A Merman's Tale

Fates: Chapter Twenty-Eight

Margaret

     It was him.

     When I woke up this morning I thought my entire day would be free of everything that was related to him and mermaids. And then lunch came and the door of Marly’s Pasta opened, letting in a rush of cold, salty air. Visions of the sea and the mystery man from this morning floated through my mind. It made me think that the wind was just my imagination as everybody obliviously went on chatting about our upcoming graduation. I almost dismissed the thought of the merman in my dreams when Hannah’s trilling voice echoed through the restaurant as she called Robert.

     We all turned towards her but it was the person behind her that caught my eye. He was dressed simply—his shirt emphasizing the color of his eyes and what I thought should have been a tail was covered in jeans. He wore no shades and I knew then and there that my mystery merman had come to life.

     My heart started drumming against my chest as I drank in the face of the stranger who wasn’t completely a stranger. I wasn’t completely sure if he was the same guy from the cemetery but my instincts told me that he was. His presence practically made me feel the exact same way that I did when he turned his gaze upon me earlier this morning.

     Robert’s sister was grinning in her happy-go-lucky way as she floated towards us in her flowery dress. I barely took notice of her, however, ever since the mysterious man started to follow her. I had hoped that he wasn’t with Hannah. That he merely entered the restaurant immediately after Robert’s sister and that he was there for some other purpose that had nothing to do with me.

     Fate wasn’t on my side, though, because when Hannah stopped by our table, the next thing she did was introduce her friend.

     “Seirra, this is my brother, Robert,” she trilled. “Robert, Seirra. Uhm, a new friend.”

     She waved her hand towards Robert and the guy called Seirra, seemingly excited at the prospect of introducing a guy to her brother.

     “Hi,” Robert greeted.

     “Hey.” Seirra’s voice was deep but there was something almost melodious in the way he talked.

     The two men shook hands, each eyeing the other as if it wasn’t the first time they met. I could understand Robert’s reaction—he had seen my sketches—but the way Seirra slightly narrowed his eyes at Robert, I don’t know, but there was wariness and...jealousy? I couldn’t recall any particular experience about it but I’d seen how Elena looked at the girls who flocked around her boyfriend. The look Seirra had on his face was way too similar.

     I was left with no time to contemplate about it when Hannah moved on to introduce the rest of us.

     “This is Nikko and his girlfriend, Elena.” Seirra shook their hands as well and my breath suddenly got caught in my throat. “These are Elena’s friends: Stephanie, Kristina...” Hannah continued. My friends gazed at him admiringly, elbowing each other—and me—as they tried to give him their cat’s smiles. I almost rolled my eyes when Stephanie didn’t even bother to hide a wink. Seirra seemed oblivious to their suggestive intentions though. He merely smiled back and followed Hannah’s hand as she gestured towards me.

     I really didn’t know that my heart could beat any faster than it did when this Seirra person fixed his emerald eyes on me. With my forgotten ability to breathe, I watched him extend his hand in slow motion. There was also something utterly mesmerizing at the way his green eyes glinted as they caught on the light. I realized that his real and alive self was nothing compared to my dreams and drawings. He was also smiling gently at me as if he was not seeing a stranger but someone he knew for a very long time.