Just Them Two
#19 of All They Knew
Skye remarks Aaron after their hour-long swim, prompting him over.
"You want to get out soon, Ruk'? It's been a while." It neared 10 a.m., and they hadn't left the pool yet. Skye had walked Ruki across the water and watched him swim wall to wall a few times throughout that hour. His fastest time was fifteen seconds, and Skye made sure to commend him for it.
Ruki nodded, weary from his swimming session and being in the pool under harsh sunlight for an extended period. He had fun with her, though, and was now more familiar with swimming in his new form.
"Me too, let's get back to land," she said, walking toward the pool's steps with him and releasing him once he caught his footing.
Ruki stepped out, standing on the ground above the stairs and instinctively shaking out his fur and droopy tails.
"Ah, Ruki!" Skye shielded her face while countless particles of water flew off of his fur as he shook.
He stopped instantly. Ruki's intention wasn't to wet her. He just wanted to dry his soaked and heavy coat. Hopefully, she wasn't upset; his eyes reflected worry.
Skye giggled, stepping out after him and patting his head. "You're fine, baby. I just wasn't expecting it." She walked to the chair and sat on it to dry off with Ruki sitting beside her. "I don't want to go back inside. It feels wrong when we leave so soon..." Skye looked to the west where her suite was and happened to see Aaron exiting his. He wore a black and white tee with gray jeans. She had no way to grab his attention, or else she'd wave at him. That was until he glanced behind him, and Skye took that second to go through with her friendly gesture and saw him return it. "Awe, I should hail him over," she thought out loud. Before he turned around, Skye did just that, beckoning him with her hand. This would be the last time they'd truly talk. Skye and Ruki left tomorrow afternoon.
Ruki watched Aaron walk up the flight of stairs, and he now had to make a conscious effort not to shake. Soaking both of them was something he genuinely wanted to avoid.
"Hey, Skye, Ruki," he greeted once he arrived, his eyes briefly scanning her swimsuit and legs upon approach.
"Hey, Aaron, where's Sylmi?" She grinned up at him.
"Ah, he's still asleep. I just came out for some quiet."
"Oh, did I interrupt you?"
"No, no, not at all. I'd rather be talking to you," Aaron said. A slight gamble, but Aaron liked her far too much to hide it. "Were you two swimming?"
Skye gave the same shy, kittenish smile she did yesterday in response to his comment. "Mhm, just something small to do before we leave tomorrow since the entire week was huge. I'll miss Sinnoh."
"I'm glad you love this region as much as I do. Are you ready to go home now?" Aaron asked.
"Of course..." Skye placed her hand on the back of Ruki's neck. "I miss my region. It'll feel great to be back in my bed again. When do you leave?" she inquired.
"We're here for another week. I'm not sure where I want to go next, but nowhere Sylmi and I have already been," he replied.
"That sounds exhilarating. I'm not sure I'll travel anywhere for a while. This was a lot for me." She shook a bit, chilly from the passing winds as she'd recently gotten out of the pool. "I should go and change... but I'll come back outside afterwards. Give me like five minutes," Skye said while standing up. "Come on, Ruk'," she added.
"All right, I'll wait by the suite." Aaron watched her and Ruki walk down the stairs to theirs. He followed far behind and leaned against the wall of his suite while waiting. Aaron felt anxious. Skye left tomorrow, the very next day, and he feared losing her forever, not that he ever had her to begin with, but she didn't know how profoundly he felt about her. Why'd Skye have to live in Alola? Aaron knew he'd never find a girl like her again. It was just something he perceived, whether or not he was overreacting.
Skye pulled her damp swimsuit off and laid it across the bathtub's rim to dry, replacing it with the same blue tee and jeans she had on this morning. She let her hair fall and organized it in the mirror before walking back into the room, seeing a shivering Ruki sitting on the floor and giving her his cute frozen eyes. "Aw, baby, let's get you under the covers. Come lay down." She patted the bed and leaned over to pull the blanket back.
Ruki hopped up, walking to the center of the bed and lying on his side while Skye gently drew the blanket over his body. He looked up at her, seeing her pretty grin as she leaned down to kiss him in between the ears while tucking him in.
"I'll be back, Ruki. Stay warm," she told him, slipping her shoes back on heading out the door.
Aaron suppressed a grin upon seeing her. She was wearing the tamest outfit he'd seen her in so far, yet Skye still kept her charm.
"You wanna walk?" she asked, slowing her pace, but not stopping.
"Of course," he replied, and hurried to walk beside her.
"I think I've had enough walking far distances to last me a while. I just want to see Route 213's beach once more. I blame Alola for that." While they lightly conversed, Skye took them across the courtyard, and through the lobby, arriving at the beach she'd recently taken Ruki to watch the sunset. She walked far enough to be close to shore, but not enough to be touched by its waves, and slipped off her shoes, crossing her legs and sitting down in the silky terrain finally. Skye broke the ambient silence moments later after she'd settled within the serene environment. "So, who do you have back home?" she asked as he sat beside her, watching the smooth and gentle waves wash up on shore underneath an azure sky dotted with clouds.
"Uh, just my mom and two close friends. I'm happy with that, just a few important people in my life," he replied, leaning back on his hand. "How about you?" Aaron looked over.
"Two parents... and many friends. My only relatively close one lives here. It gets lonely sometimes." Skye glanced at him. "Having a lot of just... people around me, but I don't really know them."
"It's not always easy finding someone your type, even when it comes to friends. So... Cherish once you have."
She smiled subtly. "Right... Cherish once you have."