own?”
“Sure. I’ll just wait for you and Sytse to finish so we can all go home together.”
As Dani skips off to check out what our sailors have brought in from Fryslan, Grins, and Nethersaxony, the wind picks up, making me shiver all of a sudden. The sound of the waves rushes in, carrying wistful voices filled with longing and hunger. The Nixen – or the Sirens, as the Currents call them – are never really quiet. I can always hear them, just like my mother.
I close my eyes and wait until the feeling goes away. The only thing that goes away, though, is the sun hitting my cheeks. When I open my eyes again to see who’s casting a shadow across my face, I am staring into two piercing eyes that are blue like the cloudless skies.
4.
I t’s Royce.
What the heck is he doing here? I blink up at him in confusion. Am I in his way? Has he mistaken me for someone else?
“Hi,” he says, his deep voice melodic like his music.
Why is he talking to me?
“Hello,” I reply stiffly. “Ehm... can I help you with something?”
“Actually, yes.” He smiles, and I hate myself for staring at him. He’s gorgeous, in an old, Frisian-god-kind-of-way. “I always come here to pick up the latest music from the mainland, and I think one of the LPs I’ve been waiting for has accidentally ended up with that sailor’s record haul.”
I follow his gaze when he stares pointedly at my hand still clutching the useless LP.
“You – but this is mine,” I say. “Sytse got it for me. As a special gift.”
“Ah.” The worried frown I spotted before creases his forehead again. “Well – okay. That’s unfortunate.”
“What’s so unfortunate about getting a present?” I snip.
Royce stares at me for a second and then laughs, his eyes lighting up. “Nothing. I’m happy your boyfriend is bringing you gifts, of course.”
“My brother,” I mumble, blushing when I realize I feel the need to point that out, somehow.
“Fine. Your brother. I mean it’s unfortunate for me. Since that is the only copy the ships seem to have brought in.”
Royce looks at me expectantly, as though I should fall down to my knees and prostate while offering him the much-coveted LP. I narrow my eyes at him and stubbornly cross my arms.
“So...” he continues when I don’t say anything back. “How much do you want for it?” His hand drifts down to his back pocket, probably to whip out his fat, loaded wallet.
I gasp. The arrogance – the sheer impudence of presuming everything is for sale, even gifts meant for others. I take a step back and glare at him. “I don’t want anything for it. I intend to keep it myself.”
I know it’s ridiculous, and I know he knows that. I will never listen to this LP in my lifetime. The best thing to do is to make him pay through the nose for it and do something awesome with all his cash. But I don’t feel like being reasonable. I want him to feel like me for once. Like a have-not.
Royce blinks in surprise. “Why?”
“Because Sytse picked it out for me especially,” I say. “He said it was the most beautiful music he’d ever heard and I would love it too. He knows my taste in music. Besides, why would I sell a gift? That’s really ungrateful.”
The dark-haired Current boy bites his lip, seemingly to stop himself from smiling. “Well, you have a point there,” he admits. “But you can’t listen to it. Unless you have a secret LP player stashed away somewhere.” His eyes bore into mine as though he’s expecting me to actually confess to something like that.
“I don’t.” I roll my eyes. “And if I did I wouldn’t tell you .”
Royce chuckles. “Well. This looks like a stalemate to me. I want to listen to the LP, but I can’t because you have it. You want to listen to the record, but you can’t because you have no equipment. That’s pretty messed up. Now nobody gets to enjoy it.”
“I’m not selling it,” I repeat, staring him down with as much courage as I can muster. I
“Sure. I’ll just wait for you and Sytse to finish so we can all go home together.”
As Dani skips off to check out what our sailors have brought in from Fryslan, Grins, and Nethersaxony, the wind picks up, making me shiver all of a sudden. The sound of the waves rushes in, carrying wistful voices filled with longing and hunger. The Nixen – or the Sirens, as the Currents call them – are never really quiet. I can always hear them, just like my mother.
I close my eyes and wait until the feeling goes away. The only thing that goes away, though, is the sun hitting my cheeks. When I open my eyes again to see who’s casting a shadow across my face, I am staring into two piercing eyes that are blue like the cloudless skies.
4.
I t’s Royce.
What the heck is he doing here? I blink up at him in confusion. Am I in his way? Has he mistaken me for someone else?
“Hi,” he says, his deep voice melodic like his music.
Why is he talking to me?
“Hello,” I reply stiffly. “Ehm... can I help you with something?”
“Actually, yes.” He smiles, and I hate myself for staring at him. He’s gorgeous, in an old, Frisian-god-kind-of-way. “I always come here to pick up the latest music from the mainland, and I think one of the LPs I’ve been waiting for has accidentally ended up with that sailor’s record haul.”
I follow his gaze when he stares pointedly at my hand still clutching the useless LP.
“You – but this is mine,” I say. “Sytse got it for me. As a special gift.”
“Ah.” The worried frown I spotted before creases his forehead again. “Well – okay. That’s unfortunate.”
“What’s so unfortunate about getting a present?” I snip.
Royce stares at me for a second and then laughs, his eyes lighting up. “Nothing. I’m happy your boyfriend is bringing you gifts, of course.”
“My brother,” I mumble, blushing when I realize I feel the need to point that out, somehow.
“Fine. Your brother. I mean it’s unfortunate for me. Since that is the only copy the ships seem to have brought in.”
Royce looks at me expectantly, as though I should fall down to my knees and prostate while offering him the much-coveted LP. I narrow my eyes at him and stubbornly cross my arms.
“So...” he continues when I don’t say anything back. “How much do you want for it?” His hand drifts down to his back pocket, probably to whip out his fat, loaded wallet.
I gasp. The arrogance – the sheer impudence of presuming everything is for sale, even gifts meant for others. I take a step back and glare at him. “I don’t want anything for it. I intend to keep it myself.”
I know it’s ridiculous, and I know he knows that. I will never listen to this LP in my lifetime. The best thing to do is to make him pay through the nose for it and do something awesome with all his cash. But I don’t feel like being reasonable. I want him to feel like me for once. Like a have-not.
Royce blinks in surprise. “Why?”
“Because Sytse picked it out for me especially,” I say. “He said it was the most beautiful music he’d ever heard and I would love it too. He knows my taste in music. Besides, why would I sell a gift? That’s really ungrateful.”
The dark-haired Current boy bites his lip, seemingly to stop himself from smiling. “Well, you have a point there,” he admits. “But you can’t listen to it. Unless you have a secret LP player stashed away somewhere.” His eyes bore into mine as though he’s expecting me to actually confess to something like that.
“I don’t.” I roll my eyes. “And if I did I wouldn’t tell you .”
Royce chuckles. “Well. This looks like a stalemate to me. I want to listen to the LP, but I can’t because you have it. You want to listen to the record, but you can’t because you have no equipment. That’s pretty messed up. Now nobody gets to enjoy it.”
“I’m not selling it,” I repeat, staring him down with as much courage as I can muster. I
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