The Breath of Water | Neteyam

38 • Hopeful Endeavors

Two days since Neteyam proclaimed his promise to Liyanin had passed, and she has been restlessly waiting for the second phase to happen. She couldn't contain her eagerness, and she had never been more excited for something in her life.

It was obvious what he had planned to tell her if he won—the tension was there, and it was evidence of her long-standing suspicions of how he felt. Now, all he needed was to win, and he would finally be hers, and she, his.

"What has captured your attention these days?" Ronal asked her, noticing her distracted, yet giddy demeanor. She was finally finished with the three choices of the ioi asrew she wanted Liyanin to choose from, so she was now deciding on what to do with her hair.

"Oh, um...I am just anticipated for the...options you have made for me! I heard from Tsireya that you have finished them." she replied, masterfully evading the truth.

"Is that so...? Well, I hope you like them...I put a lot of care into each one."

"Do you have a favorite, Mother?" the girl asked, tilting her head upwards to try and look at her mom, but Ronal repositioned her head to look straightforward so she could keep working on her hair correctly.

"...I would say I do, but I will not tell you which one. I want you to pick what you truly like."

"When can I see them?"

"After you go and check up on the Sully boy; we need to see if his body is fine." Ronal stated, now done with tinkering with her daughter's hair. Liyanin's cheeks heated up upon hearing her mom's request. She had to go see Neteyam again, and she hasn't seen him ever since he kissed her hand two days ago. The thought of her looking at him—hell, being in the same vicinity as him made her feel extremely flustered, but also extremely happy.

"...must...I be the one to check on him?"

"Who else would I ask but the tsakarem?" Ronal questioned.

"You are right, I will head out now!" Liyanin let out, accidentally saying it kind of fast. Fortunately, her mom didn't seem to suspect anything.

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She was jittery the entire way to his pod, nervous about how he would act. He was the one who did all of that first, practically initiating it, but she was still afraid that he would somehow behave differently. But as she was walking, a mystery hand grabbed her ankle, yanking her into the ocean. As she fell side-first, she let out a small yelp. When she came to, she tried to see who it was, but the bubbles from her falling in had not yet cleared. But she had her suspicions, for the strength in that hand, she had felt it from someone else before.

Once the bubbles finally cleared, a beautiful face popped out, smiling.

They then swam above the surface since Liyanin wanted to say something.

"Neteyam! You little—"

"Haha! The look on your face was priceless!" he chuckled.

"Wait," she grabbed onto his shoulders, massaging them, then his neck. "...you are no longer sore?"

He swam closer to her, grabbing one of her hair strands. "...yes, I am fully restored now." He stared into her eyes as he kissed the lock of hair he had in his fingers, smiling mischievously. She put on a poker face, not wanting to show her nervousness. In turn, she grabbed one of his braids and yanked, making him laugh.

"Ow! That hurt!" he laughed out, rubbing his scalp.

"Stop...kissing parts of me! You do not earn that privilege until you tell me what it is you wish to tell me." she stated, now climbing onto a canoe.