Chapter 45
Sully and his bandmates decide to finish recording their new record in LA before flying home. One of the songs sticks out from the album, and Sully suggested a music video to help promote their music after canceling their European tour.
As they plan the video, Sully smirks at me and shows his band something on his phone. The four of them stare at me. My skin itches under their inspection.
“Why do I feel like a zebra about to meet the wrath of a pride of hungry lions?” I chuckle, gritting my teeth.
Charlotte walks over and circles me. “Sully showed us the video he took of you at the restaurant.”
“As a mermaid?” I ask, voice barely above a squeak.
“It’ll be okay.” Sully captures me in his arms. “I already see the music video in my head. Do you trust me?”
I pause, meeting everyone’s gaze. They nod, encouraging me, and I fold faster than a house of cards in a high wind. “Yes.”
The song is about a long-lost love reunited. The band plays together on a stage on the beach, where the story follows a mermaid who is in love with a human. Sully plays the part of the human, and I’m the mermaid.
The mermaid calls to her human love every night from shore, but he never shows up. Then he’s seen coming off a plane. He sees a postcard of the ocean, and it calls to him.
The words, “She longs to see me, but I’ve been gone so long. How will she recognize me with everything gone so wrong?” are sung when the mermaid is caught in a wave and dumped onto the beach tangled in a fishing net.
He frees her, and they hold each other. The video zooms out and cuts to black.
Ben is already editing that night, and it’s online within twenty-four hours. I hold my breath as I watch the final cut at home.
Alice crushes my bones in a hug. “That was epic! Right, Emily?”
Emily smiles over the rim of her wine glass. “Yes. A great twist on a classic love story. The song is catchy too.”
Alice bounces on the couch cushion like a child. “You’re about to go viral! I can feel it!”
Sully steps out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. “What’s going on?”
Alice rips the phone from my grasp and rushes over to show him. “Your music video already has five hundred thousand views!”
“Damn. And Amy thought we needed her. Ben is better at PR than she ever was.” He high-fives Alice.
Emily swirls the rest of her wine in its glass, saying, “We need to celebrate.”
The four of us go to The Pearl Kingdom for dinner. I couldn’t think of a better place to enjoy the spoils of the music video than the place that helped me most.
A shy little girl hugging a stuffed blue octopus wanders to our table while we’re drinking and enjoying appetizers. I wipe my hands on a napkin and press a finger to my lips to pause Alice’s story. To the little girl, I ask, “Hey, sweetie, are you lost?”
She shakes her head no and points to the water tank by our table. “I know your secret,” she says softly and looks around. “Promise I won’t tell.”
“Awe,” Alice says, running her fingers up and down Emily’s arm. “She’s too cute.”
I lean closer to the little girl and smile. “Thank you. Who’s your friend?” I tap the octopus’s head.
“Ollie,” she says, hugging the stuffed animal tighter.
A woman rushes over, taking the girl’s arm. “Holly, there you are.” She picks up the girl and smiles at us. “Sorry.”
I wave. “Don’t worry. She’s a cutie pie.”
The woman eyes me, and then her gaze flicks to Sully. “I’m sorry, but are you in the video ‘Soul of Mine’?”
Is this what it feels like to have fans? What an odd sensation. My stomach flips as my heart races.
“Y…yes,” I finally say. It comes out more like a question than a statement.
“I love that song,” she says, and the little girl drops her stuffed animal.
I pick it up and stand to hand it back to her. “She’s really a mermaid,” Holly says, then covers her mouth, “Sorry.”
The mom looks at me, and I motion to the tank. “I’m one of the mermaid performers here.”
“You perform beautifully. I work in marketing. I’d love to meet with you sometime.” She sets Holly down and digs into her purse, handing me a business card. “It was nice to meet you.” The little girl waves as they return to their table.
I fall back into my seat and flick the card like I’m someone famous. “How about that?”
“Didn’t I call it? I knew those Tarot cards were right,” Alice says, raising her glass. “To Veronica!”
Sully kisses my cheek before raising his glass. “It’s hot seeing you meet fans, but do you think you could find the band some love, too?” he jokes, winking.
I shrug. “I’ll try.” I click my glass with everyone, and we finish our drinks.
When we return home, Alice checks the music video again, and it hit over a million views. Sully group texts the band the good news. The exposure is helping them thrive as well.
I scan through the comment section, and every doubt I had about Sully and me wash away. The fans are rooting for us. They love us together, and now I want to share the pictures of us from the mermaid shoot. They are even using the hashtag "Verlly" for us.