The moon shimmered on the glassy sea as the Lexington floated in silence, her sails slack under the weight of sleep. Below deck, Ethan rested in a hammock, swaying gently with the motion of the waves, his body relaxed, his breath even.
In his sleep, he dreamed.
The air was warm and heavy, thick with salt and sweetness. He stood again by the pool, but now everything was softer, surreal. The water glowed with a subtle blue light, casting flickers on smooth stone and dark wood. Music pulsed gently in the background distant, hypnotic.
He felt a presence before he saw her.
2B stood beside him, her silver hair loose, her eyes catching the ambient light like twin moons. She didn't speak. She simply reached for his hand, and when he gave it, she pulled him into the water with her clothes and all. There was no splash. Only silence, warm and liquid.
Below the surface, time slowed. The world muted. Her hands moved to his chest, pressing gently against his heartbeat. His breath caught not from lack of air, but from the nearness of her, the impossible intimacy of this quiet space between dreams and waking.
Her expression was unreadable. Curious. Not innocent, but not bold. She was learning feeling her way through unfamiliar emotions, uncertain but unafraid. Their eyes met, and for a long time, nothing moved.
Then she leaned in. Not a kiss, but a touch of foreheads. A gesture of closeness. Of longing. Of confusion. Of choice.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was back in his hammock, the ceiling above gently creaking. The sea whispered outside.
He wasn't sure if it had been a dream.
But the faint scent of jasmine lingered in the air.
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