“Like holy water then?” Marta moves her hand from her head to her chest then from shoulder to shoulder. It’s a strange gesture, but she’s always so wild with her hands that I ignore it.
“Are they deep?” Marta asks tentatively as she approaches the edge of the pool. She places a hand on my back as she leans over me to get a better look.
When she touches me, the nerves in my skin fire on overload, I want to pull her into my arms so badly. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from grabbing her and pulling her against me.
“No,” I finally say. “All except the furthest from us in the chamber. That one alone connects to the ceremonial tunnel system. The tunnels were either discovered or created by our ancestors. They are sacred and only used for the highest of ceremonies.”
“What kind of ceremonies do you need an underwater tunnel for?” she asks without a hint of malice. I remind myself once again that everything is new for her, and I try to grant her the patience she deserves.
“Weddings, offerings in time of war and hunger, and to pay tribute to the goddess during our solar eclipse—just the big stuff.” I try my best to summarize thousands of years of religion.
“I’m imagining a first communion underwater, and while I don’t think that’s quite it, I get the gist,” She laughs as she sits next to me, on her knees with her feet tucked under her perfect ass. “Where does the tunnel lead?”
“To a shrine at the surface,” I keep it brief. I don’t really want to give her a fi’len religion lesson.
Nubbins hops back out and heads to another nearby pool. He practically falls in but recovers quickly. The kahne’ah are much more graceful in the water than they are on land.
“Aren’t you afraid of the water?” I’m surprised she’s gotten this close to me. I can feel the fine hairs of her arm as our skin reacts together, creating a tiny amount of static electricity.
“Well, not this water. This is small and contained. A hot tub is very different from the entire ocean, you know?”
I guess that makes sense, but it’s never something I will truly understand. The ocean is my home.
“Can I ask, is the fear of water common among your people?”
“Well, maybe? Humans are scared of lots of things…for a lot of different reasons. It’s not unheard of, if that’s what you mean.”
“Why are you specifically afraid of the water, then?” I keep my voice soft as I reach out to her with my words. She tilts her head at me, like she’s surprised I asked.
“I…well, my mother—” She looks down at her lap, running her hands over the silky slip she’s taken to wearing as a dress. “My mother drowned in the ocean when I was very young.” She drops any emotion and just lets the words race out. As if she’s stating a simple fact.
We’re both motherless children.
My mate turns her head to me, the glow of the pool casting beautiful, diffused light over her skin. Her pupils dilate.
“You’re beautiful in this light, the spots on your cheekbones sparkle down here.” Marta’s voice is soft.
Is it possible we’re feeling the same thing for each other in this moment?
Protect her, keep her.
I shuck off my jacket and shirt to the ground. Activating the auto fastener of my trousers. I slide my legs free, and ease myself into the water, letting the goddess do her best to calm me.
Marta’s hands fly up to cover her eyes, as if she hasn’t already admired my body while I slept.
“What are you doing?” Marta speaks through her hands, rambling uncomfortably. “You can’t just skinny dip in a church!”
“Skinny dip?” I laugh at the flood of naked swimming humans that my translator chip shows me.
“Whatever you wanna call it! Naked swimming, skinny dipping, or in my case, chunky dunking.” Her eyes are still covered, but she laughs nervously at her own joke.
“You know there’s nothing wrong with your body, right?” In fact, it’s the most perfect shape I’ve ever seen.
“I’m allowed to acknowledge that my body has fat without it being self-deprecating… you know that, right?” She mocks my serious tone. “Whatever you want to call it, I don’t think I should be swimming in the nude at your sacred religious site, you big weirdo.”
“Well, that’s where our religions are different, Marta. Most of our ceremonies are done without clothing, just as the goddess made us. So get over it. I’m going to teach you to swim—you won’t have to be afraid of the water anymore.” I’m confident in my ability to do so.
“Oh god, you don’t have to—I mean I’m not getting naked! This is stupid…” She’s flustered,and I like it.
