Chapter 10

LATER ON, they stare at each other and laugh ever so loudly. Seeming to know the answer they wanted to know just seconds ago, two of them gathered around me.

"I wonder what it is that made your face as red as ripe tomatoes, Miss?" said one of them. She was talking to them but felt like that one question was for me, teasing.

"Indeed. Perhaps what happened between the two of them was a beautiful thing," said the other one. 

"Maybe his lips and hers met."

"Or maybe more."

My forehead creased, not liking where the conversation was going. "No! It was just a kiss, mermaids," I defended but quickly covered my own mouth. I spilled too much.

Because of what I did, they eyed each other again and laughed harder  than they did earlier, almost choking. I just frown at what they are doing. I am beyond annoyed by these mermaids, they did not deserve the name. It should be sirens. Sirens are evil according to the myths. It sounded better. Should I prohibit them from going here too?

"Just as I thought. Your cheeks wouldn't redden to the hilts if you hadn't tasted his lips then," said the one with the pinkish red ornament on her head, giggling.

"Now he's got my interest. I wanna meet him. The only man who made our dear maiden blush," said the one with the silver tail. I shook my head and washed my face again with water. I wish I did not say that to them. I am now full of shame that I could bathe in it. 

"Should we go in the north to know who it was?" one suggested that caught my attention in an instant.

"Stop it, mermaids! You should never go there to meet him," I said in a threatening manner causing them to lose the smile and teasing face they have had for a while. 

"But why, Aliara? You said nothing's going on but here you are being selfish about meeting him."

"Perhaps, are you having a feeling for him?" she asked suspiciously, which widened my eyes.

"No way!" I quickly said.

"But why are you avoiding him? Are you afraid that your feelings for him will get deeper?" she uttered. That caught my attention.

"I just said that I have never had any feelings for him. Not now, never," I said convincing them but they just laughed at me. I just frowned and approached the mermaids, not minding their teasing. "Do you think that is the case, Mermaid?" I said curiously. What she said got me thinking. "But it was just a couple of days since I knew the man," I added.

That got them to raise their brow. All of them.

"Couple of days since you got to know him and yet your lips met?" the one who has a silver tail asked.

"Unbelievable. This is utterly unbelievable," said another.

"Maybe this man is so manly that our almighty lady here rewarded him with her sweet kiss," said the annoying one. "I am sure that he's delicious. Right, Aliara?"

I can feel the heat crawling on my cheeks because of what she said. Indeed it was delicious, mermaid.

"What a term, Alicia? Seriously? Just what do you think of that man? A food to take in?"

"Why? Food is not the only delicious thing in this worl,." she defended while giggling.

Then someone suddenly approached me and asked, "Is the man really that handsome, Aliara?" curiously.

I stared at her for a moment, reminiscing Sevasti's face. His perfectly sculpted face from the Gods that every lady of the kingdoms would not miss. And his lips, his sweet lips.

Suddenly, the mermaid in front of me smiled so widely. "That man must be truly handsome," she said with finality in her voice, nodding. "That's what your smile is for, right? Truly beautiful. It's my first time seeing that kind of smile from your beautiful face, Miss," she added as if she knew me from before.

I just shook my head, not hiding the beautiful smile she said forming on my lips. "What do I call you for, mermaids?" I asked averting the topic of the conversation from me.

"Finally! In time for you to drop the question, Aliara. You're the type to not ask for names even if you have had conversations with anyone dozens of times."

I just grinned at them. Conversations from the past came running through my head. Everytime I go to different falls in Kozania, I never ask for their names. Never. It is not that I do not want to remember them again but the moment I ask about their names, it will be forever in my memory and my heart. They are my friends now.

"I'm Cora," said the one who had purple and black on her tail.

"Alicia," the one with the pinkish red ornaments.

"Hana," one with the orange ornament politely said.

"And I'm Nalani," the silver tailed mermaid said.

I smiled at them. "What a beautiful name you have, mermaids."

"But you should never avoid him. This is just my personal opinion about your avoidance to that man, Aliara. 'Coz the more you avoid him, the deeper your feelings for him will go.

I form a knot in my head, wondering. So I asked, "Is that so, Nalani?"

"Yes. The more you avoid him, the more he will occupy your headspace until the time comes when you can't remove him in your head even if you want to forget him so badly," she explained. I gaze at the other mermaids when they suddenly nod altogether as a sign of agreement.

"Just listen to her, Aliara. She's the one who has many experiences when it's about love we are talking about, so to say," smiling, Alicia said to me, that earned a glare from Nalini.

"Coming from the mermaid who says that food isn't the only delicious thing in this world."

I stared at nothingness. Reminiscing Sevasti's sweet smile when he uttered his promise to go to the northern falls just so to see me everyday. That smile is the most beautiful I have ever seen. I can never wash that away from my memory. Ever.

I glance at the clear sky of the afternoon now turning dark. It will be night in a moment. Is he still there, waiting for me? 

"Go if you must. I'm sure he's still waiting for the most beautiful woman in Kozania there," Cora said, smiling at me.

"We know that you're thinking if that man is still there and we're sure that he is. He'll never leave without seeing you first, even just a glimpse of you," said Nalani.

Eventually, I found myself smiling because theirs is so contagious. I did not waste another second, I quickly finished bathing and put on my clothes to go to the most handsome man I have ever met in my life, Sevasti.

WHEN I reached the north, I immediately saw him. He was seated on one of the rocks which was situated near the flowing water, his arm stretched. That is where Vivi is.

This is the reason why I did not see that bird because he is with Sevasti. He must have liked him so much because he never approached just anyone.

"Is she arriving?" he asked Vivi but my pet never answered him. "I hope she comes," he added, sighing ever so slightly.

I was at some huge tree that is why they cannot see me coming. I was about to approach them when he said something to my pet.