CHAPTER 10. Unbearable Emotions
1578 Words
They had arrived back at the island before the sun rose. The night still clung to the shoreline, soft and heavy, as though reluctant to let go. The ocean shimmered faintly under the fading moonlight, waves rolling in slow, rhythmic breaths against the sand.
While Christian and Aya made their way toward the cabin, Gabriel and Crystal walked along the seashore side by side. Their fingers were intertwined—simple, natural, almost like it had always been that way. Like lovers who had forgotten to define what they were.
But Crystal didn’t think much of it. To her, it was just a warm gesture, something comforting in the quiet of the night. Something friendly.
Gabriel, however, knew better. He felt it, the tension beneath every touch, every glance. Something unspoken pulled at him every time she was near, something that made his chest tighten in ways he couldn’t fully explain. But he kept it buried. He had to.
Because Crystal wasn’t like anyone he had ever met. And the feelings he has for her… whatever that meant… felt dangerous in a way he wasn’t ready to face.
He didn’t want to hurt her.
“Gabe,” Crystal suddenly said, her voice soft but clear against the sound of the waves. “When are you leaving?”
“Tonight,” he replied quietly.
The word hung between them like a fading echo.
Crystal frowned immediately, her steps slowing. “I thought you loved staying here.”
She huffed like a child and kicked the sand gently with her bare feet, sending tiny grains scattering toward the water.
“I do,” Gabriel said gently, glancing at her. “But I have to go home. My family… they’re probably worried sick by now. And I have work waiting for me in the city.”
Crystal stopped walking and turned to him fully. “Why did you leave alone anyway?”
He hesitated.
“It’s a long story,” he answered.
“But I shortened mine, remember?” she said with a teasing smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Despite everything, Gabriel let out a small laugh. He always did when she spoke like that—so simple, so unguarded.
“So?” she pressed again, tilting her head.
He exhaled and looked away toward the ocean. Then he stopped walking too.
“So… my family and I aren’t on good terms right now.”
Crystal’s expression softened immediately. “What do you mean?”
“They want me to do something I don’t want,” he said carefully. “Something that could affect my future… and my happiness.”
“That’s… sad,” Crystal murmured, brows knitting together. “What kind of parents would force their child into something like that?”
Before Gabriel could answer, Crystal suddenly looked up at the horizon. The sky was beginning to shift—dark blue slowly bleeding into faint gold.
Her eyes widened.
“It’s almost sunrise,” she whispered.
Then she turned back to him quickly. “Are you still coming with me?”
Her eyes were pleading now—soft, uncertain.
Gabriel smiled faintly. “Won’t you?”
That was all it took.
Crystal grabbed his hand tightly and, with sudden urgency, pulled him toward the shallow water. The cold waves rushed over their feet as the world around them brightened.
But something in the air changed. Crystal paused, her grip tightened and her breathing shifted.
The transformation began.
Her body trembled slightly as the water around her shimmered in response. Gabriel noticed instantly—but before he could react, Crystal moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.
And then, without warning, she kissed him.
Gabriel froze.
His eyes widened in shock, body completely still as if the world had stopped spinning.
When she pulled back just slightly, breath uneven, she whispered, “Why did I do that?”
“I-I don’t know,” she answered herself, confused and overwhelmed.
The transformation surged stronger then, rippling through her like a tide rising too fast to stop.
But Gabriel didn’t step away. Instead, something in him snapped softly—like a restraint finally loosening. His arms moved instinctively, wrapping around her waist and pulling her gently closer as if afraid she might disappear.
And then he kissed her back. Not rushed. Not hesitant. But deep with everything neither of them understood.
The ocean seemed to hush around them. Crystal trembled slightly at first, unsure, overwhelmed by unfamiliar intensity. There was pain in the transformation—sharp, strange—but it slowly melted into something warmer, something almost soothing.
Her breath caught and movements softened and gradually, she responded in sync with him.
The world blurred. Time lost meaning.
Gabriel’s hand, which had been resting gently at the nape of her neck, began to move, trailing softly down her side until it came to rest against her waist. Crystal let out a soft moan against his lips, lost in the rush of electrifying pleasure that surged through her. She surrendered to the moment, letting the warmth of his touch deepen the connection between them. But as his hand moved with more deliberate intent, tracing the contours of her silhouette through the damp fabric, a sudden jolt of realization struck her. Crystal gasped and pulled back, creating distance between them.
In that breathless moment of separation, she felt the weight of her transformation. Her siren form was complete, and her tail swayed rhythmically beneath her.
“Why?” Gabriel asked, his voice strained and thick with emotion, his dark, intense eyes searching hers.
“I felt like I was dying,” the siren murmured in a breathless whisper, looking down as a wave of shyness washed over her.
“What?” Gabriel asked with a soft, low chuckle, his gaze remaining fixed on the now-timid siren.
“I can’t explain... the feeling was just so strange and overwhelming,” she whispered, struggling to find the words.
Gabriel only smirked, watching her with a mix of curiosity and fascination as she navigated her newfound vulnerability.
But a moment later, reality struck him.
“I have to go,” he said suddenly.
Crystal blinked. “Don’t you want to stay a little longer?”
He reached up and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. “I don’t think I can. If I stay… I won’t be able to breathe properly.”
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Gabe, what do you mean?”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Crystal… we need to stop whatever this is,” he said quietly.
Her expression fell instantly.
“But why? You said you like it.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “But there are things I need to think about. Things I can’t ignore.”
“I thought we were friends,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.
And then she turned away and slipped back into the ocean.
Gabriel stood still, staring at the rippling water where she disappeared.
His hand moved to his chest instinctively.
‘I can’t,’ he thought painfully.
Gabriel stayed on his yacht that day, restless. He kept looking toward the shore, waiting. Hoping.
But Crystal never came.
Meanwhile, deep underwater, Crystal remained silent, leaning against a coral formation as pearls slowly formed around her like scattered tears she refused to shed openly.
By sunset, Gabriel couldn’t take it anymore.
He returned to shore.
Aya was already there, standing near the waterline with Christian, waiting quietly.
“Miss Aya,” Gabriel called softly.
She turned in surprise. “Gabriel? I thought you already left.”
“I… I came back to say goodbye to Crystal,” he admitted.
Aya frowned slightly.
“She didn’t go to you earlier?”
He shook his head.
“I see…” she said gently, though concern lingered in her voice.
Soon after, Christian and Crystal arrived at the shore.
Crystal did not look at Gabriel, not even a single glance.
Her expression was distant, unreadable, as she rose briefly to the surface.
Christian noticed. So did Aya. But no one spoke yet. Only silence remained.
Later, as they walked back, Christian finally turned to Gabriel.
“What have you done, young man?”
Gabriel froze slightly, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
“I didn’t intend to hurt her,” he said quietly.
“Then explain,” Christian urged.
So Gabriel did. He told him everything—about leaving, about his family, about the responsibility waiting for him beyond the island, about how staying would only complicate things further.
“And I’m afraid,” he added, voice lower now, “that if people find out about this place… it could put all of you in danger.”
Christian listened carefully, then nodded slowly.
“She’ll understand,” he said simply.
But Crystal did not come out of her room that night.
Darkness came and with it, Gabriel’s departure.
He stood at the shore, heart heavier than he expected.
Christian shook his hand firmly. “Take care of yourself, son.”
Aya handed him a basket of fruit. “Come back when you can.”
“Thank you… for everything,” Gabriel said sincerely.
But he kept looking behind the couple still hoping the lady would appear and bid him goodbye.
With a final breath, he turned away and walked toward the yacht.
Each step felt heavy.
When he reached the dock, he stopped when a familiar voice roared.
“Gabe!”
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