After Melodi was dragged down the stairs toward the beach with Grover leading the way. They slowed to a walk. Thankful she smiled up at him and walked out a little ways in the ocean. The cool water hit her ankles as she swung her flip flops in her hands. Melodi took a sideways glance at Grover, he was kicking up sand as he walked. She decided to break the silence.
"So you got me out here, what now?" Melodi joked.
Grover smiled slightly, but thought about how he should start it out. He sighed aloud and stopped slowly. He looked up to see Melodi walk a little ways, stop and turn towards him.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he muttered "I just need to talk to you about something."
"Okay, shoot."
"How do I start? Well I have known you for about 6 years and I feel something more than what we are now. I want something more."
Melodi starred at him understanding that he was admitting, something that he had been wanting to say for a while. She shifted awkwardly, Melodi didn't know what to say or what to do. She stood there asking herself, did she feel the same? Melodi had felt that for Grover at one point in her life but not as much as she used to.
"I-I don't know if that's best at the moment." She felt guilty because that's all she gave him for an answer.
"What?" he asked shock in his voice and written all over his face.
"I just doesn't feel right." Melodi said but instantly regretted it.
"I understand." Grover nodded and shifted his long board to his other arm.
"No! That's not what I meant!" Melodi raised her voice then glanced around embarrassed. People kept on with their business nonchalantly. She walked closer to him and dropped her flip flops on the ground.
"Then what?" Grover asked confused.
Before Melodi could stop herself or even really understand what she was doing, she crashed her lips against Grover's. Melodi always wanted to know what his lips tasted like. She tasted his cinnamon gum. It lasted just a moment but Grover had a smile plated on his face as they broke away.
"Gover," Melodi started "I like you, I'm just not ready for what comes next." She looked down blushing slightly. Grover smiled and gently grabbed her chin making her eyes flutter up at his.
"I like you too." He smiled and kissed Melodi deeply cherishing every second he was given. She pulled away realising the sun setting and it was getting dark.
"Oh shoot! I didn't tell my father that I was coming here so I snuck out." Melodi whispered the last of her sentence.
Grover mimicked her voice "Oh really? Your so bad."
She smiled and winked "You know it."
An annoying ring interrupted their conversation, Grover reached into his back pocket and answered after furrowing his eyebrows.
"Hello?" his voice was ruff and tense, "Why? Okay, okay fine. Yeah bye."
Melodi had a questionable look on her face as Grover put his phone back into his pocket.
"My sister." he said simply.
"Oh, whats wrong?"
"Nothing, she's back for the while and wants to have dinner. So she wants me to be there. And supposedly she brought friends."
"Its okay you can go. I wanna spend more time out here anyway." Melodi shrugged hoping he wouldn't worry.
Grover looked over at Melodi and smiled, "I'll call you tomorrow?"
"Yep." Melodi nodded and she pulled him into a hug, "Bye."
Gover smiled at her and turned to walk away, thinking about Melodi. Once he reached the top of the stairs he took off on his long board towards home.
Melodi continued to walk along the beach, the ocean water getting cooler as the sun set. She watched the sun go down and decided it was probably time to go back. Melodi jogged back to the boardwalk and the climbed the stairs. Street lamps flicked on as she started walking home, there were few people here and there. Melodi had always had weird feeling that she was going to get kidnapped after dark. She smiled in spite of herself, and looked down the block to see her up coming street. Melodi pulled out her phone to check the time, the little blinking screen read 8:00. She wondered if they had really stayed on the beach for almost 2 hours. Melodi looked up just in time to see whose chest she bumped into.
"Clae, I am so sorry," she managed to drop her phone sometime in the squabble. Melodi squatted to pick it up of the cement.
"Oh no it wasn't your fault I was paying attention either." He smiled down at her, knowing that he was paying full attention.
"So what do you have planned for tonight? Not that I'm asking you on a date or anything. Just making conversation." She chuckled nervously and thought she was being stupid for even asking.
"I just got off work."
"Oh really?" she jumped on the subject hoping he wouldn't notice her burning cheeks. "Where do you work?"
"Down the street at the aquarium." he pointed to her left.
"Ya know, its funny I have lived here for a really long time and I have never been."
"It recently opened."
Melodi made an 'oh' sound and looked up at the sky to notice stars peeking out.
"Hey could you walk me home? It right down the street. Honestly I don't really like walking by myself in the dark."
"Sure." Clae chuckled.
"Don't hate." Melodi narrowed her eyes at Clae.
Clae held up his hands in defeat smiling in the process. Clae started walking towards Melodi's house with her trailing behind.
"So how long have you lived here?" Melodi's curiosity got the best of her.
"Oh um I'm just visiting."
"Cool. From where?" Melodi turned her head so she could see him. Clae's hands were deep in his front pockets.
"That's not really important. I'm not going back for a while, unless I do what I'm supposed to do." He rubbed the back of his neck and Melodi nodded, she decided not to push her luck to far.
"Oh alright. So do you like working with the animals at the aquarium?" She stole a sideways glace at him.
"Yeah it's not bad, it's something to do."
Melodi agreed. They were getting closer to Melodi's small home. Clae broke the silence "So you live over here?"
"Uhh yeah," she admitted awkwardly.
Clae walked her up to her house, "Well it was a pleasure once again."
Melodi laughed, "What are you talking about? I made you come with me."
"Eh wasn't that bad."
"Thanks." Melodi smiled and walked up the steps and reached for the brass door nob.
Clae watched her walk up, he smiled and turned to walk away.
"Crap, I totally forgot." She whispered and quietly tip toed down the steps, "I snuck out. So therefore I gotta sneak back in."
Clae faced her and smiled; he looked towards her front window. Lights and color flashed on the drapes that hung loosely around the large square window. Clae thought it might of been from the TV.
"C'mon! I don't want him to see you!" Melodi gabbed Clae's hand and dragged him around to the side of the house.
She walked up towards her window and faced him, "I'll see you later?"
"Definitely," Clae beamed, he couldn't wait to see Melodi again.
"Sorry I dragged you, my dad doesn't like me hanging with boys. But for some reason he's okay with Grover. I don't really know why."
Cause he's not a merman, Clae thought to himself.
She climbed up and in through her window. Melodi fumbled and occasionally blurted 'ow' because she would trip or collide with things that lay spread across her room. Melodi reached her light switch and brightened the room. Just as she brought light to her pale purple room she felt something strike her cheek. Melodi yelped in pain and grasped her cheek as she glared at her very intoxicated father.
"How dare you leave without asking me first!" he bellowed at her.
"You wouldn't of let me go anyway!" Melodi's anger flared as her father took another swig of alcohol.
"Don't speak to me like that!" He charged at her grabbing a fist full of her blond wavy hair. Pulling her towards him he whispered "You are never going to leave me like that wretch did."
Melodi sobbed as she starred at the evil look that sat upon his face. She had almost forgotten about Clae until he shouted out Melodi's name from the open window.
Clae had started to walk away until he heard noisy shouting coming from Melodi's purple room. He ran back towards the window to see Melodi tight in her fathers grasp. Racking his brain for ideas, he yelled Melodi's name. She looked up and Clae could see in her eyes the same hate and disgust from when he had first met her, now he realised why. Melodi's gaze softened when she saw that it was Clae looking back at her. He was gone in an instant, running around the side of the house and up the feeble steps.
Clae turned the door nob and rushed over the thresh hold into a hallway. He looked around then down the hallway when he heard Melodi's cry for Clae. He ran down the hallway towards where he believed Melodi was.
When he walked into the room to see Melodi on the floor in a ball and her father over her hitting her. Anger flashed over him and he grabbed her father and threw him off of her.
"Who are you?!" Melodi's father grunted as he was shoved against the wall by Clae.
He dropped to his knees and helped Melodi up. She held on to Clae's shoulder for support.
"Its a boy, dad." Melodi's head pounded as if a tiny battle was going on inside her head and to make matters worse she had a metallic, coppery taste running through her mouth.
"Why you little whore!" Melodi's father went into punch her but Clae's equally strong hand lay in the way of coming in contact with Melodi's temple. When Melodi opened her eyes Clae's back was in the line of her vision of her father.
"How dare you call your daughter that!" Anger buzzed through Clae, something flashed through his eyes and Melodi's father dropped, out cold on the newly, vacuumed grey carpet.
"C'mon!" Melodi stood shocked at her father and then looked to Clae. He held on to her hand trying to pull her out the door "He's fine, he'll wake up soon."
"Wha-, how-?" Melodi stood looking from her father to Clae, her hand still interlocked with his. When she realized this she felt a surge of energy pass through her body.
"I'll explain later, we just need to go."
"Mmkay" she looked at Clae, tears welling up inside her, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, sugar." Clae winked, happy he could give her what she wanted, that didn't come in paper with a bow.
The sound of Melodi's father groaning broke them out of their trance. Clae exited the room and made his way towards the front door. Clae held tightly on to Melodi's hand as they went eagerly down the few steps and into the grass.
"Where are we going?" Melodi asked when they reached the sidewalk that was out on the front of her house.
"Somewhere only we know."