“What do you want me to say, Ross? That I’m sorry? Because I’m not. All that happened for a reason. Don’t you feel it? We were supposed to be brought together. I don’t know if there’s some sort of cosmic current or whatever, but if I hadn’t been working that day, if I hadn’t been so hurt by Dominic to lie about us being together, if I hadn’t felt so pulled in by you that I wanted to pull you into that pool with me, none of this would have happened. The most magical month of my life would have never existed. And is it really so bad that I don’t want that magic to end? That seeing you with that mer upset me because I didn’t want the bubble we’d built around ourselves to burst before it had to?”

Blue below, Sean has a way with words. With each sentence the anger seems to drain out of him. It drains out of me too, and is replaced by a feeling so strong I can practically see it floating in the air between us.

Love.

Dammit, that’s cheesy. But it’s the truth.

“It’s not bad at all,” I say, slowly taking a step forward. This time, Sean doesn’t move. “And trust me, if it could be any other way, if I could have you and the Blue, it’s the path I’d always choose.”

Sean laughs softly. “It’s like we’re reading from the world’s sappiest rom-com script.”

I give him a weak smile. “Except there’s not a whole lot of com in this situation, is there? If only life could be like a movie. If only we could end up together in the end.”

Sean glances up hopefully. “But we can’t?” It’s a question. Not a statement. He wants me to take back what I’ve said, make this the grand love declaration, tell him his words changed me and I’m going to stay on land.

“But we can’t.” There is no question anymore. Not when I can still feel my tail even when it’s nowhere in sight. I’ve been having phantom fin movement this whole time, my whole body craving the sea, and those cravings just get stronger and stronger every time I get out of the bath. They get stronger every time I look at the sky, seeing the moon fuller and fuller, knowing my Journey is going to end in just three days.

But my body, this one, the one I have on land, also craves one other thing. One other person. I need Sean. I need to kiss him again. I need to share myself with him one more time before I go.

I take another step forward.