❤

Two days passed since that night on the beach. Aaron kept his distance. He didn’t want to scare her off or push her back into her shell. She smiled at him whenever she saw him and he usually waved back and went his way.

It was their fourth day on the island. The guards decided to set up a beach volleyball game. Sam and Elaine were lying in the sand some distance away from them.

“You said we had a fight and we didn’t talk to for a while?” Elaine said as she glanced at Sam who was reading a magazine.

From the past two days Elaine has slowly stepped out the shell. She willed herself to try harder, for her own sake and for the ones who cared for her. It was damn difficult but she was done disappointing the people who were trying to reach out to her.

Sam kept the magazine aside and sat up straight.

“Yeah we did.”

“What was it about?” Elaine sat up as well and faced her best friend.

“I told you I was going to adopt a baby. You know Will and I had decided to adopt. We had already put in a file. I had made the necessary changes and sent in the file again.”

“Yes I knew you both were planning on adopting but he is not longer around Sam. You will be a single mother.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to be with someone else.”

“You are wearing a wedding band?” Elaine leaned forward and grasped her hand.

“Yes. I am getting my last name changed to Sparks”

“What? Are you sure I lost my memory for only a week?” Elaine asked

“So we can make jokes about the memory loss now?”

“Sam, I am serious. I…look I am myself not able to think straight right now…” She ran a hand through her hair and looked at Sam.

“Are you sure about all of this? This is your whole life you are talking about.”

“I have never been surer. There will no one else for me except for Will.”

“I am with you” Elaine said as she hugged Sam.

“This place is really working for you isn’t it?” Sam said through tears as she hugged her back.

“I guess it is” Elaine said quietly as she watched Aaron walk up to the guards.

They stopped the game and then Aaron said something to them gesturing with his hand which was followed by laughter; a moment later Aaron joined their game.

Elaine watched him play. He was wearing navy shorts with a white t shirt and had his shades on. He eased right into the game.

“He is a sight to look at isn’t he?”

“Says the woman who just pledged her eternal love to my brother”

“Look at you getting your sass back.” Sam said as she laughed. She studied Elaine and the slight smile on her face as she watched Aaron. Sam knew something happened between them and whatever the hell it was Sam was sure as hell glad for it.

“Hey I will be right back. Restroom break” Sam said and Elaine simply nodded in response.

The next moment was a slow motion. The ball flew their way and landed short of Elaine’s feet. The guard came running towards her.

Elaine scrambled and stood up, her legs shaking. He was coming. The darkness started to edge on her vision and she felt the constriction wound tight around her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

“Are you alright Miss?” The guard said and with an intention to steady her, he grabbed her arm.

Elaine screamed on top of her lungs and her legs buckled.

“SAMANTHA!” Aaron yelled for Sam as he ran towards her. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” Aaron yelled at the guard who immediately stepped away. Elaine crumpled to the floor and curled into a fetal position, sobbing.

“Elaine…” Aaron fell on his knees next to her but kept his hands to himself.

“Love, look at me, you are safe, please…”

Elaine whipped her head in his direction and her gaze settled on those grey eyes. He was here, she was safe.

“You came…” She whimpered

“Yes I am here love” He held out his hand and Elaine grabbed onto it like it was her lifeline and Aaron gathered her in his arms.

Sam walked out onto the porch and saw Aaron carrying Elaine in her arms.

“Oh my god! What happened?” Sam ran up to them.

“A guard came up to her and she had a panic attack”

“Is she okay?” Sam asked looking at her in Aaron’s arms.

“Yes she is fine. I need to get her to her room.”

“You want me to come?”

“I will call you”

Sam nodded and a stepped back. This was a breakthrough for them. She didn’t know what happened at the beach but Elaine had finally let Aaron in.

Aaron carried her down the corridor and into her room. He gently laid her down on the bed and brushed her hair back.

“You are feeling okay?”

“I am so sorry. I don’t know what happens…I…”Elaine let out a sob.

“Shh…it is okay love…” Aaron said as he pulled the cover over her.

“Thank you…for being so patient…” Elaine whispered. She rolled onto her side and looked at Aaron who was sitting at the edge of the bed and looking at the floor.

“I don’t remember us but that doesn’t mean I never felt anything. I just wish I could remember it. It must have been something special to flourish in such a short time.”

“It is special” Aaron looked at her. She reached out her hand and he held it between his own two. It was like coming home.

“I am sorry for putting you through that pain. I never meant to push you away but it is this fear that creeps up on me. I can’t control it. It is like I am…being pulled down under…it is like he is coming back for me and I can’t stop him”

“I won’t ever let him come anywhere near you again. I will protect you even at the sake of my own life.”

Elaine smiled at him and looked at their interwined hands. She was waiting for the panic to start.

“You were talking about a dream...”

“I started having these dreams. It was a man who was always around and I felt so safe and loved being around him. He had grey eyes just like yours and he would hold me and thank me for saving him and then the other day at the beach I realized it is you in the dream. My brain may have forgotten you but my heart remembers.”

Aaron kissed the palm of her hand and Elaine closed her eyes at the contact, waiting for the fear to grip her but it was only a slight increase in her heartbeat.

"I said those words to you the first time I realized that you meant the world to me. I had tried to push you away but you came back and accepted me" Aaron told her. He then remembered Sam talking about her nightmares.

“Sam said you had nightmares…”

“These dreams I had about you…they usually ended with me not able to find you and then he would come…”

“Franco?”

“No…I mean I know it was him that night but in the dream it is this man without any face and he just…it gets so cold and I can’t feel your warmth anymore.”

“You don’t have to worry about him. He is in jail and will stay there for the rest of his life and I will make sure of that.”

“Do you know…what happened that night?” Elaine whispered like she was afraid to ask the question.

Aaron stilled when he heard the question. What if she blamed him for not showing up? But he couldn’t hide the truth from her. She needed to know.

“It was supposed to be our first date but I had a last minute…issue and I had to fly out of the country. I tried calling you so much and left messages but your phone was going straight to voicemail. I am so sorry Elaine, only if I had come---”

“No…please don’t blame yourself…it was my ex fiancée…I thought I knew him…”

“But---“

“No, you can’t take the blame of something you didn’t know was going to happen. When did you find out?”

“Next morning…Jesus Elaine..I…have nightmare of that day…I thought I had lost you…I..” Tears escaped his eyes as he recalled that day.

Elaine pulled aside the cover and sided up next to him. She wiped the tears from his cheeks.

“But you came…and that is all matters to me.”

“I love you…”

Elaine simply placed her head against the crook of his neck and let him place his arms around her. The panic started building up but she closed her eyes and soaked up his warmth and his familiar scent.

Aaron didn’t expect a reply from her yet but he knew they had come a long way.

Soon Elaine dozed off against his chest and he tucked her back in and sat on top of the duvet, holding her hand.

She laughed as she spun on the barstool. He laughed at her.

“Let’s eat something” He said. She looked at this steele grey eyes.

“No I want to sit here you go get something”

He returned with the food and picked her up from the barstool. She threw her arms around her neck and placed her head against his chest. She felt the familiar chill creep up her spine and she looked up it was Franco. It was him.

“Miss me, Dolcezza?”

“NOO!”

“Elaine! Love, it is just a bad dream! Wake up!” Aaron gathered her in his arms and rocked her back and forth as she settled down.

She calmed down when she felt his familiar warmth and she realized she had finally found her safe place.

❤