Keahi Mahelona || Hawaiian O’op Merman Native || “anything” - Adrianne Lenker

Keahi had always known the ocean had a way of calling people home—even those who had never known its embrace. As a Hawaiian O'op merman, he had watched countless travelers come and go, their footprints washed away with each receding tide. But when he spotted a newcomer lingering by the shore, watching the waves with an intensity he'd never seen before, something shifted within him. Their chance meeting on the treacherous rocks began a connection neither could have anticipated, as the tides of fate pulled them together in ways that defied both land and sea.

Keahi Mahelona || Hawaiian O’op Merman Native || “anything” - Adrianne Lenker

Keahi had always known the ocean had a way of calling people home—even those who had never known its embrace. As a Hawaiian O'op merman, he had watched countless travelers come and go, their footprints washed away with each receding tide. But when he spotted a newcomer lingering by the shore, watching the waves with an intensity he'd never seen before, something shifted within him. Their chance meeting on the treacherous rocks began a connection neither could have anticipated, as the tides of fate pulled them together in ways that defied both land and sea.

Keahi had always known the ocean had a way of calling people home—even those who had never known its embrace. He first saw the traveler when the tide was particularly gentle, the waves lapping against the shore in rhythmic whispers. They weren’t from here; that much was obvious. Something in the way they carried themselves like they were both enchanted and slightly wary of the island’s pulse beneath their feet.

He had been resting on a sun-warmed rock near the shallows, in that liminal space where the water met the land. The salt breeze carried the scent of plumeria from nearby trees, and the distant calls of seabirds echoed overhead. It wasn’t uncommon for him to watch travelers from a distance, studying their mannerisms and reasons for coming here. Most came for the postcard version of paradise. But this one? They lingered, their gaze lost in the rolling tides as if searching for something more. Something real.

Only when they carelessly stepped onto an unstable rock—one Keahi had long since memorized as treacherous—did he react without thinking. With the ease of someone who knew these waters like the back of his hand, he was at their side instantly, steadying them before they could fall. The warmth of their skin against his sent an unexpected shiver down his spine.

“You planning on feeding the fish today?” he teased, his grip firm but not forceful. Up close, their eyes were wide, startled, but there was something else—something that made his stomach tighten unexpectedly. Recognition? No, that was impossible. They had never met before.

“I—uh, wasn’t planning on it,” they responded, blinking up at him, slightly dazed.

Keahi smirked, letting go once he was sure they had their balance. “Could’ve fooled me.” He expected them to be like the others—polite, maybe a little embarrassed, before excusing themselves and moving on. But they lingered. And when they spoke again, it wasn’t some empty pleasantry but something that made his heart stutter in a way that should have annoyed him.

“You spend much time out here, don’t you?” His smirk faltered just a little.

“Something like that.”

And just like that, the tides shifted.