“Did she just call you a tramp?” I whispered leaning over the table closer to Hip.
Pink tinted the arch of Hip’s cheeks. “She called me trickster. It’s less of an insult and more a term of endearment.”
“So, she’s your aunt? You don’t look Hispanic.”
The three of them shared a look. What was up with the silent conversation thing they kept doing? I thought that was only a book thing.
I squinted my eyes at them and then stared down Hip. “Jason’s father mentioned…Hip, are you adopted?”
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Yeah. I’m adopted.”
“Are your parents…are they human?”
“Yes.”
“Do they know? That you’re…um, well…not.”
He nodded. “It wasn’t really something I could hide from them when I was little. When they realized they hadn’t found a normal baby on the beach, the town’s elders brought them in and told them about us.”
Hip’s aunt came back out with four plates and placed them down in front of us. I found it funny that she didn’t even bother giving us menus or taking our order, just taking it upon herself to bring us food. I only recognized the rice and black beans, and some sort of chicken dish. The chicken was cut into large chunks and coated in a creamy sauce.
I moaned as I shoveled a bite into my mouth. And then another, and another. Before I knew it, my plate was empty. With a pout, I glanced at the plate next to me which still had some food on it. Without hesitation, I swapped that plate with mine.
“Not even going to ask, really?” Jason groused.
I shrugged and met his narrowed eyes with my own puppy dog pout. After a few moments, he sighed, reached across the table and snatched the boys plates and scrapped their food onto the plate that was once his.
“Hey!” Theseus and Hip shouted in unison.
I grinned and took another bite of food. Deciding to distract them from my food thieving, I returned to our earlier conversation. “You guys have mentioned them before. These town elders. Are they like what books say they are? Just a council of old people?”
Jason tilted his head. “Basically.”
“I never liked town elders or elder councils or whatever. In every book I’ve read, they’ve done more harm then good.”
“I don’t disagree with that.” Hip grumbled. Jason and Theseus looked uncomfortable, so I changed the subject.
“The aquarium seemed pretty busy today. I’m surprised I didn’t think to ask this, but what day is it?”
Being unconscious for two weeks, one tended to lose track of time.
“It’s Saturday,” Hip said as he tried to sneak back some of his food.
I slapped his hand away. “Saturday what?”
“February 13th.”
My eyes widened. “That means tomorrow is February 14th.”
Wow. The past year flew by so fast. And Cal and my father weren’t going to be here to celebrate it with me. A cold knife sliced right through my heart. I clenched my jaw, trying not to let the emotions show on my face. I glanced down at my hands and watched in horror as scales began to ripple underneath my skin.
My eyes snapped back up to the boys. Smile. Everything was okay. Breathe.
“Yep, that means tomorrow is Valentine’s Day,” Theseus said, not having noticed my underlying panic. It didn’t seem the other guys noticed either, but a pregnant pause fell over us.
And then all of their eyes snapped wide.
Jason whipped out his phone, looking at the screen as if to double check the date. “Fuck!”
“Shit.” Theseus spat.
Hip stood. “Tía, we’re leaving!”
Jason and Theseus stood as well and began to herd me towards the door.
His aunt poked her head out from behind the kitchen door. “Leaving so soon! What’s the hurry?”
“Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day!”
“Don’t tell me you forgot?!” She chastised him.
Hip didn’t answer her as the door closed behind us. Before I knew it, we were all back in the car and on the road.
“We royally messed this one up, guys.” Theseus said, his eyes shooting to the rearview mirror.
I craned my neck back to look at Jason and Hip, who had their eyes glued to their phones. Their eyebrows were angled down in similar expressions of concentration as their fingers flew across the small screens.
I bit my lip, wondering if they were really freaking out because it was Valentine’s Day or… they knew. I doubted it, but I needed to check, anyway.
“Guys, I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just Valentine’s Day.”
“Of course you don’t, because you’re beautifully different,” Jason said, not looking up from his phone.
“But you’re still a girl. And I’m your—” Hip's eyes snapped up and shot to Jason, and then Theseus. “We are your boyfriends and we can’t not make a big deal out of it.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “So is that what we’re doing now? Are we making it official?”
Hip’s eyes widened. “I—um, I mean…if you want to.”
“How am I possibly going to update my relationship status on Facebook?”
“They have an ‘It’s complicated’ option, don’t they?”
We all burst out laughing at that. Theseus glanced away from the road, meeting my eyes with a look of confusion. I smiled at him and began to mouth that I would tell him later when I remembered that I had spotted a large notepad in the back seat with a pen attached to it. Reaching back, I fumbled around for the notepad until Jason handed it to me.
I scribbled onto the notepad and held it out for Theseus to read. He quickly pulled off to the side of the road and read the words I had written on the page.
The two stooges said they are making a big deal because I’m apparently their girlfriend. Since you are freaking out about this valentines thing too are you my third stooge?
Theseus began to laugh before leaning across the console to give me a kiss on the lips. “Sweetheart, I’m no stooge. I’m your freaking prince.”
I blinked and my cheeks began to heat. I glanced nervously to the other two in the back. I couldn’t tell what they were thinking, which was strange. Their faces still had the matching frowns they had when they were concentrating. I thought I saw a spark of jealousy, but it was gone too swiftly for me to tell.
“Wait, she called us stooges?” Jason asked, leaning forward to read the notepad. “Darling, I’m just as much of a prince as he is.”
“Yeah, what he said!” Hip seconded.
I couldn’t tell if they were actually upset or joking. Hoping to keep the tone light, I smiled. “I don't know, Hip. I feel like you’re less of a prince and more of a devilish rogue.”
Hip grinned. "Does that mean I get to be the one to steal the maiden’s heart from the princes?”
My jaw fell open and my eyes flicked between Jason and Theseus who had turned his head back to see the others. Jason slapped Hip on the knee while Theseus growled. "I dare you, Shrimp. I doubt you could steal shells from the ocean, let alone her heart from me.”
“Is that a challenge?” Hip asked, giving Theseus a feral grin.
I settled back into my seat and listened to the three of them bicker about who would win in a contest for my heart. They weren’t actually hostile, and I didn’t think they were serious. It seemed more like they were measuring dicks. Regardless, I didn’t feel like getting in the middle of it. After a few minutes, Theseus turned back to driving, a smirk on his face.