It’d be a lie if I said no, that’s not what I thought. Not entirely at least. Because the images swimming through my mind again make me feel so full. Sean and me going on whale watches, Sean and me at the beach, the two of us actually getting to swim together, wrapping our bodies together while we kiss, going back to his place to share every bit of ourselves. A part of me wants that so badly.

But those thoughts are washed away by sadness. Because I know, deep in my heart, that it wouldn’t be enough. That I’d always want to go back home, that I’d miss the Blue with all of my soul. I could never stay. Not after the way I feel complete every time I get in that bath. Not after my heart jumped seeing Drop, connecting with a mer again just by being in the same space.

“No, that’s not what I was going to do. But I wanted to have this last week with him, Drop. I love him.” Drop’s eyes nearly pop out of their skull.

“I know,” I say. “I hardly believe it myself.” I never thought I would fall in love with a human. But thinking back, it’s not surprising at all. Sean is kind and thoughtful and selfless, even if he did just go off on me. And what he said may not be entirely wrong. Merfolk aren’t some noble species working to protect the planet. We’re cowards. We refuse every single year to stay where there’s the biggest challenge. We flick our tails as fast as we can back to the Blue when we could stay on land and try to change humans’ ways from the inside.

Drop’s the first of us to regain their composure. “You can’t be serious. You haven’t even known him for a full moon cycle! No wonder Kavya wanted me to come down here.”

The pressure on my chest gets so intense I think I might explode. “Kavya wanted you to come down here?”

Drop’s eyes fall to the floor. Very suspiciously. “No, I just meant, you mentioned she loved to meet mer. You know, since her mom is one of us. Was.”

“I never said that.” Drop is rambling. Covering something up. “Drop, how did you know where to find me again?”