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As Jayna was about to answer, the Manutai Mer-school boat pulled up alongside the Ghidorah. “Right down there,” she said. “There’s one for you, too. If you’d like.”
In less than thirty minutes, all the women and several of the men were at the pool, lounging, swimming, and—most importantly—streaming themselves wearing brightly-colored tails. Mermaids were having a moment, and Jayna was going to ride that wave as far as she could.
More than an hour later, Brian Robson stood from his lounge chair, “Hey, Violet. The race is about to start. Take that thing off and let’s go watch.”
“Forget it,” she said. “I’m a mermaid now. If you want me to come watch the race with you, then carry me.”
“As you wish,” he said. Then he scooped her up from the side of the pool and carried her towards the rear deck. Soon, the remaining men followed, each with a mermaid or merman of their own.
Jayna searched for Sid, hoping he would carry her. It was then that she realized he wasn’t with the rest of the group. She had been so wrapped up in socializing with the others that she hadn’t even noticed he was missing.
After a few minutes, the men returned to finish the job. In addition to Jayna, there were three other mermaids and rugby sensation Reinhard Weiss, who required three mertenders.
Jayna felt a touch of panic when Peter picked her up. She ordinarily would have enjoyed being carried by him, strong and handsome man that he was. But that was before she’d known what had happened between Peter and Crystal.
She didn’t want to make a scene, however, so she allowed herself to be carried and hoped Sid wouldn’t get the wrong idea.
As the Manutai Jubilee Regatta racers passed the Ghidorah, twenty-seven mermaids and mermen lined her decks. Their waving and cheering caught the attention of several streamer drones following the race, and Jayna felt a rush of satisfaction as one of the drones circled back to take a slow second pass.
Once the streamer drones finally disappeared, Jayna searched for Sid one more time. When she didn’t see him, conflicting emotions warred inside her.
She found it ironic that Sid was the one who had distanced himself from the rich, beautiful, self-important people, while she had embraced them and welcomed them into her world.
She didn’t regret her choice. She had just won the Merathlon and was at the top of her professional game. Her popularity was high, and an amazing opportunity to build on that had fallen into her lap. Being seen with beautiful toppers, many of them dressed as merfolk, was an incredible social coup. It had been the right thing to do, both as a mer-ambassador and as a guest of Peter’s.
But despite the huge boost to both her dropper and her ego, the experience felt tainted. Many of these people were all the things she disliked about toppers. Peter especially was exactly the kind of rich, handsome, self-important jerk she had expected Sid to be.
She didn’t think Sid would be upset that she’d spent time with Peter and his pretty people, but it was time for Jayna to resume her role as his new girlfriend.
She excused herself and dived into the ocean.
Jayna watched for Sid as she made a slow circuit of the water around the yacht. She found him sitting alone, his feet dangling over the edge of a balcony near the bow of the ship. He looked sad sitting there, and she again felt guilty for having been so wrapped up in being popular that she’d failed to realize he wasn’t with everyone else.
No, he’s the one hiding himself away, she thought. But this must be hard for him. Knowing his history with Peter made his distance easier to understand.
The least Jayna could do was spend some time with him and offer her support, especially now that the regatta was done.
She swam to the balcony and rested her elbows on the edge. “Is this seat taken?” she asked, putting as much cheer into her voice as she could.
His smile was warm, and some of her guilt melted away. “I’m saving it just for you.”
She pulled herself up and sat next to him. She held his hand and leaned against his shoulder. He rested his head on hers, and the feeling that they had always known each other rushed through her.
The tropical sun hung low in the western sky, gentle and warm. A soft breeze brought the smell of grilling fish and the sound of laughter, but they were far enough from everyone else that they could hear the gentle lapping of waves against the hull.
They sat in comfortable silence, and the feeling of his body close to her side warmed her, just as it had when they’d pulled the chariot together. She had wanted to kiss him that night, but she hadn’t dared. Now, she gently removed her head from his shoulder and with her left hand turned his face towards hers.
Their lips met, warm and soft. Sid put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her gently. Then he touched his lips to her forehead and then pulled her to him, nestling her head against his collarbone.
“Have you enjoyed the day?” he asked quietly.
“I have,” she said. “How about you?”
Sid let out a soft grunt. “I’ve had better.”
“Peter?” she asked.
Sid tensed, tightening his arm around her. “Of course.”
