Destined to be?

Chapter 48

Sarah

Sun was set high in the sky but the rays weren't overbearing and with the wind blowing it was nice.
What was also nice was being able to talk.
Actually talk without thinking or worrying about too much information coming out or having to constantly think of ways out of a conversation.
We have been walking the park for about half an hour now with Amara in tow behind us, making sure that I keep a good amount of distance so that she couldn't overhear.
You of course think that it's hilarious, how i had my own personal bodyguard.
Which is not all it's cracked up to be. Understanding why in all the movies the famous person tends to skip out on the person assigned to protect them.
Claustrophobic is a good word, lack of privacy, and again like an animal at a zoo.
Someone whose life does not belong to themselves. Is there a word for that?
Then again I'm sure that I will miss even this when she leaves.
I know where she is going and she will have her phone so i can contact her any time i want but even with that she wont be here.
We will be apart again.
Something Ms. Jensen said before jogging in my memory. "Maybe it would be good for you to get some space from her." The 'her' referring to my best friend and at the time I thought that she was crazy. I mean she is my BEST friend and we had plenty of time apart so why would i need any more.
It's not like I was expecting to be attached to her hip my whole life so I knew that there were going to be times when we would be apart. That doesn't mean that i wasn't going to miss her and wish that we could still be together but that also doesn't make me a bad person for also wanting time away.
The only thing is now I think that I'm beginning to realize what she meant.
Truth is I do act differently around her, I act differently around everyone. Weather it's because I am trying to make sure that others don't worry about me or because we get stuck in a moment where my disappearance makes a very random appearance and all the emotions resurface.
With you.
With you I don't have to worry about any of that. I don't have to hide because you have already seen me at my worst, at my angriest and saddest but you have also seen me happy. You've made me happy.
I don't have to hide anything with you. I can just be.
Maybe that's why this. Us. Feels so normal.
Why I couldn't seem to get you out of my head all those months because something deep inside me knew that we had formed this connection. A connection that goes even deeper than love my heart already has for you.
Crooked grin on your face, hair growing the tips of your eyebrows. Skin kissed by the sun with a body that shows years of hard work.
Everyone passing by would just see a good looking man.
Not one of them would have any guess as to the torment that lies just under your shirt or behind those eyes.
Then again the same could be said for me. Even if they recognized my face or knew my story. That was one of memory loss, the girl who was reunited with her family, the attacker still unknown.
Right now I was just a girl walking with her date in the park.
Quickly I poke a finger into your side and take off before you have time to react.
Laughing in the wind as I change direction in hopes of throwing you off but I should have known that you could read me better than that.
Strong arms wrapping around my waist lifting my feet off the ground as you spin the both of us round in circles.
Hearing your clear whispering breath in my ear. "I'm not letting you get away from me again."
This felt nice. Feeling your firm chest press into my back, the closest we had been to each other since the night I tried to cut you out of my life completely. Your scent enveloping me, heat flowing wherever your skin touched mine. Traveling up my arms and under my shirt, your breath tickling my ear.
It would be so easy to just turn my head and press lips against yours. To become totally lost in this moment I would have to if I hadn't seen a slightly concerned wide eyed best friend speed walking over to where we were.
This was only our second date.
Kissing now would be, well, inappropriate.
Opening my mouth about to say something when I hear your deep sexy voice spill out.
"Hello again Amara. Would you like to join us? I was just about to ask Sarah if she wanted some ice cream before I got poked in the side randomly." Nuzzling your head into my neck, I could feel the smile on your lips grazing against my throat.
Leaning my head, wanting you to kiss me there, even if she was watching.
Instead your hands slid away as you took a step to the side. That warm comforting envelopment was gone.
All I was left with now was our interlocked hands as we waited for amara to answer.
Hoping that she would say that she was fine and that she would leave, but that was a little too hopeful.
"I'll take a fudge bomb pop." She insisted with a knowing smile walking past us to where the ice cream truck was.
"What about you, what would you like?"
Checking over the list trying to figure out if I wanted an ice pop or an actual ice cream.
"Ill take a push pop please."
Ten minutes later we were sitting in the grass all enjoying our ice cream and besides the slight bit of unease I had in my stomach I was having a really good time.
Both you and amara actually seemed to like each other, she was pretty interested in what you did for work and you enjoyed talking about piecing together bits of wood, shaping them and prepping them talking about the whole process.
Liking some of the juices of my hand that leaked from the packaging I was the only one left with any ice cream left.
Amara finished her quick as always and you got an ice cream sandwich which was gone in two bites.
I was content, savoring the raspberry goodness as my two worlds seemed to begin to morph together.
"So Amara, what are your plans? Sarah already told me that she is taking some time off from school. What about you?"
Tongue pausing mid lick.
I had already informed you earlier about what she was doing but I had no way of knowing how she was going to explain her reasoning.
Was she just going to blurt out that she was choosing her major because her best friend went missing?
That's not something that someone would usually bring up on a date.
Like hey it's great getting to know you by the way i was kidnapped once.
Even if you were the one that kidnapped me ironically.
"Um yeah." Noticing her side-eye to me. Trying to gouge what she would say which is a first since she normally doesn't hold her tongue. "I'm majoring in criminal justice."
"Oh yeah. What's the goal on that?"
"I want to become a detective so that I can help families out when they are suffering through something traumatic. I want to be the one to make sure that every possible action is taken even past its regular ability and to be able to close a case with a happy ending."
Considering I knew just how you felt about cops and that whole community in its entirety I was a little worried about how you were going to respond even with already having time to process the information. Seeing the tension in your shoulders, veins slightly popping down your arms.
"That's a big job."
"It is but I'm ready for it. Of course getting that title will take some time but that will just give me more opportunity to make sure that I understand every aspect of the job and my role. As well as ways to work around the higher ups when needed."
At that you chuckled, actually chuckled and I saw your body relax again. "You know what Amara. I think that you will be a great detective. I mean you're already doing the job already. Going out of your way to make sure that your friend is safe and asking all those questions to get to know who i am. The system needs more people like you in it. More people that care."
If the people who came out to check on you all that time ago actually cared to do their jobs. If anyone of them actually paid attention including your school teachers then your dad would have been put in jail and you. Well you would have been put into the foster care system with the possibility of your life turning out much worse. Still there could have been the chance that you could have landed with a family that actually cared for you.
According to the stories that you told me, that was a very slim chance.
Even if that would have happened I'm pretty sure that you would still be here now.
you would have run away from whatever house they put in and still lived on the streets and built your life how you wanted.
Like you said all that time ago. Finding me was fate. Fate means that there is nothing that can happen that will change the outcome from happening.
"Hey guys. I didn't know y'all were coming to the park today."
Looking over at Brayden sauntering his way over as my heartbeat began to pick up, feeling the sweat bead out on my forehead suddenly too hot as if I had just ran a marathon in the desert.
Doing a quick side glance to amara to make sure that she didn't secretly invite him but she looked just as surprised to see him.
Amara i was prepared for but for you to meet my ex-boyfriend i was not.
How exactly was the conversation going to go from here?
"What are you doing out here?"
I asked hoping that the nonchalant tone I was putting out was covering the worry building at the pit of my stomach.
"Decided I needed a break from packing and that a walk would be nice. Didn't realize I'd be running into you two as well. Who's this?" He asks with a quirk in his brow not even looking at you as if you were just a random object that barely needed any acknowledgment.
Of course you were already holding out your hand to him, "im Eli."
Still ignoring you as he looked at of us which warranted a complete eye roll from amara.
"You heard him, he said his name is Eli. Eli, this is Brayden, he can be a jackass sometime but that's only because he grew up with them."
At the he settled down right next to me half layed down but still tensed in a way that he could get up quickly if he needed, eyeing you out of the corner of his eye.
"Well Eli. How exactly did you meet these two?" Laying his palm on my leg like he used to do when we were dating.
Was he jealous?
Brushing off his hand as if it was nothing more than an annoying fly catching the small sideways grin of satisfaction coming from you that somehow slowed my heart down but also made it beat twice as fast.
Listening to you explain our fake first meet to him until I heard you say the words. "I just couldn't take my eyes off of her, she is so beautiful i lost my words for a bit. I ended up running out the shop just to catch up with them so I could ask her out before I lost my chance."
I could feel the flush in my face knowing that I most likely resembled a tomato but I didn't care. Ignoring the heated stare I could feel burning into the back of my head I crawled over to you and positioned my back against your chest loving how perfectly i fit against you.
"So this is a date?" Brayden said not hiding that the news was like a slap in the face. Though it shouldn't have been. We have been over for awhile now and we were just friends. It shouldn't matter that i was dating someone else but anyone looking at his face right now would say otherwise.
Did he still have feelings for me?
Which would explain why he tried to lay claim to me earlier.
A question that I wasn't mentally prepared to think over mainly because I was too distracted from the kiss that you placed on my head and the warm tingles going down my spine.
His form seemed to tense even more as he saw me cuddling so openly with you right until he pushed himself off the ground awkwardly sticking his hands in his pocket looking in every direction besides me.
"Didn't mean to intrude, i, uh, i got to get back to packing. You know, make sure I got everything ready. See you later."
With that he was gone.
Telling myself that I needed to talk to him later to make sure he was alright. I mean he was moving away soon it's not like we were going to get back together and he will have plenty of other girls to choose from once he starts school. Soon enough he won't even recall this little meet and greet with any of the jealousy he was clearly feeling now.