He cups her face between his palms as he kisses her on the lips. As their lips part, she inhales and exhales a deep breath, attempting to steady her trembling lips and breaths. “Will I ever see you again?” He asks.

*****

That morning, he woke up to horror. “What’s happening to you?” She looked like someone who’s dying – face pale and skin flaking. She gasped, “wat…water!”

Immediately, he rushed to the sink to fill a glass full of water. The moment water touched her lips, colors immediately returned. She downed the entire glass of water in mere seconds before closing her eyes and exhaling several raspy breaths.

He went to her side, “What’s happening to you?”

“It’s time,” she croaked. Time? He thought, how can it be time? “I have to go back. It’s the only way.”

*****

Six months prior, she had washed up on the beach, unconscious. No one suspected her origin since her fins and tail had vanished the moment she dried up. At first, she didn’t know how she got expelled from the ocean but then, she knew. Her mother was having one of her tantrums but it was only a matter of time before her mother calmed down and requested she returned to the water.

That was before she met him.

*****

Now, standing on the beach, she can feel the water calling to her. Come back to us, it whispers through the waves. “Will I ever see you again,” he whispers.

With a hand touching the side of his face, she smiles up at him. “Yes,” she whispers back before letting go and running toward the water, her energy rebounds with every stride. I don’t belong on land, I belong in the water, she thinks. The moment her bare feet touches the water, fins begin to form and before long, a gigantic fish tail has taken the place of her legs.

Staring in awe, he gasps, “she’s beautiful.” Even after she had told him the truth, he’s never seen her mermaid side manifest until now. “When?” He shouts.

In the distance, her head pops out of the water. “What?” Her voice echoes.

“When will I see you again?” He shouts.

Even with the distance between them, he can see the corner of her lips curl up in a smile. She’s radiant, he thinks. “Soon.” Soon.

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