Inside the house, Zane directed Lewis and Cleo to a large guest bedroom on the second floor. He showed them where to find the bathroom and told them to help themselves to anything in the kitchen. After making sure they were settled in he left them to sleep, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Rikki was waiting for him in the hallway.
"So..." Zane began awkwardly. Rikki had never spent the night with him before. "Did you want to sleep in my bedroom? Or you can stay in your own room, of course." Now he was stammering. "I mean, you can do whatever you want, I just thought-"
Rikki cut him off. "I'd love to stay with you, Zane."
Zane nodded towards a door at the end of the hall. He took Rikki's hand and led her to it. He opened the door and stepped aside, letting Rikki enter first.
Rikki had been in Zane's room many times, and the inside never ceased to surprise her. It looked nothing like she'd expected. Zane's room was warm, it was painted a chestnut brown. He had pictures on the walls, mostly of Rikki. The bed in the center of the room was draped with a cream colored bedspread. Rikki enjoyed being in his room, it was very comfortable to her.
Rikki stepped inside and turned to Zane as he closed the door.
"Here..." Zane walked over to the oak dresser against the wall and pulled open a drawer. He took out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and gave them to Rikki.
"You can't exactly sleep next to me in those wet clothes." Zane said.
"Thanks." Rikki said. "I'll just pop across the hall and change."
There was a palpable tension between the two. However romance would have to wait until a time when they weren't under so much stress.
Rikki changed into the clothes in the bathroom and knocked on Zane's bedroom door before reentering.
"Come in." Zane said. He too had changed into some comfy clothes for sleeping.
Zane pulled the comforter back and climbed under the cool sheets. Rikki followed him. Zane clicked off the bedside light and pulled Rikki close to him.
The two laid there in the darkness together, not saying anything. Both were thinking about how good it felt to finally be able to relax a bit with each other. A few minutes passed by before Rikki spoke up, quietly.
"Are you asleep?" She whispered.
"Not quite." Zane answered, his eyes closed.
"Tell me the truth." Rikki paused. "Why did you leave us today?" Rikki spoke in an easy tone. She wasn't angry, but she needed to hear his answer.
Zane sighed. "I don't know." He spoke to the ceiling. "I freaked out. I had to escape."
"You were afraid?" Rikki asked.
"Yeah, I was afraid." Zane turned his head to look her in the eyes. "I was afraid. But I'm not anymore. Trust me, Rikki. We're going to get through this mess and we're going to get everything fixed. And then," Zane took Rikki's hand in his," We're going to go back to just being us. In love."
Zane gave Rikki a long kiss. Rikki pulled herself tightly to him. Eventually Zane ended the kiss but held his face close to Rikki's.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you." He whispered.
Rikki didn't say anything, she just tucked her head into Zane's chest and closed her eyes. Something about today had changed Zane. She had never heard him speak so genuinely. They had always been a close couple but now she felt closer to him than ever before, and she liked it. She hoped to get her fin back, but she also hoped that whatever had changed in Zane would stick.
The pair were sound asleep withing minutes.
Cleo laid awake in the bed she shared with Lewis. She was flat on her back, her open eyes stared at the ceiling. Lewis was beside her, sound asleep and snoring so loudly Cleo was sure the others must be able to hear him through the walls.
Hard as she tried, Cleo could not relax enough to fall asleep. Thoughts kept racing through her head. What else didn't they know about being mermaids? What could happen next?
Cleo rolled onto her side. They had been so sure they had everything figured out, and now this had happened. Cleo's thoughts were filled with questions that she didn't have answers to. Once again Cleo tried breathing slowly, trying to coax herself to sleep, but it didn't work. She decided to use the time to brainstorm. If her mind was going to race anyway she might as well put it to work figuring things out.
Bella lay, alone, in a third bedroom. She had been waiting up to see if Will happened to join her, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. As hard as she tried, Bella simply could not find any happiness in the boys having tails. She admired the fact that Rikki had adapted to their situation so quickly, but Bella could not feel the same way. She was miserable. Watching Will enjoying himself in the water with her fin made her upset. She didn't want to be around the group anymore. She didn't know how she felt about Will right then.
Bella closed her eyes tightly, clearing her mind of thoughts of the day. It took several minutes, but she eventually drifted off to sleep. She tossed and turned most of the night but managed to get some rest.
The sun rose into the sky, shining brightly into the windows of the house.