Hooked on You

The following Monday, Ella was ready for a quiet day. After the chaos of last week, she'd hoped for some peace—an uneventful trip to the reef and no encounters with the Marshport "Welcome Wagon" or any more "dates." She pulled into the research centre, coffee in hand, only to find her hopes for solitude dashed the second she spotted Ryan's familiar figure at the dock.

This time, though, he was surrounded by crates, each one labelled with various scientific notations and packed with equipment she'd ordered weeks ago. It should have been delivered directly to her office, not to the dock, which meant someone—probably Donna—had been "helpful" and arranged for Ryan to handle it.

"Morning, Doc!" he called, waving enthusiastically.

Ella sighed. "Are you my equipment courier now?"

"Apparently. Donna asked me to 'lighten your load' this morning." He gave her a wide, innocent grin. "I'm just here to help."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," she muttered as she walked over, eyeing the stack of crates. "Just... be careful with these, okay?"

Ryan nodded solemnly, as if accepting a noble quest. "You got it, Doc. I'll treat them like they're made of glass."

He picked up a crate marked *fragile* and gave her a confident nod before promptly tripping over a loose rope, sending the crate teetering. Ella reached out instinctively, catching it before it hit the ground.

Ryan grinned sheepishly. "Starting off strong, huh?"

Ella gave him a look. "Maybe just... stick to the lighter crates."

After they loaded the last of the equipment onto the boat, Ella took the wheel, steering them toward the reef while Ryan looked over the checklist she'd handed him.

"Let's see... water temperature, coral health, plankton count..." He glanced up at her. "You ever get tired of counting plankton?"

Ella smirked. "You'd be surprised how many things depend on plankton. The entire food chain, for one."

"Guess that makes them tiny superheroes," he mused, jotting down a note. "Saving the ocean, one microscopic particle at a time."

She shook her head, amused despite herself. "Something like that."

As they arrived at the reef and anchored, Ella explained the day's tasks: check for signs of bleaching, take water samples, and document any new or unusual activity among the marine life. It was straightforward work, but she'd long since learned that "straightforward" rarely applied to her days with Ryan.

She handed him a snorkel and mask, watching as he attempted to put them on with all the grace of a pelican on roller skates.

"You've snorkelled before, right?" she asked, unable to hide her amusement.

"Uh, sure," he replied, though the way he struggled with the straps suggested otherwise.

"Right. Let me help." She adjusted the mask for him, biting back a laugh as he blinked at her through the goggles, looking like a bewildered sea creature.

"Thanks, Doc," he said, his voice muffled by the snorkel. "I feel like a real professional now."

Ella smirked. "Don't get too confident. Just follow me, keep your hands to yourself, and don't touch anything that looks like it might bite."

They slipped into the water, the coolness a welcome contrast to the summer sun. Ella moved through the reef with practiced ease, her movements fluid and controlled, while Ryan floundered behind her, splashing in a way that was probably scaring every fish within a fifty-foot radius.