She shrugged. “I first got into biology because I love patterns. I love that even some of the craziest behaviors make sense if you look hard enough. Though the more I look, the crazier—”
Suddenly, she put her hand on his leg, as if to still him.
“There it is,” she hissed. “An epaulette shark. Don’t move.”
She pointed just up the channel they were hovering over. And there, swimming toward them, was a little...shark. Yeah, it did look like a shark if he set aside the size. Pointy nose, dorsal fin and it had a few other fins, too.
“Watch its bottom fins,” she whispered. “It uses them to walk on the reef.”
They watched in silence as the shark slowly swam up the channel, oblivious to its audience. Max looked at Natasha, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, sunglasses propped on her head, her eyes filled with wonder and amazement as she studied the shark. The water lapped against the rocks, and a warm breeze cut through the heat of the sun, rippling the water. This moment. He wanted to stay right here forever, in the hot sun, with her hand on him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Natasha’s gaze followed the shark’s path between the ridges of exposed reef. Then she met his eyes, and her smile was open and free. She patted him on the leg and straightened up.
“You survived your first shark sighting,” she said, amusement sparkling on her face. “I told you I wouldn’t leave you alone with them.”
