"I think the best place for the two of you for now is the ocean" said Emily. "Do you really want to be stuck in the bathtub? And what if something happens to me?"
Melissa sighed. "You're probably right."
"It'll be fun!" said Stefanie. "There are so many places we can explore while we're there. If we're going to be stuck like this indefinitely we might as well make the most of it."
Melissa smiled faintly at Stefanie's upbeat appraisal of their immediate future.
"Let me check on things outside" said Emily and she left the two mermaids in the bathroom.
"At least we'll have alot of time with each other" said Stefanie. The smile on her face made it clear what she had in mind.
Melissa smiled back awkwardly. As much as she tried not to, she was drawn to Stef and was sure their earlier time together was only the beginning. They would explore the ocean and each other. But she still felt guilty on so many levels.
Stefanie slid across the floor and wrapped her arms around Melissa, attempting to repeat her sister's comforting embrace from earlier. Melissa knew Stef was trying to be supportive, but the similiarity just added to her anguish and she clutched her tail tightly to her body and felt terrible.
Emily's return seemed to take forever.
"The rain has stopped, it's pretty quiet outside, and it's almost dark. I've got some beach towels ready; I'll carry you each down to my car with your tail covered and we'll head to the beach. Okay?"
The mermaids nodded in approval. Emily gave them shirts to put on.
Emily was in good shape, but carrying Stefanie and then Melissa downstairs was no easy task. She went slowly, especially on the stairs. Melissa needed a few minutes to recover after each haul, but then her apartment was locked up and they were ready to go. The move to the car had been difficult, but uneventful. All three girls were emotionally exhausted and Emily was now physically exhausted as well.
Traffic was better now as Emily drove to the beach. There were some attempts at conversation, but mostly they drove in silence. After a short time, Emily noticed how sad Melissa looked and took her hand. Melissa's only response was to smile faintly, but she didn't pull away. She appreciated the gesture. After a few minutes, Stefanie (sprawled across the back seat) noticed Emily and Melissa holding hands which started her pouting. Stef had always felt overshadowed by her older sister and now even though she was out of the closet she feared that, given a choice, Melissa would have prefered to be with Emily.
They arrived at the small parking lot for a remote beach. It wasn't very popular during the day and Emily had correctly guessed it would be deserted at night. Gathering her strength, she picked up Stefanie first and carried her out to the water.
"You like her, don't you?" asked Stefanie. "Why can't you let me have her? Unlike me, you still like boys too."
Emily was simultaneous so hurt and angered by her sister's words she nearly dropped her. "Stop being a little bitch, Stef. We don't have time for this. We'll talk about it later, okay? This has been a day from hell."
Stefanie said nothing in response. She just looked away toward the ocean. Now it was Emily's turn to sigh in frustration. Emily wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring, but she was pretty sure once both mermaids were in the water she would go home and drink herself unconcious.
Emily waded into knee deep water and released her sister. "Swim out a short distance just to be safe, but wait for Melissa, okay?"
"Okay" said Stef and she swam off.
Emily trudged back to her car and Melissa was gazing off vacantly out the window.
"Come on, Mel. Time to go."
As Emily carried Melissa toward the ocean, she noticed her best friend was clinging to her in a way that her sister hadn't. Partly this was good just because of the weight difference between the two mermaids and the need for extra support. But it wasn't just that: Stefanie had held on like it was an annoying neccessity; Melissa held on like she was afraid to let go.
"Relax" said Emily. "This day is almost over and tomorrow can't get any worse."
"I'm sorry for everything" said Melissa. "Thank you for doing your best to fix this."
"That's what best friends are for. And I've already told you to stop apologizing for other people's decisions. Serenity and Stef made their own decisions. We'll get through this."
Emily waded into the light surf again, this time almost to her waist so Melissa was floating. But still the two held on to each other, both afraid to let go.
"You know...some of the things said earlier today..." said Melissa.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to apologize?" said Emily.
"Not that stuff. The other stuff. Like the idea of us kissing if I wasn't cursed..."
Melissa blushed, but in the faint light she could tell Emily was blushing too. Melissa started to feel an urge, like she had before Stefanie kissed her. She suddenly turned away, an all-too familiar urge coming over her.
"I should go" said Melissa.
"What's the matter?" asked Emily.
"I feel the urge to kiss you, just like I did before Stefanie kissed me. It's the curse trying to spread..."
"No, you idiot, it just means you're attracted to me. Just like you are to Stef and were to Serenity. Maybe its a little stronger because you're a mermaid, but it's a just a normal feeling."
"And look where that feeling got me."
Emily shook her head. "You're beautiful, Melissa. I wish you could see that."
Melissa turned to look at Emily again. Their eyes met and their lips began to draw closer...