Melody paced around her palace bedroom on land while her friend Maria watched her wear a hole in the carpet.

"What are you doing?" Maria finally asked.

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Alex." Melody's cheeks warmed.

"Ohhhh." Maria smiled knowingly. "You're finally going to tell him, huh?"

"Tell him? Tell him I like him?" Melody shrieked. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Because you've liked him for years now?" Maria suggested. "Because he's a great guy? Because I think he likes you too?"

"But I don't know that he does like me," Melody wailed. She collapsed on the bed next to her friend and tugged her ponytail anxiously.

"Of course he does." Maria waved her hand dismissively. "Look, what do you have to lose by telling him?"

"Everything?"

"No!" Maria gently knocked her friend in the arm. "You tell him and you'll realize that he likes you too!"

"But what if he doesn't?" Melody retorted. "I'd be humiliated! And we could never go back to normal. We probably wouldn't even stay friends. We'd both be too embarrassed."

"You are really jumping to conclusions," Maria told her. "My vote is you tell him."

Melody was silent. In fact, she was silent for so long that Maria thought her friend had fallen asleep.

"You really think I should tell him?" she finally asked.

"Yes. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Okay," Melody agreed.

"Really?!"

"Yes." Melody smiled nervously. "I…guess he deserves to know."

"Exactly." Maria grinned. "You're going to tell him tonight, right? After you have dinner at your grandfather's?"

"T-tonight?! What's wrong with, like, next month?"

"Melody." Maria groaned. "Look, why don't you practice what you'll say to him on me? Then I can give you pointers."

"Okay," Melody agreed. She took a deep breath. "A-Alex, I have to tell you something."

"Sure, Melody," Maria replied in a deep boy voice. "I'm all ears."

Melody stared at her friend, and they both burst out laughing.

"Sorry!" Melody giggled. "Let's try again." She took another deep breath. "Okay. Alex, there's something I want to tell you."

"Sure, Melody. What do you want to tell me?"

Melody breathed in and out, trying not to laugh again. "Well, I just…uh…"

"Don't stammer!" Maria squawked, cutting off the half-mermaid. "Be confident!"

"Right." Melody squared her shoulders. "I wanted to tell you that I, uh, I really like you. I've liked you from the first time we met, and I…I just thought you should know." She ended with a big, hopeful smile.

"Wow, Melody!" Maria-as-Alex exclaimed. "I'm so glad you told me. I really like you too! I've been wanting to tell you for a long time."

Melody smirked. "That last part was pure imagination."

"No, it wasn't," Maria countered. "That wasn't bad. We will keep practicing, and tonight, you'll tell him once and for all!"

Alex stared at the land palace that Melody (usually) called home. His friend Hector was sitting on a low pier in front of the palace, staring into the water at Alex.

"You like Melody?!" Hector shrieked unsubtly. "I had no idea!"

"Shhhhhh!" Alex hissed frantically. He leapt out of the ocean for a second to cover his friend's mouth. "Not so loud! She could hear us!"

"Well, we are sitting right in front of her house," Hector pointed out. "We could have met at a different pier."

This was true, but it barely registered in Alex's mind. He gazed longingly at the palace for the third time in the five minutes since he had met up with one of the two land-dwelling friends he shared with Melody.

"When did you start liking Melody?" Hector asked, interrupting Alex's thoughts.

"Uh…the first time I ever met her," Alex admitted sheepishly.

"Wow." Hector shook his head in awe. "So, are you going to ask her out?"

Alex squirmed, creating mini waves against the pier. "Well, I…yes! Yes, I am. No more hiding. I'm going to tell her I like her."

"You are?" Hector whistled. "That's brave."

"Well, it's about time. No more hiding. If I keep waiting, some other merman is going to snatch her up. I'm surprised it hasn't happened already. I mean, look at her!" His face reddened as he spoke.

"When are you going to tell her?"

"Tonight," Alex said firmly. "She is having dinner at her grandfather's palace tonight, and he invited me and my family too. After dinner, I'm going to tell her."

"Tonight? That's so soon."

"Well, I'm ready!" Alex declared with a confidence he didn't feel. He paused and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Um, Hector, do you…do you think she likes me?"

"I don't know." Hector shrugged. "But you'll find out tonight!"

After dinner that night at Grandfather's Atlantica palace, most of the dinner guests wandered away in small groups. Ariel and Eric went into the parlor with Urchin and Gabriella, Alex's parents. Melody's relatives scattered within the palace grounds. Alex and Melody smiled at each other awkwardly from across the dinner table. Triton's staff cleaned the kitchen around the princess and her friend.

"We should get out of their way," Melody suggested, standing up.

"Good idea."

They both rose from their seats but neither moved. Then, they both started talking at once.

"You go first," Alex told her, laughing.

"Oh, uh, I was just going to suggest we go for a walk outside. It's such a nice night."

Alex knew that humans often went on these "walks," unlike their finned counterparts, but he was used to it with Melody. He would go anywhere with her as it was.

"I was just about to suggest that!" Alex cried. "Let's go."

They started walking and were soon out of sight from the palace grounds.

"Uh, Melody…"

"Yes?"

"I, uh, wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Really?" Melody exclaimed, looking surprised. "That's funny. I wanted to talk to you, too."

"You did?" Panic set in for Alex. Is she going to tell me she is engaged or something? But he forced a smile. "Well, uh, go ahead. I'm listening."

Melody smiled at his polite deferment. "Didn't you want to go first?"

"Uh, no." Alex smiled. "I want to hear what you have to say first."

Great, Melody thought with a groan. She took a deep breath and thought back to her practice sessions with Maria. "Alex, I…I…"

"You…?"

"I…I like you!"

DUN DUN DUN! Read and review please!