The ocean is full of mysterious creatures and things. Mermaids and mermen are among these wonders, but they are nothing but myths, or so one would think. The world is certainly full of wonderful surprises. One fateful day, Y/N's father finds himself...
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"Mate?" I mutter under my breath in disbelief as I pull back to meet Neil's dark eyes. He doesn't fight me on it this time, allowing me to see the twinge of hope glimmering in the obsidian orbs. I open my mouth, but was speechless. He spoke. He spoke a real word, and of all the things to say... I could feel tears welling in my eyes as I place a hand over my mouth, still able to feel the slight tingle left behind from his lips.
"N- Neil..." I frown, my heart hurting as he presses his forehead against mine, likely thinking I was going to kiss him again. I pull back and shake my head while lowering my hand, causing the merman to tilt his head in confusion. "I... I can't. I'm sorry." The creature whines, while his bottom lip quivers, his sadness shining clear through his eyes. Without warning, he jumps off my lap and dives under the water to swim to the deep end, obviously fighting against the pain in his body.
I remain on the steps, stunned, as a tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away, which was basically useless, since my hands are already wet from the water. I know he's probably angry right now and doesn't want to see me, so I get up and walk over to the smaller pool of fish. I catch a few in a net before tossing them into his pen and leaving. After closing the door behind me, I sink to the floor and stare off into space, feeling a sharp pang in my heart. I can't even imagine how Neil must be feeling.
"Mate?" I shake my head before covering my eyes with my hand, body trembling a bit.
'I knew it, he's gotten way too comfortable around humans.' A small sob escapes me as I wipe more tears from my crying eyes.
'This is wrong. So very wrong. What the hell am I supposed to do here?' Groaning, I lean my head back against the door and am able to hear the angry splashes coming from the other side. The sound broke my heart even more.
'I should take him back to the ocean. If I keep him, it's only going to be painful for the both of us. Besides, he never belonged here. He should be out there, swimming with his own kind. Then, he can find someone else, someone much more suitable to call his mate.' The thought brings me an unimaginable amount heartache, but it's what's right.
'Sure, it might be hard at first being without each other, but it's what's best for both of us... isn't it? What if there aren't any more mermaids? What if he is the only one left? I would be throwing him into a world of loneliness.' I bite down hard on my lip, nearly enough to make it bleed, but that didn't faze me.
I can't figure out what I should do. I feel terrible for rejecting him, but it isn't right for me to accept him in that way no matter how we feel about one another. Neil has been a big part of my life growing up. I love him dearly, but to this extent? ... Do I really like him like that?
