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“Oooh, me too!” Allison slipped into the sea with much less splash and floated over to us buoyant as ever.
“What? We should get used to it,” Kira said, shrugging. “Something tells me we’re going to be hanging out in the water a lot more now.”
I pulled them both into a group hug, beating my tail to keep us all afloat. In what universe could I have gotten friends better than them?
Telling my friends my secret had lifted a colossal weight from my shoulders. We prepared for our dates in my room, as usual, and for the first time in ages, I looked forward to it unburdened with anxiety.
That night, I would forget there was a murderer on the loose and focus on me and William.
My hand nearly slipped doing my lipstick when I remembered that tonight was the night we would find out each other’s identities.
“Anyone else worried they’re going to find out they’ve been flirting with someone from high school?” I asked, screwing my lipstick back in its holder.
“Nope, and you shouldn’t be either.” Kira twirled another thick lock of hair around my curling iron. “We’re different people now, aren’t we?”
I mean, if we weren’t, we were doing something wrong.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, free from dread. Whoever William really was, I couldn’t deny we had a connection. I had to give that a chance no matter who he ended up being.
His identity and the kiss we had shared infiltrated my thoughts whenever my mind wandered. I only hoped that after tonight, we could make more memories like the dates we had shared so far.
How had this weird dating agency adventure turned into a yearning for a man I didn’t even know?
I drove us down to Dawn in a pair of flip-flops and slipped my heels on once we’d parked.
“Okay, can we agree not to panic if one of us doesn’t show up after?” Allison asked, her eyes gleaming as we walked arm in arm to the door of the dating agency.
“Agreed.” Kira and I said it in unison and grinned at each other.
Mervyn met us in the waiting room as usual, gave us our masks, and escorted us down a different corridor this time. In fact, this time, I was the first one to reach my room.
“Good luck!” Allison pulled us into a group hug, squeezing all the air out of me.
I waved them goodbye and waited until they were around the corner before I went inside. My palms were slick on the door handle and slipped off on the first attempt.
“Can you be smoother when we get in there?” I asked myself. “Please?”
Usually requests like that went unanswered.
I stepped inside and, as ever, William waited for me. But this time seemed different.
He stood by the coffee table, bolt upright, no drink to be seen. His eyes brightened as he laid his gaze on me.
I shut the door, and only a split second passed before we moved at the same time. I sank into his arms and pressed my lips to his.
Sparks sizzled under my skin, following wherever his hands touched me.
I fell against the wall under his weight and banged my head.
“Ouch,” I said, the moment our lips broke apart.
“Oh gods, I’m so sorry.” William tilted my head a little to look.
“It’s fine. I’m okay.” My pride was more damaged than my head. So much for being smooth.
“Are you sure? I can ask them to bring a healing potion.”
“No, really. I’m okay.” I looked up into his eyes and melted at the concern there.
