Waterborn (The Emerald Series) by James Kimberly

Author:James, Kimberly [James, Kimberly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

My cheeseburger sat on my plate, a half eaten, sloppy mess smeared in mustard and ketchup and wilted lettuce. A fly crawled across the bun and I swatted it away. He could have it, for all I cared. It smelled funny, like my old Nikes I never wore socks with. Tasted even worse. I dipped a french fry in my ketchup, eyeing the California roll clutched between Noah’s chopsticks.

“You want some?” He dangled the bite under my nose and I got a whiff of salty fish. “Go ahead. You’re gonna like it,” he assured me with an all too knowing smile.

I chewed slowly, waiting for my gag reflex to kick in, which it didn’t. I swallowed and opened my mouth again like a baby bird. After another bite, I sat back in my chair and mourned the loss of my favorite food.

“So does this complete my transformation to the dark side?” The fan beat overhead and I tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. My fingertips grazed the sensitive skin, prompting a shiver at the memory of Noah’s warm breath.

“Not hardly,” he said. “But you did good today. At least now you won’t drown.”

“You have any idea why I’m still playing the role of the Titanic?”

He shrugged, drumming his chopsticks on the edge of the table. Rat-a-tat. The nonchalance was just a ruse. It bothered him, the not knowing. It bothered me, too. What good is a waterbreather that can’t swim?

“No.” He leaned toward me, resting his elbows on the edge of the table.

A wave of hair fell over his shoulder as the weight of his eyes settled on my face. I could swim there, in the depths of his eyes, lured by the song in his voice, and I found it was a different kind of drowning I was in danger of now.

“Maybe like everything else it’ll come with time.”

My heart tripped over itself. I remembered the pressure of his mouth, the almost taste of his tongue. Solid muscle and smooth skin as he cradled me in the water. I reached for my glass to ease my dry throat and to hide the feelings that poured off me like a sheen of perspiration. I made one baby step and I was already capitulating on my resolve to be just friends. Noah didn’t feel like a complication. I kind of just wanted him for myself.

“Caris.” My name sounded like a reprimand coming off his lips. His eyes cut away from me and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “About today…”

I knew what he was about to say and I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear him say I’m nothing to him but a depressed, broken soul. That he’s only here because I’d forced him to be with a stupid siren song that seemed pointless. I had equated it in the realm of our species to having an appendix or wisdom teeth. Some arbitrary trait that evolution deemed we no longer needed. Just like Ellie, once I could fend for myself, he’d let me go.

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