La Mer est Rouge [GxG]

I swam for the first time

The night after the last day of school, after all of my finals were done with, and after the social anxiety of school faded, I hung out with Mer.

I spent so much time watching her, feeding her, and trying to talk to her, but she wasn't chatty.

Some part of me wondered whether she knew I had the option to exploit her trust to write a killer scientific essay.

Okay, and I know this sounds harsh, but I could've gotten famous off of her. I could've fixed all of my problems by doing some research and studying and writing. If I had a breakthrough, who knows how much fame and money I'd make? It would certainly be enough to satisfy my mom, and I'd have my entire future set, too.

Trust me, it came across my mind countless times.

Even though I'm sure she could read it on my face whenever I learned something new about her, she still trusted me.

"Who are all of these people that come to see me? The big one and the yellow haired one?" she asked after a stretch of silence.

My focus snapped back to her, and I tilted my head with curiosity. She remembered them, but I suppose she never figured out who everyone was.

"The big one is Milo," I chuckle. "He's the smartest employee here and my best friend."

"And the girl with the hair?" she continued.

I was hoping she'd forget about Edina. I didn't know why, but I didn't want to tell her.

"That's Edina, another friend," I said.

Mer smiled. "Really? You treat them differently, and Edina gets very physical with you."

My face burned with embarrassment. Everything was perfect—her shining face, my newfound relaxation, and the quiet of the pool—until she mentioned Edina.

"She's my girlfriend," I blurted out.

Her eyes widened, and she understood what that meant. "Oh, yes, I see. She's very pretty." Her cheeks matched the color of her scales, and I wondered if mine were as obvious.

"Well, you're very pretty, too," I said cautiously, which was a stupid idea.

We both simultaneously laughed, and it was half awkward and half nervous.

"Humans say that a lot about mermaids like I. I've always wondered why humans are so materialistic. It's like you don't even care about my hobbies or favorite food or family."

I paused for a second to think about it. I mean, she's not wrong.

"You're more than just a mermaid, but you keep all of that to yourself. I don't know anything about your family because you haven't told me any of that," I said.

She had no response because, I'm assuming, she didn't want to talk about it yet.

"Swim with me," she said.

I laughed. "Excuse me?"

"Swim with me. Take off your clothes and swim with me," she repeated.

I blinked a few times. "I don't know how to swim, though."

"I'm a mermaid. You think I can't teach you?"

Her lips twisted into a smirk, and her round eyes begged for me to jump in.

I needed a swimsuit of course, so I thought that was a good enough excuse to ditch her.

"I'll go look for a swimsuit," I said.

She bobbed back into the water and swam away from the edge. I got up off the floor and jogged out, letting butterflies and trapped breath from my mouth.