In the world of humans, it is easy to lose oneself. We become something more desirable and unusual. Something more than just a plaything for the gods. It's easy to forget that we, ourselves, are unique when surrounded by beings so much more powerful than ourselves. — Excerpt from a long-forgotten diary

***

Midday sun beaming down. The inner bite of hunger begins to grumble as I shift my attention from the novel in my hands to the waves crashing in front of me. I place my book down and reach for the suntan lotion container, finding it empty.

"Sorry," Zale mutters. "I took the rest."

"You could have refilled it," my fingers try to fish out the last drops along the plastic rim.

"That would have required moving," his smirk makes my lips thin in a line as he shifts to make himself more comfortable and closes his eyes.

Too comfortable.

"You could also go back to your set of chairs."

I stare at the tanned face, trying not to positively appraise the sensual lips or how his hair moves softly against the cheekbones in his skin. Damn, this romance novel is already starting to get into my thoughts.

His eyes slowly flutter open and meet my gaze. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he huffs.

"Fine," Zale leans forward to assess the situation behind me, shaking his head. "Nope, someone else has already claimed them."

I shake my head, spreading the little I gathered onto my warm feet. His eyes follow my movements with a frown.

"I'll go get some now."

I shake my head. "No, I should be moving to find lunch anyway."

The muscles of his toned back stiffen as he sits up higher. "But, I thought we were eating here."

I will keep my eyes on his eyes and not admire his muscles anymore. Sure, I saw most of them when he was strutting on the beach, but that was a few chapters ago before things started to heat up.

My eyebrows knit together as my cheeks burn. I know I'm stalling. Zale might know I'm stalling. But as much as I want a fling, especially after reading the last scene—my legs are still pressed together— I also don't want people to assume we are together if we aren't. What if someone posts a photo of us? What if I become a target of his fan base and then become so upset by it that I turn into a rose bush out of spite?

"Sorry, I shouldn't have just assumed. Uhm, do you want to go get lunch somewhere?" His tone makes me pause my mental tirade to meet his gaze.

"Are you nervous?" I smirk.

He lets out a tense laugh that sounds more filled with air than humor. "I've never met someone who can just block me out. It's intriguing."

I put my hand out into the sun, the heat warming and drying my skin. Pulling my hand back, my eyes shift to him. "I'll think about where we can go while you go get more sunscreen—SPF 50."

His eyes widen. "That's too thick. Drink some water, I'll get us 30."

My lips thin as he slips on his sandals. "I want 50."

His shoulders go up to his ears and fall while he walks away with an expression of pure impish delight from teasing me.

"What the actual fuck," I mutter to myself, pulling up the restaurants on my phone.

I take my time going through the menus, willing myself not to overanalyze why this celebrity is following me around. Zale actually seems at ease with me. It's weird. Why wouldn't he just want to spend time with his groupies? He seems to enjoy their attention.

A gasp from another beachgoer causes me to instinctively look up. In the distance, a head of slick, dark blue hair bobs amongst waves before it goes under the water, followed by glistening blue and purple scales.

"Mama! Mermaid!" A little girl screams as the purple head pops up again, scanning the beach.

A breath catches in my throat as a pink-haired mermaid appears beside it. They seem to talk for a moment before disappearing into the water. I keep my eyes trained on the water, willing them to pop back up. Not many people get to say they saw mermaids and whales playing in the water while on vacation.

"Did you decide on a place?" Zale's body blocks my view of the ocean while holding out a small plastic container of sunscreen. I take it with a small smile of thanks, angling my head to look around him. "Before you ask, it's 50. Now—wait, what are you looking at?"

I take a handful of the sunscreen and spread it on my palms before applying. "I'm looking for the mermaids. There were two out there, watching the beach."

"Just watching?" He asks.

I glance up at him. Zale's shoulders tense, and his jaw flexes slightly as he scans the water. "Eeh, I think they got bored and swam away."

He nods, looking at me. "Need help with your back?"

My cheeks heat at the thought of his hands on my skin. He smirks as if he can read my thoughts. Sure, the eyes aren't swirling with different shades of blue, but they still sparkle at me teasingly.

I leveled my chin at him. "If you don't mind," head motioning towards the container on the small table while rubbing the lotion into my arms.

"Not at all," he replies, settling on the chair beside me.

I instantly tense at the coolness of the lotion on my skin as his hands move along the exposed flesh. His fingers needling random knots in my muscles for a moment before moving on.

"You should get a massage while you're here," he comments. "All that reading is messing up your back and neck."

"I'll consider it, but there are other things I want to do first."

His hands move to my lower back. "Like what?"

I bite my lip, willing my mind not to think of how this looks to any passerby. "Like hiking to the blowhole, and then there is the Road to Hana to see the black and red sands."

He hums his agreement, momentarily leaving his finger resting on my lower back. "Those sound like good plans."

"Thank you," I smile at him over my shoulder.

He nods, rising to his feet. "Let's go eat and discuss these adventures."

"I didn't mean that as an invitation to come along."

The smile he gives me has probably won him this sort of argument plenty of times. The combination of his inhuman good looks and his innate charm is a devastating pair. Thank goodness, I was created to serve gods and goddesses. So, some innate part of me was able to not melt in front of him and bow to his will.

"Let's just discuss it over lunch. Maybe come to some sort of agreement?" His hands move with his words. The sight of him momentarily disappears as I pull over my white cover dress.

I pick up my bag and follow him to the sidewalk. "Why would we need any sort of agreement?"

He shrugs his shoulders, offering me his arm. I raise an eyebrow and walk towards the sushi restaurant. "Because I want to spend more time around a lady who isn't swayed by me and who can block the innate power I can't seem to stop from escaping while here."

"The gold threads," I mutter, and he nods. Listen, I'm on vacation and not looking to have a side hustle while here. I don't need a client bothering me while I try to relax."

"Client?" He raises an eyebrow. "I know I did a great job putting on your suntan lotion, but—"

"Not that type of client," I hiss, cheeks reddening as he chuckles beside me. "I'm a consultant for nonhumans. Some need my particular skill set."

He provides a knowing sound while raising an eyebrow.

"Not that type of particular skill set! Seriously? Do you want to eat alone?"

Zale exposes his tanned throat to the sky, throwing his head backward, laughing. "It's too easy to tease you. You seem like too much a prude of that type of thing."

"I'm not a prude," I hiss. "I just have a standard."

The blue eyes sparkle at me as we turn to the sushi restaurant. Zale takes the lead with the hostess, having us seated farther back from the sun and ocean.

"Well, I wouldn't be trying to meet those standards as part of the agreement," he says. "I just want you to spend time with me because I like your company. And you're able to keep me under control." There is a pause as he consider his words. "I'm exhausted from all the attention earlier."

I hold his gaze while drinking my water. My understanding escapes from my closed lips and the vibrations of sound in my throat after I swallow.

"I'll pay for all of your excursions. Even get us a private car."

I glance at the menu prices, throat tightening at the numbers in front of me. "Meals—"

"Okay," he says quickly.

"And drinks," I finish with a predatory smile, assessing the slight widening of his eyes as he thinks of the tab we created last night.

Zale presses his lips together as if he never expected someone to haggle with him over merely being in his presence.

"While we are together, I pick up the tag," he agrees.

I flag the server, ordering a bottle of their most expensive daiginjo. "To toast to our new friendship," I add innocently.

His eyes narrow as my teeth flash from behind a friendly smile. This beautiful male will definitely have to pay for my services here. Zale tilts his head and reaches across the table to grab my hand in a subtle shake. His fingers linger on the underside of my fingers for a moment.  Through the subtle chatter in the restaurant, music, and crashing of waves, I hear it; a click.

I turn to see a man bring down the dark lens of a camera. My eyes flitter back to Zale's, which darken in— wait, is that concern? I extend the silver shield around us, and he relaxes, feeling the attention turn from us. This man here and the one earlier from the beach don't seem the same. Why preen and strut around if he doesn't want the attention?

"I'm going to need a lot of drinks," I whisper, pulling my hand away.

He nods his head as the sake is poured for us. "We both will. Cheers to new friendships!"

I clink my small sake glass to his. Then, I raise the glass to my lips, letting the sweet alcohol enter my system. This is definitely turning into an unexpected vacation.

"So to the blowhole?" He smiles.

I ease back in my chair, nodding. "I know someone who can be our driver."

***

Word Count: 1,776

Total Word Count: 8,375