Once dressed in warm clothes, I step out of the shower just as Zarius leaps up from the bed where he was sitting. I forget that his tall, muscular figure takes up most of the space here, which is why when his head hits the ceiling with a loud bang and the RV rocks once, the noise startles me badly.

"Zarius!" I stare wide-eyed at him. I don't know whether to laugh or worry. "Is your head alright?! You almost put a hole through the roof!"

He's bent over slightly, tilting his head to look at the dent he has made in the roof. "I'm perfectly fine. I did not even feel anything."

Laughing, I suggest. "Maybe you should sit before you end up putting an actual hole in the roof."

He nods, agreeing with me, and sits back on the edge of the bed. My stomach is growling. I pull out an energy bar and munch on it. At the same time, I'm rummaging through cabinets and the fridge in search of food. There's a camper lantern hanging right by the door, and I switch it on. Who would have left this van behind instead of driving away with it? But then again, the electricity is out, so maybe this thing can't run at all. I'll have to figure it out later.

At least there's some food. Speaking of this, something else perturbs me. "Zarius, I haven't seen you eat before. What do you normally eat?"

He watches in mild curiosity as I pull out cans of beans, soups, crackers and a box of cereal. "Fruits and sea vegetables," he mumbles. "We only need to eat once a week."

I grimace. That doesn't sound appetizing to me at all. "What's the longest you have gone by without eating?"

"A fortnight, at most."

"And when was the last time you ate?"

"It was before I surfaced," he answer quietly. "About six days ago?"

This doesn't sound good. Some of the perishable food, like tomatoes and bananas that I've found, are already giving off a rotten smell. In the fridge, there are a couple of milk packets, but they've expired. The last thing I need is getting diarrhea in this apocalypse. "Honestly, I was expecting you guys to eat something tastier. Like salmon sushi nicely placed on a plate, but I would suppose that's not happening if merfolks are allergic to seafood."

His brows pull together into a frown. "What's a so-sheet?"

"Sushi. It's...a piece of fresh salmon on top of a roll of rice with seaweed wrapped around it?"

At my gibberish, he gives me his best judgmental look but I wave it away. "Ah yes!" I bring out all the raw potatoes that I can find and place them in a basket. "Glad we found these. They aren't spoiled yet."

Zarius stands slowly and moves closer to me, crouching so that he's looking over my shoulder. He looks so uncomfortable and claustrophobic in this space that I feel sorry for him. "And what's next?"

His breath tickles the side of my face. When he's this close, my heart skips a beat and flutters madly. "And we roast them," I explain. "But we need to build a fire. You have never tried potatoes before, haven't you?"

As Zarius shakes his head, I gather the items; a portable fire pit, charcoal and metal tongs. I wrap the potatoes in some foil that I find stashed in the back of a kitchen drawer. If I'm able to feed a merman, I better do it right. I've to blow his mind away and show him that human food tastes better than any sea vegetables.

But there's one problem.

I can't cook inside the van without blowing it up.

"Zarius." I blink once, hesitant. "Is it safe to go out? You said the monsters aren't around?"

He stares out of the window, scanning the area outside. The pale moonlight illuminates the side profile of his undaunted face. "Yes," he confirms. "I cannot sense them around, but we can never predict their moves. I would prefer not to risk your life until daylight is upon us."

"How about this? If you sense them coming, alert me and we'll hide?"

Zarius pauses briefly, as if he has been hiding something from me. "Perhaps we can wait for the sunrise? I'm not hungry now."

I put down the basket of potatoes, fear spiraling through me. "What's wrong? Is there something else that I should know about?"

"It's..." He drops his gaze rather awkwardly. "It's the dead humans outside. I tried to move most of them behind some trees. I do not wish for you to witness such a sight."

"Oh..." My voice falters as an image of the bloody street I've witnessed on the first day rattles my mind. I'm never getting used to seeing dead bodies, but to think that Zarius is actually sparing a thought for my mental well-being warms my heart. "Alright, I'll listen to you. But we still have about eight to nine hours to go. What do we do before that?"

He blinks at me, his lips curling into a small smile. "We talk."

"That's fine with me!" I grab a can of soup and a metal spoon before settling myself down on one of the small cushioned seats. This sounds like a normal thing to do—just talking. I'm going to imagine us chatting over dinner, minus the candles and warm dinner. It has been too long since anything feels normal. "But let's talk about you. I'm dying to know more about you and your people."

My enthusiasm has him cracking a smile. "Ask away."

This is the first time where we really sit down and finally have a heart-to-heart talk to each other. I crack open the soup can and dive right into the cold soup. So many questions are swarming my head, but the first one that blurts out of my mouth, strangely, is this?

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

The moment I say it, I regret it immediately. Did I really just do that?!

Confusion colors Zarius's tone. "Girlfriend?"

"It's like a female-like companion who means more than a friend," I explain, wondering if he has caught all my rambling words. "Like romantically, but not yet married to each other. Ugh!" I throw my hands up in frustration. "How do I explain this?"

An amused smile works its way into his lips. "Ah. You mean a mate," he says. "A lover to spend the rest of my life with."

"Yes." I gesture towards his sharp jawline and handsome face that looks like it's carved out from a sculpture of Poseidon himself, but minus the thick beard. "Given your looks, I figure you might be Mr. Popular among your people."

His brow lifts in amused puzzlement. He has taken a cushioned seat opposite me, one that barely fits him. He leans towards me, our knees touching and making me acutely aware of his touch. "The way we court may differ from humans," he shares. "We do not just simply court anybody. We search for our mates."

I straighten my back, wholly interested in this whole magical bond thing that I've only seen in movies. "Search? Like how?"

Zarius considers his words for a moment. "You remember the sirens? The ones who sing the Song of Death to human males?" I nod and he continues. "We merfolks are rather fond of singing as well. It also helps aid in the search for our mates. When our voices reach their ears, we resonate."

I'm dumbfounded in awe. "Wow... Resonate?"

"Yes. They say when one finds his mate, a special mark appears on their skin. Identical ones. This is how they identify each other."

I freeze before placing my half-eaten soup on the table. My hunger's long gone. I've a bad feeling about this and I hate where this conversation is heading towards. "A-A mark?" I croak, feeling uncomfortable suddenly. I try to keep the disappointment out of my face, but barely. "Like the one on the back of your neck? So you have a mate, after all."

His eyes glow in the dark like blue lightning striking across the night skies. "I do, but she does not know about it."

"Why not?"

He pauses, his face torn. "It is not the right time. Complicated, especially with this...havoc."

He's right. How can someone possibly harbor the idea of dating in this apocalypse? While millions of beings–both humans and creatures–are dying out there, there's no time to develop feelings. Even I shouldn't be overriding my priorities right now by developing feelings for this drop-dead gorgeous merfolk sitting before me.

Earth to Delia.

I lower my gaze to the hem of my shirt, pulling out a loose thread. My voice comes out nonchalant as I push away my feelings. I shouldn't be this bothered, but I am. "When you see her again, will you ever tell her?"

Something lodges in my throat. I can feel his stare burning through me, but I'm afraid to look up. If I do, I fear that my disappointment and bitterness would show through the cracks of my armor.

Have I seriously fallen for Zarius just days after meeting him?

He doesn't answer my question right away. Instead, he reaches for the ends of my wet hair, threading through them with his fingers. Unaware that my heart rate has skyrocketed.

"Perhaps in time, I will," he whispers. "And I sincerely hope she will accept me by then."