Chapter 28: Acceptance
Ember Corbin
I had been trying to talk to Lance since his father came by, but I just couldn't find the right timing since he wasn't looking at me at all. There was this time when Lance made me a cup of coffee, I was about to call him out, but he just quickly walked outside, pretending not to hear me.
"Lance has been looking after us ever since we started riding. How come you're still not melting?" Maria teased me when we were riding a speedboat in the ocean. Despite the season being cold, it was sunny enough for a boat ride.
I smiled at her and looked in Lance's direction over my shoulder and caught him staring at me. I smiled at him faintly, but I doubt he saw that since he averted his gaze at the very moment, I looked at him. That was what I was talking about. He was avoiding me.
I wanted to punch him for that, and also for not telling me about Alena and his brother's upcoming wedding. Turns out that Elian proposed to her on Christmas, and the next week they found she was pregnant. They were going to get married by the end of this month because Alena didn't want to have a baby bump during her dream wedding. She texted me all the details and also invited me to her bachelorette and wedding. Meanwhile, look at Lance!
"Argh! He's not meeting my eyes, and I just can't figure out what I should do. I mean, I'm the one who's supposed to be mad here." I pouted, and Maria giggled. She knew that I was mad at Lance, but I would never tell anyone the reason. Our problem should stay between us.
"I know he loves you," Maria suddenly spoke again and caught me off guard, almost slipping off the edge. Already the fast speed of the speedboat was making me dizzy. "His stares, and everything he's been doing secretly for you it's... something else. Something that a normal person won't do for their acquaintances."
My eyebrows furrowed when she said it secretly, but I didn't ask. "I know he loves me; I don't need him to prove that. It's the one thing I won't doubt him about. It's just unexpected things happened, and now everything is falling apart." Especially me.
I really wanted to go back and teach the children in kindergarten. I missed them so much. Did they fire me from my job? Oh gosh, the job that I loved the most would be gone forever?
But more important than that, was I going to lose Lance? Could I even live without him? If I were not to forgive him ever and stick to the past, I would lose him. What good would that be?
I know that I didn't know the Lance from the past, but I knew the him from now. He was a nice person; he loved me wholeheartedly. He never hurt me intentionally. He always protected me.
What he did in the past shouldn't be the decider of his fate, not after he gave up what he cherished the most for me.
And even if... he was responsible for the destruction of my happy family, he did what he had to. He didn't know me back then. He was the new leader. Killing is what he doesâno, did, he wasn't in the mafia anymore.
But to be honest, none of that matters to me in a way. Maybe I was madder that he hid the fact from me. I didn't know why that was the case. Probably because I loâ
I was lost in my thinking when Maria took a harsh turn, which caused my balance to loosen and slip off the railing into the freezing water with a yelp.
Before I knew it, water was invading my lungs as I sank into the water. For a moment, I thought I would just die from the bitter salty taste and cold sensation of the water.
As I kept drowning, I only regret never learning how to swim. My eyes started to close as I heard a distant voice calling my name before darkness consumed me.
###
My eyes fluttered open to the sight of Lance hovering over me as he breathed oxygen into me through my mouth.
Am I still alive? What happened? Wait, I drowned, and now Lance is giving me CPR.
I instantly coughed up the extra water in my stomach while Lance started to rub my hands.
"Ember, are you okay?" he asked in a desperate tone and rubbed my back gently to help ease me.
I nodded, though I was still having a hard time stabilizing my breath. I noticed that we were at the shore and he was soaking wet like me, both of us wrapped up in big fluffy towels which were probably given by the lifeguard. God, he will always be my rescuer, won't he?
"We should take you to the hospital." He started to take out his cell phone in a hurry, but I stopped him.
"I-I am fine."
"The water was really cold. Are you... sure?" His voice got a little broken as he asked that, and I nodded. "Thank goodness," he heaved. I rubbed my face and looked at him to find tears slipping out of his eyes. My heart clenched at the sight.
"Lanceâ" I was cut off by him pulling me into a hug.
"I'm so glad you are okay," he said while I remained shocked. "Be more careful, Em. You scared me to death," his tone was a little rebuking, but it softened as he uttered, "I can't lose you."
I couldn't help but smile as I tiredly raised my hand to pat his back. "Thank you for saving me."
As if he realized something, he pulled apart from the hug and looked into my eyes with his teary ones. "I, uh, I'm sorry." With that, he got up and let Maria, who I hadn't even noticed until now, wrap another towel around me.
I watched Lance walk away without turning back, calling out to MatÃas to get me to the room. My last thought before I fell into the water resurfaced, and it made my heart flutter.
"Are you still going to be mad at him after that?" Maria asked.
I only smiled and simply said, "Just you watch."
I'll get you back, no matter what, Lance. Because I love you.
___
Lance Storm
After I made sure that Ember was alright, I walked out as soon as I could. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable with my presence. Not to mention that I was breaking out in tears.
Because God, my heart stopped beating when she fell into the cold water. She was just talking to Maria, and all of a sudden, she was drowning. It was like she attracted dangers like a magnet.
I decided to catch a breather somewhere far out of Ember's sight because if I saw her again, I would probably pull her into a hug again. I didn't want to break our truce. I wouldn't see her unless she wanted me to.
I changed into dry clothes before entering MatÃas's house. I was going to go to the room I was staying in because I was still getting chills from that cold water, but I wanted to check up on Ember first. I wanted to make sure she was okay after what happened today. I wonder if she caught a cold from the cold water.
I subconsciously pulled my cell phone out and typed the doctor's number. She said she didn't need a doctor! She will be fine. But what if she's not?
"God, I'm going crazy." I rubbed my face frustratedly and wanted to squeeze Ember tightly in my embrace every time the event earlier crossed my mind. What if something terrible had happened to her? What if I wasn't following her on the speedboat? And what if she still caught a fever?
After a few minutes, having enough of my worries, I decided to check on Ember, but before I could even step on the stairs, I saw a bunch of rose petals scattered on it, making a path.
I hesitantly followed it since I didn't know who made this for who. What if I was going to ruin someone's special night? Because of course, this wasn't meant for me. I mean, who would do that for me? No one I wanted to.
I wanted to stop and just go to Ember's room, but there was something telling me to keep going.
The rose path ended at the terrace door. I put my ear on the door to check if someone was there, but I didn't hear anything, so I slowly turned the doorknob and opened it.
The sight in front of me was magical, I knew it was not a word that I often used, but that was the only word that could describe this. There was a table in the middle of the small terrace, there were a bunch of dishes in there, and the candles were lit, giving the rooftop a romantic vibe.
But that was not what made everything magical. It was the girl standing behind the table wearing a long white dress that made her skin color stand out. The lights from the moon and candles were reflecting on her smooth, beautiful face while she was smiling at me.
"There you are, Lance! Where did you go? I was really worried. Not to mention, the food went cold because of you, and I got so hungry in between that for a moment, I almost started eating without you. But good gracious that I didn't! Otherwise, how weird would it be if I already finished eating after going through the trouble of preparing all this for you," she talked in a breath, and God, did it feel nostalgic to hear her talk nonstop like before.
"What is this?" I asked in awe that made her smileâa smile that made my chest feel warm after weeks.
"I made this for someone to whom I owe my life. Without him, I wouldn't be here, but rather on the rock bottom of the sea like Jack from Titanic." I almost chuckled at her attempt to joke, but I was too caught by what was happening. "You know, I thought that you wronged me, and I'm the one who's supposed to be mad. I even said that I hated you. But look at us, I'm the one who's giving my efforts so that we can make up. So tell me now, are you going to turn your back on me again?"
I was literally at a loss for words. This... was too much to take in at once.