The Song of the Sea

10. Lonely

Raephier wasn't sure what had changed with Jacob, but something had. He felt like he was avoiding him. He was barely in the room, only to sleep. For the first two nights, Raephier hadn't thought too much about it. Afterall, Jacob was the Captain of the ship, and maybe he was busy trying to make up for the time they'd lost while on land.

It was the third day when Raephier started to think there was more to it than that. On the third day, it had rained pretty heavily throughout the day, and Jacob came back into the cabin just as the sun set, looking wet and miserable.

Reaphier quickly hid his smile, realising that Jacob might misinterpret his excitement to have company as enjoyment over seeing him drenched.

When Jacob started stripping out of his clothes, Raephier quickly turned away, but after staring at the same four walls for the last three days, his eyes were drawn to something new and interesting. Jacob's body was nicely toned, and Raephier couldn't help but feel affected by it.

Once Jacob was in his nightshirt, he got himself into bed and pulled the book he was reading off the small table next to his bed.

As much as Raephier enjoyed watching Jacob read, he longed for some interaction with him. But his anxieties prevented him from just starting a conversation, like a normal person would. Raephier had learnt to only speak when spoken to, and even though he knew Jacob was unlikely to punish him for speaking up, it was a hard habit to break.

It took him over half an hour to work up the courage, after having practiced what he was going to say several times over in his head, till he was sure he would be able to do it without stuttering.

He cleared his throat.

"Captain, if it's not too much trouble, please could you tell me what the book is about?"

Raephier was almost jubilant at his success, until he saw the frown appear on Jacob's face.

"I don't think it's anything you would understand," Jacob said, making Raephier drop his gaze to his feet.

Of course, Jacob was probably right, but that didn't make the response hurt any less. Raephier could still feel the Captain's gaze on him, and he hoped that he would say something else. Something that would make the hurt go away.

When the Captain did speak again, it wasn't what Raephier was expecting.

"I'm going to turn in early tonight. Is there anything you need before I turn out the lamp?"

Raephier shook his head, then lay down on his blanket.

The light went off, leaving Raephier with nothing but his thoughts for company. And tonight his thoughts were not pleasant ones.

Was this all he was to expect now? A couple of words followed by silence? A day of having no one for company apart from the fleeting seconds when James or Pete brought him food? The reality hit Raephier like a wrecking ball. All this time he'd thought that Jacob had been kind, letting him out of the cage, not tethering him up, giving him a sense of freedom. When in reality, all he'd done was substitute his small cage for a much larger one.

Raephier could hear Jacob tossing and turning on the bed. Clearly he hadn't been tired when he decided to go to bed early, which meant that he had turned out the light purposefully to avoid any interaction with Raephier.

It was a cold night, almost like the rain had left an icy chill in its wake, and Raephier struggled to get warm with his one blanket. But he'd slept in much worse situations, so eventually sleep took over.

When he woke up, he felt surprisingly well rested. And warm.

His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he shot upright when he realised he was lying in a bed.