Page 17 of Sworn to My Heart
From all her stories, it sounds like they went on a honeymoon, not to visit family. She and Mariano are a weird, obsessive, and horny couple. But it’s hard to ignore the happiness in her eyes. A small pang of envy stings as she tells me about the flowers he sent to her room last week or the little games they play in the bedroom. But still, I’m happy for her. At least one of us could live in a blossoming relationship full of love. For me, it’s not even an option.
I can’t be in any serious relationship, human or merman. Running is my reality right now, and I can’t let my guard down, not even for a second. The smallest mistake could send me back to the water, and survival is difficult when you’re not in a pod.
Maria suddenly interrupts Cora’s stories and arrives with a large fruit platter, a chocolate cake, and a bowl of melted chocolate on the side. Cora smiles, and I gape in surprise.
“Wow! For a minute there I was scared she’d be walking in with a roast beef to quench your appetite.” I say to Cora, immediately grabbing one of the forks and stabbing a piece of watermelon.
I didn’t know we’d be served a fruit tray! I have never and willnever refuse cut up fruit, especially such inviting ones. They are one of the things I always missed not having in the sea.
“Don’t worry, this is just the first course, the roast beef is on the way,” she says jokingly, but I find it hard to believe it’s just a joke in her case; she eats so much.
“Really, you’re lucky you don’t look like your appetite, otherwise I’d reconsider our friendship,” I say with a grin, and she immediately joins in, giving me a gentle shove.
“I saw him today,” I suddenly change the subject, and she looks at me, not understanding, “Luca,” I clarify.
“So, did you guys sleep together and end the sexual tension already?” she says lightly and continues munching.
“No, we didn’t even kiss let alone have sex. He came to the café near my apartment and started asking me questions about my past,” I say, and she looks at me, shocked. I continue to tell her all the details, including the moment he pinned me against the café’s glass window, but I leave out just how much I craved his touch. That’s not something she needs to hear.
“He was so out of line,” I say and Mariano suddenly comes from behind, surprising us both.
“My brother’s an idiot. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him,” he says calmly, but it’s hard to miss the sternness in his voice. His eyes seem enchanted by the woman sitting next to me, with her messy bun and oversized t-shirt slipping off one shoulder. Even like this, she looks stunning.
His admiration for her is enviable. Every woman dream of being looked at like that. Even a mermaid, I think to myself, and then shake off my thoughts as I suddenly snap back to reality and understand what he just said. He listened to the whole conversation.
My cheeks flush like a ripe tomato.
“You were eavesdropping on us?” I ask, surprised, and Coragives me an apologetic glance, as if this isn’t new to her.
Nothing surprises her with this crazy family.
“I’m sorry, I just came home. I was visiting Luca upstairs,” he says with a grin. It seems he didn’t hide this detail from me on purpose. He gifts me a piece of information: Luca lives in the apartment above them.
“It looked like you were deep in conversation, and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I waited until you were done,” he adds.
“Babe, keep this between us, please. Don’t let it leave this room,” Cora asks, looking at him with a pleading expression.
“You know I can’t do that. If he asks, I have to answer,” he says, with an apology in his voice. She doesn’t argue further.
He comes closer to us, kisses her on the lips, and goes upstairs. I don’t even bother to ask what just happened; it seems I won’t get any answers anyway. But I’m still curious.
“You know I can’t do that?” I repeat Mariano’s response as a question. “What did he mean?”
“He doesn’t hide anything from his brother,” she answers and doesn’t elaborate, just keeps munching on the fruit, less enthusiastically than before.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I didn’t know he’d come in the middle of our conversation.” She looks at me apologetically, and I decide that this won’t ruin our night after nearly two weeks of not seeing each other.
I hug her and give her a playful shove on the shoulder in return for her earlier push. “There, now we’re even,” I say as she exclaims, “Ouch.” She laughs, and I feel her spirit lift. The atmosphere calms down after Mariano leaves, so we decide to watch an episode of “Teen Wolf.” Getting lost in the world of werewolves doesn’t seem like such a bad idea—more strange creatures like me.
It feels like a distant dream to be able to integrate into human society as who I am and be proud of it.
Cora always tells me to dream big, to be myself without fear and to open up to more people, so I won’t be alone like her. She doesn’t know how almost impossible that is.
The episode ends and brings my thoughts back to reality. I see that Cora has already fallen asleep on the couch. I take off my t-shirt and stay in just my black sports bra and the light summer shorts I came in, ready to sleep.
I lay my head on the other end of the couch and allow myself to drift back into the world of dreams. At least there, I can live a normal human life, as normal as one can be these days.
Luca
