Crimson Reef 2 ● An Ocean Of Problems

● Chapter 2 ●

I closed the door behind me. My feet moved slowly down the passage. The floorboards squeaked. I should have taken my shoes off. Or wore lighter shoes in the first place.

Or told him the truth.

"You shush!" I muttered under my breath. No amount of explanation was going to get me out of this unscathed. The best plan is to hope that he didn't notice.

The bedroom door opened before I reached it. My heart sank. My eyes avoided his and I pulled at my jacket collar covering my chest.

"Too late for that," he said quietly. I let go of my collar and the crimson shimmer seemed to wink at me in defiance.

A wonderful superhero you make. The future of the world is in good hands! You can't even sneak into your own house.

"I-"

"I can't believe you, Nataline," he accused. His voice sending shivers down my spine. His shoulders were taut with tension.

"Benji, I just wanted to-" I ignored the ocean. No use adding fuel to this fire.

"Wanted to what? Prove that you don't care for my opinion?"

"But, I needed to-"

"You're really-" he interrupted me again.

Are you really going to let him cut in like that?

"For goodness sake, Benjamin," I all but screamed, "let me speak!" I waited for a response, but he was quiet. His jaw set.

"I know you don't want this," I started again, my voice grew in confidence when I realized I wasn't going to get interrupted again, "but she wouldn't have asked if it wasn't serious and it is."

I looked at him, waiting for a response. But he stayed quiet. We're still getting to know each other again, but stubbornness is a new look on him.

I sighed and reached out to him, he pulled back.

I took a step forward. He took a step back.

That's when I stopped to look at him properly. His green eyes seemed duller than it was this morning. His deep copper skin seemed paler. His shaken aura betrayed a fear that he had been hiding well. A fear that I couldn't control. I couldn't make out if the fear was too strong, or I was too weak. He turned to look out of the window.

"Something big is happening in the Arctic," I ignored my instinct to stop talking and pushed through, "There's a lot of people coming in and out of the area. Ten times more people than usual. I couldn't identify the equipment that they're unloading. But they were trying very hard to hide it. Whatever it is, it doesn't look innocent."

"You actually went there?" He swung back to face me, his eyes wide.

Trust him to only focus on the least important part of the whole thing.

Please stay out of this! I can't concentrate with you and your little comments in my head!

Fine! I'll put in my figurative earplugs.

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at her before addressing Benjamin.

"Yes, I went there!" I returned defensively. "What did you expect me to do?"

"I expected you to not go in the first place. Maybe I expected you to talk to me first. At the very least I expected you to consider Aurora."

"Aurora? How dare you bring up Aurora!" My fists clenched at my sides, my nails biting into my flesh as I felt my blood pressure soar. "How dare you even suggest that I didn't consider my daughter when I decided to see what is going on!"

"How dare I?" He screamed back, "Nataline, you were gone for nine hours!" I looked out of the window and saw the sun as it peeked over the horizon. I did not realize that I was gone for quite that long. My anger dissipating along with my defenses.

"Well, I'm safe."

"How was I supposed to know? Do you have any idea what shit went through my mind in only the first hour that I realized you were gone? How many what if's? What was I going to say to Aurora?" He wasn't screaming anymore.

"You could have just asked the ocean, I was with her the entire time," I stated, covering my guilt with my own stubbornness. I knew he felt this way, that's why I had to sneak out in the first place.

"I didn't want to believe you were with her," he seemed defeated.

"You make it sound like I was out cheating on you or something!"

"It would probably have felt better if you were!"

"You can't mean that, Benji," I responded and placed my hand on his arm. He winced but stayed put, so I continued, "I'm sorry I hurt you, I honestly didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to sneak out behind my back?" He stated incredulously.

"Well, honestly, I didn't mean to get caught."

"You can't magically stop the hurt by hiding it from me, Nats. You had to know I would have found out about it sooner or later?"

"It would have been more ideal," I muttered.

"But, not very realistic."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm an idiot," I said as I stepped forward. I pulled his arms around my waist and wrapped mine around his neck.

I felt my heart beating in my throat as he hesitated, but then pulled me closer and buried his face in my neck. Content for that moment, we stood there for what seemed like hours.

"I have always associated this smell with pain," he murmured eventually, "but on you, it smells safe."

"The fishy saltwater smell?" I said and wrinkled up my nose in distaste.

"No, it's more like an ocean breeze," he chuckled, I could feel his heart grow lighter, the fear ebbing back into its dark corner.

"You smell way better," I whispered, breathing in the woodsy scent of him.

"You do know that you should never be a spy, right?" He said and moved back laughing, he anticipated my playful punch as I acknowledged both the joke and the truth in the situation.

When I saw his eyes crinkle with laughter, I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

We were going to be okay.

For now.