4. The Siren Who Trusted The Sailor
1029 Words
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Christopher watched the colourful fishes swim in sync behind the glass aquarium tank.
Of all places he could have visited upon his arrival, he knew that he would end up in his favorite place of them all—the New England Aquarium. It held fond memories of his childhood and it was the simplicity he needed after a tough week leading up to the premiere of the movie.
Besides, staying in his parents’ home could get hectic over time. He loved his nephews to bits but they can be a rowdy bunch. The aquarium’s peaceful atmosphere helped clear and calm his thoughts.
He tugged on the baseball cap he wore to hide his identity as he slowly walked to the next exhibition. But seeing how empty the aquarium was since it was near the closing hours, he needn’t have bothered hiding in his hoodie-and-cap-Superman disguise. He watched the school of salmons swim in the tank. It was soothing to watch their graceful and repetitive moves. He was so engrossed in their movements, he almost didn’t catch someone else coming to stand next to him.
Warm, woody scent surrounded him. It was smoky with undertones of sweetness, viscous and seductive, exotic and foreign. He could feel like the dark and rich notes of fragrance imprinting itself on his bare skin and sensually soaking past his pores. It was curiosity of that otherworldly scent that shifted his gaze from the salmons to the reflection that stood next to his on the thick glass.
The hazy reflection nearly made him swallow his own tongue.
Deep dark eyes held him arrested to his spot. Fanning eyelashes that guarded her pensive stare, high cheekbones and sharp nose with full, pouty lips. Luscious hair that hung in elegant waves past her waist. Her top and jeans hugged her perfect, slender curves so perfectly, it was mesmerizing.
He kept his eyes rooted to the Godesses’ frame, if in case it was a figment of his imagination.
A mirage.
Christopher watched her reflection tilt her head in his direction with a gentle smile and if he thought she looked beautiful before, she looked ethereal then.
“Hello.” She said and he turned his head in her direction in a snap.
The blurry reflection didn’t do this woman any justice, was his first thought.
It didn’t show how soft and supple her olive skin looked or the way her eyes twinkled under the spotlights in the hall. It didn’t show the pinkness of her lips that was quirked up in a hypnotizing half-smile. Or the confidence she carried around her, as opaque and indescribable as her scent.
“Hi.” He gave her a friendly smile, mostly not to spook the siren of a woman with his leering stare.
Siren, he thought as his eyes discreetly traced her frame again. Fits her perfectly…
“Are you a fellow salmon admirer as myself?” She asked with a playful glint in her eyes. She spoke English as an acquired tongue, he noticed, and it was marred with a sultry Mediterranean accent.
“You could say that.” He replied lowly, waiting for any signs of recognition which usually appeared around this time. Nothing came and he relaxed slightly.
“That is good. I believe it is time they get some recognition for the amazing fishes they are.”
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Zahra couldn’t believe she said that to him.
Especially when he was an Adonis-of-a-man whom she had met seconds ago!
“How so?” He raised a brow in question and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
This man had held her stare the moment she noticed him stare at the fish tank thoughtfully. Truth to be told, it was his hair for the most part. She had never seen a fair-haired man in her life before. But when she caught his blue eyes, she felt like she needed to take a picture of how… blue they were. Like a calm ocean under sunny cloudless skies. His good-looks and tall, broad physique helped immensely as well.
“Did you know that salmons can survive in freshwater and seawater?” She replied, almost timidly.
“Is that so?”
She nodded her head and shifted her attention to the fishes behind him, not wanting to look even more stupid than she already did.
“To be honest, my attention was rather divided.” His deep voice brought her gaze back on his handsome, roman face. “So am I not too sure if I am the right person to give the recognition they deserve.”
“Why?”
“Your perfume is pretty distracting.”
Zahra’s eyes lit up in amusement to know that he picked up on her Oudh. It was one of the very few things she had taken from her home with her and its complex woodsy scent kept her homesickness at bay. She nodded at the curious American.
“It’s Oudh.”
“A what?”
“Oudh. It is Arabic perfumed oil.”
“It is heavenly.” He remarked with a wide smile that showcased his straight, white teeth. “Quite unique.”
“Thank you.” She smiled back.
“You don’t sound like you are from around here. Vacation?” He enquired as he casually pulled back further from the glass to face her more fully.
“You could say that.”
“And an aquarium is where you wanted to get the Boston experience?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest, bringing her attention to his biceps that strained against his grey hoodie. She looked away with a shrug.
“You are here.”
“Touché. But I am sure there are many wonderful places you can visit here in the evening. Why the aquarium?”
“To be frank, it was where Siri suggested I visit first.”
He laughed loudly and Zahra found herself enjoying the deep sound. She cracked a smile of her own as he shook his head in mirth.
“You surprise me, siren.”
“Siren?” She raised a brow at his out-of-the-blue nickname for her.
“Yeah… you know, beautiful lady surrounded by fishes and water. Siren.” It was her turn to laugh.
When she gathered herself up, an electronic ping sounded from the speakers before announcing that they were closing up. She looked up at the stranger who looked down at her with a smirk.
“If you have the rest of the evening, I could take you elsewhere. Consider it a tour of sorts, completely free of cost.”
“How do I know that you are not a serial-killer?”
“Well, you’re going to have to wait and see now, don’t you?”
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- Writer
