Ravan's Pov
As much as I would have loved to spend my every waking minute talking and laughing with Rowan, school hit me like a ten-ton rhinoceros with mountains of homework. Rylan and I barely managed to turn in our trigonometry assignment on time.
Gael and Marqus had started dating properly as well, which made me really happy. Gael wouldn't shut up about him sometimes and he had gone on heaps of coffee-dates with him even when they both had homework.
On the topic of dating, Rowan had asked me out again this weekend to go on a fishing trip at a lake. The location and activity weren't exactly appealing to me but I was eager to try out some of his hobbies seeing as he had indulged mine on our first date.
After spending what felt like hours debating over what I should wear, even calling up Gael at one point for advice, I had finally decided on a transparent pastel button-up shirt over jeans and a white top. Not exactly fishing clothes but I didn't really have anything better.
When I arrived at our designated meeting place, just outside of the gate to the lake, Rowan was already standing there with a bunch of fishing gear.
He was wearing a black leather jacket with a black turtleneck under it and red pants with chains hanging off them. His eyes were accented by black and red fire winged eyeliner, which was perfectly symmetrical and matched his eyes.
When our gazes met, we both beamed and gave each other a hug. Rowan smelled of Jean-paul Goltier memalle le male ea u de toilette perfume but not in an overpowering way.
"G'day Ravan!" he said enthusiastically
"Hey, how are you!" I replied.
Rowan shrugged. "School is slowly killing me but I'll be okay now that you're here."
I felt my ears turn crimson at his comment, their hue probably matching his eyeliner.
I cleared my throat lightly. "Yeah, same. So, why... fishing?" I gestured to our surroundings and the lake that was visible through the trees. It was Rowan's turn to shuffle embarrassedly as he followed where I was pointing.
"Well... since I was very little my parents used to take me to the beach to fish everyday. We lived on the coast and I felt a connection to the ocean. No offence but the oceans down here suck so I've been coming to this lake instead." I felt a warm rush of pride that Rowan could trust me with his personal information and open up to me like this. He was a very special boy who deserved to be loved. Still, I really wasn't looking forward to the fishing aspect of this date.
"That's cool. What can we catch here?" I asked. Rowan's eyes lit up and he immediately launched into an excited rant about the different types of fish. I listened patiently for a full minute before he trailed off, noticing my polite confusion.
"Sorry, you probably don't want to hear about that..." he ruffled up the back of his umber brown hair awkwardly. Trying to reassure him, I reached up to take his hand instead and smiled at him.
"I think it's... cute that you are so passionate about fishing." Rowan blushed lightly.
We both made our way down to the lake where there was a jetty with a small boat tied to it. Rowan leapt enthusiastically into it, barely stumbling when it rocked underneath his weight. I was more cautious, knowing that my iron deficiency would turn the world into a spinning, black-spotted mess as soon as I lost my balance. If I fell into the water I would be sooooo embarrassed.
Rowan reached up to hold my hand and help me down but I still managed to slip on a bit of slimy green stuff. I felt my stomach swoop as the murky water of the lake took up the entirety of my vision but then strong arms were around my waist and I was being hauled into the boat.
My face flamed with embarrassment and I tried to stutter out several rushed apologies but found myself captivated with the concern in Rowan's beautiful eyes. Their mesmerising orbs appeared to contain a treasure chest of garnets hidden beneath a turquoise sea. My heartbeat slowed to the rhythm of the crashing waves trapped in his oceanic eyes.
"Ravan," Rowan soothed me, "It's okay. I've got you."
For a moment I just stared at him, amazed at the young specimen in front of me. For so long I thought I could never have him, but time has proved me wrong. He cradled me in his buff arms as if I was a delicate puppy. No one had ever looked at me like this, with a gaze both passionate and refined. He quickly set me down in the boat, and something in his expression seemed like he had just received a message.
"Th- th- thank you, Rowan. You totally saved meee." I stuttered.
Rowan just smiled back at me handsomely before starting to take us into deeper waters. I watched in silence as the muscles in his arms undulated with each powerful row. Then, he stopped and handed me his rod. I held it up awkwardly and Rowan suppressed a chuckle.
"Not quite," he said in amusement. "Here, I'll show you."
He reached around me from behind and repositioned my hands on the rod in a much more comfortable way. His fingers interlocked with mine and I could feel his rough calluses on the back of my hands. His right hand brought mine from the top of the rod next to the line to the upper part of the rod grip, before slightly adjusting my left hand to be more comfortable. I could have leaned back and fitted myself perfectly against his chest.
I thought to myself, this is it. Kiss him.
I turned around to face him but the rod still in my hand swung out wildly. The motion unbalanced the boat and I had only a few seconds of my lips brushing his and a preview of his horrified face before the boat toppled over and we were both sent crashing into the frigid water of the lake.
I wasn't sure if I had ever mentioned it to Rowan, BUT I CAN'T SWIM!!! This may not have been a good idea.
I clung to his shirt for dear life, his rod still in my right hand. Suddenly I saw dancing pinpricks of red and blue light coming from the individual before me. I chose to ignore this as I struggled to push myself up to the water surface. It seemed so far away, and I was sure I would not make it.
Two strong hands grabbed me by the waist before pulling me out of the water back onto the self-righted boat. I spluttered the lake water out of my mouth, the muddy taste lingering on my lips, and my eyes caught on what I had assumed was a boy.
From the waist up, despite being soggy with gross water, Rowan was the same as ever, but below that his legs had fused together into a serpentine tail, with graceful transparent fins that shimmered and refracted the daylight in a rainbow of hues. The scales of the tail itself were the same shade as Rowan's eyes, with that unique shifting opal sheen that I loved so much overlaid on the most vibrant shades of red and blue. He was breathtaking, which was not good because I was already choking on water through my chattering teeth. What in the Mako Mermaid!??!?
Rowan looked panicked and grabbed my arm, which tipped all of my emotions over the edge. Without meaning to, I let out a sharp, piercing scream.
Quickly, I covered my mouth with my hands. "Sorry! I didn't mean- What- Um- You-" I couldn't seem to get any words out. I was so shocked!
Rowan looked awkward. "No, I'm sorry. I should've told you... I'm... a merman. I transform when I get submerged in water. Rylan already knows but... We- I didn't think you should know right away." I was still struggling to process the Barbie movie plotline that my life had become.
"Are- are there other mermaids? Is Rylan a mermaid too?" I was bursting with questions.
Rowan looked as though he was having an internal debate but eventually began to explain it to me. "Yes, there are other mermaids. I come from a whole clan of them from Queensland. We were created by the Moon Goddess, along with some other supernatural creatures. She controls our fate and all sorts of other things. Rylan isn't a merman, but he's always known about me. Also, please don't tell anyone or, like, try to sell me to a circus. Rylan might actually kill you if you do." I nodded vigorously.
"Don't worry, I would never do that," I promised.
Rowan smiled in relief and took my hands in his. "Thank you, Ravan. I don't know what I would do without you and Rylan."