The Bad Boy And The Mermaid

Blue

This wasn’t a dream. Adrian was right here in front of me. If it had been the Blue who’d left the underwater world, I would be running into his arms, thanking the gods for sending Adrian to recuse me from here. Right now, going back home was the last thing on my mind.

In the course of three months, everything had changed.

And for the better.

He looked the same as I remembered; but he was wearing human clothes and his blonde hair reached his shoulders. He didn’t have a smile on his face like he usually did, and I couldn’t blame him for that. I’d left him and the others without saying a word; I hadn’t even expressed my desire to not marry him. How it must have felt, to think that you’d marry your best friend all your life and then have her just leave everything behind. Family. Fiancé. Home.

“We need to talk, Blue.” Adrian said, his eyes looking serene. The calmness in his voice was enough to scare me. He hadn’t screamed or tried to argue and that was something new coming from my friend.

I found my voice seconds later. “I’m not coming home.”

He smiled, not with humor but a sarcastic candor, “At least you know where your home really is.”

“It’s nice seeing you, Ade.” That was a nick name just between us. “But…I don’t plan to come home anytime soon.”

“How selfish are you, Blue?” He asked, literally a fiery greenish hue blazing in his eyes. “Your Pa, your brothers and sisters are sick with worry! Have you thought of them?”

“Yes, I have! I remember them every single day, but it doesn’t change anything. No one cared when I was there, no one cares now. You know how my life’s always been, Ade, don’t you deny…” I said the last words in a whisper. I had tears forming at the corner of my eyes.

He walked towards me slowly which is when I realized how unusual it was to see him walking on legs like humans did. He grasped my shoulders and urged me to look at him. “Come home, Blue. You don’t have to marry me if you don’t want to but this is not where you belong, Agápi mou (my love).

I shook my head, feeling a little shameful for what I was about to say. “I love you, Adrian, but not the same way you want me to.”

“I know.” He said, pushing my hair behind my ear lovingly. “How much longer do you plan to stay here? And who is that man you’re living with?”

I averted my gaze away from his. His hand slid down from my face slowly as the reality began sinking into him. I didn’t even have to tell Adrian, he could read my mind. “What is this nonsense!” He said through gritted teeth.

“I fell in love with him.” I confessed.

“You cannot fall in love with humans! It is a grave grave sin! You know the rules of our world and yet you broke them. Do you think this is funny? Listen, nothing much has changed, you come home with me and I’ll solve all the misunderstandings, all the problems.”

“You don’t understand! I can’t come with you.” I said pulling my hand away from his grasp.

“You can’t or you won’t?”

“Both.” I answered.

“What is going on here?” The familiar voice came from behind me.

Adrian and I both turned to see Hunter standing in the passageway, looking heatedly between us. “Who is this, Blue?”

I absolutely hated the look on Hunter’s face, the look of confusion and betrayal. “Hunter, this is Adrian…my…

“Fiancé.” Adrian completed. I threw him a sharp look.

dawned on Hunter’s face.

Hunter said

* * *

Hunter

A freakin’ merman. With the way he was giving me dirty looks, if I didn’t know any better, I could have easily pegged him as a bully and after that comment about him being her

me. And there was no way she was going to let this

deny it. He was tall, sported long-ish blonde hair that was shiny, high-cheekbones and expressive green eyes. What’s more, he even had surfer board abs. I was a straight man, but I could clearly

Hunter

for her. “She and

the imagery, I was ready to plant it in his head. They were engaged when they were kids, Blue didn’t consider him as a fiancé so this

“Will you boys please stop completing sentences

closer to myself, placing my hand over her waist, possessively. Adrian’s eyes strayed to where I was touching her. The merman could

is not the time or the place to talk about this. Would you like to join us for lunch, Adrian?” I asked him

us.” Blue

“Uh…okay, I guess.”

merman was hungry after

as Blue’s friend. My hands were balled into fists when he sat beside her, his eyes following Blue’s every move, his hands pushing Blue’s hair

put both his hands to use, making a

and Blue handed him a glass of water and thumped his back. I was compelled to feel bad for him. God knows what kind of conditions he’d been living while he had come on land

exchange with interesting looks on their faces. They were completely baffled, they’d

to school with Blue.” I said as if that

“We can see that.” They said like two inseparable twins with

it was nobody’s business. Blue looked like she was embarrassed for him, which was kind of ironic because she used to do almost the same thing when she was

delicious.” Adrian

it on his face with so much familiarity that I was starting to regret my decision of inviting him over on the lunch table.

and said. “You look beautiful. Never met a real

smiling at him. I couldn’t tell if that was

sister? And Beautiful? I was sure Adrian and Fred both needed to get an eye-checkup. I watched Fred’s hand tighten over hers. I think I had

table to give us the cheque, Fred and I reached our wallets

wallet back. My turn to pay.” I

yours back. I’m gonna pay today.”

jeans and emptied it on the table, spilling a large amount of round shell coins, there was even a rare looking starfish there. He looked

he was trying to pay for our

the fucking

table. “Uhm, you

it. ” Adrian said with so much confidence it made me

a suffocating silence on the table, one heard only in the

you roasting the shrimps, those are

like he needed to check into the

don’t really take shells for tips.” The waitress said, her lips pursed, now looking outraged

looks of apology. And then I heard her whisper to Adrian. “Humans use different money. Mermaid coins aren’t