Chapter 4 - FOUR

                    ADRIEN MORGAN

Three weeks have passed,three whole weeks of me trying to reach out to Julian but to no avail. I memorized his phone number, and ever since his departure,  he is all I think about.

His gorgeous eyes and splendid features are all I think about. Even when I sleep, he is all I dream of. Sounds cheesy,I know, but it's the truth.

When I saw him sat there at the beach that Saturday,all alone in thoughts, I wanted to see if i could lighten up his mood somehow. After several hours of watching him from the sidelines,I decided to go greet him.

Barely a soul comes to this resort without my invite. Yes,I own this whole resort and some islands around. But this particular one isn't for business,it's mine,my hideout.

We talked for a while, with me doing most of the talking till when he snoozed out on my shoulder.

He looked so peaceful as his tense muscles relaxed. Honestly, I didn't want to wake him up from his slumber, so I carried him to my suit and laid him down on the king-sized bed.

As I was walking towards the door to exit the room,he grabbed my hand and whined in his sleep

"Stay with me, please. I could use someone to hold onto right now. I feel so lonely. "

I did as he asked and climbed into bed with him after removing our clothes. He held onto me with a mighty grasp. Had i been frail, I would've snapped.

He smelled so good,must be his cologne. The way he fit perfectly well in my hold,I could do anything to have that moment again. I really miss him,I hope I could at least breathe in his space. Just a single glance will suffice.

Call me a simp,I won't mind. I just want to love him like he deserves to be loved.

"And what's gotten into your mind that you won't notice your favorite brother's presence!"  Azrael,my younger muses.

I swear this kid won't knock before entering anywhere. He believes he's always welcome.

I roll my eyes but answer anyway. "What would you use a brain if you had one!?" I ask, and he feigns shock. So i continued, "Doors and doorbells were invented for a reason. You can't keep invading people's space like that. "

"You did not!" Azrael gasps out,making me laugh at him.

If you found us having this brotherly banter, you could assume that we hate each other. It's rather the opposite.

He's like an extension of me,always in my space. I wonder what he has been up to lately since I haven't seen his face around these past weeks.

"By the way, where had you disappeared to? Nobody I asked had an idea of where you were. Hope you're not up to causing more trouble. "

"There you go. Always nagging. " He pouts but continues."I've not even spent ten minutes in your presence, but you're already nagging. What's it with old men?" He mumbles the last part, but I know he intended for me to hear.

I find myself laughing like I haven't in the last three weeks. Fine, I'm 111 years old in merfolk time. In human years, I'm 43 years old, but he makes it seem like I'm the oldest species alive.

"If I'm an old man,what does that make you!? Last I checked, you were 93 years old. "

He gasps out loud,holding his chest, feigning hurt. Oh God! I missed this drama queen so bad, but I won't let him know, or else I won't hear the end of it.

"Now that's offensive!" He retorts with sass. "Anyway, I was with my new lover,who is human, by the way." Azrael goes on about his human lover, but I zone out through most of it.

Well, at least one of us has things going well for them.

" Oh, you should definitely meet him someday,I promise you won't look away. He's an eye candy,everything about him got me hooked." He sighs

"Now I wanna meet this human who managed to have you so whipped. I wanna see what he's got that has an incubus like you. Azrael locked around his fingers. "

Now, I'm filled with genuine curiosity. If someone could manage Azrael for more than ten days, then it gotta be a superhuman.

Azrael has these features that have both  men and women falling to their knees whenever he breathes in their direction. His light blue hair,emeral eyes paired with thick lashes,a button nose, and high cheekbones. His body is lean but muscular, and that porcelain skin. There's a stark difference between us if you consider appearance. I'm taller,tan, and got big muscles while he's the opposite.

No wonder it's hard to tell we're siblings.

"His name is Luciano,you will definitely find him adorable. He's such a sweetheart, " Azrael says with dreamy eyes. I swear this boy is so deep in love.

"Okay, okay, enough with your lover. What exactly brings you here so early in the morning?" I ask

"Well,I am so restless lately. I feel like I should show him my real identity and maybe take him underwater to meet everyone. " Azrael answers with excitement.

"Don't you think it's too soon for you to be planning all that. Also,is this man trustworthy?"

"I.... I don't know,I feel like if I fall in love with someone,I'll be betraying my soul mate. Yet again, I can't find them among merfolk. And the humans live for a little time,there's that also. I'm thantophobic,you know that. " Azrael groans at my usual fears

"How about you stop being pessimistic for once and let yourself love a little. You're not far away from hitting the average lifespan of merfolk,be optimistic. Find someone lovable,love them with everything in you. Whether they die before or after you,live that to fate, " He argues

Now that's the push I needed to go after, Julian. A voice within me tells me to do everything possible to make him mine. I'm sure the attraction I felt wasn't one-sided. He may have a few guards up, but I'll put them down,I'm ready to love for the first time. It won't be easy, I know, but I'm ready to give it all.

"There is a beautiful man who showed up at the beach towards the end of last month. He told me his name is Julian,Julian Olivarez. He seemed so troubled that day, though. " I pause

"Something about him feels different. I'm attracted to him, and I'm gonna do everything to make him mine. " I continue. By now, I have Azrael's attention. He leans in,elbows on his knees.

"So why haven't you started on the process of making him yours then? Do you know anything about him or where we could start from looking for him?" Azrael asks.

I may not admit loudly, but Azrael is a positive force in my life. That's why I don't mind his presence as long he's not being bratty.

"I didn't want to overstep. He seemed like he could use some space, so all I did was call and text, but he didn't reply or return the calls. Also, I was being pessimistic as always" I reply with slumped shoulders

"Okay,I'm gonna do what I can to find this Julian guy and make him your soul mate. You're aware of my capabilities,I never fail as long as I set my mind onto something. Now sit back and relax while I act like Matchmaker. " Azrael pats my shoulders before exiting

I'm left alone,thinking about the most beautiful human I've ever laid my eyes on. With a newfound motivation to find him and make him mine,forever.