Chapter Text
Lena took Kara’s hand and cautiously stepped onto the stern of the boat, watching her footing as she went. When she looked up the current rocked the boat and Kara’s arm instinctively wrapped around her waist to keep the shorter woman from losing her balance.
“You okay? I’ve got you.” Kara was stricken with goosebumps when she felt Lena embrace her. Her warmth seeped in her skin and every part of her tingled—a feeling that she wanted to hold onto. She held the CEO for what seemed like all but a second’s worth before Lena had pulled away slightly, worried that if she stepped too far back she would slip or fall. How embarrassing. Her stomach turned and she could feel the heat in her face and neck.
“I’m sorry, I was trying to be careful–” She noticed her hands had migrated to Kara’s forearms and she dropped her hands to find purchase on the boat to keep herself steady. Kara let her go and shivered from the lingering warmth of Lena’s touch.
“You don’t have to say sorry. It happens all the time, really,” Kara said with a bright smile in an effort to ease her shyness. With that she stepped to the side and showed Lena up the stairs, grabbing the cup of coffee along the way. “C’mon, up.” Lena followed the blonde up two sets of stairs to where the cockpit was. “Make yourself comfortable, I’m just going to take the mooring line off.” Lena nodded in response, watching as she made her way back down to the stern of the boat to release the mooring line. She sipped her coffee as she oversaw the process, paying special attention to Kara performing the casting off process–or that’s what she would try to convince herself of later. In the delicate art form that was releasing the lines, there was also Kara and her toned and defined muscles that were more particularly on display for consumption. Lena’s eyebrow involuntarily shot up as she continued to spectate until the blonde caught her in her tracks, smiling before turning back to release the last line. While she did find herself a little embarrassed, she figured it was worth getting caught considering the content. No harm in looking, right? It’s not everyday a hot sailor takes you on a boat ride.
When Kara finally made her way back, she still had a smile on her face. Always cheerful, this one. That or cheeky.
“Ready?” She said as she started the engines and kept the boat in neutral, checking behind her for approval before setting off. The pier was privately owned so docking and undocking was a piece of cake as opposed to being in a nearby marina. With a nod of consent, Kara throttled the starboard engine into the forward position and slowly, patiently feathered the port engine into reverse to turn the boat away from the port enough so as not to scrape the stern against the port. Once at the appropriate angle, she brought both engines back to neutral and left the cockpit to release the springer line. Finally she came back up and throttled the engines into the forward position.
“You don’t use the steering wheel?” Lena asked curiously.
“Ah, no–well, I mean, yeah, you could if that’s your preference but for mooring and unmooring, it’s kinda standard to strictly use the two throttles. See?” She pointed to the two chrome throttle levers that were pushed forward. “Each lever is for a different engine, one port and one starboard. It’s easier and safer to use the throttles when navigating tight spaces and the like. It just feels like you have more control overall, but when we get far enough away from the port, I can unlock the steering wheel and use it as the main primary steering mechanism.” Kara unlocked the steering wheel and kept an eye on the building speed. The water and skies were clear but there was no wind, not enough to raise a sail though, she did think to if it meant Lena would look at her the way she did just a moment ago. She sneaked a look at her and something in her chest fluttered. Gosh, this woman. Nothing short of flawless and the personification of temptation. No other time would she be this lucky. Not a chance. She was thankful that it was early on a weekday because there’s hardly much foot traffic, just nice open sea, blessed with good weather.
“How interesting. How did you learn to sail? If you don’t mind me asking.” This question was just the tip of the iceberg of all the other questions she wanted to ask.
“My dad taught me or rather I kept pestering him to teach me,” she smiled at the memory, “ever since I can remember, sailing was always a part of my life. It’s part of the reason I became a marine biologist.”
“Is your father a marine biologist too?” The blonde shook her head.
“No, he was an aquatic veterinarian. Thanks to him I was able to volunteer and have more opportunities to build experience while also doing a little bit of everything. What about you? What do you do?” She asked.
“I own a company so I’m always in the office making business deals, lots of meetings, and keeping up to date with fresh ideas and new technology.”
“Now that sounds interesting. What kind of tech do you work with?”’
“Anything from biomedical technology to precision instruments to rovers to prosthetics. I like to keep a large range of ideas open so that it boosts creativity and curiosity.” Lena looked back out into the sea and closed her eyes, allowing herself to silently take in her surroundings through the scent of the ocean and the cool wind.
“And how did you get into that?” Kara kept looking back from time to time so it didn’t seem like she wasn’t interested or wasn’t paying attention and every time she did, there was that powerful business woman smiling back at her.
“Well, I’ve always had a knack for building and fixing things so I pursued engineering. The business side came later but it was something I was determined to do.”
“Wow. Cheers to you. You’re doing important work and it’s nothing short of badass.” Lena laughed and looked down at the cup in her hands, trying to hide her smile.
“I’m sure your work is as important and just as badass and, on top of that, you’re close to the beach.” Kara laughed.
“Definitely not as cool but the beach is nice.”
Lena watched Kara check the gauges and panel and proceeded to ask her if she does this every day; Kara blushes and replies, “well, not every day. It’s a nice getaway. There’s something about sailing that calms me and is that extra push for me to take on the day.”
“How about you? Do you have anything that helps prep you for your work days?” Lena stretched her legs and thought about it. There wasn’t really one thing that she did other than get coffee, scroll through emails, and look over her schedule for the day. It was repetitive, really. Some days when she was feeling out of her element she would go into her private lab and tinker with old work, follow-up on ideas that she hadn’t brought to fruition, or brainstormed ideas for concocting new inventions. It had to have been an eternity since she was able to get her hands on something where she could research and build to her heart’s content without being interrupted for business meetings, product quality checks, and the like.
“Whenever I can get into a lab is when I feel most at ease. I haven’t had the time to do that with how busy business has been but, after going over some old research last night, I think I realized how much I’ve,” she smiled then turned to look at the horizon almost as if she was embarrassed, “missed it.” Kara finished putting the throttles into neutral for the time being and stopped to look at her. There was a sadness in her words that Kara couldn’t overlook. She looked away so as not to make Lena uncomfortable and moved the untouched coffee to a cup holder.
“I’m sorry that you haven’t had the time in your regular day to day.” She turned to look back at her and decided to take a chance. “I don’t know if you’d be up for it–I mean, you can totally say no, we barely know each other so I get it–” Kara blurted out in one breath and mentally facepalmed with how much of a mess she was when around this woman, “I’d be honored to have you at the lab. I know we study different subjects altogether but I could use some extra help. I know you’re on vacation, the last thing you probably want to do is work but–” She started rambling again out of nervousness before she was cut off.
“I’d love that.” Lena smiled, a blush creeping into her cheeks. Kara let out the breath she was holding in and chuckled. She’d thought she might’ve ruined it. She had been cool and collected up until now and then, of course, proceeded to embarrass herself in front of this beautiful stranger she was trying to make an impression on. At least Lena didn’t seem to notice.
The boat rocked lightly along the current and Kara offered Lena a better seat at the front of the bow as she checked and tripled checked location, engine position, and surroundings. Lena held her warm coffee mug with both hands, the cold morning breeze finally getting to her once in the more open part of the boat. Kara went down to the lower level of the boat to grab some blankets from a closet. She handed them to Lena and made her way back to the cockpit. There weren’t many boats out this early but she knew it would start to get more occupied once 10 AM rolled around. After all, it was the beginning of the weekend and the days were finally beginning to warm up enough for beach activities. Kara didn’t go out very far but far enough that no boats would come in close proximity. Her eyes locked on the woman cozily wrapped up, head leaned on the headrest. She contemplated how to stir up conversation, simultaneously trying to quell the building anxiety. I can be cool. I can do this. It had been a little over seven years since she’d last had a significant other and even longer since she had dated. As much as she’d like to say she was out of practice, she was never good at it to begin with. All of her attempts at flirting were almost laughable because of how timid she was. Nervously, she reached down to fidget with her necklace; a calming mechanism she’d developed over the years. Can’t see if anything will happen if you don’t try. Kara walked around to the front and leaned against the railing to Lena’s right.
“It’s so beautiful. I can see why you find it soothing.” Sleepy eyes met Kara’s and she felt her knees go weak. Though the ocean had always made her heart swell with joy from its beauty, the only beautiful thing Kara could see right now was her.
“It really is something, huh?” She looked around and took in the smell of the sea. A plethora of memories flashed through her mind and she smiled. The blonde had spent so much time in the water since her youth that it was no wonder she felt tethered to it. Her dad had always taken the family out when her and Alex were younger and would pick them up and sit them on his lap one at a time so they could steer. Kara still remembers the day that she showed interest in fish after their first snorkeling trip. After that her dad would buy her books to better identify them when they would go snorkeling or to aquariums. While Alex was less intrigued, she did pick up a lot of the fun trivia. Kara snapped out of her memories and pushed off the railing to sit on the floor.
“You can sit over here.” Lena already started moving to make space on the bench.
“Thank you.” Kara got up and sat next to Lena, making sure to leave space between them. Her hands rubbed up and down her thighs and she chastised herself for being transparent.
“Cold?” Lena handed her the other blanket. Kara nodded with a “thank you.”
“I’m curious. What is Ms. . . ?” Kara dipped her head in agreement, “What is Ms. Kara Danvers currently studying?” The brunette turned her body towards the other woman and sipped her coffee. Single, maybe?
“Depends. At work I’m taking samples of specimens to check for pollution and the effects but other times I’m out on a boat collecting specimens or observing ecosystems; however, my favorite is coral propagation. Whenever I have the opportunity to do it, that is.” Lena’s eyebrow quirked up.
“Sounds hectic having to be both in and out of doors and despite that you still make time to sail in the morning. I admire that.” Kara laughed nervously in place of being a stuttering mess. With the way that Lena was looking at her–all of her attention on her and the way her thick, wavy locks swayed in the wind; down to her light and emotion filled eyes, to her smile that was brighter than the rising sun. How in the world am I lucky enough to even have a conversation with her, let alone here. It was a mystery, Kara decided.
“It’s a little different. I’m not running a business like you are. That must be hard. How do you juggle everything?” Kara finally covered her legs with the blanket, watching as Lena tilted her head down as her index finger traced the rim of the now empty coffee mug.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she laughed, “this is the first vacation I’ve taken since starting L-Corp. It’s been seven years and I’m starting to realize why my COO has been trying to get me to take some time off. L-Corp is my pride and joy; I’ve fought tooth and nail to keep it in an upstanding position. Being here now, I feel an immeasurable amount of peace.” I feel safe with you, she wanted to say. “Thank you,” she said with a smile.
“Anytime. You’re not crazy at all. I’m glad you find peace here. I feel like sometimes our focus is set on so many things that we forget to make time for the things we love. Life is too short to not make time for yourself.” I’ve been there. Prioritizing work over myself, and, for what? Kara reached for her necklace again as memories flashed through her. Kara spotted a boat in the distance and she set her hand down on the bench to get up when she felt Lena’s hand. She felt a shock surge throughout her whole body and drew her hand away. She apologized, getting up to stand on the bow to see whether the oncoming boat's direction was going to change. Lena pulled her hand back into her lap, somewhat dispirited. The blonde stood there for a minute, her right foot planted behind her in case she needed to make a swift change of direction.
“I hope I’m not taking you from your work.” Lena said as she pretended to glance at her watch. “You–”
“No, I–” They both spoke at the same time and tried to convince the other to speak. Kara was the first to speak.
“It’s getting there but there’s still a little bit of time.” Redness began to bloom up her neck and into her cheeks. “I appreciate you coming. You’re good company.” Lena’s heart warmed amongst all the complicated feelings she was having. What is this? Why does it feel this way? It’s not even late, it's so early. She’s not worried, why am I? She previously would have been hard on herself for spending this amount of time away from work. She thought back to her conversation with Sam. The CEO wasn’t one to take chances, especially when there was no way of calculating whether or not it would be feasible or mutual. Her heart was guarded in many ways than one and after her final years in college she had promised herself that she wouldn’t get sidetracked; however, things were different now, L-Corp was doing exceptionally well so much so that she was here, a couple feet away from a woman who had caught her attention whom she had never would have taken a boat ride from had it been anyone else. Yet, still, she was here. Watching in rapture as loose strands of hair swept across the face of a person she had only met yesterday. That glimmer. She thought. It hadn’t been nothing, right?
“I know you have to go to work and I don’t want to keep you. I know work is important to me and I’m sure it is the same for you.” Kara couldn’t figure out whether the latter was feeling the same or not and it made her stutter because she had wanted to ask for more time, even though she felt she was going way out of bounds.
“I–well I–I have to get to work but–” She started saying, not wanting to miss the opportunity but giving up halfway through due to being overwhelmed, “I do have to get to work, I’m sorry.” There was so much to say but also so much that she didn’t know.
“It’s okay. I appreciate you sharing this with me.” Kara gave a half smile and Lena smiled back in earnest.
“Give me a sec and I’ll get you home.” The marine biologist captained the boat back to shore, all the while wishing she would have been more forthcoming instead of chickening out.
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Lena walked over to the couch to gather her paperwork and laptop to sit at the kitchen island. She sighed as she started going through work emails, pushing aside the previous research from the night prior. An email from Sam detailed the events of yesterday and the solutions and outcomes to some of the issues that Lena had requested she resolve. After reviewing everything she called Sam to see how she was doing and if she needed anything.
“Everything is fine,” she said as she looked over some proposals for her upcoming board meeting, “I should be asking you that. Have you made a move on blondie yet?”
“I–” Lena closed her laptop, “First of all, I’m still barely getting to know her and secondly,” her cheeks flushed, “I took her up on that boat ride.” Lena had to pull the phone from her face because of the loud cheering on the other end.
“Oh my gosh. Tell me everything. Who made the first move? Oh! Is she a good kisser? ‘Cause that can be a deal breaker.”
“Sam. Sam!” Lena stopped her from inquiring any further. “It was an innocent boat ride. No kisses or anything beyond that.” Sam sighed and sat back in her chair. “She’s kind and generous and a surprisingly good listener. And I saw something,” Lena put her elbows on the table and debated whether she should disclose the small bit of color she had seen when she first boarded the boat.
“What? What did you see?” Sam said, still very focused on extracting as much information she could out of her friend.
“How nice it was to be out in the ocean and how I should have taken your advice sooner about going on holiday.” The COO was skeptical about her response but agreed with her nonetheless.
“So? Did you ask her out on a date?”
“What? A boat ride doesn’t count?” Lena countered.
“Was there a mutual understanding that it was a date?” The long period of silence was enough of an answer for her. “Lena! C’mon!”
“I don’t even know her that well, I need some time–”
“Time for what? Dates are HOW you get to know somebody. I know you’re not used to putting yourself out there but you’re not exactly easy to read.”
“If it’s meant to happen, it will happen. She did invite me to do some labs with her and I’m considering the offer but I also want to wrap up a study that I’ve left sitting for too long.”
“Why didn’t you start with that? So you have similar interests? And, as a reminder, you’re on vacation, enjoy yourself. Work should not be at the forefront of your mind.”
“I’m still thinking about it and it’s not work related. It’s curiosity.”
“I’ll give you that but remember that curiosities can be sought after when you get back to your own lab. Be free. Allow yourself to see what is out there because there really is more out there than you think.”
“I know. I’m beginning to understand that.” Lena looked over to the beach front property next to her, already thinking of the potential paths the one Kara Danvers could take her. With how moved she was upon meeting her in addition to the smallest amount of color she’d seen, she’d wondered why–even though L-Corp was the first to create corrective lenses–why she didn’t choose to use them every day. They weren’t perfect but Lena herself had made adjustments over the years to attempt to make it so. She had used the lenses long ago but seeing the lively blue in Kara’s eyes this morning, she found herself unable to shake the resurgence of interest of previous study. How beautiful it was to have the slightest opportunity and she felt like she couldn’t take it for granted. Her mind was concentrated with Kara . “I want to get to know Kara but I have so many questions.” What if I’m the only one feeling this way? What if it all amounts to nothing? How can I possibly speculate how someone feels when they are still in foreign territory? Is that what love is? Is it always about taking chances and somehow being okay with a response that doesn't align with yours? Of all the people I’ve asked these same questions, the answer was unanimous; a sure thing that was without a doubt mutual. Is there another possibility that we learn to love someone? Is it always in front of your face? Lena sat in her own thoughts, going over everything. It couldn’t be that easy, right? Never straight away or a mix of both? I’m missing something. Why was I able to see the blues of her eyes?
“Questions can only be answered if you ask them, so be frank.” The CEO thought about it and cursed herself for being inquisitive but unable to build the confidence to approach Kara.
“I’ll try. I can’t say it will be successful but I will try.” Lena again thought back to the color. Maybe I’m putting too much thought into it.
After her talk with Sam her fingers hovered over the keys of her laptop as she pondered whether to take a break or not. She sighed, stuck between wanting to continue her review of research or dig into some newly sprouted interests. One at a time, she said to herself. “This takes precedence.”
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Lena fell back onto the couch after going through the last of the research. She hadn’t given herself a break, so engrossed with the stories she read and the notes of the experiments she had performed. Her mind was tired but her body was still very much awake. A walk would do some good. She went for a quick shower and put on some joggers and an oversized sweatshirt to head out to the beach. She poured herself a glass of wine and walked out the door. With the experiment on her mind she hadn’t bothered with which direction she took. It was beautiful in the sunlight as well as the moonlight and she was happy to take it all in: the smell of the salt of the ocean, the cold breeze brought in from the tides, and the casual graze of the cold water at her feet. All those things were somehow easier to do when her brain was running wild.
So many relationships happen but why doesn’t it happen all the time? Is there really something that makes it different? Does each and every person have their own soulmate? Is there ever a time people don’t meet their soulmate and are therefore destined to be alone? What distinguishes them from others? Is there a possibility that lifelong love is found with someone whom you both can see, one only can, or neither can but still make it work? If it doesn’t work out, what does that look like? From both perspectives? The CEO turned on her heel to head back, when she stepped back upon seeing a hue of blue at her feet before disappearing. Her hands moved to her upper arms as she looked up shore-–nothing. What the hell was that? She relaxed and strutted forward, keeping her eyes up.
It was dark but the condo came into view and she felt a sense of comfort being close to a safe place. She allowed her vision to drift to the water at her feet. She could only see the rush of water coat her feet and the sand but it somehow had given her a sense of ease. When she finally looked up and passed the darkness, she could see the condos and dock. Upon walking further she could see the silhouette of a person sitting at the edge of the dock. Immediately her heartbeat intensified. Kara? Her name was the only thing that came to mind and involuntarily she began to walk faster. The brunette was curious; perhaps too curious.
Once her feet had met the wood she stilled. There was much to consider in her mind but there was something that kept surfacing. Am I imposing on personal time? Why are you expecting it to be them? Just then, their head turned to a ship off in the distance and Lena was able to capture enough details to see it was in fact, Kara Danvers. She looked over her shoulder, contemplating whether she should fetch the bottle of wine she’d opened and soon changed direction back to the house. She slipped in and out to grab another wine glass and the already open bottle of wine. Take a chance. She hurried to her air bnb to get what she needed to head back and thankfully the figure hadn’t moved from their place. She could feel the thrumming of her heart, hear it even, as she got closer to the dock. This is crazy. Why am I doing this? She decided to avoid her rational thoughts; was it her curiosity or the liquid courage she’d had? What if it isn’t even her? She began doubting herself. Before she had a chance to decide whether it was one or the other, she was three quarters of the way to where the person was sitting. She stood still, worried that it wouldn’t be Kara or that she’d imagined everything. She clutched the glasses and wine bottle in her hands and took one step closer.
“Do you mind if I join you?” She could tell the person's back stiffened when she made herself known but their shoulders eased down midway through her question to look over their shoulder.
“You’re always welcome to join, Ms. Luthor.” When Kara’s eyes met hers, Lena covered her smile with the wine bottle, relieved that it had been her. The CEO walked over to her and realized that the latter had a wine glass in between her legs. “Wine.” The blonde grabbed the wine glass at its stem to move it back and forth. “Great minds think alike.” Lena could feel the heat in her cheeks from the comment and the bright smile she got from the Danvers. “Come, sit.” Lena set the glasses and bottle of wine down while making sure to fill both of their glasses. Everything else was silent in her ears aside from the crashing waves because she didn’t know what to concentrate on. It wasn’t until the clouds unveiled the moon that she was able to break the silence.
“Is this another one of your pastimes?” Lena asked and Kara gave a wide smile and took another sip of wine.
“Yeah. It is. I spent nearly every summer night sitting here with my dad after we had taken the boat out. It’s nice to listen to the sound of waves and watch the swell of the ocean moving towards the shore. Almost like it sings its own song and in it–” Lena turned her head up. “I’m finding my own melody,” her vision swept past pale blue eyes that she had to do a double take on. Kara’s hand fumbled with her necklace and while Lena had caught the mannerism a couple of times she decided to save it for later conversation.
“I think it’s beautiful that you can find yourself in something that you love.” Kara hummed back in reply.
“What about you? Do you have something?” Her mind stopped, partially because it was hard to say something on the spot but also because she hadn’t given herself enough time alone nowadays to see what really inspired her aside from previous research. Maybe there was some truth to what Sam said but it was a hard truth. She hadn’t had any memorable experiences because all of her supposed “vacations” were for work. She had all the opportunities but she never had time to do things for herself. Now that she started to dig deep, research was her first love. How boring. She thought. Not much of a thoughtful answer in comparison to Kara’s. She loved her job for the most part. Aside from the times she had to assert her authority she really wanted to help. She wanted to help those that needed an extra push or that reassurance that they are capable of doing what they want to achieve. Out of all of the workshops she’d done, she most appreciated those of children. Young minds that are capable of consuming everything. There was never once she wasn’t impressed by a child’s creative mind and determination, not to mention their perception of the world and its potential.
“Building things and everything that leads up to it. The research, lab work, testing, all the revisions and tweaks–the process itself is one of the reasons I became a scientist.” Lena gave a meek smile and sipped from her glass.
“Forgive me for asking–and you’re more than welcome to decline to answer–but have you considered putting more time into your interests?” Kara shifted her leg up to plant her foot onto the wood.
“No need to apologize.” Lena swallowed the remainder of wine in her glass and Kara steadfastly put her own glass down to ask if she couldt refill both of their glasses. The dark haired woman nodded and pulled her sleeves up over her knuckles to cover her cold fingers.
“I only ask because you mentioned it earlier.” Lena took the glass into one hand and sat her other hand down to steady herself. “I can see your passion and I know that it weaves with L-Corp but you said that you’ve missed it. Now that you feel comfortable with where your business is, will you?” Lena gazed into the ceaseless dark waves, unable to find the horizon and she would be remiss to say that being the head of a business felt much the same; wave upon wave without much reprieve and the end goal seemingly unforeseeable or constantly changing. Why couldn’t she allow herself time off now? Truth was–L-Corp had been doing well far earlier than she had projected yet she still hadn’t been able to take time away. L-Corp consumed her and became–she realized–just another thing that told her she would never be as good as her brother. It was never enough to surpass quarterly or biannual expectations, she needed to be far beyond that.
“If I were to be honest, I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to realize that I’ve needed time away. I hadn’t ever thought of it before but now that I have time to be present and go over my previous studies I feel like I’ve lost time.” Lena swiped her hair out of her face. “Like I’ve been denying myself my own true passions in place of being a conduit for others to thrive in their own. I don’t have regret,” the CEO raised her glass to cheers with her counterpart, “it’s more rather that I have never given myself the time to pursue those things because of all the work it’s taken to get L-Corp to where it is now while lowering the ladder to let others achieve their dreams.”
Kara’s eyes followed the latter’s face and was quick to pick up on the mannerisms she had.
“I’ve let this bubble I’ve created essentially pull me in to where I couldn’t see a place where I could do both.”
“Sounds infuriating to have to hold yourself to these impeccable standards for so long.” Kara acquiesced.
“It is. It has been and now that I know it, it's hard for me to think otherwise.”
“It’s okay to think outside the realms of what you’re accustomed to. In fact, most times it shows growth in what you really want.” Kara let her sit with that for a few minutes, unable to keep her eyes from drifting back to the beauty that was Lena Luthor.
“Wanna see something cool?” Kara started. “I know it’s late and it’s okay if you—“
“Mmm,” she hummed in response.
“Yeah?” Kara’s hands gripped the wood so hard that she felt it would crumple in her palms. While she had asked, she hadn’t expected her to say yes and, now, upon hearing her response a new wave of nervousness overtook her.
“Only if you promise it’s cool.” Lena's eyes met hers and Kara had to look away from the intensity of her gaze. Kara tried to hide her smile as she got to her feet and lent a hand out to Lena. She set her glass down and cautiously reached for her hand, glancing upward briefly to see such an incredible amount of softness in the latter’s face and her breath caught in her throat. She saw another flash of blue in her eyes and it made her stumble forward and catch her shirt.
“Are you okay?” Kara automatically went into protective mode, reaching forward to loop her arm around her waist to keep her up.
“I’m okay, I just–” she could see the light glimmering in the blue of her eyes, “I thought I was going to knock the wine over.” She enunciated slowly, still in shock. It wasn’t a completely valid excuse as she knew she was well far away enough but it was the first thing that came to mind. Now she was once again getting her footing together, one hand in Kara’s and the other gripped in her shirt except it was different this time, mostly due to the enchantment that she had felt from their boat experience and partially due to that. The blue stayed for the longest it ever has and each event she became more interested and far more curious than the previous encounters. The color was beautiful and so undeniably alluring that she couldn’t help but stare as if it was beckoning her closer before it washed away. What is happening to me? She could feel her heart beat fast and hard against her shirt enclosed fist; or was it Kara’s?
At the thought, Lena quickly gained her footing and released the shirt that was in her grasp. The arm that had held her close loosened around her and she immediately felt a sense of disappointment which was odd considering she wasn’t one to fancy people touching her–especially someone she hardly knows. Well, know her well enough to go on a boat with her into the open sea. Crazy. This is crazy. It’s not rational. This can’t be how the dating world is. Lena’s thoughts battled against each other in her head. Just go on the date, Sam said. It’ll be okay, she said. Yet, the brunette felt like she had been making a fool of herself, continuously falling into this woman whom she barely knows and saying yes to things like “boat dates.” I’m never going to let Sam hear the end of this. She looked down at the wine as a distraction from her thoughts and tried to allow enough time for her embarrassment to pass.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable–” the words flew from her mouth before Lena could thank her.
“You didn’t at all. I’m just a little embarrassed; I’m usually pretty agile.” She smiled and brushed it off. “Thank you.” Kara’s eyes softened from panic to relief, a smile slowly tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Happens more often than you think, agile or not,” She said with a cheerful smile. “Here,” she gathered the wine glasses and bottle, “we’re not going very far, if you’re still interested.”
“May I ask what you have in store?” The brunette asked.
“Just a little something of mine.” They walked off the dock and across the sand to the home adjacent to Lena’s air bnb. Kara chivalrously opened the back door to allow Lena to walk through first and flicked the nearest light on. She set the bottle and extra wine glass down on the kitchen counter before heading over to hand Lena her glass.
“Here,” Kara said as she guided Lena through the house to what seemed like a closet door. Lena scanned the room to see what the scientist was trying to show her. At first glance it seemed low lit with a couple of tanks but as they traveled further into the room she finally saw the number and scale of the tanks and the contents of what they held.
“Wait, wait. You did all of this?” she asked, not paying mind of whether to voice her other questions she had on her mind.
“It’s taken a while but, yeah.”
“You’ve made your own little, intricate ecosystems.” The brunette went straight to the first tank that she saw. “There’s so much–oh wow!” Lena didn’t spend any time standing in one spot so she could admire every bit in a collection of “oohs” and “ahhs” that the specialist had done herself upon her first scuba diving experience.
Kara grabbed two pairs of lenses and headed over to one of the largest tanks she had where Lena was bent forward, watching the ebb and flow of the tank water, plants, and animals. Her mind was unraveling while watching how animated she had become. Her heart hadn’t stopped beating out of her chest since Lena had offered to sit with her; she was so ethereal and her voice so bewitching like that of a welcoming siren.
“It’s even better when you can see the colors.” She offered the lenses to her and Lena was hesitant. Looking at the lenses, at the tank, and then back again at Kara. Lena quickly glanced back at the lenses and averted Kara’s eyes; scared almost. Almost as if it would reveal too much for her, like it was too invasive despite the fact she had been offered. She didn’t know what this connection was between them but something screamed inside of her to decline.
“Oh, no thank you, I don’t need them. They’re beautiful all on their own.” She said, smiles and all. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the L-Corp insignia on the temples of the glasses. First generation; I knew I recognized them. Imagine that. Lena wasn’t one to think of things such as destiny because things like this were really a chance experience and from all the research she had done, it simply never happens in spurts–it’s immediate, and that immediacy is akin to destiny.
“They are, aren’t they?” Kara pursed her lips into a smile and put the glasses behind her on a nearby table while making sure to follow Lena’s eyes.
“You like those? Those are gonipora and this one, this, and this–“ Kara pointed to three others, ”are also gonipora but they have to be separated because they’re an aggressive species.” She hesitated to mention that they were all different colors since the brunette had declined the spectacles. She stayed alongside the Luthor but stepped out of her line of sight, appreciating this woman who was awestruck in the same way she was when she had first discovered her love of the ocean, and, more precisely, corals.
“Is this how—oh wait, what are these?” She said completely taken and the blonde couldn’t help but to wonder if there was someone who Lena looked at with that much admiration. She shrugged off her thoughts and took a step forward to see what she was looking at.
“Those are alveopora which are also relatively aggressive so I’ve gotta keep them away from other corals because they’ll sting others with their tentacles. You can’t really tell but there’s a handful of corals in each of the tanks that are bioluminescent.” Lena’s eyes went wide and she wished she could see them.
“Are the alveopora bioluminescent?”
“No, they’re just cute. Like little underwater daisies.” Kara joked, walking over to look at another tank so Lena didn’t feel like someone was over her shoulder. After circling the room multiple times and a barrage of questions about different corals, the CEO came to stand beside Kara, locking in to what she was looking at in the tank. She could see that the taller woman had a deep sense of pride and love for everything in this room and it intrigued her. The more she learned about Kara the more questions she had, the more she wanted to know and that in itself was foreign to her. Confusing but invigorating. What if she isn’t the one? Was it even worth all of this? Would it be a waste to date knowing that her true soulmate could be out there somewhere? If it was a waste then why was she feeling like this? Why does her heart beat wildly when she’s around her? Why is there heaviness in her chest when they’re close? Lena looked down, willing the thoughts to cease so she could be clear-headed.
“Thank you for sharing this with me. I can see how passionate you are about your reefs. They really are beautiful.” Lena gave a soft smile as they locked eyes.
You are really beautiful. Kara had wanted to say.
“Anytime and thank you. Not to be presumptuous but maybe next time you can try the glasses, though there are far more beautiful things in the room. It really is a whole nother point of view.”
“I’d like that.” Kara smiled so wide that her eyes were hardly visible. She then reached into her back pocket for her wallet and pulled out a piece of paper. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you. It’s my personal phone number.” She reached out for the other woman to take it. “Just in case of,” she stumbled, “anything.” Suave, Kara. Good job making it awkward. Lena went to take the piece of paper and their fingers brushed for what felt like ten minutes and then once again their eyes met, the expression on the biologist’s face unreadable to her until she saw Kara’s eyes flicker to her lips and back. Had it not been for the light in her eyes, Lena wouldn’t have noticed but alas she saw it and she instantly felt it. Butterflies swirled in her stomach and she had to remember to breathe. Was she the only one that felt this tension? There was no panic in her eyes, no change in expression aside from her lips parting but goddamn could she feel how thick the air was and how intoxicating everything she was feeling was.
“I–” Kara licked her lips and stopped herself from looking at her lips again, “I wanted–” She could feel the words building up in her chest but her meekness prevented her from shedding all of her apprehensions to be truly bold, “May I. . .?” Kara took a step forward and Lena realized just how far away she had been. Or was it close? Another step and Kara’s eyes were on her lips again, light flickering wildly in her eyes that almost changed her whole demeanor. She didn’t know what it was or how it changed but there was only one word that came to mind.
Ravenous.