LUCKYSTAR

Ilyas folded the newspaper in half, letting it flop onto the table in front of him with little more than an annoyed sigh and rustle of paper. The coffee shop around him bustled with people. It was claustrophobic but after a thousand years of dealing with them, the mer had long since realized humans didn’t understand the concept. Still, the person who ended far too close to his table made his eyes narrow. “Don’t take this the wrong way–” every word dripped venom “–but you should stand a little more to the left.” Away from his table.

Elisa gave him a flat stare as she tucked her phone back into her pocket. “You know I would,” she began, her own voice dripping with sarcasm. “But there’s not quite enough room.” Geez she hated people like that.