Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

RIVER

"If everything that's happening is a hallucination caused by a brain tumor or oxygen deprivation, the doctor telling me that it wasn't was also a hallucination," I mention to Perry as I drive us back to his house in my Prius. I can't deny, he's been good company for the past couple of hours, and he definitely was helpful in getting me seen fast at the hospital.

"If the hallucination is that good, you'll probably die peacefully before you have to worry about it," he replies placidly. "Just enjoy it in the meantime."

I blink, taking my eyes off the road long enough to shoot him an incredulous stare. "That's not how I live my life. I'm a scientist. I need evidence and forward momentum."

"Right now, you need dinner and a stiff drink," he counters. "I already texted the others and told them to make up the bed in the guest room so you won't have to drive home later. It's been a traumatic day, and tomorrow you have to deal with all that red tape at work over your equipment failing. Worry about all this then." He mutters something else that I don't catch.

"What was that?"

"Nothing you're ready to hear, believe me. So… Aqua, huh?"

I feel my cheeks getting hot at the insinuation in his tone. "What about him?"

"C'mon. I might be eternally bonded with Aether, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate how hot the other guys are. And Aqua's the sweetest person you'll ever meet."

I hesitate, because yeah , I noticed how freaking hot and sweet Aqua is. Smart too, since he seemed to grasp my research right away… though again, if I'm hallucinating, that was just me talking to me, and I'd be pretty upset if I didn't understand my research.

"He is sweet," I agree finally. "And… yeah, he's… uh… really nice to look at. The hair surprised me. Did he… I mean, it looked like his body hair was dyed too?" That's been bugging me since I first noticed it on our walk from the marina to his house. His happy trail and sparse arm and leg hair are blue too.

"Mmm," Perry says vaguely. "Something like that. Blue for water. He loves the ocean… any water, really."

"I got that impression. Is… Maybe it was part of the hallucination, but was he breathing underwater?" That's not a question I ever thought I would ask, and I add quickly, "I mean, does he have access to some kind of revolutionary new…" I trail off. Nope. There's no gear that would be invisible to the eye and allow a human to breathe and wear only board shorts at that depth in the Pacific Ocean. Nothing. Nada. It's impossible.

As if he didn't hear me, Perry says, "So what did you really think of him, though? Because I get the impression that he likes you. He's definitely interested in your research, and I know he'll want to get involved. I wouldn't want him to get attached to you if you're not into him. I can talk to him about it, if you want? So he knows to stay professional." He pauses. "Well, as professional as Aqua gets."

My first instinct is to thank him and agree. I don't need my personal life distracting me from work right now, and the last thing I would want is to hurt someone as kind and generous as Aqua.

The words stick in my throat.

"I don't know," I finally manage. "I… He's… Can I just check, I can tell he's intelligent, but he also seems…" There's no way to finish that sentence.

"Like an airhead?" Perry supplies, then snorts. "Hah! Aqua, an airhead. I'll have to tell George that one."

I don't get it.

"I like to think of him as our sweet himbo," he explains. "He is smart, though, especially when it comes to the ocean and rivers, rain, lakes… anything to do with water, he's an expert in. No jokes. But he likes to flow through life like… water. Ocean currents. Rivers to the sea. I don't fucking know. He goes with the flow."

I'm still digesting that when he adds, "And he gets anxious when he's out of the water, so he's stoned a lot on land. But never when he's in the water."

Ohhhhhh. Okay, this makes so much sense now. Living in SoCal all my life, and especially spending every spare minute hanging around the ocean, I'm no stranger to the hippie stoner surfer crowd. People tend to think of them as bums, but a lot are super intelligent and successful people whose brains work so fast, they need a way to turn them off. The beach and weed give them that outlet.

Aqua's probably got six doctorates or something and a brain that works like a computer, which explains why Perry said he's an expert on water.

I'm still not sure about the whole underwater breathing thing, though.

"He's not a merman, is he?"

Perry's incredulous look is matched by a scoff. "Mermen have tails ."

Um. True?

"Although," he continues thoughtfully, "I read this smut series once where, if they rinsed their tails in fresh water after getting out of the ocean, they turned into legs. The tails, that is. Not the whole merman." He makes a humming sound. "The only thing that would have made that series better is if it had been gay."

For a few seconds, I concentrate on my driving, then I can't hold it in any longer. "So is that a yes or no on the whole merman thing?" Jesus, if my colleagues could hear me now.

"No. I mean, no, Aqua is definitely not a merman."

I nod. "Okay. Yeah. Now that you mention it, I do remember he had legs… and didn't rinse anything with fresh water." I side-eye him. "You're not recording this conversation, are you?"

"What? No. Why would I be?" He sounds surprised, which is a good sign.

"Just checking. If UCSD ever heard about this, they might revoke my doctorate."

He's still laughing when I turn into his driveway. It's a nice laugh, and as weird as this whole afternoon has been, I'm kind of glad to have met Aqua and Perry. It wouldn't hurt me to expand my circle beyond the people I work with.

That's why I turn off the engine and get out of the car, even though common sense and my type A personality are telling me to go home and get some rest because tomorrow's gonna be a big day.

The spring day's edging into twilight, and the lights are on in the house, giving it an inviting glow. When Perry leads me inside—the door must never get locked, because he just opens it and strolls right in—the sound of male voices talking is welcoming. I guess they all live here together? It's a big house, so there would be room, and the location is prime. Maybe they all share the rent?

We go down the hall into a big, homey room with a giant, scarred wooden table on one side and what might just be a state-of-the-art chef's kitchen on the other. There's a massive island with seating for six, an endless expanse of countertop, a double sink, double ovens, an eight-burner stove, and a dizzying array of cupboards, one of which looks big enough to hide a fridge. I also spy an open doorway through which there are more counters and cupboards… a butler's pantry, maybe? The kind I've only ever seen on TV and in waiting room magazines.

Even if they all share the rent, they have to be individually loaded to afford this place.

Aqua looks up from where he's sitting at the island and beams at us. "Hi! You're back. How are you feeling? Did the doctor reassure you?"

I smile back because it would be impossible not to. "Yes. Thank you." I don't mention my theory that if this is a hallucination, the doctor was part of it. Perry's right; it's time to lean in and enjoy it. "Something smells good."

"Soup!" I swear Aqua's face couldn't get any brighter. "Do you like soup? There are four kinds."

"And garlic rolls or crackers," a redhead I didn't meet before adds. "Or if you don't like any of that, we can find you something else." He smiles politely at me. "I'm Flame, by the way."

Of course he is. Did he dye his hair to match the name, or pick the name to suit his hair color? Despite the vivid color, it looks like it could be natural—there are so many shades blended in.

Kind of like Aqua's. But nobody has blue hair naturally.

"River," I introduce myself. "It's good to meet you. Uh… thanks for inviting me to eat with you. And letting me borrow Perry." I skim my gaze around the whole group to make it clear that's aimed at all of them. Did I notice Aether's green hair before? I think I might have been too freaked out in general. It's really green.

George coughs lightly. "Just so you know, I'll probably make a joke at some stage about River and Aqua. It's too good to pass up."

"Like you can talk, Pebble," Perry says as he strolls over to Aether and climbs into his lap.

Pebble? George is glaring at him, so I don't think I want to ask. "I can take a joke," I say instead. "Especially about my name. My mom was in mourning for River Phoenix when I was born, so…" I shrug like it's a normal thing for someone's parent to mourn a man they never met so much that they name their child after him.

"I like your name," Aqua says earnestly. "It suits you. You're a water person."

Uhh… "Thanks?" I think. Does he mean he thinks I'm wishy-washy? I can be assertive—I've had to be, in my field. Grants aren't exactly growing on trees… or reefs, as the case may be.

"From Aqua, that's the highest of compliments," Flame assures me. "Move to the table, guys. Dinner's ready. Zeph, can you—" He breaks off, shooting me a look, then coughs and continues, "—uh, help me carry the food? George, you too."

I don't have time to wonder if that was weird before Aqua bounds over to me. At some point he exchanged his board shorts for cargo shorts, but he's still bare-chested, and I can't say I'm sad about it. "Hi," he breathes, grinning. "Sit by me so we can talk about your research. I've had some ideas about how I can help."

Dinner is fun. More normal than I expected, given how unique the guys are, but then I guess sitting around a kitchen table eating can't get too freaky. They all take an enthusiastic role in the discussion about my research, even Zephyr, who seems a little vague most of the time. George wasn't kidding earlier when he said they were all conservationists. Aqua is definitely the most knowledgeable about marine life and ocean conditions, but they all weigh in on the impact of ocean health on the planet itself, and George knows a lot about the topography of the ocean floor and seabeds. Long after the soup is gone, we're still gathered around the table, and more than once I wish I had my laptop to take notes—though I guess that wouldn't be very sociable of me.

Finally, Aether smiles at me. He hasn't said as much as the others, even though I get the impression that he's usually a chatty guy. Instead, he's been studying me and Aqua like he's trying to figure out a puzzle.

"This has never happened before," he says. "I think it's a good sign."

The table falls silent. Flame and George exchange glances.

"Babe," Perry says cautiously. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Aether stands. "Let's go into the living room. We have a story to tell River. Flame, bring the vodka."