Then Patrick appeared. Patrick who was kind and lovely, who she could have loved in a different life. Lastly, she thought of Reed. She wanted so badly to make things safe for Reed. She never could, and part of her never could really think of a future without him. In a snap, all the light went out.
In the pure silence of darkness, she began floating away.
Chapter 34
Ari floated in the darkness with no concept of time. It could have been hours, days, or years. It didn’t matter. In that darkness, she wasn’t cold or scared. A silent numbness poured over her mind, protecting itself, floating in a cocoon of warmth and peace.
After some time, the safety started to melt away. Pieces of the darkness broke away, making way for dreams. Dreams were not always a safe place for her. Maxim’s face, frozen in anger, stared at her. Unable to move or run, she was forced to watch the man she tried to kill. She had no idea if she accomplished it.
Then the face morphed, and the dreams became more like memories. Her life flashing before her in snippets, like a puzzle with pieces scattered all over the board. They didn’t go together right, but she recognized some of them.
She picked out her father first. Tall and strong, he smiled at her. “Ariana.” The curl of the “r” rolled around his mouth and it was the first sound she heard for as long as she could remember. He didn’t say much else, but kept her small hand inside his, keeping it safe and warm. She wasn’t alone.
Then a particular face kept reappearing, turned sideways, inverted, or something just perfect. It was him. There wasn’t a name to that face at first, but she knew that he was special. The curve of his jaw fit her hand perfectly. The twinkle in his eye made her smile. She ached to touch his soft lips, but for some reason she couldn’t reach that far.
She couldn’t remember his name, but that didn’t matter. Something in her was tied to this perfect face. Leaning into the sound of his voice, she could almost feel the touch of his soft hand against her face. With that single word, her insides warmed, and she realized she was home.
Chapter 35
One Year Later
Waves crashed at the shore, startling Ari out of her thoughts. Not that she could remember what stole her attention. Maybe she was napping again. As the water pulled back out to sea, she rubbed an arm absently. The sun began its descent behind her, and a slight chill blew in from the ocean.
Someone from behind wrapped a blanket around her. She jerked back to see who it was. She shouldn’t be that easily surprised.
“Sorry, I thought you may be cold.” Reed’s voice wrapped around her, doing more to warm her inside than the blanket.
“Thank you.” She lifted her chin in demand.
A demand Reed was more than happy to fill as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He left too soon and sat in the chair next to her. His hands reached out to her feet and placed a sandy bare foot in his lap.
“How’s the ocean treating you today?” His kind smile lit the whole beach as he asked the familiar question.
“It’s happy today, but I think it’s getting restless.”
“A storm coming in?”
Ari shrugged. “Maybe.” She turned back to the sea and they watched in silence.
The past year had been a series of waking up, or re-learning life all over. When things got too overwhelming, she came to the ocean. Its rhythmic pushing and pulling reminded her that it didn’t have to all come today.
They say she was lucky to be alive. She didn’t remember what happened but had pieced together the past year from what others say over dinner. Blur and Ari both slipped into VR comas. They had enough credits on their card that no one kicked their unconscious bodies out for a day, which was enough time for Marco and Joe to find them. Rumors confirmed Maxim’s death. That was a good thing, they told her.
Blur woke from his coma first. He didn’t have as much trauma. He and his sister lived not far from Ari and her family. They came over sometimes. Tricky was trying to learn how to surf. Ari remembered watching her freeze in the harsh cold. There was no surfing today though.
“You’re right. Tricky is coming over on Sunday,” Reed replied.
Ari didn’t realize she spoke that last part out loud. “Who’s here today?”
“Your mom and Sue are cooking soup. Sketchy is working on the shed.”
“Sketchy is always working on the shed,” she replied to the familiar comment.
“Yes, and maybe one day it will be complete.”
She rubbed a spot on her knee. A familiar scar but she couldn’t remember from what. Agitation crept into her arms as she struggled to recall the accident but couldn’t. Rubbing her arms, she tried to change the subject.
“Don’t you have to work?” she asked. She couldn’t remember when he came back into her life or why. He was gone and now he was back, a warm comfort she couldn’t image life without.
“I finished my work for the day. Now I’m enjoying the view.” He kept his eyes glued on her.
“Marco?” She remembered Marco. He brought Reed back, sneaking off on VR trips behind her back. Marco was sneaky like that. “Marco brought you back, right?”
“Yes, I came as soon as I heard what happened.”
“Your mom hates me.”
He chuckled. “No, she doesn’t. She happy living with Tom, and I’m happy here with you. Marco’s still out working with Joe. He’ll be back in time for the holidays.”
Panic gripped her as her heart sped up. “He’s not going back in the virtuals, is he?” She couldn’t remember why she should be worried, but her body responded with fear.
“It’ll be
