Beauty Divine, Pain Be Thine CH.25
The group finished their breakfast and got up from the table. "We'll meet back up at the rooms later. What else is there to do on a ship for the next few days?" Aphrodite pondered. "It's not like we can really get any kind of head start on training. May as well relax while we can." They all nodded and went their separate ways.
When Tristan and Shea reached their doors, she asked him, "What are you thinking of doing today?"
Tristan shrugged, "Ehh, just hanging around, I guess. You?"
"I as thinking of taking a shower now. Beyond that, I haven't really planned anything," she said. He nodded and pulled his keycard from his pocket. He had half-turned to put it into his door when she managed to stammer, "Would you, umm.. would you.. like to come in? Maybe… join me?" Her face burned and she turned her eyes to the floor as he froze in place.
A moment passed before Tristan could compose himself. "Is that what you want, or is that what you think I want?"
Shea took a deep breath to steady herself and looked him in the eye. "I do want it. Maybe not everything all at once, but maybe we could try some things.. Maybe.. you could teach me some things?"
"If that's something you want from me, then of course. But I want you to be sure." He reached over to her and cupped her face tenderly. "Are you sure?"
She placed a hand over his heart and said, "Yes, please."
He let out a small chuckle. "You know, you don't have to be so polite about it," he said quietly, then kissed her. "But I love how sweet you are."
Still kissing him, she pulled out her keycard, slid it into the lock, and allowed him to open the door and guide her backwards over the threshold.
As soon as he'd closed the door, though, he paused. "Wait a sec. Couple questions."
Shea let out a nervous laugh. "Umm, okay. What?"
"First off, you know that when you're with me in private, you don't need to keep up the normal human façade, right? I'm not afraid of how you look. In fact, I love feeling like you know you can be yourself with me. I think you're beautiful."
Shea smiled appreciatively. "Thank you." She allowed the transformation melt away. Her hair turned back to the shade of coral, her irises back into the shape of nautical stars, her skin luminescent and shimmering. Tristan, once again, lost his breath, and for a moment couldn't respond when she asked, "What's the other thing?"
He scratched his head for a moment as if he'd forgotten, and then suddenly remembered, "Oh. What happens when you get in water? Do you just change back into a mermaid, with a tail and all, or can you control that?"
"Huh," she said. "I never really thought about it. I've never tried. But I suppose I might be able to control it. It's possible that if I'm not fully submerged in water, my body won't need to change."
"Maybe you should try. I mean, you're in a world full of humans now, people who've never seen a real mermaid and might panic if they, say, accidentally spill a glass of water on you, causing you to grow a tail in the middle of dinner?"
"You're right. I didn't think about it. I've never been this involved with people, personally. Just don't get all grossed out if it doesn't work and I change, okay?"
"If I thought that I would get grossed out, why would I have agreed to come in in the first place?"
"Right," Shea replied. "Duh." Tristan guffawed and pulled her back into him, picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. With one hand he held her, with the other he grabbed towels as he carried her into the bathroom, kissing her the whole way.
Tristan hung towels as Shea started the water. She started to unzip her dress, but her fingers were shaking so much that she couldn't keep her grip on the small zipper. Noticing this, Tristan asked again, "Are you sure you want this?"
She nodded. "Just nervous," she mumbled. "Can't get this damn zipper…"
"Need some help?"
When she let her arms drop and nodded, Tristan stepped up behind her. Gently, he slid his hands up her arms, across her shoulders, and down to her dress. As soon as he had the zipper undone, the dress slid to the floor. She turned and timidly thanked him before removing her undergarments and stepping into the water.
As soon as the water hit her, she felt the tingling sensation in her legs that told her she was beginning to change. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, willing her body not to transform, praying silently that she could control this part of herself. She waited for the tingling to stop before opening her eyes and looking down. To her amazement, her bare legs were still there. She hadn't changed. "I did it!" Shea exclaimed, smiling at Tristan, who was waiting patiently. "Umm, come in."
Tristan eagerly removed his clothes and stepped into the bathtub to join her.
LOVE SCENE OMITTED
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