CHAPTER 40

After Tsireya had left, Erìhe and Neteyam remained laying down on the beach as they looked up at the sky.

Watching the sky was really just a reason to remain beside the other with their sides brushing - it always had been and it still was.

"So?" Erìhe voiced after a long while of comfortable silence.

"So?" Neteyam repeated and rolled on his side to look at her better, propping his chin on his arm, "What is it?"

"Lo'ak and Tsireya," she grinned while turning her head to meet his eyes.

Neteyam laughed as he laid back down beside her - purposely closer so that the length of his arm was in contact with hers. Feeling her skin brushing against his never failed to bring the boy a sense of comfort and belonging. He couldn't take many things with him from the forest, but the most important things he'd brought were his family and Erìhe.

Especially Erìhe.

"They're cute," Neteyam said dismissively. He was about to bring him and her up, but Erìhe spoke before he could draw another breath.

"Lo'ak is such an idiot - but I know he'll treat her right," Erìhe continued.

Neteyam rolled his eyes. He really was happy for his brother and Tsireya - though in this very moment he kind of just wanted to talk about them. Him and her. "Yeah."

Erìhe realized the tone of his voice and rolled over on her stomach so that she was now partially laying on top of him - her arms folded on his chest under her chin. "What's wrong?" She asked while watching him with a questioning gaze - eyes curiously large and lips slightly parted.

Neteyam's heart rate increased significantly and he felt his face burn red. He was sure that Erìhe noticed this as well, as a small teasing smirk tugged the corners of her mouth.

"Nothing," he breathed out as his arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her waist. Erìhe did nothing but raise a questioning brow - it was enough to get him to talk. With a sigh, Neteyam rolled his eyes before looking back at her. "I just wonder what we are," he whispered as he rested his head back on the sand so that he could be more comfortable.

Erìhe blinked, then looked up at the sky briefly as she thought it over. Why had she not expected this reply from him?

She'd been wondering the very same as well. They'd kissed. Twice. And they held hands - a lot.

It seemed like Tsireya assumed that something had been going on - and she hadn't been wrong.

But what were they?

"You okay?" Neteyam gently nudged her with his arm. Of course his pulse hadn't calmed down yet - it rarely ever did when around her - but he was merely trying to play it off by acting cool.

Erìhe nodded slowly, the movement jostling him ever so slightly, "Yeah," she replied, "I just - well I haven't given it much thought, I suppose." Of course that was a lie. The truth was that she'd overthought it so much that she was left lost - so lost that saying she hadn't thought of it was easily the better option.

But to Neteyam this just felt like she didn't care enough. "Oh."

He sat up, gently pushing her off himself as he brought his knees closer to his chest, resting his arm on his knees.

"Oh," Erìhe voiced when she realized her mistake. "I didn't mean it like that, Teyam-" Neteyam's eyes shot back to her at the nickname, "-I swear."

Neteyam cleared his throat as he suddenly felt very flustered. She was making him go through a rollercoaster of emotions in such a little time. "Then what?" He asked quietly.

Erìhe opened her mouth to say something but then she hesitated. Instead her gaze drifted down to her hands and the bracelet she had made that hung loosely from her wrist. Neteyam seemed to notice what her eyes had been glued on as when she looked back at him, his mouth was shaped in a small "o".

His other hand made its way to hold the bracelet that he'd made while looking at her. He was sort of trying to figure out her thoughts and what she wanted to do - what she wanted them to be.

But Erìhe did not know if she was ready to let the whole clan know of her feelings. She was not embarrassed - of course not - she was just.. unsure. Insecure - stupid.

"What are you thinking?" Neteyam whispered.

For some reason the two teenagers had adopted hushed tones - even when there was no one around to hear their conversation anyways.

Erìhe's hand trailed to hold one of her braids. The one that had her own assortment of beads. "I was just thinking that I like you," she replied in just a quiet tone as him, "I like you a lot."

The corners of Neteyam's lips lifted upwards, "Yeah?" When the girl nodded, her cheeks turning the slightest bit pink, he shuffled ever so slightly closer, "I like you too."

Erìhe nodded once, breathing out a chuckle as she looked down - suddenly a tad bit shy. "But all the others would know that if we exchanged these," she held up her hand to showcase her poorly made bracelet.

"Does that bother you?" Neteyam asked her gently as he nudged her.

"No," Erìhe denied quickly, letting out a frustrated sigh. She wasn't angry at him for misunderstanding. Anyone would misunderstand when she's so bad at expressing herself. No - she was upset with herself for being so shit at all of this. "It's just - well.. I don't know."

"I know," Neteyam smiled at her. Erìhe was having trouble forming sentences - expressing her feelings. He knew she'd get better at it if he gave her time. And time he would give her. "I understand," he assured her while placing his hand on hers, giving it a light squeeze, "We don't have to tell the others anything."

"Is that what you want?" Erìhe asked him as she turned her hand over in his, returning his squeeze.

Neteyam shrugged. "It doesn't matter," he told her, "I'd love to tell everyone that I like you, but I'll wait." He thought of Ao'nung. He thought about how badly he wished for him to find out that Erìhe liked him, Neteyam.

Erìhe hummed. He'd never been this considerate toward her back in the forest - she marveled the fact that they'd come this far from hating each other.

"How about.."

Neteyam raised his brows in curiosity as she trailed of, "How about?" He urged her to speak.

The girl twirled her beaded braid between two of her fingers, "Do you know how to braid hair?"

The brightest smile crept on Neteyam's face as he nodded quickly, "Yes - as a kid mum made me learn how to braid so that I could do Tuk's hair," he explained. He mentally grimaced at himself as he realized he did not need to explain that. A very simple yes or no answer would have sufficed.

Erìhe found his excitement adorable, "Do you want to exchange beads with me?"

"Yeah," Neteyam did not hesitate for a second. Quickly, his fingers sought for one of his braids that held more beads. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that he'd gotten the braid he wanted. "This one," he grinned.

"Alright," Erìhe laughed as she reached out to replace his hand with hers, holding onto the braid before starting to unravel it.

Neteyam would not stop smiling as he turned his back toward her so that she may undo his braid in peace.

As Erìhe got the first bead free, she nudged him, "Hold out your hand," she told Neteyam.

Neteyam did as instructed and held his hand out so that she could easily drop the beads into his open palm. He smiled as he felt her leaning into his back as she undid the braid, every once in a while brushing his shoulder with her warm hands as the beads slowly but surely all ended up in his hand.

Erìhe leaned past his shoulder to smile at him as she held her hand out to take the beads from him. "You undo mine now," she told him as she sat cross legged in front of him.

Neteyam chuckled quietly as he gathered her hair and placed it over one of her shoulders as he held the braid she wished to undo, "This one?"

Erìhe glanced at the braid in question and nodded, "Yeah. That one," she confirmed. She held out her free hand to hold the beads.

As he unraveled the braid, he would purposely brush his fingers along her shoulder - just as she had done to him. He wished to know if he had the same effect on her that she had on him. A proud grin split onto his face as Erìhe shivered at his touch. "You cold?" He teased.

Erìhe rolled her eyes though he could see, "Freezing," she replied.

Neteyam laughed and leaned over her shoulder to tap her hand that contained the beads which had come from his hair. He'd unraveled her braid and collected all her beads into her palm - now he would work on redoing the braid and adding his beads within, after which she would do the same for him.

"Of course you are," he laughed, "Its so cold out here."

"So so cold."

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A/n:
So they're official but like yk?

Also y'all - I had to get a 5- from my math exam to pass and guess what I got? 5- 🫡🫡 so proud of myself rn