The Bad Boy And The Mermaid

Blue

“Be honest with me, Blue. What is our future together?” Adrian asked me a few days after I’d met Hunter in the supermarket.

I was stirring a pot; preparing stew for dinner when his question caught me off-guard. I looked straight at him. “What do you mean our future?”

Adrian’s emerald eyes cut through me, and there was a smug expression plastered on his face which I hated. “How long are we going to play house? Aren’t you going to...what do the humans call it...ah, yes, divorce your husband?”

I shot him a look. “I would never divorce Hunter. I thought I told you that before and as far as our future is concerned, we’ve always been friends and that will continue to be.”

Adrian picked up an apple from the table and munched on it. He’d especially come to love fruits here from the human world.

I watched him as he propped his legs on the table with shoes on, something that I hated. There were a lot of habits of Adrian that I didn’t like. For example, the way he would interrupt me when I was speaking, or the way he would always taunt me and say how much he hated my cooking. And he would always talk with his mouthful. Maybe I found so many faults in Ade because we were childhood friends, but I couldn’t help but compare him to Hunter.

I’d loved everything about Hunter. His golden-brown hair like a polished shiny coin, his intense silver eyes, and his deep sensuous voice, the way his delicious body would respond to my touch, the soft kisses he planted on my face when I woke up in the morning, his large hands that caressed me in a possessive way. It all drove me crazy.

I was feeling needy and now especially since I had been under close proximity to him. I knew what I was missing out on.

“I’m not talking to the walls,” Adrian said.

He’s been talking and I’d been lost in my own world, thoughts filled with Hunter.

“Just don’t speak in riddles. Say what you want to.”

“Come sit here with me.” Adrian patted the empty space on the couch beside him. “Let’s talk.”

I sighed, turned off the stove and went to sit next to him.

“This can’t continue forever.” He said. “Apollo and I have been taking turns living here with you because we don’t have a choice. If you want to continue to live this way then we should get married. I mean, Hunter thinks that you’re carrying my child so it won’t be such a big deal if we actually tied the knot.”

“Never!”

“You’re a selfish mermaid, did you know that?”

I remained silent.

“You won’t go back to your husband, you won’t even let him live in peace, you won’t break it off with him either. So you’re just playing with several lives. Apollo has things to take care of in Atlantis, do you think it’s okay for you to make him worry all the time? I mean, look at the mess you’ve created. It was your decision to break the rules, your decision to marry a human and to have his baby. We warned you about the consequences but you didn’t listen.”

My lower lip quickened. “If I go back to Hunter, I may kill him again accidentally. I don’t want that to happen. Don’t you understand?”

“Wake up, Blue,” Adrian said. “Did you even look at his face properly when he left that day? He’s a dead man walking!”

I slapped him across his face. “Don’t you ever say that about him again. Ever.”

Adrian didn’t seem fazed, he continued. “If you don’t go back to Hunter, he will kill himself. You sacrificed your immortality to bring him back, and if he commits suicide, it would be your fault again. Think about it. He’s going to die and then you would wander around, living as long as humans live and then die. Hunter may be reborn and when that happens, he’s going to look for you to find you gone. The cycle of misery repeats.”

“What do you know? He could find another woman to marry.” I said. “And maybe she would keep him happy.”

“He bares the mermaid’s mark. Let’s say if he fights through his desire of being with you, and gets married to some other woman, he won’t be able to keep her happy. Do you realize how many lives you’re going to destroy?” He continued, “When you were getting married to Hunter, Apollo warned him that falling in love with a mermaid comes with a curse.” Adrian chuckled, “Guess he didn’t realize the price he was paying for falling in love with you. That poor man, I feel sorry for him.”

I wanted to slap my friend again, but I stopped myself.

“What if we removed the mark?”

“That has a lot of risks. He could just die from the pain. Removing the mark causes excruciating pain even for a mermaid; a human body won’t handle it. Again, if he dies, it’s on you.”

The baby inside me kicked. I placed my hand on my stomach.

and it’s affecting you. You’re obviously in a delicate state right now,

my hands and cried. I felt Adrian’s hand over my head as he pulled me closer

Blue.” He said. “You love

“what if he dies again from

the time and sometimes the soulmate wanders around helplessly. At least you’re not immortal anymore. You will

from our world leaving everything and everyone behind. When I saw you with Hunter, and the way the two of you communicated, it shattered my heart but I was happy for you. When he died, I thought it was over and that you would come back to me but even thinking of it is so wrong. You’re his woman, his wife. He deserves you.” He smiled, “don’t get me

the tears because this was new.

you’re scared? You are braver than that, Blue. Truthfully, you were the bravest from all of your siblings. They would have never dared to step foot

“This is his child, it’s half-human. Don’t you think you’re committing a grave sin by lying to him? By keeping this baby away from his father? What if the baby grows up and asks you about his patéras

that? I hated to admit but Adrian

of us said

squeezed his hand, “Ade, what if he doesn’t accept me now?

we last saw

you’re

again. I smiled, “I think the baby really wants to

amused. “How do you know it’s a

it could be a little boy who looked like Hunter with his golden hair and silver eyes.” I yearned for the day I could hold our baby, “my own little

has started pouring really heavily but I didn’t think

sorry that I slapped you.

to your husband and I

me to him right now?” I

outside.” He pointed

right now. I

“Pack your stuff.”

* * *

Hunter

evening. A horror movie was paused on Netflix while I’d made egg salad and some grilled sausages which I was going to

me take my mind off her. The most

heartache. If I died of heartache in my bed

chimed to nine-thirty p.m

sure I was alright. I was on a suicide watch. Sometimes they even

out of the window and noticed how hard it was

if those idiots would be so desperate to see me that they would soak in

Blue standing there on the doorstep,

to

close the door when

wasn’t a

a short loose fitted dress. Again, if I hadn’t known that she was pregnant, I wouldn’t have noticed at

a

cheeks were flushed and she seemed worried for some

you doing here?”

I come inside?” She

opened the door wide. “Of course,” And

Did Adrian throw her out of the house? Did they have a fight? Was I

anything but that last

was actually heavier than I thought. Leslie came barking into the hallway and launched himself at Blue,

understand Blue

whispered something to him that I couldn’t hear because I was too busy staring

She assured

almost forgot that

longing and brushed her fingers on the couch. She gave me one of her bright smiles,