above and beyond

Chapter 14

When Hop finally recovers from his outburst of emotion, the first thing he says is, "I really like your voice." He pauses, as if this is not how he meant to put it, before correcting himself. "It sounds even more beautiful than...well, I mean, I always thought it would be beautiful , I guess, I just couldn't imagine...well, I guess...Gloria!" Suddenly his eyes widen and he says, "You really meant what you said, didn't you?"

She has only said one sentence since recovering her voice, and so far, Hop has given her no chance to get a word in edgewise. Gloria can't help but laugh, a real, full laugh, as opposed to the silent ones that she has grown used to, as she says, "Of course I did. And I suppose you must have meant it as well, because..."

"Because it worked!" Now, he is grinning uncontrollably, and he pulls her into a hug. "Gloria...Gloria...you get to stay now! Now you can stay, and...well I don't really know what happens next, but we can figure that out! I'll make sure that you can stay and live with me, at least, you don't have to worry about not having a place to live."

"Won't it be strange now that I can talk?" she asks. "It will be harder for me to lie about not having my memories." Even as she says it, it feels strange to be discussing things so practically, after what has just happened. She is in love with Hop, and Hop is in love with her, and despite her fears, that really was enough to ensure that she could stay by his side.

She has no idea how Leon even factors into things anymore, but she knows that she will still have to depend on his kindness, as much as Hop's. They are both still royalty, and there are probably plenty of people who would question a stranger staying there just because the princes both say that it is alright. It has been an issue from the beginning, but she never let herself think that far ahead, because this goal was always more important than anything else.

Except, originally, the goal involved Leon, and she still has no idea how he factors into things now. She has no idea how anything is going to work now, and she is left in a daze as she tries to discuss things with Hop. Maybe it's wrong for them to talk about what is to come when they still haven't properly discussed what is going on right now.

"How long have you known?" she asks.

"For a while, but I didn't want to know," he explains. "I mean, I wanted to help you get with my brother, so it was hard for me to realize that I was falling in love with you. I just...decided that I didn't want you to leave, no matter what, and if that meant I had to see you with Lee, then so be it. I just didn't know...I mean, what about him?"

This is the question that she has been dreading, but the question she knows that she needs to answer. "That part is complicated," she says. "Nothing has ever happened to change my feelings for him, or anything like that, I just...also got to know you. Also started to feel something for you, until I knew that I had fallen in love with you, and then it wasn't just about my feelings for him anymore, and I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to keep pretending like everything was the same, because I thought that was the only way I would get to stay."

It is hard for her to be honest with him about her feelings for his brother, after a big confession like that, but she tells him like it is, because that is what she has done since the day she told him the truth about her. And Hop just keeps smiling, as if none of it bothers him, and he says, "You didn't know you could fall in love with me and not have to worry about a thing!"

Hop is an incredibly good hearted and honest person. He has never had any reason to believe anything that she has said; he never even saw her with a tail, never saw any proof that magic exists or that mermaids exist, has no way of proving that she did not hold her tongue for a month, waiting for just the right moment to pretend that she could speak. And even so, he still believes her now, and is happier to know that she loves him than he is perplexed that she is not exactly over her crush on his older brother.

"Hop..." she says, shaking her head in disbelief at just how good he is. She can't help a soft laugh before she says, "I love you."

"I'm never going to get tired of hearing you say that," he replies. "I'm never going to get tired of listening to your voice, I don't think. You have a beautiful voice, I know I already said that, but..."

For a while, they remain on the beach, hugging, and then sitting together. He wants to hear her talk more, and she tells him stories that she has already written down for him, but that he wants to hear in her voice, because they seem different now. From time to time, Leon will come up again, and Hop never seems bothered by it. Eventually, he says, "I never minded you being in love with him. I wanted it to work out so much, but I guess a part of me hoped you might be able to love me too. Is that crazy, or what?"

Gloria has no idea what to say to him, but he wants to hear her voice, so she tells him that she doesn't think that he's crazy. She doesn't know what she thinks, but she at least knows that much. Maybe things are more complicated up here in general; maybe there are still things about this world that she does not understand. But because of Hop, because of his love for her, she has the rest of her life to discover them, and the rest of her life to try to understand.

"I want to be with you, and nothing is going to change that. I'm always going to want to be with you, so don't think I'm trying to get rid of you already," he says. "But if you ever want to try and express your feelings to him, I think you should. I don't know why, I just think that you should."

There is a pause, as Gloria tries to think of how to answer, before Hop says, "Oh, but he's never even heard your voice before! Lee is absolutely going to freak out the first time he hears you talk! Oh, and what about Sonia? You're going to have to answer a lot of questions, so I hope she doesn't tire you out too much."