Page 60 of Tension

From the bedroom, she called out, voice low and warning, “Don’t think you just hoed me, nigga. When this is over, we’re talking.”

I smiled to myself. Now that’s my girl.

Her smart ass was never leaving my side again.

CHRIS

“This feels unethical,” I said as we stepped inside the Abrams Aquatic Center. “Looking at the food I’m about to eat while it's still alive.”

Vel’s hand settled at the small of my back, warm and steady. “I eat yo’ live ass all the time.”

I snorted despite myself.

This was our first real date. Not sneaking food between shifts or falling asleep tangled up in his sheets. An actual planned evening.

I had been staying with him for over a week now. He took me to work, picked me up, and made sure I ate. The sex was good. More than good. Dangerous, actually. Our chemistry snapped and pulled like elastic. When he leaned in, I leaned away. When I tried to retreat, he followed. Being in his space for this long should have felt overwhelming. Instead, it felt like I had been holding my breath my whole life and just noticed I could exhale.

I had finished my nursing assignments here in Saint Cloud and decided to take a break. I had a good amount of savings, but barely touched it with Vel around.

The cat thing shook me more than I wanted to admit. I wasn’t exactly friendly, but I couldn’t think of anyone I’d wronged enough to deserve that. The cops said sometimes all it took was a smile. A glance. Something small that turned into an obsession.

Fucking weirdos.

“It sounded strange to me at first, too,” Vel said, his voice low, calm, blending with the quiet hum of water and machinery around us. “But you talk about seafood like it’s religion. Crabs. Lobsters. You light up every time.”

“I do not light up,” I said.

He smiled. “You do.”

The hallway widened, and suddenly water surrounded us. Above us. Beside us. Beneath our feet. Tanks stretched farther than I could track, layered and endless. Fish moved slowly, their bodies flashing silver and blue as they caught the light.

It felt like stepping into a whole new world, or whatever Ariel said.

Then the fear crept in.

What if the glass cracked? What if it shattered? We would be dead before I even finished screaming. God, I was never this paranoid before.

“The seafood is fresh,” Vel said, like he could feel the shift in me. “It comes from the system here, but no one’s grabbing fish out of these tanks. It’s closer to a reserve.”

His hand found my arm. He rubbed slow circles into my skin, grounding me back into my body. I wasn’t no bitch, but damn, why was I scared of everything all of a sudden?

A stingray glided overhead, its shadow sliding across the floor. It was massive, graceful, and completely unbothered by our presence. I slowed without meaning to, afraid that sudden movement might break the spell holding everything together.

“They built it as a closed ecosystem,” he continued. “Some species are protected. Some are bred for consumption. Fish eat fish. Humans are just part of the cycle.”

I pressed my palm to the glass as we passed. Endless water on the other side. I loved the idea of it. The fishermen I watched tagged the mamas and tossed them back to keep populations strong. Sucked for male crabs and lobsters, though.

We stopped in front of a door so seamless it almost disappeared into the wall. The host slid it open without a sound.

“Damn,” I breathed.

The private room stole the air straight out of my lungs.

The table sat beneath a dome of glass, candles already lit, flowers arranged like someone had taken their time. Water wrapped around the room on every side. Fish drifted past inches from my face, slow and unafraid, like we were the ones on display.

Vel watched my reaction with open satisfaction.

“They keep it eco-friendly,” he said quietly as he pulled out my chair. “Strict reservations. Minimal impact.”