Fates: Chapter Twenty-Eight

Margaret

It was him.

When I woke up this morning I thought my entire day would be free of everything that was related to him and mermaids. And then lunch came and the door of Marly’s Pasta opened, letting in a rush of cold, salty air. Visions of the sea and the mystery man from this morning floated through my mind. It made me think that the wind was just my imagination as everybody obliviously went on chatting about our upcoming graduation. I almost dismissed the thought of the merman in my dreams when Hannah’s trilling voice echoed through the restaurant as she called Robert.

We all turned towards her but it was the person behind her that caught my eye. He was dressed simply—his shirt emphasizing the color of his eyes and what I thought should have been a tail was covered in jeans. He wore no shades and I knew then and there that my mystery merman had come to life.

My heart started drumming against my chest as I drank in the face of the stranger who wasn’t completely a stranger. I wasn’t completely sure if he was the same guy from the cemetery but my instincts told me that he was. His presence practically made me feel the exact same way that I did when he turned his gaze upon me earlier this morning.

Robert’s sister was grinning in her happy-go-lucky way as she floated towards us in her flowery dress. I barely took notice of her, however, ever since the mysterious man started to follow her. I had hoped that he wasn’t with Hannah. That he merely entered the restaurant immediately after Robert’s sister and that he was there for some other purpose that had nothing to do with me.

Fate wasn’t on my side, though, because when Hannah stopped by our table, the next thing she did was introduce her friend.

“Seirra, this is my brother, Robert,” she trilled. “Robert, Seirra. Uhm, a new friend.”

She waved her hand towards Robert and the guy called Seirra, seemingly excited at the prospect of introducing a guy to her brother.

“Hi,” Robert greeted.

“Hey.” Seirra’s voice was deep but there was something almost melodious in the way he talked.

The two men shook hands, each eyeing the other as if it wasn’t the first time they met. I could understand Robert’s reaction—he had seen my sketches—but the way Seirra slightly narrowed his eyes at Robert, I don’t know, but there was wariness and...jealousy? I couldn’t recall any particular experience about it but I’d seen how Elena looked at the girls who flocked around her boyfriend. The look Seirra had on his face was way too similar.

I was left with no time to contemplate about it when Hannah moved on to introduce the rest of us.

“This is Nikko and his girlfriend, Elena.” Seirra shook their hands as well and my breath suddenly got caught in my throat. “These are Elena’s friends: Stephanie, Kristina...” Hannah continued. My friends gazed at him admiringly, elbowing each other—and me—as they tried to give him their cat’s smiles. I almost rolled my eyes when Stephanie didn’t even bother to hide a wink. Seirra seemed oblivious to their suggestive intentions though. He merely smiled back and followed Hannah’s hand as she gestured towards me.

I really didn’t know that my heart could beat any faster than it did when this Seirra person fixed his emerald eyes on me. With my forgotten ability to breathe, I watched him extend his hand in slow motion. There was also something utterly mesmerizing at the way his green eyes glinted as they caught on the light. I realized that his real and alive self was nothing compared to my dreams and drawings. He was also smiling gently at me as if he was not seeing a stranger but someone he knew for a very long time.

I shivered from the intensity of his gaze.

“Margaret?” Hannah’s voice snapped me out of my daze. “Are you alright?”

“Huh?” I answered dumbly.

Seirra grinned wider as he extended his hand again. “Don’t worry, I assure you my hand’s clean.”

My gaze dropped at his hand and I realized that I must have been gaping stupidly at him for about half a minute already.

“Oh.”

I reached out to shake his hand and almost pulled back immediately as something electric passed through me the moment his fingers touched mine. He was faster than my reflexes though and was able to grasp my hand firmly before releasing it. It was like his touch was enough to turn my senses into hyperdrive. I looked at him and saw that he knew what I almost did. I realized belatedly that if he hadn’t held on, I would seem like a terribly rude person. I shot him an apologetic look. He continued giving me a kind smile and when his eyes left mine so he could speak with Hannah again, I felt...lonely.

They took two more chairs and added it to whatever space was left in our crowded table. A waiter passed by and gave them the menu.

“Try the seafood marinara. It’s one of their best,” Hannah suggested as she and Seirra browsed through the list of pasta dishes.

A flash of horror crossed Seirra’s eyes but he composed himself before anyone could point it out. “Sorry but I’m...allergic...to seafood,” he informed her uncomfortably.

Somehow, his answer made me see him as the merman in my dreams again. Right. Mermen wouldn’t eat seafood, would they? If he didn’t look so...human, I would’ve called his bluff right this minute. I would’ve told everyone that he wasn’t allergic and the reason why he wouldn’t eat seafood was because he couldn’t eat his fellow sea creatures.

I sighed inwardly. His presence was making me antagonistic and paranoid.

He finally settled for carbonara while Hannah went on with the seafood marinara. Everyone began asking questions about him and we all found out that he was Italian but he grew up in Canada and that he was here for a week-long vacation. Hannah, Stephanie, Kristina and even Elena gushed and sighed as they listened to his not-so-extraordinary answers. They even made him speak his language, translating sentences that the girls suggested. I must admit, his voice was soothing and that combined with his handsome face, one just couldn’t help but be enamored with him. But really, the way my friends were fawning over him was half-embarrassing, half-disgusting. Perhaps, I should be thankful that he didn’t seem to noticeor care—about the lavish attention he was getting.

“Uhm, are you sure you’re alright, Ms. Margaret? I can’t help but notice that you don’t seem very comfortable,” said Seirra, obviously finding me frowning. He had turned towards me, fixing his green eyes on me again.

I shivered again.

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. Just feeling a little under the weather,” I told him—and everybody—adding a sniff to emphasize an illness that wasn’t really there.

The look of concern that he gave me almost made me wish I hadn’t said anything. It was as if he felt some kind of pain from hearing that I was sick. I swallowed nervously. The way he reacted to my words, the way he looked at me, and even the way he smiled at me was starting to make me think that he knew me more than he was letting on.

It was creepy and...comforting.

Now where did that thought come from?

He was a stranger and the way I interpreted his actions was getting weirder by the minute. He shouldn’t have affected me like this.

“Maybe you’re tired from practice,” Nikko guessed. “Really Marge, it’s good that you take the concert seriously but all of that after school rehearsals would be useless if you can’t perform on Friday,” he warned, his voice firm yet worried. He was Grassfield High’s Student Council Secretary and one of the most respected among the students. He was almost like an older brother to me and all of Elena’s friends.

I smiled warmly at him. The day I lost Grampa, my friends had become my family. “Thanks Nik, but really, I’m fine. And there won’t be any problem on Friday.”

“You’re having a concert? You’re a celebrity?” Seirra asked—his curiosity genuine and almost, well, cute.

For a stranger to think that I was a celebrity was beyond my wildest dreams. His comment had immediately lightened the atmosphere among our group and we all couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the outrageous thought.

“No,” I answered him with a soft smile. “I’m no celebrity but I’ll be singing for our school’s concert.” And just to clarify, I added, “The performers are students.”

“Oohh. So it’s one of those school events.” He grinned at himself and his naivete. His smiles were making it more and more difficult not to like him. “For a moment, I thought you’re a real singer. I mean, you look like one. Don’t celebrities like to dye their hair all the time?”

“Uh, mine’s natural. I am a redhead.” He seemed to notice everything and I consciously ran my hand through my hair.

“Really?” He focused his attention on my hair and I had to keep myself from raising my hand to touch my head. “I’ve met lots of girls with red hair and I often find out in the end that they had their hair colored.” He lightly scratched his head in an act of confusion. “I could never distinguish which one’s real and which one’s not.”

I beamed at him. “I assure you, I’ve been a redhead since the day I first looked at a mirror.”

He gave short bark of laughter. “That’s nice to know. When I get home, I can tell my friends I’ve finally met a real redhead.”

Their meals had come at that moment, making us pause from our conversation. When the waiter left, the discussion had steered away from my hair and back to graduation. The entire meal had been so normal that I decided that there was no way he could be the merman in my dreams.

Before we all left, Nikko had invited both Hannah and Seirra to the concert on Friday. Granted, they would have to pay for their entrance tickets.

Elena gave him a look of dismay. “Who on earth invites people to an event and then tell them they need to pay or else they can’t go in?”

Nikko dropped his chin between his fingers and said with a glint in his eyes, “Uhm, everyone?”

Elena merely rolled her eyes then turned towards both Hannah and Seirra. “Don’t worry. Nikko’ll pay for your tickets.”

Her boyfriend looked utterly surprised that Seirra took heart and said that he would buy their tickets.

“I can’t let my vacation pass by without attending some sort of party before I leave, don’t you think?” was his justification.

“You don’t have to pay for mine. Robert had invited me before and I intended to come, anyway,” Hannah told Seirra. “Besides, you’re a tourist here. Use your money for souvenirs.”

He stared at Hannah for a few seconds before he replied, “Okay. As you wish.” And then he added in a murmur, “But I’m still not letting you take photos of me.”

It was loud enough for us to hear though and Robert was the first to realize what it meant. “So that’s how you two met. Honestly, Han, stop pestering people to model for you.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, brother.” Hannah retorted with a fake and exaggerated pout. And then she sobered. “But don’t worry. He could not make his decision any clearer. He said no, so ‘no’ it is. I just wish I’d get some people to model for me before Friday. I talked with Mr. Ramirez and he said I could exhibit my photos as guest for the photography club. I’m an alumnus, after all.”

Right. I almost forgot that Hannah was a photographer. As far as I could remember, she liked taking happy photos. It made me wonder how Seirra’s face would look like in such pictures. I recalled the way he laughed and smiled during our late lunch.

He would look brilliant. And handsome. And perfect.

I mentally shook my head to remove such thoughts. Why did my mind keep imagining that everything had to be related to him?

I tuned back into our discussion as Nikko and Elena began to say their goodbyes. We watched them leave and then Hannah said that she had to go as well. For a moment, I thought she was going alone and then Seirra volunteered to bring her home.

“I wanted to go back to the beach, anyway.” He shrugged. “Some personal stuff.” He didn’t say any more and we were left wondering about his ‘personal stuff’ as he and Hannah left us as well.

“Your sister’s way too lucky,” Kris announced the moment the pair was out of earshot. “He’s younger than her but who cares? If I meet anyone like him, I’ll probably grab him, tie him up and bring him home myself. Wherever can I find a boyfriend like that?”

Robert had started choking on air when Kristina said that she would tie up a guy like Seirra as if he was some kind of a dog. He looked worse when Stephanie agreed.

“Exactly.” Steph nodded. “We can drool all over him and he won’t even notice. Tsk. The entire time, his attention was either on Hannah or on Margaret.”

“Me?” I guess I was too busy staring and thinking because I hadn’t noticed that he had returned the interest he was getting from me. “Why would he focus his attention on me?”

Both girls scoffed.

“Maybe it’s the fact that you seemed dazed all throughout the meal,” Steph answered with a hint of annoyance and wiliness in her voice. I knew it was good-natured jealousy though and I smiled.

“That and because you have beautiful red hair. Maybe I should dye mine. Blond’s too common,” Kris added, scowling as she took a bundle of her long hair in her hands.

“What more for brown? It’s common and ugly,” Steph rejoined, opting to simply toss her shoulder-length hair out of her sight.

“Oh, for god’s sake! Why am I being forced to listen to your girly dilemmas?” Robert complained.

We all laughed at his exasperated look.

“Hmph. If you don’t want to listen, you’re free to leave,” Kris told him with a grin and and a slap on his back.

“Ha. Ha. You should both be thankful that he didn’t call you out for sexual harassment. The way you looked at him was enough to make everyone shudder.” He actually did shudder after saying that and we all ended up laughing again.

“Oh, dear Robert. Were you jealous?” Stephanie asked him seductively as she grabbed his arm and rubbed herself on him.

He scoffed and pushed her away, disgusted. “Honestly, Steph.”

Robert looked even more distressed and I decided that he had enough from Kristina and Stephanie’s teasing. “Alright, girls. Stop it now. He may be jealous but you know he hated being the center of attention.” I told my friends with a sly smile. “Let’s just pretend we didn’t know he was jealous.”

“I wasn’t jealous!” Robert exclaimed. “Not you too, Marge,” he added with a groan.

We laughed at him again but immediately apologized when he raised his arm in surrender and began to leave, definitely irritated.

“Okay, we’re sorry! We’ll stop now. Promise,” Kristina said in between laughs. It was enough for him to stay though and he patiently waited until all of us had sobered.

“I brought my uncle’s car but I had to park a few blocks away. I can bring you three home,” Robert offered.

“Weee! I told you, it’s worth it to have a friend like Robert. Free service!” Steph told Kris with a squeal of excitement.

“It’s not one of those expensive cars, though,” he informed us. I knew that he sometimes drove an old Toyota Corolla and despite its age, it was pretty much comfortable.

I smiled and was about to tell everyone that we need to go when something blocked the words from leaving my mouth.

The man in the cemetery.

Emotion and memories of this morning came flooding through my brain and somehow, it became vital to know if he and Seirra were one and the same. Seirra didn’t give a clue during lunch but maybe, he was just trying to avoid questions from my friends. If he was indeed the guy from this morning, then there were quite a number of things that he had to clarify. Also, I couldn’t have interrogated him a while ago without revealing too much about my worries and my merman dreams.

I looked at everyone and decided then and there, that I had to go and find him.

“You guys go ahead,” I blurted out without warning. Robert gave me a sharp look. I raised my chin and without giving him a chance to say anything, I continued, “I just remembered that there’s something I had to do.” I stared at Robert defiantly and instructed, “Go and bring the girls home. I’ll take care of myself.”

Robert and the others were about to protest but I turned and abruptly left them standing in front of the restaurant, confused.

I began to walk faster until I reached the bus stop.

He should be at the beach. He must be.