Fish out of Water Read online

  “He’s super happy,” I say. “But it works for him.”

  “I don’t want him to help me shower,” Betty grumbles.

  Shrey raises an eyebrow. “That’s okay. If I get out I think I’ll feel better.”

  “I think so, too.” I get up and put my cereal bowl in the sink. “You ready to go?”

  Mom tilts her head. “So early?”

  I shrug.

  “To see Dylan?” Shreya asks.

  “Dylan?” Mom’s eyebrows pop up, and she stares me down. “The boy you went to Cypress Point with?”

  “Shrey!” I bite my tongue, knowing I’ve already given myself away. May as well get it over with. “Okay, we’re dating. Now you all know. Happy?”

  Shreya winces. “Sorry.”

  I slip my messenger bag over my head. “It’s fine. I was gonna tell them anyway, after last night.”

  “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means,” Dad says.

  “No. Gosh, Dad, I haven’t known him that long.” I feel the need to bolt, since I don’t want to hear what Betty has to say about this. We’ve already been to “no mixing” territory enough for one day. “Shrey, you ready?”

  “Yes.” She follows me outside, and as we enter our lock combinations, she says, “I messed that up, didn’t I?”

  “No.” I purse my lips. “I don’t care that my parents know, but Betty … ”

  “Ah.” She guides her bike down the porch stairs. “She’s not any better than my parents. I’m starting to get why Pavan never told them—it wouldn’t have mattered if he told them when he started dating Rachelle as opposed to marrying her.”

  “Maybe not. Who knows?” We pedal slowly down the road. “So where’re you gonna look?”

  She sighs. “Probably some restaurants. I do have three years’ serving experience. That’s a lot for our age.”

  “It is. You’re really good at it.”

  Her smile is sad. “It’ll be weird to work at a different place, though. I never thought I’d work anywhere else. I love that restaurant.”

  “Me, too.” I hate to see her so down. Not wanting to make her cry, I search for a subject change. “Hey, should I ask my boss if there might be a job for you? I’m pretty much his favorite employee.”

  She looks surprised. “But is he hiring?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not like we’re well staffed. Even with Dylan the checkout lines still get backed up.”

  She seems to be on the fence. “You’re already giving me a place to live. You’d get sick of me if I worked with you, too.”

  “Psh!” I kick her bicycle playfully. “When have I ever been sick of you?”

  She doesn’t answer.

  “That’s what I thought. I’ll just ask, okay? Or maybe you’ll want to work somewhere else. I won’t be offended if you don’t want to work with me.”

  She glares at me. “Go ahead and ask, then.”

  “Fine. I will.” I smile, and she rolls her eyes.

  Shreya and I split up when AnimalZone is in sight. I round the corner to the back of the store and see Dylan outside leaning by the door. I try my hardest not to smile as I come to a stop in front of him. “That excited to see me again, huh?”

  “Yes.” He kisses me. “I really like that I’m allowed to do that now. I’ve wanted to since I accidentally tackled you on the beach.”

  “I wanted to murder you that day.” I get off my bike, and he immediately pulls me close. It makes me want to cuddle up with him on a couch.

  “I know. It was hot.”

  “You’re weird.”

  “And?”

  “So what were you thinking that day?” I ask. “Because you looked absolutely miserable.”

  “I was. You hated me, and I deserved it.” He pushes my hair from my face. “Also, I thought a lot about the goldfish legend you told me. That dragon you guys made—which was awesome, by the way—it was about to push out of the water like in the story.”

  “Yeah?”

  He nods. “When you told me that story, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s not like I’ve had to work for anything, so it was like I got dropped in the pond, you know? Like I just got handed dragonhood.”

  “I thought about that after Cypress Point,” I admit. “But I didn’t find an answer.”

  “When I saw your sculpture from the cliff, it hit me. Dragons have to learn to fly—they can’t sit in the spring forever like they’re still koi. They have to fight for that dream, but in a different way. They have to decide where they want to fly and why. That’s when I decided to go for you, even if I didn’t have much of a chance.”

  He is so sincere, and his words carry so much meaning. I can’t believe a sculpture I made impacted him so much, and I love the idea of dragons needing to learn to fly. Of all the places he could soar off to, I like thinking he’s decided to fly to me.

  I kiss him. I shouldn’t—we need to get to work—but I can’t stand not to when he talks like that. The chemistry is insane, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. He pushes me up against the wall, and I run my fingers down his back.

  “Let’s skip work and keep doing this,” he whispers between kisses.

  “We should go inside.” I slip my fingers into his belt loops and pull him closer. All the repressed attraction has come back to bite me—I can’t get enough of him.

  His lips stretch into a smile on mine. “You’re sending very mixed messages.”

  “Mm-hm.”

  That’s when the back door swings open. Supervisor Clark freezes at the sight of us in full make out mode, and I want to die.

  Chapter 30

  Dylan whispers in my ear, “We need to find a private place next time.”

  I shove him back, trying not to look completely mortified. Turns out getting caught by your boss is way more embarrassing than getting caught by your parents—I do have experience there—especially when the guy you’re making out with is his nephew. Though I search for words, none come.

  Clark clears his throat, clearly uncomfortable. “Well, I’m glad you two have … resolved your differences, but maybe you could save that for after work?”

  “Yes. Of course,” I manage to get out. “Sorry.”

  “Sorry,” Dylan repeats.

  “We’re open, so.” He nods towards the door, and I head inside without another word.

  “Why are you always embarrassed about me?” Dylan asks as we head to Aquatics. “He was trying to set us up anyway.”

  I put a hand to my face, which still feels warm. “I’m not embarrassed about you. He’s my boss! There’s a line, you know? It’s like seeing a teacher outside of school, and you have no idea how to interact with them that way.”

  He laughs. “Okay, fair enough.”

  “Besides,” I say as I hand a tank scrubber to Dylan. “I was supposed to ask if he might be hiring, and there’s no way I can look him in the eye now.”

  “Hiring?” Understanding crosses his face. “You mean a job for Shreya?”

  I nod, heading for the goldfish guppy tank. It always gets the dirtiest, and the water needs to be super clean to keep them alive. “Not that she’s desperate, but I thought I could at least ask.”

  “Is she okay?” He takes the tank next to mine, filled with small blackmoors and other fancies.

  I purse my lips. “No, not really. You can imagine what she’s going through, having been there.”

  “Yeah … it’s not pleasant, even when it’s what you want.”

  I sigh. “I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to be upbeat and positive, but it doesn’t feel right. Nothing does.”

  “Just be there for her. My uncle’s been hard on me, but he’s been a huge support, too. It’ll be easier if she knows she has someone she can rely on.”

  I look at Dylan. He’s focused on the tank, and I can’t help thinking how much he’s changed since that first day. “You know, you’re pretty smart when you want to be.”

  His eyes meet mine, and he smirks. “Anoth
er compliment? This is weird.”

  “It is, isn’t it? Should I balance it out by saying that uniform looks horrible on you?”

  He laughs. “No one looks good in this, not even you.”

  My eyes narrow.

  “It’s probably best, though. Otherwise I’d be in big trouble.” He glances at my butt and frowns. “Those pants do not do you justice.”

  “Stop!” I smack him with the scrubber. “I was supposed to be insulting you, not the other way around.”

  He stares at the wet mark on his shirt. “You did not just get dirty fish water on me! You’ll pay for that.”

  I can tell he wants to kiss me, and I force myself to back up. We need to be professional at work. That’ll be way harder than I thought. “Get the siphons. Because we’re working.”

  “Working. Right.” He sighs, but heads for the utility closet a few aisles down. I take the time to center myself. We can do this. It’s not like I need to kiss him all the time. That’s just the fun, new part. All these work hours I can spend getting to know him.

  When he gets back, it seems we’ve both cooled off. He siphons the tanks I’ve already scrubbed, saying, “We need to go on another date. Preferably one where London is not present.”

  I smile. “She did put a damper on things.”

  “When can you go?”

  “Hmm … ” I scrub the tank, wanting to say the most immediate time possible. But there’s someone else I need to think about. “I should take care of Shrey this weekend. She got kicked out because her brother is in a relationship like ours and she supported him—it might hurt that it’s easy for us.”

  He nods, seeming sad. “I didn’t know stuff like that still happened. Aren’t we supposed to be past that crap?”

  “You’d think.” I move to the next tank. “My parents went through it, but I never thought I’d see it happen to someone my age.”

  “So maybe next weekend?”

  I roll my eyes. “One track mind much?”

  “I just want to hang out with you. Is that so wrong?”

  Smiling, I say, “I think that could work, on a Saturday when my parents are home so I don’t have to work around Betty. And you’re still cleaning my tanks on Thursday, right?”

  “Of course.” He smiles, and for some reason I get the sense he has plans.

  “What are you thinking?”

  He shrugs. “Since we went golfing first, we should go to the Aquarium. You can talk fish all day. Then we could go to dinner wherever you want, since you clearly know the good places to eat.”

  I bite my lip as a surge of affection hits me. “That sounds great.”

  “Next Saturday then? At, like, three?”

  “Should work,” I say, trying to restrain my giddiness. “I’ll meet you there.”

  When my shift is over, Dylan walks me to the back. I give him one peck, and he frowns. But his uncle has his office door open, and I’m not risking another ambush. I probably should talk to Clark about job openings, and yet I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s not like Shrey needs a job right away. Maybe next week. Then I’ll have a few days for the shame to subside.

  “Lunch?” Dylan asks.

  I wince. “I should find Shrey.”

  “That’s fine.” He hugs me. “See you on Monday.”

  This pang hits me in the gut. Monday seems like forever away, and I have no way to contact him except for Clark’s home number. “You need to get a cell phone.”

  “Seriously. Next pay check.”

  Ugh, too long. “We should go buy it together.”

  He smiles. “I like this plan.”

  “See ya.” I reluctantly pull back before I get too mushy. It’s just two days—what is wrong with me? I’ve never been this sentimental, at least I don’t remember being like this with my other boyfriends. I liked being around them, but when we were apart I rarely missed them. I’ve only been outside for a minute, and I swear I miss Dylan already.

  I pedal faster, this need for him freaking me out.

  Shrey and I didn’t discuss lunch, but I know where she’ll be. I crave curry when I’m down, and she craves pizza. That means I’ll find her at Round Table, her favorite place. I don’t know why she likes it so much, but she could eat a whole vegetarian pie on her own.

  It’s only five minutes away by bike, so I figure I’ll surprise her if she’s there. The place is old, usually dirty, and the epic fantasy mural on the wall screams 80s cartoon. But there Shreya sits, stuffing her face and crying.

  “Didn’t go well?” I sit across from her.

  She scrambles for a napkin and wipes at her eyes. “How’d you know I was here?”

  I give her the look. “What else do you crave when you’re down?”

  “Right.” She takes a long sip from her root beer. “No one was hiring—they’ve filled all their summer spots. I’m screwed.”

  “Hey, it was only the first day.” I take a piece of her pizza, even though she glares at me for it. “It’s not like you went everywhere in the whole city. We’ll find something.”

  She nods, though she doesn’t look convinced. “What did Supervisor Clark say?”

  I cringe, feeling even worse now.

  “You didn’t ask him?”

  “Well … ” I should say it fast, like ripping off a Band-Aid. “He kinda caught me and Dylan kissing, and I was so embarrassed I chickened out.”

  Her eyebrows go up. “You were making out at work? You, Miss Responsible?”

  “It was technically before work, but he came out back and found us and I wanted to disappear. I swear I’ll ask on Monday. I’m so sorry I didn’t—I didn’t know it would be hard to find something.”

  She laughs to herself. “That’s fine. But what’s gotten into you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She grabs another piece of pizza. “You’ve always been so, I don’t know, calm and in control. Dylan gets you all flustered.”

  I want to argue, but her saying his name gives me this fluttery feeling. It’s freaky. “Is it that bad?”

  “I don’t know. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Now that you’ve given in, it seems like you’re happy.” She takes a bite. “It’s okay to be happy, Mika. I might be miserable, but I still want you to be happy.”

  I smile. “This is why I’ll never get tired of you, punk.”

  She rolls her eyes, and I kick her shin. “Hey!”

  “I know you don’t want me to say it, but I still think it’ll be okay. We’ll make it work out.”

  She nods. “I don’t want you to say that, but keep doing it anyway. Maybe someday I’ll believe it.”

  “You will.” In the meantime, I will hope for her.

  Chapter 31

  It’s Thursday, and I still haven’t asked Clark if he’s hiring yet. Shreya says it’s okay, but I can tell from her eyes she’s lying. I’m making the make-out ambush too big a deal, but it’s impossible for me to hold a conversation with my boss now. So much for time making it less awkward—the more I put it off the harder it becomes.

  “Should I ask him?” Dylan says as we stand in the break room after my shift.

  I eye Clark’s door, chewing the inside of my lip. “No, then he’d know how embarrassed I was.”

  Dylan snorts. “Because he can’t tell by the one-word answers and crazy blushing.”

  “Shut up.”

  He pulls me closer. “Then do you want me to come with you?”

  I put my head on his chest, the smell of him intoxicating. “Can we just go to lunch?”

  He sighs. “If you don’t ask by Monday I will.”

  “Deal. Where should we eat?”

  “Hmm, I’ll think while I’m changing.” He pulls away.

  I tug him back. “You’re changing?”

  Laughing, he nods. “I don’t want to spend all afternoon in this uniform, so I brought extra clothes this time.”

  “So I have to go to lunch wearing this alone?”

  He kisses my cheek. “Don’t wo
rry, you’ll be with me so no one will notice anyway.”

  I shove him, and he runs off to the bathroom. Leaning on the wall, I try not to smile. I shouldn’t laugh about his cockiness, but something about it has changed since we got together. Or maybe I understand now that he’s kidding—he doesn’t really think much of himself at all.

  Dylan comes out wearing gray plaid shorts and a dark purple t-shirt. He totally pulls off purple. “I think I need tacos.”

  “Mmm, yes.” We bike to Su Casa, and this time Dylan buys my food despite my protests. “Why do you always want to pay?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s habit. Maybe I just like buying things for you—it’s funny how you get mad.”

  “Why is that funny?”

  “No one ever stopped me from paying before. They expected it.” Something clicks as he thinks about it. “But you always resist, even over something as small as a few tacos. I guess it’s a nice reminder that you’re in it for me, not the money.”

  I roll my eyes. “What money?”

  “When you say that, it makes me want to buy you everything.”

  “You better not!”

  “I’ll try.” He unwraps his taco, and we eat. We take our time biking to my house, soaking in the summer sun. On the less busy roads, we pedal side by side. There is much flirting.

  As we put the bikes on my front porch, I say, “You probably shouldn’t act like we’re together around Betty. I have no clue how she’ll react.”

  His brow furrows. “I don’t want to hide it just because she has a problem.”

  “Well, I don’t want to get berated all afternoon.” I sigh, knowing he has a point, but hoping he’ll go along with this anyway. “Look, she has a big problem with people ‘mixing’. She can really fly off the handle about it. Since I don’t know what mood she’ll be in, please do this for me. I don’t want to deal with her losing it and calling me names.”

  He glares at the door. “It bothers me that anyone would have a problem with us just because of that.”

  I hold in my sigh. Dylan has probably never had to deal with any kind of prejudice. I can’t imagine what it’s like, but I take his hand and stand firm. “If she wasn’t sick, I wouldn’t ask, okay? But she is, and I worry about her. Since she’s gotten here, her memory has already gotten worse. She could think we’re my parents or that you’re her dad or something weird and I can’t predict the triggers. It’s easier this way.”