𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐒; neteyam

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

SIXTEEN

"I don't care what you think, unless it is about me."
-drain you, nirvana

AS SOON AS the sunrise cleared away the darkness, Neteyam took Namaoyi out to walk the line of the shore. It was peaceful, empty, as their feet collided with the damp sand washed over by the water. It was as if they were the only two people in the world, and that was okay, because all they needed to survive was each other.

"So, have you learnt sign language yet?" Namaoyi asked, looking at the boy through the orange sky with a smile. He grinned, turning to her with a scrunched up nose.

"Most of it, Ao'nung has been teaching me," he said, eyes trailing down her beautiful face. It wasn't long before he gave into his desires, moving his hand around to touch her left cheek. She looked at him with furrowed brows before understanding, feeling his lips softly crash against her own.

She smiled into it before he pulled away, eyes fluttering as she savored the feeling. "What was that for?"

"You looked beautiful," he whispered, sending her a heartfelt smile. "And I am your- wait . . ." He glanced down at her with confusion, her looking up equally as befuddled. "Am I your boyfriend?"

Namaoyi smiled, letting out a breath of laughter as the boy stared, hopefully. "If you would like to be," she muttered, pupils trailing the crashing waves of the shoreline once more.

Neteyam threw his arm around her shoulder, using his hand by her cheek to push her head to face him. "I would love to be your boyfriend, Namaoyi."

"Good, because I love you," she whispered, leaning up to peck his lips before pulling  away. However, she didn't get far, because Neteyam pulled her back for another, and then another, and then another. "Teyam," she mumbled against his lips, "we're in the middle of the beach."

"And?" He pulled away, only inches, to look down into her sincere eyes. "I want to be with you, Namao. I don't care if people see us, or judge us, or . . . whatever. Nothing and Nobody could ever stop me from loving you the way I do."

"Oh, Eywa, you're going to make me cry," Namaoyi laughed, looking to the sky to clear her mind for just a moment before looking back into Neteyams brightened eyes. "I love you, more than you realize, okay? And I agree with you, completely . . . but do you not think it would be better if we told them first? Rather than them finding out by watching us kiss on the beach?"

Neteyam sighed, scratching the nape of his neck as he furrowed his brows. "Yeah, you are probably right," he winced, causing her to laugh once again. She grabbed his hand, dragging her back towards the village with a sincere smile. "Where are you taking me?"

"No time like the present, right?" She said as they skipped to the path, weaving between huts and docks with bright smiles adorning their cheeks. "I'm sure they're all awake by now."

However, their plans diminished when they ran into Lo'ak and Tsireya, the two younger teens looking at each other with laughter pouring from their parted lips until they caught sight of Namaoyi and Neteyam walking towards them.

"My bro," Neteyam greeted, holding out his hand with a grin. Lo'ak looked up, a spark in his eyes.

"What's up, cuz," he laughed, playfully fist-bumping him as Namaoyi and Tsireya shared a look from beside them. They were about to burst into laughter when the loud and obnoxious sound of a horn filled the air, causing Namaoyi to step back with furrowed brows and sore ears.

They all looked at each other with confusion before Tsireya let out an excited squeal, scaring the other worried people as she practically jumped on the spot. "Come! The Tulkuns are back!" She cheered, lightly grabbing onto Lo'aks hand with a grin before running off in a sprint. Lo'ak followed after her with confusion, sparing a worried glance back at Neteyam and Namaoyi that read help me. They didn't help him.

Namaoyi looked at the boy watching his brother be dragged away. "How about we tell them later?" She asked with a half-smile, tilting her head to the side as his eyesight traveled to meet her own. "I want to go have fun."

"Yeah, later," he smiled before taking her hand, following in Tsireyas footsteps by dragging her over to the water. They ran down the nets, splashing through the water as they leapt over the waves. Everyone else was already at the Tulkuns, talking to their spirit sister and brothers with grins and heartfelt smiles. Namaoyi admired them, hoping that one day, that could possibly be her.

Neteyam was the first to dive beneath the water, taking a deep breath as he held his hands above his head and sliced the water before him in half. Namaoyi soon followed, the two kicking through the warm water as they watched everyone communicate with their respective Tulkuns. Was this how Lo'ak felt everytime he spoke with Payakan, or was that different? Namaoyi and Neteyam could only wonder.

Namaoyi called for her ilu upon getting tired, Neteyam looking over to her before doing the same. She immediately jumped on her back before taking off, laughing as Neteyam waited, wading through the water, for his ilu to finally arrive. 

They swam through the water, smiles growing across their red-hued cheeks, as they wove between each other and around the Tulkuns bodies. Namaoyi swam around their tails and eyes, jumping out of the water and over their backs to catch a glimpse of the other side. From the air, it was a beautiful sight, as everyone from the village looked finally happy - even Jake and Neytiri, who she could see on the shoreline.

She liked admiring, that's what she found herself doing to fill in her pastimes. Typically, there was a person struggling, or doing something that made them upset, but not now. Right now, not a single soul could find a reason to be miserable - even Lo'ak, who'd swam away in search of his own Tulkun.

Namaoyi finally understood the boy, Payakan was someone to hold close.