Damaged Memories

Part 4

The blood pumped through Grace's veins, feeding her thumping heart as the salty beads of sweat trickled down her spine. It had been months since she had run that fast and she finally felt alive again as she flopped down onto the bench seat and looked out to the Pacific Ocean below. She could see the amusement rides on the Santa Monica pier in the distance and beyond it the sandy coastline stretched off into a spit on the horizon as the sun rose up over the cliffs behind her, shining the first rays of sunlight onto the rolling ocean below.

Grace had been living in Los Angeles for a week and she'd been out running every day, eager to get back into some sort of routine. She and Michael frequently exercised together in Australia, jogging down Bluff Beach in the dark early mornings before work, but since he'd passed away she hadn't felt the motivation to keep fit anymore. That was until she met Patrick Hail. After their encounter on the plane her spirits had been boosted because she was certain there had been chemistry between the two of them. Although it had only been a very fleeting moment in time, their meeting had given her hope that perhaps one day she would again meet someone who loved her just as much as Michael did. And if that time did in fact come, she wanted to be the best version of herself that she could be.

She reminisced about the flight and smiled, remembering his genuine grin and his strong arms, daydreaming about having them firmly wrapped around her waist. She wondered what he would be doing at that exact moment and wished that whatever it was, she was beside him. Then she laughed out loud at her stupidity. She was on another planet if she thought she'd ever end up romantically involved with a movie star – there was no way that someone like him would ever be interested in someone like her. They were from completely different worlds and even though their worlds had collided briefly, the reality of them ever crossing paths again was basically non-existent. Sighing at her realisation, she slipped the headphones back into her ears and stood up, heading back to the stony track before she broke into a jog for the run home.

When she reached the apartment half an hour later she headed for the kitchen in desperate need of some cool water. Emma and Sam's modest three bedroom apartment was located in trendy Venice Beach and had cost them just over half a million dollars when they'd purchased it five years ago. It had been run-down to say the least, but over the years they'd transformed it into a chic and stylish home. The freshly polished hardwood floors stretched from one end of the apartment to the other while the décor was clean and bright, fresh white paint covering the exposed brick walls that were home to exquisite paintings and photos from their past. The living, dining and kitchen areas were completely open plan now and their style was apparent by the selection of eclectic furniture. Matching white two-seater leather couches sat in the lounge around a marbled wood coffee table that looked like a large oblong box, and six white vintage bucket seats accompanied the wooden dining table that previously served as someone's front door. It wasn't a huge apartment, but it was a place they could call home and an asset that was bound to make them a sizeable profit when they eventually decided to sell.

Emma was relaxing on the leather couch, her head on one arm rest and her feet up on the other. When she glanced up from the newspaper she waved out to Grace. "How was your run?"

"Great! That lookout out over the beach is spectacular, you should come with me one day."

"Me? Run? Ha-ha very funny Grace," she said glancing back to the paper, looking completely disinterested.

Grace smiled and gently shook her head as she poured herself a drink, wondering why she'd even bothered to ask – the word running was not in Emma's vocabulary. She enjoyed yoga and walking, but anything more strenuous than that she happily passed up. Not that she needed to exercise religiously anyway – like Grace and her parents, she had been genetically blessed with a tall, slim frame. It wasn't the only feature they shared as sisters either, Emma too having long dark hair and proud cheekbones. Her eyes however she'd inherited from their father, a deep brown like the colour of bitter dark chocolate and people would often say that's how they distinguished between the two sisters who looked incredibly alike. Grace begged to differ though. If people looked closely enough at Emma they'd see all the features that Grace didn't have – a rounded button nose, a widow's peak and thin lips that she always wished she could trade for Grace's plumper ones.