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「 ♡ 」 … *┊ IT WAS ALMOST HARD for Jaden to fight the upcoming flush from creeping on his cheeks to emphasize his high cheekbones. He found a bit of hold and support in the warmth which was Kifo’s hand providing him, but he was still nervous and flustered by the other man’s words. “If you continue I’ll soon sit under the table squealing like a girl,” Jaden joked and gave the other man a wide smile before he fell back into silence.
Whenever Kifo’s thumb drew little circles on the back of Jaden’s hand, the young merman felt a rush of heat rushing through his body and his skin started tingling. Attentively, he listened to the author’s little explanation about his book called Coral Heart. Jaden was aware of the story of The Little Mermaid. He has seen the Disney movie a few times and read the novel called “Undine” to understand the human’s way of thinking. But that a modern author was reusing this idea for something new was arousing Jaden’s interest. “When the book is released, do you think the author would give me a signed copy? Can you ask him for me?” Jaden chuckled a bit even though he meant his words seriously. He wanted to read this book and he wanted to know what Kifo was assuming about the merfolk.
From the corners of his eyes, the merman observed the waiter before he turned his attention back to the other man who was willingly telling him about his hobbies. Wasn’t if fascinating how much they were having in common?
“My hobbies are pretty simple and boring I guess? I love eating, especially everything sweet, preferred cake,” Jaden stopped his explanation for a second to hide a chuckle before he continued talking: “I like being lazy all day and watch series and movies but then other days I love taking long walks until me feet hurt terribly. And I’m maybe a bit obsessed with my phone.” The technology wasn’t all that interesting to Jaden and he was still having some problems when it came to using a laptop but taking pictures with his phone was something else. Lost in his thoughts, Jaden was tugging on the other man’s fingers in a rather playful way. His gaze was shifting from their fingers back to these emerald colored eyes in front of him. The second question Kifo has been asking him was a bit harder to answer which was why Jaden was hesitating for a second before he took a deep breath again.
“It’s a bit complicated. We count our years different than you do. I am twenty-four human years old from my appearance but my merman age is 247 actually. I figured out that ten merman years are one human year.” And there was it again, the anxiety of getting pushed away because he was different and no one you could grow old with. Jaden was ashamed, once again, for being the person he was which caused him to look at their hands again. Would Kifo take his hand away now? Would he become distant now? “I left the sea 80 years ago when I was about 16 human years old. I assume you’d like to know why I left my home?”
Kifo never had the best experience with love when he was young, having had to create his own love stories with his imagination just to keep that hope alive in his heart. A hope he knew would pay-off someday. And with Jaden across him, bubbly and blushing, he wished for that to be today. Every time Jaden threw Kifo a smile, it became harder and harder to convince his heart not to fall in love with the merman, but it sounded as if the rhythm his heart played in his chest was a plea to let go of his safeguards and start to let himself fall.
"Why don't you ask him yourself? I heard he has a soft spot for cute, blonde mermen like you," Kifo teased him in return.
As Jaden told Kifo of his hobbies, it struck the author how Jaden was the perfect person for him. It seemed cliche and annoying, but it was the truth for Kifo. Here was a man that didn't think of his compliments as suffocating, a man that enjoys the simple offerings of life as well as the best it has to offer, a man that was willing to spend time with him, basically, and get to know him, as Kifo Alves-Barr, the person-- and not the author.
The moment Jaden began pulling at Kifo's fingers, he broke from his reverie and moved his attention to the talking merman, but it looked like he didn't even notice he was doing it; and that spoke volumes of their comfortability in each other's presence. When Jaden paused before he could reply to Kifo's second question, and Kifo saw him hesitate, he almost told the model not to bother answering and that he would respect his privacy from now on. But before he could, the words spilled out of Jaden's mouth and all thoughts about it left Kifo's mind.
Two hundred forty-seven. Jaden has been on this earth for two hundred forty seven years and... Kifo stilled. "That's a long time, Jaden, how have you been faring?" Kifo moved his focus to their hands, seeing Jaden has stopped his tugging as well, a symptom of his anxiety acting up. He looked into the merman's eyes before removing his hand between from Jaden's hold, only to put moments later against the model's soft cheek. His thumb brushed Jaden's cheekbones, soothing and comforting.
"No, no, no, Jaden. Look at me. Do I look like I'm running away? Do I look like someone that would just up and go because you're waaaay older than me?" He joked, trying his best to lighten up the mood. "If Bella could stay with Edward even though he was about a thousand years older than her and drank people blood, why can't I stay with you?"
And then, as if Fate herself was trying to distract the both of them from the current topic at hand, the waiter stopped at their table and handed them their menus. "C'mon, darling. Show me that dazzling smile," Kifo said gently as he removed his hand from Jaden's cheek. "Let's pick what to eat."
