Page 22 of Waves

Tea house?

... Fine.

Meet me @ 11 when they switch to the lunch menu, she replied with a winking face.

See you then, I typed back. With that, I finally climbed out of bed to shower.

Mary already had a table when I walked through the front door. I was not even a tardy person, but she almost always arrived before me somehow. She also ordered a samovar of something herbal for the both of us to share. It was a helluva lot of tea, but the two of us could usually tackle one in an afternoon. There was just something about bitching about the people you knew and drinking tea that went hand in hand.

I sat down across from her, but Mary remained unusually quiet. She ordered borscht for herself, and I got syrniki. Not something I indulged in often, but I could really use some sweet, cheesy goodness while in such a funk.

“Ezra...” Mary sounded as if preparing to give a lecture while stirring honey into her tea.

“Mary?” I mimicked with the same intonation while fiddling with my utensils.

“See? Something is up with you. What aren’t you telling me?”

I sighed and took a large gulp of tea to avoid having to answer. Mary would call me a liar if I told her, but I couldn’t really blame her. I’d think the same if she came to me with such a wild story.

“It has to do with that guy, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe,” I said while shifting in my chair.

“Come on, you can tell me.” Mary scooted closer to the table and gave me her full attention.

“That guy, uh, he didn’t just leave...”

“Oh, so something did happen?” she asked with a smirk.

“No, no,” I said with a wave of my hand. “That’s the thing, Mar. He was a genuinely good person—and I liked that about him. Still, last thing I’d do is make a pass at someone in such a tough spot. He just—I don’t know—he was good company.”

Mary took a long sip from her cup while quirking an eyebrow at me. She kept her thoughts to herself, so I could only guess what she thought yet again: that I ran into the arms of the first guy who gave me an ounce of attention, then rebounded with my ex after a rejection. I liked to think that wasn’t an entirely accurate assessment.

Mary held her cup with both hands while she stared back at me. “So, then, if he didn’t just leave... what happened?”

“You won’t even believe me, Mar,” I said, resting my chin in my hands. When I glanced at some leaves settled in the bottom of my cup, I suddenly wished we were drinking liquor instead. I could use some liquid courage.

“Try me.”

“So, this guy walks out of the ocean, butt-freaking-naked like he’s Neptune or some shit. And I mean, yeah, I can’t help but notice he’s got the body of a god, too. So, we chat, and I lend him my spare joggers, and I think that’s it. Later that afternoon, I’m heading home after binging sushi with you, and the poor guy is still on the beach because he lost all his stuff and can’t get home without it. I end up telling him he can come to my house and use the phone. Long story short, he winds up having dinner with me and stays the night.”

“Sexy.” She followed her comment with a proud smile.

“He slept on the couch,” I said while rolling my eyes, “and he didn’t try a damn thing the entire time he was alone with me.”

“That’s not very romantic,” she said with a wrinkled nose.

“Because it wasn’t! I can’t explain it, Mar, we just... we had fun. Talked a lot, laughed plenty, and hung out in front of the television. I had such a good time I even got kinda bummed at the idea of him leaving the next day.”

“So, why’d you cut him loose?”

“The next morning, he says he needs to get something at the beach. So, we go, and we’re having a fine time, and we have a moment... I guess, if you could call it that, and then he...” I paused with my fingers in the air, realizing too late I’d been talking with my hands. My palms rested back on the tabletop, and I sighed. “And then he was gone... and there was... I saw a seal in the water. Phoca vitulina—and exactly where he dove in. After I watched the seal swim away, that was it.”

Mary snorted before she erupted into raucous laughter. “Next time, just admit you got slutty with a random guy who never called you back.”

Nervously, I laughed along with Mary and folded my hands on the table in front of me. I called it. I knew she would never believe me.

“A selkie.” Mary chuckled to herself. “Like I would buy that.”