Connected by the Tide (15 page)

23

When Ren opened the door, her eyes widened when she saw Coen there. She looked at Henry with a confused expression.

“Can we come in?” Henry asked.

She nodded and opened the door wider for him.

When Coen walked inside, her dog started growling viciously.

“Down
, boy,” Ren said.

Perry stopped.

Henry liked the dog’s reaction.

Coen stood there awkwardly. “Can we sit down?”

“Uh, sure,” she said as she sat on the couch. He moved next to her while Henry hung in the background, giving them some privacy.

Coen looked down at his hands, trying to organize his thoughts. “I wanted to apologize for what I did to you.”

She glanced at him then looked away.

“I’m not apologizing because Henry asked me to. I’m here because I want to tell you how sorry I am for treating you tha
t way. It was wrong, and I’ll regret it forever.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“And I want you to know that I didn’t mean to use you. I assumed it was a relationship of convenience—casual sex. If I had known — otherwise, I would have behaved much differently. I kept coming back to you because I thought you were sexy and good in bed. You were easy to be with. Unfortunately, I’ve had horrible taste in women until recently. So I hope you realize the reason why I didn’t chase after you is because I have poor taste, not because you aren’t desirable.”

She nodded.

“Henry really likes you. I haven’t known him for very long, but I know when he’s passionate and caring about something. When Sydney was in pain, he did everything he could to make it right because he loves her. He behaved exactly the same way toward you.” She smiled when she listened to him. “Thank you for being patient with him. I know he’ll be worth the wait.”

“It doesn’t bother you that he’s in love with your fiancé?”

He shook his head. “How could anyone not fall in love with my fiancé? And that’s not the issue anymore. He’s not in love with her anymore.”

“He isn’t?
”

“No. I see it in his eyes. He’s different now.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “I think there’s still something there, but I think it’s a lot different than it used to be. He’s close. Please don’t bail on him.”

“I wasn’t going to. He’s a really sweet guy.”

“He’s one of the best guys I know. I feel horrible for hurting someone he cares so much about. He was going to kick my ass right in front of my girl.”

She laughed quietly. “I was afraid that’s what he was going to do.”

“We worked everything out. That’s all that matters.”

“Yeah.”

“So, are we okay?”

“Of course.”

“Because I want us all to be a family.
If Henry cares about you, we all care about you.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome.”

He nodded. “I’m glad we worked this out.”

“Me
, too.”

He rose from the couch then walked to Henry. “I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah.”

He opened the door then left.

Henry came to the couch and sat beside her.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Attack Coen.”

“He wanted to apologize.”

“But I’m over it.”

“No, you aren’t. And that’s beside the point. He was wrong, and he should apologize for it.”

She said nothing.

“I need you to understand that all these horrible things that happened to you weren’t because of you. It was just with the wrong person at the wrong time.”

“Now am I with the right person at the right time?”

He kissed her forehead. “You are with the right person, and it’s almost the right time.”

She smiled. “I’m glad we are almost there.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to go after Dane
, too?” she asked with a laugh.

“He’s on my list.”

“I didn’t realize I was dating a psycho.”

“I’m only psycho when it comes to you.”

She scooted closer to him then pressed her face in the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth from his skin. He ran his hand down her back as they sat together on the couch, her dog sitting in his bed in the corner. Nothing was said for a long time.

“So, am I really your girlfriend?”

His hand stopped. “I assumed that you were.”

“Really?”

“We are exclusive and we like each other a lot, right? I don’t want to see anyone else. And I definitely don’t want you to.”

“That’s perfectly okay with me,” she said as she placed her hand on his chest. “My boyfriend is equally hot and sweet.”

“And my girlfriend is out of my league.”

“I am not,” she said as
she hit his chest lightly.

“Yes, you are. You are the most amazing person I know. And don’t get me started on your smoking body. Do you work out every day?”

“I do Pilates in the morning.”

“It shows.”

“Thanks.”

“So
can I take you out to dinner?”

She hug
ged him tighter. “No.”

He chuckle
d. “You like just lying with me?”

“There’s nothing I enjoy more.”

“Me, too. I don’t like to cuddle, but with you I do.”

“That’s because you feel my breasts against your chest.”

He laughed. “Damn, you caught me.”

“You can feel them whenever you want.”

“Can I get that notarized?”

“Sure. What should we use for ink?” She looked at him with a playful smile on her face.

He recognized the hidden meaning of her words. “I’m sure we’ll find something.”

She rose from the couch and pulled him to stand. “Let’s go get it signed.”

He unbuttoned his pants as he followed her down the hallway. “Let’s.”

24

Henry clocked in
then started his nightshift. He hated leaving Ren. It was getting harder as time passed. He wanted to spend all his time with her. When he wasn’t with her, he thought about her. When he couldn’t sleep at night, he would text her and ask what she was doing. She always said she was doing the same thing he was—thinking about him.

Sometimes he thought about Sydney
, but it wasn’t in the same way as it was before. Her beautiful smile always left him feeling weak, and the memory of the curves of her body always made him feel hard, but now he didn’t think about that anymore. Whenever he was in the mood, he always thought about Ren. Her body was perfect; every curve left him feeling so horny he thought he would explode. Even her feet made him aroused. And her smile and her laugh always made him feel happy. She was definitely a catch.

Henry knew Sydney was in the building because her
Jeep was in the parking lot, but he didn’t run into her. They had been short on help since she was promoted to researcher. He was happy for her, but he missed goofing off with her and Nancy. He and Nancy worked together sometimes, but it wasn’t the same without Sydney.

“Where do I clock in?”

Henry looked up. He was tying the laces of his water resistant boots. “You just slide your card through the machine. Do it in the same way as you would use a credit card.”

The guy nodded then slid it through. When the green light went off, he nodded. “Thanks, man.”

Henry extended his hand. “I’m Henry.”

“Andre,” he said as he shook it.

“So you are the new custodian?”

“Yep.
I needed a job bad, so I took it.”

“It’s not very glamorous, but it’s a job.”

“It’s cool to see the animals anyway.”

“Yeah.
Chicks dig that.”

Andre said nothing as he tightened his shoelaces. “So you
wanna show me around?”

“Sure.”

They left the break room, and Henry showed Andre all the tanks and the cleaning supplies. There was a specific protocol of how to clean the tanks so the water concentrations weren’t changed. If the level of chemicals was altered even in the slightest way, it could be disastrous for the sea life inside. Andre was bright and memorized everything instantly. He seemed to be most intrigued by the jellyfish. He stared at them for a long time as he watched them float in the water. Henry was also fascinated by the creatures. How could something so small with no frame have enough intellectual ability to even think? And how did they evolve to be so dangerous? They had a box jellyfish in a special tank, and it was known that one shock could paralyze your heart and kill you. Sometimes people said jellyfish were lame, but Henry though they were bad-ass.

“They are cool, huh?” Henry asked as they stood in front of the tank. Particles were floating in the water and the jellyfish moved their legs to propel
themselves forward, but it didn’t seem like they were moving. The light shone on their surface, showing the pale cartilage.

Andre nodded. “They are cool.”

“Their tanks are the easiest to clean.”

“Really?
Aren’t we risking our lives every time we do it?”

“To limit that possibility, we just filter the water out through the pipes then add freshwater. There’s no reason why we should touch them.”

“That’s a relief,” Andre said with a smile.

“You should be more scared of the penguins. Everyone thinks they are the cutest things in the world, but those birds are assholes.”

“Seriously?”

“Every time I go in there
, they gang up on me. Their beaks are sharp.”

“Maybe they are hungry.”

“I don’t know. I just know they don’t like it when I touch their poop.”

Henry showed Andre a few more exhibits until the shift was over. It was late at night
, and Henry was tired. He didn’t mind working when the aquarium was closed, but now that he had a girlfriend, he preferred to spend his nights with her.

“So, do you go to Hawaii U?” Henry asked as they walked through the parking lot.

“Yep.”

“What’s your major?”

“Sociology. What’s yours?”

“English.”

“So you enjoy the classics?”

“Yep.
I actually read Shakespeare for pleasure.”

“So you are one of
those
people?”

“One of what people?”

“You are cultured and refined, right?”

“Nah.
I just prefer the company of books over real people.”

Andrew nodded, looking straight ahead. “I can understand that.”

“So, why sociology?”

“I like to study people, understa
nd why they do the things they do. How people become who they are. How people realize what they believe in.”

“Sounds deep.”

Andre smiled. “Not really. It’s just a fancy way to say I people-watch for a living.”

“That’s still cool.”

Andrew stopped when he reached his car. “It was nice meeting you, Henry. Hopefully I’ll run into you at school.”

Henry nodded. “I
’ll look for you on the benches. You’ll probably be staring at people as they walk by.”

Andrew laughed. “Bye.”

“Bye.” Henry got inside his car, then started the engine. When he reached his house, he parked in front of it. But he realized he didn’t want to stay there. He grabbed his clothes then drove to Ren’s house, wanting to sleep with her instead. Their relationship was changing very quickly. They got together when they were both broken and sad. They both had changed so much. Henry felt him change from the person he used to be, someone who was in pain all the time. He held her close while they slept, staring at her strands of hair as they stretched across the pillow. Her lips opened slightly while she slept and Henry kissed them when she was asleep. They shined in the light from the clock. After he stared at her for a long time, he finally fell asleep, dreaming of her in a field of flowers.

The next morning they had an exam in their composition class. Henry didn’t study for it at all but he felt confident in his abilities. The test wasn’t difficult and he felt like he knew most
of the answers. In zoology, he didn’t even understand what the question was asking. He was grateful he changed his major. This is where he belonged. When they turned in their exams, Ren smiled at him. He assumed she felt good about the exam too.

After class, they headed to the cafeteria. “I have some wonderful news,” she said as she wrapped her arm around his. He enjoyed it when she was affectionate with him in this
way. He was usually the one touching her, but now she couldn’t keep her hands off him. When she smiled as he looked at her, his heart melted. He loved knowing he made her happy.

“What is it?” he asked as they walked down the path.

“So, I applied to be the main editor of
Penumbra
, and I finally got it!”

“
Penumbra
?”

“It’s small magazine that has short stories and poems from students across campus.”

“Cool,” he said with a smile. “When do you start?”

“As soon as possible.
The other girl left suddenly.”

“Let me know if you need any help.”

“I would love it if you helped. I’m nervous that I’ll mess everything up.”

“Renee, you’ll be fine. You are too smart for your own good.”

“Renee?”

“Sorry, that’s your real name, right?”

“Yeah, but why are you calling me that?”

He shrugged. “I like it. It’s a beautiful name. Why don’t you use it?”

She averted her gaze and looked straight ahead. “I’m named after my mother.”

He nodded. “I see.”

“So, I’ve never liked it.”

“I still think it’s beautiful. Do you mind if I call you that?”

“You can call me anything.”

“Now I have to get creative.”

She rolled her eyes.

“How about
‘sexy lady’?”

She scrunched her nose. “No.”

“Hmm. ‘Sugar’?”

“That’s cliché.”

“Well, all nicknames are cliché. How about ‘baby’?”

“No one’s ever called me that before,” she said quietly.

“‘Baby’ it is.”