He had not blinked. Since the waiter had left, he had not taken his eyes off her. It felt as though Stefani could disappear like magic if he closed his eyes, and he would be disappointed once again. He still could not believe what was happening. Then Stefani smiled, causing his stomach to contract.
"Now let's walk along the beach, I have a present for you," she said.
Bradley raised an eyebrow, trying to imagine what it could be. He got up from his chair and helped her up from hers. In the blink of an eye, they were already walking on the sand by the sea. Once again, they did not pay attention to the inquisitive looks that everyone was giving them. They did not care about anyone else but themselves.
They were holding hands, in silence, just feeling each other's presence and listening to the waves of the sea. The cold morning wind crashed against their bodies, but they did not care. They just wanted to stay there, together.
Until Stefani stopped suddenly...
"Are we far from the hotel?" she asked.
"Not really," he encouraged her to keep walking. "Come on, let's go somewhere else." They kept walking ahead until Bradley guided her towards the sea, following her intuition. "There's a step on the next one," Stefani raised her foot and hit a solid structure. "It's a kind of seaport, where yachts, fishing boats, and anything that sails leave from."
They walked to the end of it and stopped. Bradley wrapped his arms around Stefani's waist with his arms and pressed her tightly against his body, hoping to receive a warm embrace. To his delight, Stefani gave him one. It was a tight hug, where many sensations flowed freely through both of their minds. Unfortunately, some memories came back as well.
Bradley took a deep breath, savoring Stefani's scent as he buried his nose in her hair. The moment of truth had arrived; they could no longer delay their goodbyes.
"What about my gift?" he reminded her, stepping back to look into her eyes.
"Ah, yes!" Stefani laughed and moved away from him. She bent down slightly and retrieved something from her jeans, which was tied to her ankle. Bradley chuckled at her ingenuity, and Stefani noticed.
"Oh, I didn't want you to see it before. I had to tie it with a string. These bell-bottom pants made it easy to conceal. You didn't even notice..." she referred to her wide-legged pants.
She stood up, still hearing his incredulous laughter, and presented the gift in her palms, extending them for him to see.
Bradley's smile immediately faded as he gazed down at the giant shell in his hands. He swallowed hard, wondering why Stefani had given him such a thing.
"I found it on the beach while we were boating," Stefani explained. "Specifically, when we were leaving... I stepped on it. I don't think you noticed it in your haste to leave, so I kept it inside my life jacket."
Bradley felt a pang of embarrassment as he asked, "Why did you give it to me?"
Stefani laughed and said, "So that when you hold it to your ear, you can hear the sound of the waves...and it will remind you of me," Bradley remained serious, overcome with emotion. He looked at the shell, then back at Stefani.
Her laughter faded as she explained, Hearing the sound of the waves calms me down a lot when I'm upset. I hope it can do the same for you when something goes wrong. Stay calm, breathe, and listen. Let the sound penetrate your mind. And whenever you hear it, you'll be mentally back on this island, where nothing and no one can reach you. Where there is nothing but happiness."
"With you?" Bradley asked.
Stefani raised her eyebrows, surprised, then opened a shy smile. "Well...with whoever you want to be."
"With you," Bradley said, smiling.
Stefani's hand went to his face, and she leaned in for a gentle kiss. Bradley held her tight, not wanting to let go.
"What if I hadn't arrived in time, Stefani?" Bradley asked, referring to her suicide attempt.
Stefani felt tears welling up in her closed eyes. She didn't want to disappoint Bradley, but she couldn't tell him about her problems or weaknesses. Her blindness was blamed by her family for all their troubles, and she didn't want to reveal her vulnerability to Bradley. Instead, she remained silent and held onto him tightly. They both knew that their time together was limited, but for that moment, they were happy.
"This time, I never wanted to die as much as before," she admitted, her voice trailing off. She didn't want to burden Bradley with the details of her struggles, nor did she want to reveal how close she had come to giving up. But after a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "Do you know why I chose the sea?" she asked.
Bradley perked up at the sound of her voice. "No, why?" he asked.
"Because it was the only place where I felt completely happy," she replied, her fingers stroking his back. "But now, I feel happiest right where I am, in your arms."
Bradley felt his heart skip a beat. If Stefani continued speaking, he knew he wouldn't be able to let her go. He hugged her tighter, lost in thought. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he closed his eyes and kissed her again, his hand entwined in her hair. They both knew it would be their last kiss, but the intensity of their connection only seemed to grow stronger.
As they pulled away from each other, tears glistened in Stefani's eyes. They both knew that they would never forget this moment, and the unspoken promise they made to each other as they walked back to the hotel was that they would always hold it close in their hearts.
When they reached the spot where they had first met, Bradley turned to Stefani and took a deep breath. He knew that this was the moment when they would have to say goodbye. "Blessed be fate for putting you in my path, Miss Germanotta," he said, gazing into her eyes. "Blessed be God for finding you here and saving my trip. And blessed be your gaze, which saw me better than anyone else, and helped me discover parts of myself that I never knew existed."
Stefani smiled, touched by his words. She knew that she would always cherish the memory of their time together, even as they moved on with their separate lives.
"Blessed be your soul, Bradley, for making me believe in what I once doubted...for making me believe in myself." With one hand released from Bradley's grasp, she cupped his face with her own hand, tracing the lines of his features with her fingers, etching them forever in her memory. "Thank you, Mr. Cooper... for rescuing me from the abyss of darkness."
Bradley's throat constricted again, and tears welled up in his eyes. He shut them for a moment, trying to contain his emotions. Once more, the image of Stefani lying on the sand flooded his mind...and he pinched his nose, gasping for air. He brought her hand to his lips, lightly brushing the back of it with a kiss... He didn't want Stefani to notice the quivering of his hands or lips...he had plucked her from the sea, and by all that was holy, he didn't want anyone else to do the same... Stefani, more than anyone else, deserved to be happy.
Opening his eyes again, he fixed his gaze on her beautiful face, which struggled to maintain a smile and hold back the emotional tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. He realized that he was expressing his gratitude to her there...for giving him the chance to experience everything he went through with her. This realization filled him with immense peace, and he smiled contentedly before gently releasing her hand.
Stefani noticed him moving away and felt a hot tear roll down her cheek. Nonetheless, she maintained her smile even though the sea was all that lay before her.
She was happy... simply for being alive and having had the opportunity to meet him.
Life was full of surprises, and Stefani realized that it was worth living to experience them.
An angel once said, "There is only one life here on earth, and it is this life that must be lived..." An angel whose light had illuminated her destiny.
THE END
I know some of you are going to hate it, but that is the end. I like happy endings, but since the begining I knew this end would be a sad one.
I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I liked writing it. I am already planning a new one.
Thank you for all likes and comments.
