides to go to bed early, and addison sits on the small couch, writing on lined notebook paper.

then i remember that i have to write my letters too. i'll hopefully be getting some back this friday, as well.

and i'm just really wishing one of them will be from kendall.

"goodnight," i call out, knowing i'm probably not going to be going to bed.

addison gives me a funny look, but i brush it off.

so i go to bed and i wait.

i wait for the sky to darken and the moon to appear.