Solo

twenty-one

I woke up to Lo'ak's voice, it was distant but as I looked up, I saw him playing with Tuk and Kiri, which gave me time to master my plan.
I grabbed some seaweed and some bigger shells, adding a few pearls to the top cover as I did the same with the bottom.
It took me a few hours before the set was complete, and I quickly changed into it, admiring it as I brushed it down.
I noticed all of them playing down by the water and began to walk down, hearing Maro's whistle and Aonung hitting him in the chest as all their gazes turned to me.
"You look gorgeous!" Tsierya gasped and came to examine my cover.
"Thank you." I giggled as she felt the seaweed and the pearls dangling from me.
"Wow!" She breathed out and turned back to the boys.
"Holy shit." Lo'ak mumbled as his eyes scanned my body before looking up to my face, my hair.
"Did you let your curls go?" He grinned and held one of them to his face.
"Yeah." I smiled, in awe that he had noticed.
"You look amazing." He smirked and I pushed him playfully.
"I know." I wiggled my eyebrows.
"Let's go for a swim." Neteyam laughed, pulling his brother away from me.
"I'm sorry Laya. He's attached."
I couldn't help but laugh as the brothers began to play fight.
"Let's go!" Aonung called, already in the water.
I began to walk towards the water, lightly tugging at Lo'ak's hair for him to get up, which he did, following behind me like a lost puppy as we entered the water. He called for his ilu and looked at me expectantly.
"Aren't you going to call for Zia?" He asked and I swam to him.
"I want to ride with you." His eyes widened and he nodded, I mounted his ilu and pressed my hips against him, feeling him take a sharp inhale as he grabbed my waist, pulling me back harder. I let out a small yell and he chuckled.
"I know what you're doing." He reached forward, his front against my back as he told his ilu to speed off.
"HA!" Lo'ak smirked as he zoomed past Neteyam.
"Not everything is a race my brother!" Neteyam told him.
"Just because you lost!" Lo'ak smirked and I felt him swerve a different way to everyone else.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"I asked Aonung where your favourite place was, he showed me, gave me a stern talking to as-well."
"You did that?" I asked him.
"Yeah. Before I get verbally abused by Aonung."
My heart warmed at this before we dived under the water.

"Are you sure?" Lo'ak asked me.
"Yes." I told him breathlessly.
"No but... are you sure?" He asked.
"LO'AK! JUST PUSH IT!"
He pushed my seaweed cover away from the rock, it ripped but at least I wasn't attached anymore.
I held the ripped cover over my chest as he continued to stare.
"LO'AK!" I held my chest annoyed.
"Sorry. Sorry." He slapped both of his cheeks and called for his ilu, we both mounted him and we swam back to the dock.
"Why isn't she coming out?" I heard Aonung ask as Lo'ak got out of the water, I stayed, the water covering everything but my shoulders as I held my cover to my chest tightly.
"She needs a top." Lo'ak announced and Aonung and him both looked at me.
"DO NOT JUST STAND THERE! HELP!"
They both scurried off and I sighed, diving under water in embarrassment.
I saw Tsierya swimming towards me and she tilted her head at me.
'What happened?'
'My top.'
She held her hand over her mouth and I rolled my eyes, smiling with her as she held back a laugh.
Tsierya was more helpful than both boys out together, who just stumbled over each other and facepalmed the floor as they bought me a new cover.
Tsierya rolled her eyes and quickly retrieved the cover, shaking the sand off of it before swimming towards me. I let the ripped top fall as I spun around, pulling my hair up as she attached it around me.
"There." She patted my shoulders and I thanked her.
"Thank you."
"How are things?" She asked me and I tilted my head as the boys dived in the water, splashing each other and annoying each other.
I moved my attention from her to them and then back to her.
"Things?" I asked and she nodded.
"I am doing okay." I told her.
"You know you can talk to me about anything Laya?"
I opened my mouth to tell her I knew, when I was tackled under water by who I could only guess to by Lo'ak.
I looked up at him and gave him a glare as I held my breath, pushing myself down as he followed me.
I smirked and swam off quickly, his hand gripping my ankle and yanking me back to him, he gave me a victorious smile before pressing his lips against mine softly, I moved closer to him as his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me as close to him as possible before he pulled away.
' I see you.' He signed and I took his hand in both of mine, giving him a smile as I repeated the action, I hesitated before signing to him.
' I choose you.'