Down By The Docks

♡

After passing through parts of town where Seraphim's gilded touch crumbled, and the newness of the city gave way to antiquity, where buildings sank into their foundations and subway tunnels collapsed in on themselves, they came to a dock in some forgotten warehouse district.

Abandoned factories jutted like bad teeth along the water's edge, broken windows glinting in the afternoon sun. Weeds shot up between the cracks in the concrete, nature seeding its dominion wherever it could. The skeletons of rusted machinery laid unceremoniously in heaps, half-covered by tarps.

A set of concrete steps led into the murky bay, its water a sickly brownish-green. Seagulls screamed their heads off the second Nora and Marina arrived, angered at the invasion on their terf.

Despite the beady black eyes honed in on her like laser pointers, Nora could see why Marina liked this place. There was beauty to it; in the way the rust lit up under the light, setting the entire world ablaze. The way steam curled off the waves and slunk toward the sky. The way the silence wasn't a preamble to a conversation no one wanted.

"I come here to read," Marina said, bringing to an end the comfortable silence. With their hands intertwined, Marina led them over to a bench. It sat forlornly underneath an old, knotted oak, its leaves already undergoing the transition from summer to fall.

Nora sat, back straight, too nervous to replicate a more relaxed position, while Marina stretched out like she owned the place, legs all the way out, sandals dug into the concrete, her back arched, arms waving overhead. Something mermaids had in common with fat, furry squatters.

"I feed the fish too," she added, resting both arms along the bench's back after giving them a final stretch. Her fingers grazed Nora's shoulder, immediately flooding Nora's brain with questions over whether it was intentional.

"What about them?" Nora thrust her chin toward the gulls.

"Ugh," Marina's nose wrinkled as the skin between her eyebrows pinched together, "Them? Those air hacks?" She shook her head, hair tumbling down her back. "No way. Not me. They can get tangled in seaweed and rot for all I care."

"Whoa." Nora leaned away, pretending to be struck by Marina's rage. She'd never seen her so angry, and at birds no less. She'd come close though whenever she talked about pollution and a sea turtle she knew personally who died because of someone's Starbuck's straw. "What'd they ever do to you?"

"Aside from poop freely without giving a second thought as to who might be getting pooped on?" Marina whipped her head around, her mouth split wide enough for Nora to make out all her teeth. "They're never satisfied."

"That's how I feel with shrimp ramen," Nora said. Marina rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth upturned slightly. "Open one cup, end up having three."

"Not like that," Marina said. "They take advantage of you. Give them grapes and they like it for a while but then they grow restless, demanding even more grapes. And if you don't give them their grapes, they peck at you, and flap their wings close to your head." She gritted her teeth, reaching up as if to defend herself from a harrowing memory. Bird attack, maybe. "You know how many grapes it takes to satisfy a flock of seagulls?" Nora shook her head. Marina exhaled. "A lot. Like a grocery cart full. And what's worse, everyone looks at you like you've lost your mind when you go to the checkout lane with your grape cart, and you end up branded for life at that store as 'grape girl.'" Her eyes were wet, pleading, bottom lip trembling. "It's awful."

While Marina looked thoroughly ruffled, Nora couldn't help but laugh. She could envision Marina perfectly, at the end of the dock, offering grapes to the gulls, all smiles and giggles, then everything taking a Hitchcockian turn and the birds swooping and pecking and scratching her.

"Quit it." Marina jabbed Nora in her ribs.

"Sorry." Nora snorted, trying to clear the last of the laughter from her throat. "It's just-I can picture it so perfectly and it's pretty funny."

Marina threw her arms over her chest. "They're ungrateful flying rats," she spat. Her expression soured as her mouth pulled into a knot, her eyebrows severely angled toward one another.

"I get it though." Marina turned, eyeing Nora suspiciously. "No, seriously," Nora continued. "I have a cat squatting with me who insists I feed him every two hours or he'll simply wither from starvation." She snorted, recalling Laffery's face that morning, his pleading eyes, his wet lips. The way his tail thumped impatiently along the floor as he watched her fill his bowl up with kibble. "He thinks I exist solely to appease him."

"Ah," Marina cocked her head, her frustration replaced with softness, "the infamous Laffery I've heard so much about. Sounds pretty gull-ish to me." She slid inward on the bench, toward Nora. Sunlight trickled through the tree's canopy, dusting her face in gold. Nora felt her heart race when their thighs touched. "If you like, I can be your hook up for some primo tuna. We're talking from seaside to table, with yours truly." She poked herself in the chest with a brightly colored orange fingernail. She'd given her nails a fresh coat of rainbow paint, matching Nora's sweater.

"I'd hate for you to think I'm using you for your connections," Nora replied. The words had stuck in her throat, becoming harder and harder to speak because she was afraid. This was going well. Too well. It was like she was in a cart, being steadily pulled up a mountain, and instead of enjoying the view, she was waiting for the drop, when everything would bottom out, when the bad things reared their ugly heads.

Marina placed a hand over her heart, brow furrowed. With a quirked mouth and a glimmer in her eye, she said, "Why, I would never." Leaning over, she looked deep into Nora's face. "The fish connections are a perk of dating me, right?"

At this, at Marina's closeness, at her playful demeanor and enchanting eyes, Nora nodded feverishly. "Oh, yeah." She giggled, something she hadn't done since her awkward high school days. "Definitely," she added, clearing her throat, "Love fish."

Marina motioned toward the bay. "Got a favorite?"

Nora paused. Usually, on dates, they asked what her favorite colors were, her favorite authors or bands. Not her favorite fish. "To eat or--"

"To whatever. Favorites are favorites just because. But I think humans are the only ones who eat their favorites." She frowned. "What a weird way of showing you like something."

Nora ran down a list of fish in her mind. There were trout, the inherit jerks of the water. Tuna, which was more Laffery's favorite than hers. Sturgeon, Carp, Flounder, Salmon, Groper. Come to think of it, she didn't eat a ton of fish, or have a ton of knowledge outside of the ones that could be grilled or blackened or served with butter sauce and over rice pilaf. She'd owned a pair of bettas once, which resulted in death and destruction after she'd put the males in a tank together.

Marina looked at her expectantly, head tilted, lips in a coy half-smile.

I feel like kissing you, Nora Campbell.

Nora gulped and chased that thought from her head. "Do whales count?"

Marina chuckled, her laughter filling the space with warmth. "No, I don't think they do." Nora glanced at her hands, heat rushing to her cheeks. Suddenly Marina's finger touched her nose. She blinked away her surprise as Marina brushed a piece of hair out of Nora's face. "But I like them," Marina said. She lingered on Nora's hair, running the strand through her forefinger and thumb. "They're beautiful singers." She glanced up, her lips wet, her eyes dazzling as they looked into Nora's.

I feel like kissing you, Nora Campbell.

I feel like kissing you, Marina Carpenter.

"What kinds of songs do they sing?"

Marina chewed on her lip a bit, watching the sun gild the tops of the surrounding factories before responding. "Same things humans sing about I guess."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. Love. Loss. The pain of both. They're really incredible."

"And they never shied away from inviting you to a soiree of theirs?"

"No, never. Not an uppity bone in their bodies. You have my permission to continue liking them, Nora."

Nora stared at her hands before looking up again. "And do I have your permission to continue liking you?" It was brazen, this question, and unexpected, Nora knew. She'd never think to ask it of anyone else, but Marina was different.

She studied Marina's face, searching it for answers. Seeing if she'd gone too far, if she'd been too sappy, if the sweetness of the moment had evaporated because of a stupidly asked, stupidly desperate question.

Slowly, Marina placed her hand on Nora's cheek. She turned to face her and leaned in, the tip of her nose touching Nora's. She held Nora's gaze, save for a second, when her eyes flitted to her lips before returning. "Can I kiss you now?"

"Is that your answer to my question?"

Marina's other hand pushed Nora's hair behind her ear. "It depends on this kiss."

"Okay."

Nora'd never been more scared of a kiss in her life. And she'd kissed plenty of girls. Her first had been on the playground in fifth grade. She was playing house with a few girls in her class and the boys were too busy missing the hoop on the basketball court to be bothered to play the father. So Nora took the role. Since loving mommies and daddies shared kisses, she kissed the girl playing the mommy.

It was a brief peck on the lips. A chaste kiss that the other girl had probably forgotten a week after. For Nora, that kiss changed her entire world. Since those days on the playground, Nora'd had her share of girlfriends, trysts, open relationships, and one-night stands.

And they'd been fine kisses, some more passionate and needy than others, but she'd never anticipated the kiss. There'd been no build-up, no butterflies assaulting her chest with their wings, no racing pulse, or sweaty palms. No hitch of breath because she was too nervous to breathe. Until now.

The wait was agony. Marina stared at Nora for a few seconds, and though Nora'd given her consent, she wondered what she was searching for. Certainty? Nora was certain. Perhaps she was giving Nora a few seconds to back out in case she had a change of heart. Nora's heart was determined. Leaning in and angling her head to avoid mashing noses, Nora pressed her lips against Marina's. Warmth exploded across her body until she felt incendiary.

Nora's hands reached up, fingers raking through Marina's hair desperate to feel her softness. She pulled Marina into her, their lips working in tandem. Nora savored the gentleness, the wetness. The way desire bubbled underneath the surface, threatening to burst their restraint. Marina desired her as much as she desired Marina.

Their breaths grew heavy, rapid. Eyes half-closed in ecstasy, Marina's eyelashes fluttering like the first snow of winter. When they separated, Marina's face was a bright pink. She was slow to open her eyes, like she hated to let the moment pass. Nora felt similarly; nothing in her life had ever echoed perfection like this before.

"That was," Marina pressed a finger into her lower lip and sucked in a breath, "good."

Nora nodded. "Yeah. It was." She slipped her hand in Marina's.

At this, Marina split into a smile. "You're free to continue liking me, Nora Campbell. In fact," she leaned in, resting her head on Nora's shoulder. "I'd like it if you liked me more."

"And why's that?"

She cast her gaze at Nora. "So that I can feel like you like me as much as I like you." Marina's free hand worked its way through Nora's hair.

"I like you plenty." Nora smiled. "I'd like you more if you made me a playlist of some pretty slappin' whale ballads though."

They both chuckled. Marina's fingers grazed Nora's chin, then pressed gently into her lips. "I promise to make you a playlist someday."

At this they smiled again, though Nora wasn't sure they'd ever stopped smiling, and then Marina slid her hand around Nora's head and pulled her in. "What about work?" Nora stammered.

Marina pulled her head back, concern flashing in her eyes. "Ah, the no-dating or else policy?"

Nora nodded.

Marina suddenly looked sad. "Do you not want to--"

"No!" Nora jerked forward. "No. A job's a job. This," her hand darted between them, "whatever this is, it's something--"

She searched for the right word, but didn't have time to settle on one before Marina was finishing her sentence. "More?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah." Marina leaned in, Nora meeting her halfway. They shared another kiss. Another. Another. Chatting and kissing and enjoying each other. Them, a two-person rainbow at the edge of the bay watching the sunset.

*

Nora hadn't stopped thinking of her date since she'd gotten back home. She remembered everything so clearly and savored the detail - how Marina's nose crinkled when she laughed. How one eyebrow arched higher than the other. How her nostrils flared when she got worked up about the environment. How her eyes grew shiny and her face grew strained whenever the conversation veered toward family.

She remembered the kiss. And the mountain of kisses that came after. How they got a feel for each other in minutes. How the awkwardness melted into familiarity. How everything just clicked the moment Marina had intertwined her fingers with Nora's.

Laffery snuggled against Nora's side, the cat's tail swatting at her leg as he slept off the lethargy that came with eating a whole slice's worth of cheese and pepperoni. His tiny snores reached Nora's ears as she stared at her phone on her nightstand. She'd finally put it away after texting Marina. Marina had sent an "I had a good time text" to which Nora had responded with, "Me too," and then that exchange started a flood of texting, asking more about each other's favorites, family circumstances, dreams. Throughout the night, Marina had sent a ton of fish-related GIFs.

The night prior, Lore had demanded Nora call her once her date was over, but considering it was four in the morning now, Nora decided she'd do that later.

Still unable to sleep, she reached for her phone and opened the HEA app. "Welcome back, Miss Green," chirped Tess. If the AI was real, Nora imagined she'd be one of those girls who could drink and party late into Sunday night only to come into work on Monday chipper and unaffected.

The app showed Nora she had a new notification. Nora's throat tightened. Had she been matched again already? Slowly, she clicked to display what it was. A message from BoatHoe777 read: Again, it's probably me just being rash and putting it all out there, but I wanted you to know tonight was...I can't really justify my feelings with words. They seem underwhelming. I might have a better chance explaining myself in dolphin, but I don't think this app can handle the translation. Anyway, feel free to decline, but know my heart's in this.

Decline what? Nora closed out of her messages. A pop-up displayed the words, "BoatHoe777 has liked you," while more confetti rained down her screen.

"Liked me?" Nora rolled over, waking Laffery. He swatted her leg before hopping off the bed and disappearing in the dark. She flicked on the light and shot up. "What does this mean, Tess?"

The little AI flickered across the screen, before highlighting a little heart. "If a person you've dated enjoyed their time with you, they will like you, allowing you to decide whether you want to continue seeing them." Tess flashed again, bringing up a message screen.

BoatHoe777 would like to continue dating you. Do you accept?

Nora threw her head back, smacking it against the backboard. "So that's what she meant."

"Well, Winter, the choice is yours."

Nora's finger hovered over the options. Yes. No.

"Selecting yes," Tess chimed in, "Will update your profile to 'currently unavailable' unless you have selected the option for polyamorous relationships. You can, of course, change your profile status back to 'available' if things don't work out."

Nora gulped. What if things didn't work out? What if they soured, and she ended up walking away? Worse, what if Marina walked away? What if she saw who Nora was and decided that, like her parents, she liked Nora for what she could be, not who she was?

Grab your moon, cuz. Change the tide of your fortune. Quit waiting for the tide to bring you to the destination you want to get to.

Nora had arms and legs. She could take herself to the places she wanted to go in life. All she had to do was try to put herself out there. If she could leak personal details about her love life on the internet for everyone to read and chuckle at, she could do this. She wanted this. To date Marina. To be 'unavailable.' To see where this went, even if it ended in a fiery mess with one of them scorned, she had to try.

Nora pressed yes. Tess's faerie body zipped across the screen. "Decision noted. Expect changes in your profile the next time you open the app. Congratulations, Winter. You may have just found true love."

Unable to control her smiling, Nora went back into her messages and typed a response to Marina: Whatever this is, whatever we become, I want to ride that wave to its natural conclusion. Even if it flat lines.

P.S. How could you think for a second I'd decline you? We went on the same date, right? Goodness, what do you take me for, a trout?

#unavailable #statuschange #oneforthebooks #datesuccess #gullsarebastards #butterfliesinfulleffect

Total Word Count: 22,328 / 20,000 *and we did it!! Reached that 20,000 mark and with two chapters to go!!