Mermaids In Haven
Chapter 2
AN: Welcome back! This chapter is a little long. Also be prepared for drunk!Rikki. This IS set later in the girls' lives so they're much older and over 21. Enjoy!
Bella led the way into her spacious studio apartment. I followed, Cleo behind me, and Emma brought up the rear. Well, Bella was right about one thing: it was huge! It was basically one large room with a few furniture pieces on the right (shelving, T.V., etc.), the modest kitchen was to my immediate left, and around the corner from the kitchen was a separate, smaller room, presumably the bathroom. There were several wide windows running around the entire apartment and the sun streamed inside, magnificently lighting up every space it could. The boys let out a friendly yell, each one happy to see us. I tore my eyes away from the windows and put on another smile. We all gave each other nice hugs, Zane and I rather awkwardly.
I studied Zane from the corner of my eye while I made small talk with Will. Admittedly he looked good. Of course he does, he's Zane Freaking Bennett. His hair seems shorter. I wonder if he got it cut for the wedding. He's wearing that shirt I bought him last year, the short sleeved blue button up. No designs, no patterns, just simple blue. I groaned internally. Did he wear that on purpose? He knew how much I loved it. I could feel myself getting nervous. The knot was steadily growing. But I wasn't going to break.
"Hey, Bella, where can I put my stuff?" I turned to her and asked once Will walked away to grab something out of the refrigerator.
"Oh sorry! Over here, I'll show you," Bella pointed the way to an area by the windows that had been designated for just us girls. There were three twin size air mattresses still in their boxes and several large pillows in a pile on the floor. "You guys can inflate the mattresses tonight. We have plenty of sheets and blankets. Pick a pillow and just put your bag wherever. The boys have the other side," Bella pointed to the opposite side of the room where a similar station was set up. "Our bed is by the bathroom. Make yourselves at home!"
"Thanks again for letting everyone stay here," Emma said, picking up a light blue pillow and setting it on top of her suitcase.
"Of course! What's the point in a hotel when we have so much space?"
"We are definitely saving money this way," I said. I chose a nice orange pillow. Ooohh and it's so fluffy.
"So when can we play tourist?" Cleo said excitedly.
"Whenever you guys are ready!" Will called out from the kitchen.
"We walked around a little bit yesterday but held off on the major stuff to wait for you," Ash said.
"How about we have some breakfast and then start sightseeing?" Lewis proposed.
"I'm in!" Cleo said happily.
"Me too," Emma agreed.
I nodded. "Sure, sounds fun."
The lot of us gathered in the kitchen for food and coffee. I was beginning to feel the effects of the jet lag but I didn't want to be the party pooper who stayed home to sleep. Between running around New York and running around New York with Zane, I was going to need a lot more coffee.
Whose big idea was it to go clubbing tonight? Oh, right, Cleo's. I'm going to kill her.
We came home by three-thirty after a hearty day of sightseeing. Will and Ash made lunch for everyone and I was the first one to blow up my air mattress and take a nap. I woke up a couple of hours later and that's when Cleo bounced on me, telling me we were going to dinner and then to Will and Bella's favorite bar. So here I was, sitting on said mattress, putting on a little bit of makeup.
I almost didn't notice when Zane carefully sat down next to me.
"You look exhausted," he noted.
"I am," I replied. "But I got enough of a cat nap to power through it." He laughed lightly and shook his head. I glanced at his reflection in my mirror. "What?"
"I forgot how stubborn you are."
I shrugged. "I can sleep in tomorrow. I'll probably never come back to New York anytime soon so I want to enjoy it while I can." Zane made a noise in agreement.
"Rikki, are you almost done with the curling iron?" Cleo called from the bathroom.
"I don't have it!"
"I do and yes, almost," Bella shouted back. She was sitting in front of a tall mirror, holding up her hair. Emma sat next to her digging through her jewelry bag. Everyone was dressed but the girls and I were donning the finishing touches. "Okay, Cleo, you can have it!"
"You look nice tonight, by the way," Zane leaned in and muttered under his breath. I paused in the middle of curling my eyelashes and considered my outfit: dark skinny jeans, a dark red tank top, and red wedge heels that I'll be slipping on soon. My hair was down in it's usual wave. I had a few pieces of jewelry on but nothing dramatic. And I was going light on the makeup. I didn't really feel that dressy but, hey, if Zane was going to start giving out compliments to me I will not object. Considering it was a big change from all the negative things he's said to me in the past.
I gave him a polite smile. "Thanks. So do you."
The two of us made small talk for the next few minutes while the girls and I finished getting ready. It was getting easier chatting with Zane. We'd kept our conversations light and fun all day. Neither of us brought up our past or if we were currently dating anyone or anything detrimental to this vacation. It seemed as if we were both on the same page for once: be nice to each other for Will and Bella. That was good enough for me.
After dinner we arrived at the bar around ten. The Blue Lily, it was called. The building was a good size and sat nestled between two other establishments on a pier overlooking the Hudson. For a Monday night the place was surprisingly busy. I tried not to but on the entire way over here I thought about what Zane said back at the apartment. And how he stayed so close to me at the restaurant. Even in the van taxi he made it a point to sit next to me. At first I thought he was just trying to make amends for what happened between us. The smiles, the compliments; they sounded so sincere, like he was trying to just be a friend. Which is nice, because that's what I want. But then I noticed he would subtly graze my hand when he reached for something or let his gaze linger on me for just a little bit too long. What I once found cute and flirty now made me uncomfortable. I definitely did not want to get back together but I did want us to be in an okay place with each other, and the flirting was not helping. The second we stepped into the bar I made a beeline toward Emma and clung to her arm. I forced myself into the conversation that she and Ash were having. Luckily for me neither one of them thought anything unusual about this.
"Glad we got here early," I heard Will call out from behind us. "It doesn't get crowded until midnight."
"Which means easier access to the bar," I mused aloud. "Perfect." I dragged Emma and the other girls with me toward said bar where we all started a tab and I paid for our first round of shots.
"What's in it?" Cleo warily eyed the pink colored alcohol I was handing her.
"Just drink it," I deadpanned.
"Wait, wait we have to have an obligatory first toast!" Emma said.
"Of course we do," I teasingly rolled my eyes at her.
"Come on, guys, get in on this. Bella's not marrying herself," Emma motioned for the boys to join us at the bar. Each of them already had a drink in their hand. The eight of us stood in a semi-circle in front of the bar and we raised our glasses. All eyes were on Emma. "To Will and Bella, two of the best people I know. May your love carry you through this journey of life. May you cherish-"
"Blah, blah, blah, no more speeches, let's drink!" I really couldn't help myself. I hate long speeches and God knows Emma is the queen at giving them. My blond companion gave me a death glare but I slung an arm around her to show her I meant good faith. We cheered, clinked glasses and the girls and I drained our shots in milliseconds.
Let the night begin.
So I think it's been like…two hours? And I'm pretty sure I'm drunk. Or getting there. Bella fed me a shot not too long ago and I think it was tequila. If that's the case then yes, I am definitely…Dear God I have to pee again.
I staggered out of the bathroom with Cleo, laughing hysterically because we almost tripped over each other. Hmmm, everything looks a little fuzzy. But the music is loud and the lights are bright so I don't really give a crap.
I'm giggling when I run into Will. "Hey, Will!"
"Where's Lewis?" Cleo mumbles to herself. She spots him and immediately runs off.
"Will," I continued. "I am so happy for you and Bella. I love you both so much." Pretty sure I'm slurring my words now but in my head it sounds much better.
Will laughed. "Thanks, Rikki, we love you too. We're happy you guys are here." I smiled and reached up to hug him. Even after nearly six years of knowing this guy, he's still taller than me. I'm almost twenty-three! How is that fair?
"Hi guys," Bella came up behind me and wrapped me in a hug. Her cheek pressed against mine and I could feel how warm she was. "How're things?"
"This place is awesome! I would say we should bar hop but I'm having too much fun!" I yelled over the music. I turned around and she and I danced with each other. I had to close my eyes a few times to stop the room from spinning. "Who wants another shot?"
"I do!" Bella chimed.
"Oh no, let's take it easy girls," Will made us stop dancing to give us each a glass of water, no ice. "Stop for a second or you'll get water on yourselves."
Water…Why is he telling us that? Water does something…Oh! Duh! Bella had to keep her balance on Will's arm but she finished her glass with no complications. That makes me wonder how I managed all this time when I was at a bar by myself. Oh right, that's why I like shots. No mess, no water required.
SHOTS!
I took a sip of water, set it on the bar, and ordered two more rounds of tequila shots when Will had his back turned.
"Zane!" I saw my ex coming from the bathroom and ran over to him. "Where have you been?"
"With Lewis and Cleo, making sure they don't do anything stupid. Besides," he was giving me a strange look. "I didn't think you wanted me around."
"What?" I said. "Of course not! Why do you think that?" I laughed and touched his chest. He's so funny sometimes. He leaned in a little closer to my ear.
"You've been avoiding me since we got here," What? No way! "Yeah way!" Zane laughed. Oh, I guess I said that out loud. The music changed to what sounded like…Britney Spears and dub step? I don't know but it was awesome and I was getting restless.
"Let's dace!" I shouted and grabbed Zane's hand. I led us to the floor. He seemed a little reluctant but I wasn't going to have any of it. "Come on, I won't bite." I winked. That did it. He pulled me close to his body and we swayed together to the heavy beat. Over the course of a few minutes, but what seemed longer in my intoxicated state, the music changed but Zane and I never stopped. I like this. I like dancing like this and having fun with him. I vaguely remember the first time we went to a club together. At first it was a total disaster; drinks spilled (thankfully not on me) and awkward dancing. But as the night passed it got better and we met new people. We became comfortable enough to be ourselves with each other. It was a nice feeling. I smiled up at him in a blissful state but it came crashing down when he decided to kiss me.
Wait.
No.
Back up.
Wrong!
So wrong!
I pulled away in total surprise. I could feel how wide my eyes were. "Zane, what the hell!"
"Oh God, Rikki, I'm sorry! I just-"
"Thought it was okay to kiss me?! I never-"
"I know you didn't but, yeah, for a second I thought it was okay! I got my signals mixed up, I'm sorry!" He was panicked and flustered. I felt anxious and nervous all at once and I was spiraling down from my high. I knew I needed to get out of there. I pushed myself through the crowd toward the exit. Zane's shouts were drowned out by the music and soon the crowd of clubgoers swallowed me up. I was ejected from the building and rushed down the boardwalk. Away from Zane. Away from the kiss. Away from my goddamn feelings.
Of course, try as one might, you can't ever outrun your feelings. Eventually I came to the end of the pier. There was a bench that faced toward the water and my legs gave way. I melted into the steel piece of furniture, breathing hard. My head was beginning to ache and my vision was a little spotty. There weren't many people down on this end; it must be pretty late now.
I'm such an idiot. Why did I think that things between Zane and I could ever be easy? I feel like one of us always made something complicated. That's how it's been for six years. I just want to move on already.
"Rikki?"
I didn't have to turn around. I knew who it was. "Go away, Zane. Please."
He sighed. "For the millionth time I'm sorry."
"I know you are."
"So then come back to the bar."
"Not yet. I need to think."
His footsteps quickened and he came around from my right. "Think about what? It was a mistake."
"Clearly you and I still have some issues to work out. Otherwise you wouldn't have kissed me at all."
"I got caught up in the moment! I was remembering our first time at a bar and I misread your signals," he sighed in frustration. I looked up at him.
"There were no signals! I wasn't trying to send anything! Not unlike you, mister nice compliments with your flirting." That probably didn't make any sense but he knew what I meant. I'm surprised he had been thinking about that night too. Maybe my intoxicated brain sent those signals without my permission. I made a sudden decision and I forced myself to stand up. If he wasn't going to leave then I would.
"What are you doing?" Zane said. I took two steps toward the metal railing, heaved myself up and over like I was mounting a horse, and in no time I was on the opposite side, clinging to the rail. Zane asked me again, this time sheer panic lacing through his voice. I looked back at him.
"Tell the girls I'll see them tomorrow."
"Rikki stop! This is crazy!" He laughed nervously.
"I can see underwater at night. I'll be fine," I reassured him.
Zane would not take no for an answer. He reached out and grabbed my arm. "You don't know these waters. Just come back to the bar. Please."
As I gazed out at the Hudson River, its blackness intimidating yet intriguing, I knew how much I wanted to be away for a few hours. I needed to gather my thoughts alone so I could explain to Zane why we would never get back together. Our breakup caught me off guard and we were done before I could tell him to stick it where the sun didn't shine. A part of me still cared about him, but not liked I used to. I shook my arm out of his grip.
"Don't wait up." I dove in and once again left Zane behind. He protested loudly but he was silenced as soon as I was in the water. I kicked down…
Down…
Down…
Three, two, one. Ah, finally. My legs disappeared and my tail emerged. That's much better. I felt relieved to be in the water. Come to think of it, I felt great. Better than that, even. Wasn't I supposed to be drunk? The dull ache in my head was gone and my eyes were clear and focused. Did I just discover an awesome new thing? I was completely sober in my mermaid form. Maybe this was like what happened to Emma when she tried to dye her hair. It was blond when she was human and red when she was a mermaid. Ugh, then that means I'll still be drunk or extremely hungover when I change back. Well, so much for that.
I glided through the water effortlessly. Even though it was pitch black my mermaid vision could see everything perfectly. The Hudson River wasn't as beautiful as the reef back home but it was still unique.
I floated along in contentment, totally at ease. It was definitely much easier to think down here. No distractions. I'm not sure how long I swam around. Minutes, hours maybe. There was a sudden shift in the water and at first I thought nothing of it. But it happened again and when I looked around it was like the water was swirling. I quickly swam to the surface and carefully popped my head out. Oh crap, I had swum out further than I thought. The Manhattan skyline was in the distance and I was now in the Atlantic. Oops.
A huge wave rolled in and knocked me aside. I came up sputtering salt water. Ew ugh yuck. Two more waves hit me simultaneously, one right after the other. Okay, what the hell?! An explosion of thunder cracked overhead and the sky lit up brilliantly mere seconds later. The wind howled and wave after wave crashed into me. Just my luck. I would get caught in a freak storm. Now it was really getting crazy. It was almost too hard to swim. None of my powers would work against these elements, unless I wanted to direct the lightning somewhere else. I ducked underwater and made an attempt to use my super speed. That worked for a bit until I resurfaced again, only to be even further away from the city. Okay don't panic. You can do this, Rikki. I darted this way, that way, any way I could to go in the direction I wanted, yet the water kept working against me. The storm was in full force now. It started raining. More thunder, lightning, wave-
Wave-
Holy crap, HUGE wave!
I was being tossed around like a doll. I couldn't tell which way was up or down. Every time I tried to escape I kept getting pushed under. Several times I swallowed water. There was nothing for me to grab and hold on to. My arms thrashed above my head in case someone, anyone, who was crazy enough to be out here saw me. At this point I didn't care about exposing myself. I was desperate and I just wanted it to end.
I tried to look in the direction I thought was the shoreline. Only I was met with pure darkness. There were no lights, not even a flicker. So this is how I die. Funny, I always thought I'd live to be the ripe old age of a hundred. Preferably in my sleep surrounded by pictures and treasures from my many travels.
No, this can't be it. There's too much to do. The cafe will be lost without me. And my friends, my best friends in the entire world. I wouldn't see Will and Bella get married…
Screw that. I'm not dying today.
I mustered up as much strength as I could and pushed myself to swim. I forced my strong tail up and down. Come on, Rikki, go. Push yourself. You are not missing that freaking wedding! Zane be damned. Do it for Bella.
It was working! I was finally able to swim in a single direction. Slowly, every second was agony on my tail, but I was going to make it.
If only I had seen the boat in time.
It seemed to be a yacht. The lights were blown out by the storm so it was hard to tell. I merely guessed by the massive shape. It bore down on me so quickly that I didn't have time to react. My body violently collided with the hull first and then my head. Bright lights burst behind my eyes and just like that I was out cold.
Maybe this is how I die after all.
AN: Stay tuned for chapter 3!