𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃 || 𝐙𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭

Chapter 20 - The Decision

Someone this slippery, can't let you go...

My feet sunk into the sand, sticking between my toes as I walked along the beach, head in the clouds. It had been a week since that day at the seminar and still all I could think about was Zane and that kiss. Just one simple touch from him left me weak in the knees. It was such a girly emotion, it unnerved me. Even more so because it was me having these feelings. But unbidden they still came, pulling me in like a magnet or rather, he did.

"Leona!" a voice called out and suddenly, I was met by the blinding smile of the devil himself.

"Okay. So when?" he asked, falling into step beside me.

I rolled my eyes at him at his abruptness, "When what?"

"When are we going to go out?" he elaborated, a grin lighting up his features.

"The two of us?" I asked incredulously, shock probably written all over my face at his question.

"Oh, come on, we can't disappoint everyone like that," he protested, a teasing tone to his voice.

"Disappoint who?" I questioned him, arching an eyebrow as I tried to fight a smile.

"Your friends. How are they ever going to tell you that I'm no good for you if you won't go out with me?" he asked, smirking.

That remark elicited a grin out of me as he continued to tease.

"And what about my mates? They're just waiting for the chance to hassle me about hanging with the freaky, weird chick," he went on, bumping my shoulder as I gaped playfully at his words, "Come on, a lot of people have a lot riding on this,"

"Zane, we-we can't. Forget it," I shrugged, thinking of how different our backgrounds were.

"You might be saying no today but the other day? When we kissed? Your lips - they were saying yes," he teased, moving his mouth so close to my ear, I could feel his warm breath on my skin.

I shivered at the close proximity, his words making me blush scarlet. Silence ensued only for a moment before he spoke again.

"So, about my offer?" he asked, puppy dog brown eyes pleading with me to say 'yes'.

I chewed the inside of my cheek for a moment before nodding, "Let me think about it,"

A grin split his face and suddenly, his hands were on my sides as he held me close to his own body, leaning in to whisper in my ear, "Take your time, Lee."

Butterflies erupted in my stomach and even after he'd left, I could still feel the burning his touch had left on my skin. I'd nearly made up my mind on the situation, though a few hours after he left. But later on, as I walked into JuiceNet with Emma, Cleo, and Rikki, I heard what I didn't want to hear come from his mouth.

"I am telling you - this was more than just a shape or a shadow. I saw her as a clear as day - a mermaid," Zane spoke solemnly to the gathering crowd around him.

My eyes widened in shock, mirroring the expression of the other girls as Zane went on with his story.

"This mass of red hair followed by this long tail. Look, I'm going back out there. This is real now! There is a mermaid out there and I'm gonna prove it. Who's coming with me?"

Knots formed in my stomach, a deep pit of dread rising up inside of me. No one believed him though, they all laughed - mocking, jeering. Even Emma joined in which surprised me - only slightly though. As soon as the crowd began to disperse, Zane took off outside and quickly, I followed.

"Zane! Zane, wait," I called after him, running slightly to catch up.

"What? Wanna humiliate me some more?" he snapped in a mix of hurt and anger, still striding away from me as he did.

"I wanna go out with you," I blurted out.

My words hung in the air as he finally turned to face me, dark eyes connecting to even darker orbs.

"But the mermaid talk stops... Look, I like you, Zane. Don't ask me why because I have no idea but I do," I confessed, feeling nervous

There. I had finally admitted it to him. Out loud. He was silent a moment, contemplating.

"No mermaids?" he finally asked.

"That's the deal - take it or leave it," I nodded in confirmation.

Ever so slowly, a smile split his face and he began to nod, "Okay. No mermaids,"

I grinned back at him and as we fell into step together, I felt him intertwine our fingers, making my heart flutter in my chest as the realization washed over me.

I was Zane's girlfriend now.