Alarms go off, red flashes through the store and I take off with a handful of diamonds.

The busted door is my getaway and I know I have a few minutes before the police get here…

Running through the streets and ducking every time I hear a siren wail, the diamonds secure in my pocket.

The docks lay just ahead, cold and still in the night, and I leap into my boat and wait for him, keeping low to the water on my deck that just touches the surface.

He is always nearby, sometimes watching, mostly not. A few bubbles alert me to his arrival.

Did I mention my boyfriend’s a mermaid?

His glittering eyes smile at me as I relax and laugh a little.

“I got something for you.” I announce, pulling my loot out.

He doesn’t look too happy. “I told you, I’m fine with coral, or even stones.”

“It’s okay, I can always get more.” I grin, dropping jewels into his scaled palm.

“It’s not safe for you to do this… please, I hear that they can take you away. It’s nice -“

I press a kiss onto cold lips.

“Its worth it to know you will eat well.”

He eats the fine gems, even the chains are chewed. I can tell he enjoys them, and as the moon slides behind the clouds I lean back on the deck and hold his hand.