Samantha could see Julie had mixed emotions over what they had been discussing. Part of her wanted to believe, but part of her was still worried.
"Look. The two of you are great kids and very smart, but sometimes you have to feel with your heart more than think with your head," said Samantha, as she pulled out her cellphone and started flipping through its memory. "Love doesn't have an agenda and keeps its own schedule, but if Julie Stovall and Eric Anderson really don't love each other, then this must be a hallucination," she added, before showing Julie the photo taken during their date at the diner last night.
Julie looked at the image of her and Eric standing over their meal kissing, chicken fried gravy stains and all.
"With everything going on, I forgot all about that. Can I have a copy?" asked Julie.
"Certainly," replied Samantha, pushing a few buttons. Moments later, Julie heard her cellphone ping. "There you go. Now if you ever need to talk some more, my door's always open, and if you ever need more professional help, there's always my wife Frances. But I'm afraid right now I've got to finish up all the work I'm behind on from the busy day I've had. Otherwise, I'd offer you a ride home. Are you going to be okay on that?"
"I'll be fine," said Julie, standing up. "And thank you," she added, actually giving Samantha a brief hug before turning to leave her office.
As Samantha Twist watched her visitor leave, she thought to herself, Maybe someday Frances and I will have a child of our own after Ben leaves and makes us empty nesters.
MEANWHILE...
As Eric Anderson walked out of Mayor Stovall's office, he started thinking about all the additional questions he should of asked, and promised himself he'd write them down in case he needed to talk to Julie's father again. Then Eric also started thinking about the things Martin didn't tell him.
The mayor's information about normals soon needing a blood test before becoming weres didn't agree with what his secretary told Eric while they were waiting for Stovall to return to his office, but that was minor compared to the other matter.
While Martin Stovall never said it aloud, Eric thought he could see the hidden message in the man's eyes. I KNOW YOU LOVE MY DAUGHTER. LOOK AFTER HER. LOVE AND TAKE CARE OF HER, BUT PLEASE, NEVER HURT HER.
Eric was still thinking about that when he saw Julie coming out of Samantha Twist's office.
The two teenagers froze in place as they spotted each other. Each wondered if their own face was turning as embarrassing a shade of red as their counterpart's, when they both said, "We need to talk," practically in unison.
The silence was awkward, until Eric said, "I still owe you a walk home. How about we talk on the way?"
"I'd like that," Julie said with a smile as they headed downstairs.
Outside the town hall, Eric took Julie's hand as they started along the common path toward their respective homes.
Each tried to figure out what the other wanted to say, let alone how to say what they needed to, until they blurted out, "I'm sorry," together as one.
That made each of them stop and stare at their partner until Eric said, "I should have told you it was your dad I was going to see this afternoon, but I wanted to find out more about possibly becoming a were-merman for you someday, and he's the only merman I know."
So Samantha was right! realized Julie, before she said, "I want to apologize if it seems like I'm rushing you. But I'm so much in love with you now that at times it's genuinely scary," as she squeezed his hand. "I look forward to every moment we're together, and hate the ones we're apart."
"I feel the same way about you, too," admitted Eric. "You've become my first thought every morning when I wake up. You're the last thought that crosses my mind before I fall asleep at night, and I've even started dreaming about you and us every single night as well."
"OH MY! I've been dreaming about you every night too!" shouted Julie, before she put her arms around Eric and kissed him.
The two were so lost in each other, that they never noticed the passing traffic.
First Martin Stovall drove past. Julie's father simply smiled as he spotted them, and promised himself to romantically sweep his wife Melissa off her feet the moment he got home.
Then Samantha Twist passed them by. The Town Chancellor couldn't help thinking about how she and her wife Frances were as teenagers as she spotted Eric and Julie. Then she realized that the best part of their relationship was they were still that way whenever they got the chance. Which prompted Samantha to alter her course just long enough to stop by the local florist.
After breaking the kiss for air (which Julie could have postponed a tad longer with her greater lung capacity and were-mermaid gills), the two of them looked at each other before Julie asked, "So, what happens now Mister Anderson?"
"Well," began Eric, as he started to blush again, "I foresee a bright future for us," he replied, while putting his arm around her again. "But for now, I think I better finish walking you home before our parents wonder where we are," he added, before they resumed walking.
Julie lovingly put her head on his shoulder as she asked Eric, "Do you ever think about the future?"
"All the time," admitted Eric. "And someday, when the time's right, there is one question that—"
"Shh," she said, gently putting a finger against Eric's lips. "Let's just take this one day at a time like we're supposed to and enjoy the moments," added Julie, before they resumed walking. "But for the record, my answer will be a strong and definitive yes."
Eric couldn't help but smile as he held Julie tighter against him.
ELSEWHERE IN MOON LAKE...