It started the summer EunAe visited her grandpa. Being from the city, she was used to the tall buildings and paved streets, so the ocean view was a nice treat. Her grandpa would take her to the beach everyday, telling her stories as they walked hand by hand on the sand, and even on those days when he didn't, she went by herself and read at the bay daily, finding the calming presence of the sea comforting.
It was the strange sounds that the girl made as she read that caught the curious merman's attention, so he decided to see where the sound was coming from. The sea was his playground. A calm and safe place to explore. Everyday he would swim near the rocks in search for a new adventure, and one day he found it.
She had a pleasant laugh, and a musical one at that. He enjoyed watching the different faces she would make as she read and he came to love her every gesture, but still he couldn't find the courage to approach her, and he knew that if they find out he would be in trouble. He had been warned many times about humans, but this small human didn't seem to pose much of a threat.
What the shy merman didn't know, was that she could feel someone watching her, and yet every time she looked around, there was no one in sight. So out of curiosity, she started reading out loud, hoping that whoever was there would feel comfortable approaching her.
She had her suspicious. Her grandpa always told her stories about the mysteries of the sea, and she had always hoped one day she would discover them herself. Some days, she would even take an extra sandwich or cookie to leave behind, hoping she would see the mysterious being, glancing back as discreetly as she could but they were just too cautious.
Maybe one day.
One day, her reading season was interrupted when a desperate voice called her over, and in her quick run, the girl left her book behind. Her grandfather had just been admitted to the hospital, and he really wanted to see her one last time before it was too late. Of course the girl didn't complain. She knew that whoever was there would be around when she came back later, her grandfather on the other hand, was a different story.
As the girl disappears from his view, the shy merman cautiously approaches the object left behind, lips pursed as he curiously takes the foreign object in his hand.
He decides to wait until she comes back but hours pass and there is no sign of her, so the shy merman takes the object to a safe place to return it to her the next time she comes back.
Later, when the girl realizes her favorite book was missing, she goes back in the middle of the night to look for it, but it is nowhere in sight. As the girl stares at the pale moon reflected on the calm ocean, realization dawns on her, and a small smile forms on her lips as she walks away.
After she realizes who took it, she starts bringing more books with her. Each day leaving something new, and each day finding it gone.
One day she finally decides to talk to him. After reading a few pages, the girl slowly lowers her book, waving at the rocks not too far from her, and to her pleasant surprise, she sees him peek from behind the rocks, a pink blush coating his cheeks. The shy merman slowly approaches her, remaining hidden in the water until he reaches her, his chocolate brown eyes the only thing visible.
"Hi." The girl greets with a smile. "I'm EunAe."
The shy merman slightly tilts his head in confusion, his brows drawing closer together, making the girl chuckle.
Without saying another word, the girl slowly reaches down into the water and offers him her hand, and after staring at it for a few seconds, the shy merman takes it, thus starting the beginning of their friendship.
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Just in case it's a little confusing, this chapter is a flashback of their memories from when they first met^^ I hope you liked it! ~Van 💙 (2020.03.30)
