Taura sat at the vanity while one of the maid’s stood behind her combing her long hair. Sehun sat on the bed watching the mermaid’s reflection as she stared blankly at her own face.

            She’d woken up to Sehun beside her. His arms wrapped protectively around her as he rested her head on his chest. She nuzzled into his embrace and could smell the ocean on his skin which made him feel all the more like home. Her fingers traveled across his broad chest until she felt the subtle pulse of a beating heart.

            Sehun stood up and crossed his arms when the maid finished fixing Taura’s hair. The young girl bowed to the two before leaving the room. Taura continued to gaze blankly at her reflection when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Sehun took the comb from the vanity and began combing through Taura’s hair, “You shouldn’t hide your face.”

            It felt like smooth silk on his fingers as he gathered it all behind her shoulders so he could make a braid. The mermaid had not spoken a word since she woke up. Sehun didn’t mind her silence but the lack of life in her face did. He finished the fishtail braid and swung it over her shoulder to show her his work. “There, now you can’t hide.”

            Taura reached up to touch her hair. She never liked her hair tied up but she liked what Sehun had done. A small smile formed at the corner of her pink lips. Something Sehun caught when he set the comb down and looked at her reflection. He smiled and sat down beside the princess on the bench with a sigh, “You have to come out of here, you know. You can’t stay in this room forever.”

            “I know.”

            Sehun turned the moment he heard her soft voice. Taura didn’t have to look at him to feel his gaze, his eyes radiated warmth that touched the places he looked at. She could feel her cheeks heat up and knew he probably saw them slowly turn red now that her hair was pulled back. The mermaid felt exposed.

            “Then what are we waiting for?” Sehun stood up, waiting for Taura to do the same, “Taura?”