eight

" this is Ronwin. The son of Amar and Satari el'car.", tonowari introduced them.

"Very nice to meet you." Stelle' bowed her head. There was no reason not to be polite.

"He is from another one of our communities further down the reef. I think it could be helpful in bringing us closer together if you got to know him better"

This was the moment Stelle' feared. The moment her father became set on having her mate with the person that he chose for a reason that is not love or genuine attraction but more so benefits for the metkayina people. It hurt that he valued status and their contribution to the family in a person for her than just how much she likes them  in the first place.

"Of course father. I would love to get to know him." But she had to make him proud. Who cares about her feelings anyway and if the lay in the hands of another boy. It didn't matter in her father's eyes.

"Perfect. We will arrange a dinner tonight then.", said father. Ronal only stood by him, quiet. Which was unusual of her. She was usually the most opinionated one. "You can return to your duties now, stelle'"

"Thank you father." She bowed her head before departing the hut, tears brimming her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself . Tears never fell. She couldn't let them. It was a sign of weakness and she was anything but weak.

Instead of wallowing in her feelings she decided to distract herself with more acts of service. She helped prepare dinner, cleaned the tables, made sure each hut had their own supply of water, and more. She was tired but distracted which was all that mattered.

Night fell quickly when she busied herself and she went to her hut to get ready for dinner. She would plan on wearing something nice. A seashell dress, typical of the metkayina people. It had been made by her mother. She only wore it on special occasions and the dinner could be considered one.

Once she was ready she began to head back to her parent's hut, finding tsireya, announg, and the sully's on her way there. They were on their way to dinner by the kitchen.

Tsireya eyed her sister. "Why are you dressed so nice? we are merely eating dinner." Stelle' looked at the floor and tsireya immediately knew. "Oh."

Neteyam looked at stelle' in awe. She looked so perfect under the starlight in that dress. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to hold her in it. So incredibly badly.

Announg sighed. He too had realized what was going on. He felt for his sister. "Has father set you up with a boy from the village?"

At this Neteyam snapped back to reality. "What?" He hadn't meant to make it so obvious he was concerned by that, it had just slipped out in the moment. Kirri shook her head at his reaction.

Tsireya frowned. "So you will not be joining us for dinner tonight?"

Stelle' shook her head. " I am afraid not."

Tsireya reached out to hug her. Stelle' wrapped her arms around her sister surprised to here her whisper in her ear. "Rebel. Do not let father control your life like this. It is not right" then she pulled away.

She was surprised to have heard that coming from her. Tsireya was always the good child. The best of all of them. She was the last person to be supporting rebelling against their parent's orders. She assumed that maybe now that she had experienced the feeling of truly liking someone she had realized how horrible it would feel to get it taken away.

Stelle' nodded at her and continued on her way to the hut.

if only it were that easy.

-

the dinner was awkward. Ronwin was nice but stelle' could tell he wasn't into it. Which was a relief because neither was she. It basically just consisted of the parents talking and discussing the futures of the metkayina under their leadership.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?", said Ronwin. He had his braids tied up. His eyes were big, his face round.

"Sure." Any place would be better then that table.

"Where are you two going?", tonowari questioned.

"Just to walk along the beach.", Ronwin replied.

Tonowari didn't seem to have an objection about it, thinking that it was so they would have more alone time to truly get to know each other better when it was really so they could get away from them. "Ok then. Have fun." They walked alongside each other to the beach.

Ronwin held his hands behind his back. "Oh how I hate being the son of a leader sometimes."

Stelle' groaned. "Tell me about it. So many responsibilities. So much pressure."

"Not to offend you or anything but this isn't what I want. This relationship I mean."

Stelle' sighed. "Oh you don't know how much of a relief that is for me. Trust me, no offense taken."

"We just need to tell our parents that this isn't going to work."

"Like they'd listen. I don't know about yours but all my parents want is a guy just like you to arrive and sweep me off my feet so we can mate, have children, and lead both our villages together as one."

Ronwin nodded. "They can't force us."

"Oh but they can. They have the power to do it."

"There has to be another way."

Stelle' admired his optimism, but it was unrealistic to think that they're parents would just let this opportunity go just because they don't actually like each other. "I really hope there is."

-

Stelle' was surprised to see Neteyam sitting at her spot in the secluded part of the village. "Neteyam?"

He turned to face her. " stelle'. I didn't know you'd be here."

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't meant to take your spot I just wanted to think and hearing the ocean helps."

Stelle' went to sit by him. "Don't worry about it. This place is just as much yours as it is mine now." Neteyam was relieved to hear that.

They both enjoyed the peace and quiet for a second. The sounds of the waves crashing against the sand. The sounds of the leaves ruffling against each other.

Neteyam broke the silence. "I made you something." He opened his fist to reveal a bracelet identical to his.

Stelle' smiled, surprised he'd taken the time to make one for her. She reached for it and slipped it on. It fit perfectly. "I love it, Net. Thank you."

He let out a laugh. "Net?"

She looked at him as he laughed. "What? You don't like the nickname?"

" no no I do. It's just different."

"That's why I like it."

It fell silent again as they both surrendered to their thoughts. Stelle' about her father and Ronwin and leadership. Neteyam about stelle' and their friendship. It was all he ever thought about lately.

"How was your dinner? " Neteyam couldn't help but ask. He had to know how it had gone. Whether she'd like it or not. Whether the certain guy liked her or not.

"It was good." That was a lie. She didn't feel the need to lie with Neteyam. "That's a lie it was horrible." She ran a hand through her hair. "It was awkward and unexpected and not necessary."

Neteyam was relieved to here it. "Good."

"What?"

"That way I know nobody will take you from me.", he said it as a joke, but he didn't mean it as one.

Stelle' smiled widely. "And who said I was yours to begin with?"

"This." He placed a hand on his heart. "This did."

They were just words said as a joke so they wouldn't carry the weight and reality they were meant to. He said it as a joke so the conversation wouldn't become serious. So they could reminisce in the fun and not in the idea that they could not be each others. That Stelle' couldn't really be his.

dang that was deep. Three chapters in one day I'm on a rolllllllll but I've got nothing better to do rn soooooo 🤷‍♀️