Ways to Show Affection

Theresa remembered that Alice mentioned liking sweet things—whatever kinds of sweets that mermaids enjoyed at any rate—so Theresa thought it appropriate to expand her tastes. She held a bundle of treats and other supplies (and her shoes) in one hand and a lantern in the other as she waded through the waters of the cavern in which Alice was taking shelter. It was low tide now, and the water just cleared her ankles, soaking the hem of her riding dress. "Good morning," she called softly.

"Morning," Alice called back from her perch on a rock that jutted out above the water. The blanket Theresa had brought her was wrapped around her shoulders, and when she saw the human, she smiled widely. "It's early for you."

"Not too early," Theresa dismissed easily, joining Alice on the rock and setting the lantern between them. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," the mermaid replied. "Did you?"

Theresa nodded in reply. "I've brought you something," she announced.

"You don't need to bring me things," Alice murmured, bowing her head.

"I like to," Theresa replied. Truthfully, she found Alice's cautious curiosity with little things from her world charming. Once they got past their initial rocky first meeting, they'd been surprisingly close, and often traded little facts and stories about their peoples. "And I think you'll like these."

After a moment, Alice turned her head toward Theresa. "What are they?" she asked softly.

"Let me show you." Theresa opened the cloth and removed her shoes, and then—"This isn’t one of them, but it's a comb." She handed her companion a silver comb adorned with embossed flowers. "It's to style and hold a lady's hair."

Alice turned the comb over in her hands, studying it for a moment. "We have combs," she replied, running the teeth through her hair. "We use the spines of sea urchins." She brought the comb to the crown of her head and ran it through her hair once more. "Thank you, Theresa."

Theresa smiled warmly and continued to sift through her bag before pulling out a small paper sack. "You told me yesterday you liked sweet things, so I went to a candy store and bought a few kinds for you to try."

This held Alice's attention much more than the comb, which she laid next to the lantern before shifting to sit a little closer to Theresa. "May I see?" she asked, reaching for the bag.

"Of course." Theresa passed her the bag, the paper crinkling as it changed hands. "You can have whatever you like."

Alice murmured her thanks (in a language Theresa suspected was known only to mermaids) before peeking into the bag. "What is this?" she asked, pulling out a golden yellow piece.

"The butterscotch," Theresa answered.

Alice considered it, carefully turning it over in her hands and holding it up to the lantern light, as if she was inspecting a precious stone, before placing it in her mouth and crunching down on the candy. Immediately after, her facial expression softened significantly.

"You like it?" Theresa asked, a little eager for her opinion.

Alice nodded wordlessly, still sucking on the candy pieces as she pulled out a second piece of candy, a red and white striped peppermint. This, she reached over and pressed between Theresa's lips and into her mouth. At first, Theresa was surprised by the gesture, but then she felt Alice's fingertips against her lips, how soft and smooth they were despite her life in the water, and she saw her soft facial expression, and her heart softened significantly toward this strange, wonderful, beautiful girl.

They ate several more pieces, Theresa explaining the types as they encountered them and trading for their favorites (Alice favored the caramels most, and gave Theresa all of the licorice she encountered, which she didn't mind). When the bag was half empty, Alice stored it away with a few of the other baubles Theresa had brought her. After a moment, she returned to Theresa's side, moving with some difficulty due to her already weak tail being injured. "I have something for you, too," she said, her hands closed around something.

"A gift?" Theresa asked.

Alice nodded and opened her hands. In her cupped hands were pearls that had been carefully threaded together. "I found these for you—"

"You went swimming when you're not better?" Theresa cut off, looking to Alice's pale blue tail and inspecting it for further injuries.

"It wasn't far," Alice reassured, "and it didn't hurt."

"Okay," Theresa said slowly. "I suppose you would know better than I would." She reached over and tucked a few strands of Alice's hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I interrupted."

Alice smiled and shook her head slightly, dismissing the apologies, before tipping the strands into Theresa's hands and continuing, "I found these for you and strung them myself…" She bit her lower lip slightly. "Humans do find pearls beautiful, don't they?"

"We do," Theresa confirmed, lifting the end of one of the strands. The pearls were of average size, each a little differently shaped, all of them a similar shade of creamy white. "Alice, they're beautiful—" She embraced her, feeling her stomach flutter and flip in the most delightful way imaginable as she became aware of the other girl's curves pressed against her own—"Thank you."

"May I braid them into your hair?" Alice asked as she pulled away. "I… They would look beautiful in your hair."

"Would you, please?" Theresa requested, handing Alice the strands and turning to afford the mermaid access to her hair.

"I'll undo this braid," Alice announced, tugging the ribbon that held it free and shaking the other girl's long ginger hair loose. It was so soft, and smelled like some kind of land flower—and of the sea, and it made Alice's heart sing to detect the scent of the ocean on her. Theresa's long hair now fully loosed, Alice took up the silver comb and ran it through the strands a few times before tying it in a secure bunch at the base of Theresa neck, the strands of pearls in the middle of the bundle.

It was here that she began to work, weaving both Theresa's hair and the pearls around and over and under one another. After a moment, she began to hum, and then to sing, very softly, and Theresa understood why Greek sailors were so captivated by the songs of Alice's people.

After several minutes, Alice set a loop of pearls around the crown of Theresa's head and lowered her hands. "Finished," she pronounced, gently pulling a hand mirror Theresa had given her the other day over to allow her to see what she had done.

Theresa accepted the mirror and looked at her reflection. The strands of pearls disappeared and reappeared in her red hair, making the braid look studded with the gems. The end of braid had been secured with the excess, giving the impression of a pearl cuff. "Alice, it's beautiful," she whispered. "Thank you."

Color touched Alice's cheeks. "You're welcome," she replied softly, reaching up to run her fingers along the braid. "In my culture, when ladies braid gems and pearls into one another's hair… It's our way of saying we love each other."

The words caught Theresa by surprise, and when she met Alice's gaze, her expression was serious. "Do you love me, Alice?"

The mermaid hesitated, but only for a moment before the words came bubbling out. "More than I could ever say—I was hurt so badly and I tried to hurt you and despite all this you still cared for me and nursed me back to health and you bring me gifts and treats and—you treat me so much better than another mermaid ever could even though I can't swim—"

Anything else she might have said was cut off as Theresa impulsively leaned forward and kissed her, chaste but deeply meaningful. Her arms wrapped around Alice's waist and drew her closer, so that the mermaid was sitting on her lap. Alice gripped her shoulders for balance, though there was no danger of her falling from Theresa's hold. "That's good," Theresa murmured, breaking away briefly. "Because I love you, too."