Despite her eager impatience to know if Katie was alright – and to see her again – Riley forced herself to wait for a few turns before returning to the shore where she had first seen Katie. She had needed to recuperate her strength and imagined Katie would need the same before she was up and moving enough to initiate their plan to reunite once more.

It had been a struggle to move from the sand she had collapsed in that night. She had done more foraging than hunting, and swam slowly as she worked the kinks out of her tail. Every muscle had ached and tightened from the abuse she had put herself through. It was all worth it – and she would have done it again in a heartbeat to save her friend – but she could not help cursing that storm for making any of it necessary. She had gradually regained her strength, which she was thankful for, and had begun making her way back to the continent. As she had swum, she began to realize just how far from land they had really been – how little distance she had managed to tow Katie in the storm – and that realization slammed into her like the force of a tempest tube. If that helicopter had not been out in the sky, Katie would certainly be dead and Riley may have joined her. She had fluctuated between losing and keeping hope, but she knew she would have perished from exhaustion before she would have chosen to lose her friend to the depths of the ocean. It was not in her nature.

And if this was how she felt after that frantic flight through the ocean, she could only imagine how Katie was doing. She chose to be confident that her friend had survived – humans were too skilled at their healing for her to have perished – but she was not so foolish to believe that the girl would be up and moving immediately. She probably had felt just as horrible and drained as Riley had.

But it had been four turns now and Riley was feeling much better. She hoped Katie would be too. The last thing she wanted to have happen was to swim right past where Katie made her home. She needed to make sure Katie was well enough to signal her.

Though she knew Katie was unlikely to return to the marina, Riley made it her first stop. Katie had said she lived west down the coast from here. It was past midday by this point, so Riley could easily track the ark of the sun’s gradual descent. She placed a hand on one of the algae-covered support beams holding the large mooring dock in place. She sighed softly and puffed bubbles from her gills. She was ready to go find her friend and to have a reunion that was not in a life or death moment.

She turned away from the pier and set her gaze towards the drooping sun. She was not certain how far she would have to swim, but she was eager to reach her end destination. She had waited many cycles to see Katie again and she refused to miss her first proper chance.

A grin split Riley’s lips and she flicked her fins, spurring her body into motion as she began to travel down the coastline, staying shallow enough to see the beach, but deep enough to swim comfortably and make an easy getaway if necessary.

***

What Riley had not been expecting was how many different human homes and beaches would be populated with parties and music playing loudly out into the water. It made for several false signals that were slowing down Riley’s process. She was beginning to feel frustrated at the false hopes and foolish for deciding on a signal that was so commonplace in the human world. There had not been time for specifics or better planning, so she had gone for something easy and memorable between them, but she wished she had thought of something better now

She rarely had the patience for long-tracking hunting, but she supposed that was simply how she was going to have to treat this particular adventure. Each wrong location took time and annoyed her, but she was gradually drawing closer. She could feel that in her gut. It was urging her forward.

Still, despite her frustrations at having their signal thwarted, listening to such a wide variety of music was putting Riley in a decent mood. She should travel the coast like this more often. As she swam, she found herself humming along to the tune of the most recent one she had heard. She did not know the song well, but its melody lurked in her mind. She did not sing much anymore, but in the peace and safety of solitude, Riley occasionally found herself humming or mindlessly murmuring the words of a song to herself.

As she continued on, the song in her head gradually morphed and she found herself humming a very old song. She smiled softly as the words began to spill softly from her lips. It was one of the songs on the music device Katie had given her in their youth. The device’s lifeforce had depleted cycles ago, but Riley never forgot those tunes. She rarely heard them anymore – she had come to learn that human music tended to evolve, with newer songs tending to be far more popular than anything older – but as she continued humming, she realized that she was hearing the song.

She pulled to an abrupt halt and tilted her head to listen better, just to be sure. Someone else who lived or lurked around the shore might have enjoyed older music, but Riley could not keep the smile off of her face. It would be fitting if Katie had used music Riley would know to lead her to her dwelling place. With that in mind, Riley found her tail strokes to be a little more rapid and eager, and she found herself crossing into the mouth of a cove before the song had even ended. There was a wide dock that ran from the start of the house, out into the water, so Riley swam up under it. There were two sets of feet hanging over the edge of the water. Riley parted her jaws and tasted the water. One of the scents was definitely Katie, but Riley vaguely recognized the other one as well.

Though her desire to surface and greet her friend was immense, Riley hesitated and continued lurking beneath them. She was not so foolish to reveal herself without knowing the risk the other person posed. The song came to an end and there was a pause before another started up. Riley’s smile grew. She knew this one too. Katie was playing the songs from the musical device she had given Riley all those cycles ago.

“Katie, honey, I really wish you would come inside.” Riley flinched at the voice, but then relaxed. It had been a long time since she had heard it, but she was fairly certain this was Katie’s mother.

“Not yet,” Katie refused.

“Katie!” Her mother’s voice turned sharp. “You have pneumonia. The doctor told you to keep warm and get lots of rest, you need to stop sitting out here. Why don’t we go inside and put the kettle on, huh? We can make hot chocolate and watch a movie.”

“Maybe later,” Katie replied. “I will come in soon, I promise. I just want to sit out here a little while longer. You go on ahead of me.”

Riley sighed and shook her head. It concerned her that Katie was endangering her health, and she knew Katie was only doing it because she was waiting for her to arrive. She had to stop it. She broke the surface on the far side of the dock and hauled herself up until her torso was draped over the wood. It pricked at her skin, but she did not mind much. She flicked her fins in the open air before calling out to her friend. “Katie, it is okay. I know where you are now, I will not stray. If you should be resting, you should do that.”

Riley considered herself a brave individual and she never shied from a challenge unless forced, but she found herself shrinking back a little as both humans lurched around to look at her. Katie was embraced in a large fabric wrap, and her short brown hair was spiked up in all directions. Her skin was still pale and sunken in, and there was a rasp to her breathing that concerned Riley. She did not look well. Her mother had bright green eyes that were wide with shock, though her red brows were furrowed with confusion, and she was pressed close to Katie as though she was hoping proximity would keep her daughter safe. If that was her thought, Riley would not fault her for it given that Katie had nearly died and was still unwell.

While her mother looked confused, Katie had pure panic in her gaze and she made a frantic shooing motion in Riley’s direction. Riley shook her head and pulled herself the rest of the way up onto the deck. She curled her tail up beside her and flicked water from her gliders. “It is alright,” she assured her friend. “I trust you. Besides, I am far more concerned with your health.” She turned her attention to Katie’s mother next. The poor woman still looked as flustered as a fish tossed up onto the sand by a particularly violent wave. “I am sorry that I have ventured uninvited into your resting grounds. I hope you will not take offence. I only wished to make sure Katie was alright.”

“Uhh…”

Katie sighed and grabbed her mother’s arm, which seemed to jerk the woman out of her stupor as she turned to face her daughter. “Mom, this is Riley. She’s the one the authorities were talking about, the one that the search and rescue team reported as ‘lost to sea’. She was only out there because of me; she saved my life.”

The woman pushed a hand through her mess of bright red curls and then glanced between Katie and Riley. Finally, she shook her head and forced a polite smile. “I’m sorry, it was rude of me to stare. I just didn’t know that this…that you, were possible,” she stammered.

Riley dipped her head and flicked her fins. “I know. It tends to be better that way,” she acknowledged. She inclined her head towards Katie. “This is just my one exception. I umm, would appreciate if it could stay a secret.”

The woman was silent just long enough for Riley to be squeezed with anxiety. The last thing she wanted was a brawl – physical or verbal – with the mother of her friend. She was hoping to regain a deeper friendship with Katie, not shatter what they currently had.

“You rescued Katie?” the woman checked.

Riley dipped her head. “I am only glad I was able to.”

Katie’s mother smiled brightly. “Then I believe staying silent is the least I can do, and you’re welcome here anytime.” She smiled brightly and reached a hand out. “My name is Sophie, by the way, I don’t think I properly introduced myself.”

Riley smiled and relief washed over her. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” she agreed. Her attention quickly shifted back to Katie, who had started to shiver. She looked even paler than a few moments ago. “Are you alright?”

Katie nodded. “Yes,” she rasped. “Just a little under the weather. I…I didn’t get the chance to…to…to,” Katie stuttered and broke off in a fit of violent coughing. Her sputtering grew worse and her whole body heaved as she choked. In that moment, she looked so small and frail that Riley was consumed with the urge to guard over her like an orca pod would guard their young. “To…thank you,” Katie forced out in a gasp before her coughing overtook her again.

Before Riley could move to react, Sophie had an arm around Katie’s shoulders. “Alright, enough now. You need to come inside and get back in bed. You are going to take your medication and get some rest, and I refuse to hear any more protests on the matter,” she ordered as she pulled Katie onto her feet.

Immediately, Katie slumped against her mother. Riley could see her legs shaking with every step she took. “Wait,” she wheezed as she glanced back at Riley. “But I wanted to-”

Riley shook her head. “I will be here in the morning,” she vowed. “Go rest. Please.”

Though she looked like she wanted to argue, the fight seemed to bleed out of Katie as she sagged. “Okay,” she whispered. She leaned down to press a button on the larger music device that had been playing previously. As the sound cut, Riley felt her forced smile falter. Part of her did not want to wait. She felt they had waited long enough. She wanted to listen to the music and chat with Katie properly. But her desires would have to wait. Her friend was sick and needed to recuperate still.

She watched them as Sophie herded Katie back through the entrance of their shelter. Then her frown deepened further as the woman paused in the threshold and turned. “Riley, right?” she checked.

Riley dipped her head in response.

“I want Katie inside now, it’s starting to get cold and she’s supposed to be keeping warm. But you don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. You must have come for a reason; I’m assuming the radio was a sort of signal between you two because she’s been sitting out there for almost two days straight now. If you’d like to come inside and have a proper visit, you’re more than welcome. You can leave whenever you’re ready.”

The offer was kind, but Riley found herself hesitating. She was far more comfortable near the water, in the open air. The human dwelling felt restrictive and closed off, and made her nervous. She was about to refuse before she noticed Katie peering at her with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. She set her jaw. She did not like enclosed spaces much at all, but she had come here with the intent of visiting Katie, so that was what she intended to do. “Alright,” she agreed. “Thank you.”

Her tail was a dead weight on land, but it was actually easier than she had expected to haul herself across their deck and up into the home. A shiver ran down her spine as she pulled herself into the home, and she found herself glancing around and scenting her surroundings as her instincts screamed at her to turn tail. After a deep breath, she set her jaw and followed after Katie and Sophie. They were out of her sight now, but not hard to find.

When she reached them, Sophie was helping Katie settle in under more fabric wraps. There were several wide, white sponges at her back helping prop her up. “Are you warm enough?” the woman inquired.

“I’m fine, mom, please don’t worry.”

“It’s my job to worry about you,” Sophie retorted. “And you’ve been making me pull overtime hours, so you are going to lay here and get some rest now, alright? Promise me.”

“I promise.”

Riley’s scales caught on a coarse fabric on the floor and produced a rumbling sound that caused her to pause. Her face flushed when Sophie twisted to glance down at her, but before she could apologize, the woman had closed the distance between them and crouched down. “I’m sorry, Riley; I didn’t even consider that you might have a hard time getting around on land. Would you like some help up?” she asked. Her hand moved to gesture to the perch that Katie was laid out on. It was higher off the ground than Riley imagined would be easy to pull herself up to, especially since the wraps coating it looked like they would make any grip unstable.

“Please,” she confirmed after weighing her options. She would likely jostle and disturb her friend too much attempting to get up on her own. Sophie smiled and reached out towards Riley. She had lived alone long enough to have honed her instincts, and that made it hard not to flinch away, but Sophie was both gentle and fluid as she scooped her up with surprising strength and ease for her smaller stature.

Sophie set her down on the perch and Riley’s weight sunk into it. She frowned and placed her hand flat on it. She had not expected it to be quite so soft and malleable.

“It’s a bed,” Katie supplied. “It’s where we sleep.”

Riley hummed in the back of her throat in acknowledgement. She could see why.

“Do you sleep much, Riley?” Sophie asked. When Riley turned to look at her, the woman flushed slightly and shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it to come off like that. Plenty of marine creatures don’t; I was just curious.”

Riley nodded. She did not blame Sophie for her curiosity. “I do sleep,” she confirmed. “But never in one repetitive place like this. I travel a lot, so I usually take shelter wherever I find it.”

Katie’s smile was wide and she leaned forward a bit. “Where’s your favourite place to go?”

Riley shrugged and chewed on her lip as she contemplated the question. “There are many places,” she admitted after a moment. “All for different reasons. I enjoy surfing currents – it is a thrill – and the most turbulent ones can be found out in the open ocean where drifts merge. But there is also an inlet connected to an uninhabited island, the bed of which is covered with smooth, flat rocks. I have only been a few times, but it feels wonderful to sprawl on and for soothing itches of the skin and scale. The water is shallow enough that the stones get very warm in the day and pleasantly cool at night.”

“That sounds relaxing,” Katie commented.

Riley hummed in agreement and grinned. She did not know how to describe where she had been over the cycles, but she could tell Katie all about the things she had seen. The way Katie’s eager smile had seemed to grow with every passing word Riley had uttered, had made Riley glow with joy that her friend may actually be interested in her stories. She had not had someone to tell in quite a while.

There was a brief lapse in conversation before Sophie cleared her throat. When Riley glanced back at her, the red-headed woman had an awkward pucker to her lips and she inclined her head towards Riley. “I’m incredibly grateful to you for saving Katie the way you did. I don’t imagine it was easy or safe for you either. But I have to wonder what prompted you to do so. If your people prefer to avoid contact with us, why take that risk? Including myself and Katie, and the first responders, you were seen by at least three or four people.”

“Katie is my friend,” Riley insisted. “I could never have just let her die without doing anything in my power to help.”

Sophie’s brows furrowed together in a tightly packed crease above the ridge of her nose and the corners of her mouth twisted down into a frown. She leaned forward slightly from where she was sitting, perched on a strange wood seat of sorts that Riley did not know the name of. “Wait a minute, the two of you have met before?”

“Uh-huh,” Katie replied. She was still leaned against the puffy white sponge squares, and it made Riley’s heart squeeze to see how pale she still looked. “We met the first time you and Lewis took me camping when I was younger.”

When Sophie began to laugh, Riley glanced between the two. It felt like she was missing something. “Is that why you always insisted on going back the exact same week every year? It was because you two were meeting in secret?”

Katie sighed and shook her head. “No. I insisted out of the hope that I might see her again, but we never did.”

Riley shrugged. “My pod changed our migratory routes a lot, and humans track time differently than we do. Once or twice I was in the area again, but your scent was always stale or washed away.”

Katie shrugged. “It was only a couple of years. After a while, I started to believe that maybe I had just imagined you as a child; that you weren’t actually real. I stopped looking.”

Riley dipped her chin and her lips pulled into a wide grin. “I never forgot you, Katie. I thought I would, initially, but I never did. I caught your scent from time to time when I would travel close to the shore or near boats, but I never actually saw you or caught a fresh scent until you went out on the water before that storm hit. I am just glad that you are alright.”

Before she even finished speaking, Katie’s eyes widened and she lurched forward. “Are you? I never even asked, you were struggling in the bad weather too. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

Riley reached out until the tips of her fingers brushed the soft folds of the clothing Katie was wearing. She applied pressure and pushed her friend back into the propped position she was in earlier. Katie’s breathing was still raspy and Riley was not comfortable with the idea that she might over-exert herself. “I am fine,” she assured her. “I was very tired and sore after that swim, but I was not injured. I may not spend very much time swimming at the surface – especially in poor weather – but I spend my life out in the ocean; you do not need to worry about me.”

Katie nodded. Her hand grabbed Riley’s as she started to pull away, and Riley felt her heart stall in her chest when her friend squeezed her fingers. “Will your pod be in the area for long?”

Riley tossed her head and puffed air to blow her bangs out of her face. She wound up having to tuck them back with her free hand when they fell back into her face once more. “My pod is not nearby at all,” she replied with a shrug.

She frowned when Katie’s eyes widened again, and she instinctively pressed her hand against Katie’s shoulder once more to prevent her from sitting up again. “Riley, you didn’t swim out of range of them saving me or coming here, did you? I don’t want you to get separated from your family because-”

“Katie,” Riley interrupted. “I chose to leave my pod a long time ago. It had nothing to do with you. We met because I was prone to sneaking away as often as I could as a child. I was never happy with my pod; never felt I belonged or was able to be myself.”

“Oh,” Katie murmured. Her tone was subdued and she slumped, and Riley frowned. She did not like the bitter scent wafting from her friend. The sour taste of sorrow was never pleasant, but before she could comment on it, her attention was pulled away as Sophie touched her arm.

“How long have you been on your own?” she inquired.

Riley pursed her lips as she mulled the question. “Four, wait, five cycles now,” she replied.

“Cycles?” Katie inquired.

Riley swallowed back a chuckle and shrugged. Humans told time differently and more complexly – in her opinion – which made this hard. She did not know how to rephrase her meaning in a way they would understand. “Cycles of the seasons,” she elaborated. “We call a full rotation of all four seasons a cycle.”

Sophie nodded slowly. “We call those ‘years’,” she offered. “And that’s a long time to be alone. You and Katie look about the same age, you must have been young when you left. It must be hard.”

Riley took a slow, deep breath and averted her gaze. She squeezed her opposite arm until the colour bled from her knuckles and turned them white as bone and the veins pulled taut. “Sometimes,” she admitted carefully. She did not enjoy reminders of her past and what she endured because she was not good enough for her mother’s acceptance. “But my freedom and happiness meant more than the security my pod could offer. I never truly felt safe there anyway.”

Sophie nodded slowly. There was a soft sparkle in her vivid seagrass eyes that made Riley shift her weight uncomfortably. She was not used to sympathetic attention or interest in her past and well-being. It had been a long time since someone had. And yet, Sophie leaned forward and gently placed an open hand on Riley’s curled tail. “I’m going to assume that you’re more comfortable out in the water than you’ll ever be up on land, but you’re welcome here anytime you like. Even if you’re just looking for a meal or a place to spend the night; our cove is always open to you and we even have a guest bedroom if you’d like to stay inside.”

Riley’s lips parted and her brows scrunched in together above her nose. For a moment, she could not think of anything appropriate to say. Finally, the one question she had spilled rather poorly from her lips. “Why?” She gave her head a shake and coughed to clear her throat. “It is just that you barely know me. Why would you offer to share your territory and resources with me?”

Sophie has a wide smile on her face that turned up just a little higher while her eyes crinkled in the corners. The hand that was resting on Riley’s tail lifted as Sophie brushed her knuckles down Riley’s cheek. Riley had never sought much physical affection before. Her mother did not care for it and when she had left her pod behind, she seldom placed enough trust in anyone to allow it. But Sophie’s warm, gentle demeanour made Riley yearn for more, but she said nothing. “Because you’re Katie’s friend, because I don’t believe anyone should ever be truly alone – especially not someone so young – and because we have always tried to make sure our door is open to anyone who might need a family.”

Riley normally tried to hide her emotions, but she felt tears water in her eyes at the words. After her experiences with her pod, she was no longer familiar with selfless acceptance and had not truly expected to find it. Katie and her family were proving more and more to be the type of souls Riley wished she had grown up around. “Thank you,” she murmured after a moment.

Sophie hummed and then rose from her perch. “The offer stands. But I’ll leave you girls to have a proper visit. Katie, just make sure you get some rest, okay?”

“I promise,” Katie agreed. “Nothing exciting.”

Sophie nodded. “Good. I’ll come check on you in a little while.”

As soon as she was gone, Riley shifted on the ‘bed’ and directed her attention to Katie. “I am sorry you are sick…was it because you got so cold?”

Katie coughed and shook her head. “I have aspiration pneumonia. I got it from breathing in too much seawater.”

Riley felt her shoulders slump. “I am sorry I was not able to get you out of that storm faster. I nearly failed.”

“What? Riley, no,” Katie protested with a wheeze. “If you hadn’t been there, I would have been dragged down when the ship sunk. I would have drowned. I am alive and breathing at all because of you. And the doctors have me on medication to help drain the fluid and get me feeling better. I’m going to be fine, I promise. It’s just making breathing a little more of a chore than it usually would be is all. But I’m not contagious at least.”

Riley snorted. “I am not concerned about that. I would risk it.”

Katie’s smile was small, but it made Riley’s heart flutter. “Thank you. For saving me and for coming back…This might sound weird but I’m really glad that you’re real. I’m sorry that I started to believe you weren’t…it’d just been so long that you started to become more of a fond memory; a good dream of sorts.”

Riley tossed her head and chuckled. “It is alright, Katie. You do not need to apologize. Honestly – though I always wished otherwise – we were never supposed to meet again. I always hoped – I could not forget about you like I anticipated – but I had limited expectations. Our worlds are meant to stay separate.”

Katie’s shoulders had slumped as Riley spoke, but she nodded. “Yeah, I know. As much as I’m glad to see you, I keep worrying about what might happen if someone less understanding were to see you. I’m just glad I got the chance to thank you properly and the last thing I want is to part ways, but maybe it would be safer for you. I do have one question, though. I understand you saved me because we’re friends and you didn’t want to do nothing, and I appreciate it, but if we should stay away from one another, why did you come back? You could’ve just…disappeared. People probably would have told me I’d just hallucinated an aquatic rescuer to cope with the trauma of nearly dying. Not that I would have said anything.”

Riley scoffed and leaned forward until she was close enough that Katie’s breath puffed up in her face. The other girl’s hazel eyes had widened, but she could not lean any further away. “I am not going to disappear on you, Katie. I have never been one to shy away from something simply because it may risk my safety. When I was a child, I was afraid of the risks my discovery could pose on my family. But I have no pod now to endanger and I trust you. I wanted to see you again, I enjoy your company, and I would like to enjoy more of it. Besides, I kept my promise from our youth. Now I intend to remind you to keep your promise too.”

Katie’s head tilted to one side and her face furrowed with deep creases. Her lips parted and she shook her head. “What promise?”

Riley grinned and twisted to her side. There was a cord wrapped around her waist and at its base was a pouch. It was worn and crusted with salt from cycles in the water, but Riley had kept it tucked up behind the arm of her glider ever since the wings had fully grown in. she hummed fondly as she dug her fingers into the pouch and withdrew the musical device that Katie had given her all those cycles ago. Even though it no longer sang, she had kept it meticulously, always wrapping the wires and holding it close within its pouch so that it would not become damaged.

“Could you make it work again?” she requested eagerly as she held it out to her friend.

Katie’s jaw had dropped and she reached out and slowly plucked the device from Riley’s cupped hands. “You still have this?”

“Of course,” Riley agreed. “How could I not keep it? You gave it to me.”

The hue of Katie’s cheeks went from pale to a flushed red as Riley spoke, and her hazel eyes rolled down until Katie was staring at her hands. She rubbed her thumb of the music player. “I can’t believe you kept this for this long, the batteries must have run out ages ago…but umm…yeah, we should be able to get more batteries for it. Most people don’t use MP3 players like this one anymore – mostly music is played from our phones now – but this type of batteries are used in other things too. It will have to wait until tomorrow though, the stores are all closed for the night by now.”

Riley flicked her fins and shifted to a more comfortable position. Her scales rubbed noisily against the fabric wraps on the bed and she winced. A quick glance at Katie indicated that the other girl did not mind. “I can wait,” Riley reassured her. “I have every word and tune memorized anyway. I could never forget them. Do…do you still listen to them? You were playing them when I got here, but was it because you remembered which I would know or because you enjoy them still?”

Instead of answering, Katie’s face scrunched up and her eyes squeezed shut as she winced. Riley’s smile slipped and she leaned forward anxiously as Katie braced her palms against the bed. Her breathing sounded way worse and she began to shake. “Riley, I…I am sorry,” she gasped. “Please, it hurts. I have to shift but I-” She broke off in a fit of coughs that shook her entire body.

With a deep sense of urgency, Riley wrapped an arm around the center of Katie’s back and lifted her up off her white sponges. Katie continued to cough weakly, so Riley held her up and rubbed her back until the fit abated. Then she leaned Katie back against the sponges and helped get her settled once more. “Better?” she checked.

A lump bobbed in Katie’s throat as she swallowed and nodded. “Thank you,” she wheezed. “I’m sorry.”

“Do not be,” Riley refused with a shake of her head. Katie nodded and slumped back against the sponges. She looked exhausted and guilt gnawed at Riley’s gut. She reached out and swept some of Katie’s messy hair out of her face. “Perhaps I should go now so that you can rest,” she suggested. “I can return in the morning; I do not want you needlessly tiring yourself.”

“No,” Katie protested. “Please, stay a little longer. I’ve been cooped up in bed since the storm. I’m tired, but I’m also bored and lonely. Just…a little longer, okay? Please?”

It was hard to refuse the request when Katie was staring at her with wide, glossy eyes and an urgency in her tone. Riley dipped her head after a moment. “Alright, just for a little while more,” she agreed.

Katie smiled. “The answer to your question is ‘both’ by the way,” she added. “I specifically pulled those songs from my playlist because I knew you would probably remember them, but I do still listen to them too. I’ve got newer songs that I like too, but those are my classics.”

Riley pulled her tail close and curled it around her torso. The answer made her smile. The songs within the small player had been her only connection to her human friend for many cycles, and she was glad to hear that many of Katie’s musical preferences had not changed. She chewed her lip. There was so much she wanted to discuss – and to admit to – but she was concerned about how tired Katie seemed. She did not want to pressure the girl or overwhelm her while she was ill. But she also did not wish to wait any longer, not when she had waited for so long already.

“Is something on your mind?” Katie’s voice cut through Riley’s thoughts and she glanced up.

She flushed when she realized she had drifted away from reality while practically staring through her friend. She shook her head. “It is fine, it should wait,” she decided.

Katie frowned and winced as she pushed herself a bit more upright. “No,” she refused. “Tell me now.”

Riley sighed. Her heart pounded in her chest and she licked her lips. “I came here to make sure you were alright and to reconnect with the friend I met when we were young,” she began. “But…I also came here for a more selfish reason.”

“Besides the batteries?” Katie checked with a chuckle.

Riley chuckled too, but it was breathy and forced. She found her heart fluttering frantically against her ribs, and she took a breath. “Yes, besides that,” she agreed. “Though I do not truly have any expectations about that. You seem to have easy access to music and I would like to stay a while if allowed.”

“I’d like that too,” Katie agreed. “But what’s the selfish reason then?”

Riley took a breath and leaned forward. Katie was close enough that the beat of her heart and the wheeze in her lungs rang loudly in Riley’s ears. “There is something I have been waiting a very long time to do.”

“What?” Katie asked.

Riley smiled and closed the distance between them. Despite all the time that had passed, Katie still smelled of salt and sand and fresh fruit. Though her breathing was shaky and the bitter reek of disease hung on her, Katie was warm and soft, and Riley purred deeply as she kissed her friend. Her heart went from pounding nervously to pulsing so heavily it hurt. It felt swollen in her chest.

She could have stayed like that all night, but she knew Katie could barely breathe as it was, so she reluctantly pulled away to ensure her friend was getting enough air.

Katie’s expression was vacant for a moment and Riley worried at her lip. She did not know a lot about human culture or their courting rights and mate rituals, but she had seen several kiss before so she knew it had to be within their customs. But Katie looked very stunned and had yet to say anything, so worry nipped at Riley’s gut and she licked her lips. “Is…is it okay?” she checked with a wince. She supposed it was too late now if it was not.

After another heartbeat or two, Katie shook herself and nodded. “Yeah, umm, sorry, you just surprised me. It’s okay. But I will admit I wasn’t expecting it. We were so young that…if you’ve had a crush all this time…how?”

“A crush?” Riley inquired. She assumed it was a human saying and not literal, because she had no desire to crush or otherwise harm her friend.

“Romantic feelings,” Katie clarified with a blush. “It’s just…I’ve actually never had a crush on anyone before, but certainly wouldn’t have understood those types of feelings when I was nine.”

Riley shook her head. “I did not know then either. The feelings came later, because of this,” Riley admitted as she pointed to the music player. “All my life, songs and music have been a very unpleasant experience. I know every song of my people and my mother had me sing them over and over until I lost my voice. I had to be perfect, and even that was rarely good enough. But your music…I was always drawn to the songs humans sang, with all the extra sounds, the umm ‘instruments’? It was unlike anything I had ever heard. And the best part was that my mother hated it. Called it unnatural and ugly. She never wanted me to sing it. Finally, I had a beautiful thing all my own that she could not sour or take from me. And you gave me that gift, gave me the means to carry it with me and remember what I used to love about songs.”

“I’m glad it meant so much to you,” Katie whispered. “But I’m sorry to hear what happened when you were a kid.”

Riley chuckled. “It does not matter now. I would listen to the music you gave me whenever I was alone, and it always made me feel better on the worst of days. But the more I listened to the songs…the more it felt like I was getting to know you.”

“Really? How?”

Riley shrugged her shoulders. “The songs all had different tempos and tunes and messages,” Riley explained. “Some were similar, others vastly different. But the one thing they all had in common was that you had picked them. I could imagine the ones you listened to when you were sad and the ones you might have sang with when you wanted to be happy. I tried to guess which ones would have been your favourites and I just remembered you every time a song came on, felt like I was getting to know you through each melody. And the more I listened and learned, the more I wanted to be close to you and find out if my assumptions were true. I realize that my interpretations are not going to be entirely accurate, nor are they something I would ever expect you to match. I want to know you for real, but my feelings for you flourished from the young girl I met and all the choices she made.”

It felt odd to pour the thoughts she had kept hidden in her heart. Some part of Riley felt like she had just draped herself into the mouth of a hungry crocodile and was just waiting for the jaws to snap shut. Her heartbeat continued at an erratic pace and she found herself picking at her scales as she searched Katie’s face.

The other girl did not speak, but her pursed lips and crinkled nose made Riley suspect she was processing the information. “You fell in love with me through my music playlist?” she clarified.

Riley flushed but nodded. “Is…is that a bad thing? I do not know much about how humans court or choose their mates.”

Katie’s cheeks were inflamed too, but she reached forward and grabbed Riley’s hand. In her chest, Riley’s heart flipped at the contact. “It’s not a bad thing,” Katie assured her. “It’s sweet…a little unusual, but sweet. It’s just…” Katie trailed off and looked away. “I do like you, Riley, I’m incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done for me and I value your friendship, and I really want to spend more time with you, but…”

This time, Katie did not continue speaking and Riley frowned. She twisted her palm up so she could curl her fingers around Katie’s. “What is it?” she pressed.

“I just…I didn’t have something like you did to develop affection from afar. For a little while, I believed you were a figment of my imagination. I just don’t share your feelings. I’m open to it, I really am, but-”

Riley decided it was best to cut her friend off before she spiralled, so she placed two fingers against Katie’s lips. “Katie, it is okay. I did not come with any expectations of you. Just your friendship is enough, I promise. I needed you to know. I could not keep it buried in my chest any longer. But Mer mate for life and that is a heavy commitment I would not ask or expect of you like this. I want time to be your friend and learn who you are as you are now. I do not need you to return my feelings, I just want you to be okay knowing that I have them.”

Katie’s eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled. “I am,” she agreed. “I want to get to know you too, Riley. I want to hear all your stories because it sounds like you have great ones to tell. I want the chance at a proper friendship and honestly? I would be open to the idea of a romantic relationship in time, I just don’t want to string you along or anything.”

“What does that mean?”

Katie tapped two of her fingers together and sighed. “It means giving someone false hope. Making you think I might return your feelings when I don’t. I don’t know if I will or not and I don’t want you to wait and hope and be disappointed.”

Tears were glistening in Katie’s eyes, so Riley leaned forward and hugged her tightly. “I do not need you to return them,” she reminded. “All I need is your friendship.”

“Well, you have that,” Katie decided. Her arms came up and embraced Riley back.

Riley’s heart stalled in her chest and she gulped at the lump that formed in her throat. She squeezed Katie back as tightly as she dared with her sick friend’s breathing ailments, and began to purr deeply as she enjoyed the embrace.

“Oh!”

Riley pulled away abruptly at Katie’s exclamation. “Are you alright?”

Katie nodded. “Sorry, I just didn’t know that Mer purred. You’re like a scaly aquatic cat!”

She did not know what a cat was, but Riley found herself ducking away from the comment. She was not sure if it was a good or bad thing.

“Could…could you do it again?”

Riley’s head jerked up at the comment. “Purr?” she checked.

Katie nodded. “Yeah…sorry, is that rude to ask? It’s just that when you did that…it was actually a little easier to breathe.”

“It comes naturally to us when we are happy,” Riley admitted. She watched Katie flush and duck her head. “If it helps you breathe more clearly, I would be more than happy, but…are you sure you would be comfortable with that?”

Katie’s face fell and her eyes widened as Riley spoke. “Oh…Riley, I’m sorry,” she pressed. “I didn’t mean to make you think I wasn’t comfortable near you or with physical affection. I trust you, I am comfortable with you. I just…don’t have an answer for you right away.”

Riley leaned back forward and embraced her friend again. “You do not ever need to,” Riley assured her. Her heart ached to say it. She wanted a deeper friendship with Katie, but she also hoped for more than that. She pulled Katie closer and resumed purring. It was not hard. With Katie leaned against her, she had little control over the rumbling reverberating in her chest cavity.

Against her, Katie murmured softly and nuzzled into her. “It’s so soothing,” she whispered. Her breathing did sound better, so Riley made an effort to deepen the strength of the vibrations she was emitting. She wanted Katie to relax and get some rest so that she would recover. Riley’s purring was only a temporary solution.

The longer Riley purred, the more relaxed she felt Katie grow until her breathing was almost normal and she fell completely limp against Riley. The effort had worn Riley out as well, and without truly thinking about it, she rolled onto her belly and nestled down on the bed. Katie was sprawled out over her back, but the slight jostling did not seem to have disturbed her. She was loosely hugging Riley’s tail and drooling softly. Riley could feel the moisture rolling down her back and scales. It felt odd, but she did not mind. She was just glad that Katie was finally resting.

A wide yawn parted her lips as she settled in and closed her eyes.

***

“Riley?” The voice and the sensation of fingers brushing her shoulder startled Riley awake. Her eyes opened and she found Sophie leaning down to look her in the eye. It was dark now, which wreathed Sophie in a gray haze, but Riley could still see her fine. She had been sleeping so deeply that she had not heard Sophie approach. Normally she was more alert than that. At least she was comfortable here. She trusted Katie, and she was rapidly growing to like her friend’s mother too.

“Hmm?” she hummed to acknowledge the woman so that Sophie would know she was awake.

“I’m sorry, hon, I didn’t mean to wake you. It’s just getting late and I’m concerned about you. Are you okay to be up out of the water this long?”

Riley hummed and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered so that she would not disturb Katie. “I am fine.”

“Okay. Did Katie fall asleep on you? Here, let me move her for you.”

“That is okay,” Riley refused as Sophie moved to grab Katie. “She is fine.” She yawned and lowered her head back down against the soft wraps. Being up in the air still felt strange, but Riley certainly enjoyed how warm and comfortable the bed was.

“Alright, I’ll see you both in the morning. If you need anything, I’m just in the next room over, alright?”

“Okay,” Riley agreed.

She closed her eyes, only to reopen them again as Sophie placed a hand on her head, and then her lips pressed against Riley’s brow. “Get some rest,” Sophie whispered.

Riley purred softly in response. She watched Katie’s mother slipped back out. Her eyes felt heavy as she settled back down. She could not stop the smile that touched her lips. She definitely liked this place.