Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

definitely something we could discuss in the future. I didn’t plan to force her into a lifestyle she’d rather not be a part of, or even tell her it was an option.
    To be safe, I changed the subject. “I didn’t spend tons of time in Natatoria growing up. My parents liked living on land more than under the sea.”
    “ Do you like it there?”
    “ It’s a very beautiful city. The mers before us created a pipeline of mirrors that reflect sunlight in from all over the world. The entire place is covered in gems, gold, silver, and platinum. With the sunlight bouncing all over, it’s like being inside a huge crystal ball. The only frustrating thing is you have to remain a mer the entire time. Only in a retrofitted oxygenated room can you change to legs.”
    “ There are rooms underwater?”
    “ That’s why I carry around my board shorts. Nakedness isn’t accepted in our colony, unlike the pictures you see.” I maneuvered two strands of her hair to create makeshift legs walking on her arm.
    She giggled again, her voice high and cheery. “I’d love to see it.”
    I frowned, completely confused. She wanted to see Natatoria, but didn’t want merlings? Then I cringed. Could she have guessed there was a way to be changed into a mermaid? She had no idea the sacrifice, the uncertainty now that we were fugitives, separated from our kind. I wasn’t going to let her know there was an option, at least not yet.
    “ We won’t be going back for a long while, that’s for sure.”
    “ But you said Tatchi is there.”
    My gut tightened. “Yes, she is. It’s complicated.”
    “ Is that why she didn’t want to go to college with me? I guess being a mermaid and all would make that pretty difficult.”
    “ No,” I said quickly. “She did want to go. Originally, she kept trying to get me to leave our way of life, too, but I wanted to be loyal to our people which ended up being a major mistake. It’s different for the men than the women in Natatoria. She tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.”
    “ Oh.” She crinkled up her nose.
    My heart thumped harder, knowing where this conversation was headed. Was it time to tell her about the promising? Why a kiss with a mer is so powerful and revered?
    “ I’m sure you’ve heard the fables about mermaids luring men into the sea to their deaths.” She watched me with wide-eyes. “It’s true. Whoever a mermaid kisses, their soul will bond with hers and her absence will drive them mad.”
    “ Honestly?”
    I raised my right eyebrow. “You tell me.”
    She watched me with curiosity and touched her lips. Recognition sparked behind her eyes. “Is that the same for mermen too?”
    I nodded my head. “Our weddings are called promisings. All it takes is one kiss to bond with someone for life. Then you’ll need them almost more than—”
    “— life itself.” She reached up and trailed her fingers down my stubbly cheek. “That’s what you meant when you said a kiss is very serious. It all makes sense now. I thought I was going insane this past week. I kept dreaming and thinking about you all the time, hoping you’d come back. But it was only mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. That’s hardly a kiss.”
    I looked down. “It still counts.”
    “ Oh,” she said and her face brightened. “Is that why my lips tingle all the time?”
    I marveled at her innocence and then frowned. “I wouldn’t have done it without giving you full disclosure on me, on us. But, under the circumstances—”
    “ Are you trying to apologize again for saving me?”
    “ Well . . . it was way more than saving. I’ve high-jacked your life.”
    “ Hardly,” she laughed and squeezed my hand. “I’ve actually got a confession of my own. Of all the guys I know, you’d be the only one I’d pick to be promised to. I’ve had a crush on you ever since the sixth grade.”
    Her confession gave me the chills. “Really?”
    “ Totally. I don’t know how you couldn’t tell. I’m always a complete bumbling mess around you. I mean, you’ve always been flirtatious, but I didn’t think it meant anything. And once we got older, you stopped hanging out with us.”
    “ Oh,” I said, thinking back to my actions on the beach. “I wanted to take things further, but tried not to give it a second thought because you were off limits. Our way of life is—well, you know. Complicated.”
    “ But you couldn’t resist me,” she said, her lip curling up.
    “ You were sort of dying.” I’m sure my