When Kevin woke up in the morning he was disappointed to find Gisela was still in human form. They cuddled for a little awhile, but Gisela declined anything further, saying she had work to do. Gisela and Kevin exchanged numbers, and the promise that this wouldn't be their last time together.
Kevin's thoughts throughout the day were dominated by the mermaid who'd caught him, figuratively speaking. But he realized there was something he had to do in good conscience before he saw Gisela again. He didn't want to break with Lilia over the phone so instead he headed over to her apartment that evening, assuming she would be home from work.
A few knocks on the door got no reply. It occurred to Kevin it was almost this exact time yesterday he'd been standing in front of this same door at the end of his date with Lilia. Kevin reached for phone when Lilia came rushing around the corner and practically ran into him.
"Lilia!"
"Kevin! I wasn't expecting you here. I got out of work late, and ran into a bunch of traffic, and..."
"It's alright. We didn't have a date planned or anything. I came over because I needed to talk to you."
Lilia fidgeted nervously. "Can we talk later? I'm sort of in a hurry."
"Got a date with someone else?" asked Kevin.
"Oh, no, I'm not seeing anyone else. I'm...just not feeling well..."
Kevin realized she wasn't lying. Lilia looked a little pale and sweat was beading on her forehead. He realized he'd been standing in a way that blocked the door so stepped out of the way. "Sorry to hear that. I hope you'll feel better."
"I'll be fine, I just need to take my medication" Lilia said as she fumbled with her keys.
Kevin didn't recall Lilia ever mentioning medication or any health problems. Her somewhat panicky demeanor also worried him. When Gisela finally got the door unlocked, Kevin put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Lilia didn't respond, but instead pushed the door open and stumbled through her living room toward the bathroom. Her weak shove failed to close the door behind her. Kevin put his hand on the doorknob and started to pull it shut when he heard a crash. He flung the door back open to find Lilia sprawled on the floor. Shutting the door behind him, he rushed to her side.
"Lilia, what happened? Do I need to call an ambulance?"
"No, no ambulance! You need to leave..."
"I'm not leaving. Something's seriously wrong."
Kevin held Lilia in his arms, Gisela nowhere in his conscious thought at the moment. Lilia's body shuddered and she began crying.
"I'm sorry, Kevin. I thought about telling you, but I was afraid. Now you're going to find out. Please don't hate me."
"What are you talking about?"
Lilia's body shuddered again. She hadn't gotten to her serum in time. Her fate was in Kevin's hands.
"I'm a mermaid."
Kevin couldn't believe what he was hearing, but looking toward Lilia's legs confirmed she was telling through. Scales were spreading across her legs which were thrashing around in spasms, but moving as if stuck together. Kevin sat there in disbelief as Lilia's mermaid tail took form, a classic dark green fishtail. As the transformation finished, Lilia's tail finally became still. The apartment was quiet for a moment.
"What do you think of me now?" asked Lilia.
Kevin responded with a deep kiss.