Page 4 of Waves

I looked up at him and nodded. “Sure.”

He hopped off his bike when I approached and extended his hand. Nice to see the humans were still shaking hands. Their social customs changed far too often for me to keep up.

“Hi,” he said with a small laugh. “I, uh, I’m Ezra. You?”

I really didn’t know how to respond. Humans had names for almost everything. In theory, I should have had a name once. What that name was, I hadn’t the faintest idea, but someone must have called me something. No one remembered being born. Much in the same way, I couldn’t recall living as anything other than a seal and seals didn’t have proper names. I was just me.

As for using a fake name, that proved tricky. I didn’t come ashore for social calls. Usually, I tried to stay as far from the humans as possible, regardless of what form I sported. I never carried out this long of a conversation with one before, either. The language I had always inherently known, though certain things slipped my grasp over the years. For example, this barren strip of earth beneath our feet was called a road. I understood the humans named their roads to tell one from another. Unfortunately, I had no clue what this one was. Much in the same way, the humans had towns and states and countries. I wasn’t aware of what those were called, either. So, when tasked with picking a word the humans used to distinguish one another, I was at a loss.

Ezra patiently awaited a response that I was not sure would come. I flicked my eyes upwards, where a colorful object danced in the wind. Well, that would have to do. I knew the word for it, at least. I only needed to think harder.

“Kite?” I mumbled. Part of me wondered if that was what the object was, and if that was an acceptable human name. I remained doubtful on both counts.

“Kai?” Ezra asked with a tilt of his head.

“Sure.” I slowly nodded. Kai would do.

Kai and I clearly did not wear the same size, which made walking back to my place almost comical. He was not much taller but broader, especially in the shoulders. His abs alone made me reconsider my initial assessment, where I dismissed him as an athlete. And his butt... you didn’t even want me to get started on that perfect butt. My sweats fit more like yoga pants on him.

I walked my bike inside my garage and before putting my key in the door. Kai lingered in the driveway, keeping his distance while he peeked at the house. I didn’t really blame him for being cautious in the times we lived in. Sure, being a stranger meant he very well could be dangerous. He still had every right to be wary of me, too. I could be some kind of wacko who lured handsome guys to my house and then hacked them to pieces. I wasn’t, but I could be.

Ishmael began barking like mad in the house, but I didn’t open the door yet. The only reason I felt safe even considering bringing a stranger home was him. He might be a big baby with me, but his bark could lead anyone to believe otherwise.

As if the noise weren’t enough warning, I turned to Kai and said, “I have a dog.”

Kai weaved around my car and waited at the bottom step behind me. His blank stare made about as much sense as my previous sentence.

“I mean, he’s a bit of a jumper. You okay with dogs?”

“Sure,” Kai said with a smile.

I took a deep breath and shoved the door open. Ishmael bounced on his front paws while he fought the urge to leap up and greet me, his tail swinging so hard he smacked it against the walls of the entry before stepping back into the kitchen. I gave him a quick pat on the head and took hold of his faux leather collar, just in case.

Kai slid through after me, stepping to the side, then closing the door. Ishmael let out the most terrifying, guttural sound I ever heard him emit, and his hair stood on end before he threw himself forward. Suddenly, I felt glad I thought far enough ahead to keep a hand on him.

Despite my shushing, Ishmael barked at Kai and flashed a mouth full of teeth at the perceived intruder. To be honest, I never thought he would act this way. Ishmael always behaved when we went out, and he never acted this way when Mary came over. Then it hit me: Ishmael was not used to being around a lot of men, never mind seeing any walk into his home.

I dragged Ishmael to my side while he continued to react defensively. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I didn’t think he’d get this upset.”

“It’s fine.” Kai hadn’t moved from his spot by the door. Almost a hundred pounds of teeth and fur didn’t appear to be making him nervous. Kai crouched down, so he had to look up at me when he said, “It’s just because he doesn’t know me. You can let him go.”

“What?”

“He just wants to sniff me. You know, assess the threat.”

Good to know my dog did nothing to intimidate him. Even so, I certainly would not release my snarling dog on this guy. Instead, I walked a few steps closer while still keeping a firm hold on Ishmael’s collar. Ishmael leaned in while he sniffed around Kai’s legs and his tail slowly began to wag. I gave Ishmael some slack, and he head-butted Kai’s hand for some pats.

I could not believe it. My surprisingly ferocious dog now diffused, he tried to climb in this guy’s lap while licking his neck. Kai appeared pleased with the welcome committee and scrubbed Ishmael’s ears in his hands.

“What are you, a dog trainer?” I asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“No.” Kai laughed and shook his head.

“Then how did you do that?”

Another shrug for an answer from him.

I laughed, and Kai smiled back at me.