Amnesia || l.r.h

Chapter Eight: The Water

(( Continuing from the last chapter; Luke's POV ))

I rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs. The door was standing wide open, the late spring air spilling into the room. Nervously, I dialed 9-1-1 on my phone, hesitant to press the call button. I held the vase firmly in my hand, making my way to the kitchen.

A dark figure appeared in the low light from the nearby lamp. Their body was slumped over the counter, head in their hands. The smell radiating off of them was clear alcohol mixed with intense cigarette smoke. I easily recognized the person.

"Jesus, Matt," I breathed, under my sigh of relief. It was only Emy's father, probably too wasted to even remember where he'd come from. "I almost called the police on you."

He barely noticed my existence. His face was tear stained and voice chipped with sadness. "I-I'm sorry," he muttered, not making any attempt to look at me.

I offered him a sad look before reaching into the refrigerator and grabbing a full water bottle before setting it down in front of him. He raised his eyes to focus on the water. "Why—?" He began to ask, looking up at me.

"It's so you don't hangover," I admitted, pulling up a seat up beside him, my hand on his back. "What happened?" I don't know what it was about about Emy's life, but I felt the need to fix all of it; including her broken father. He was very clearly a strong man. He never seemed to neglect his daughter even though he was obviously struggling to move on from his wife.

I'd never seen a man look so broken. He seriously must have loved Emy's mother with everything he had. "I don't know," he said sadly. "One minute, I was walking around Sydney, the next, I was drunk outside of the Sydney Opera House..."

"Why there?" I asked, opening his water for him and holding it close to his face. He needed to drink it. He didn't need to feel this in the morning... and Emy didn't need to see it either.

He took the water in his shaky hands. "My wife; she preformed there so many years back, when Emily was just a bun in the oven. She always said she wanted to go back there once again. But, she died before being able to realize that dream." His voice cracked, betraying him at the end of his speech.

I think I felt my heart do the same. "That's why you moved Emy here, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly, putting the drink to his lips and taking a long sip of it.

I sighed slightly before Matt timed in once again. "Luke," he said, clearly and seriously, his eyes staring back into mine. "You care about Emily, I can see that."

I nodded slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. He took a deep breath and continued. "I need you to be here for her then..." he began. "Emily has always been so to herself about everything. She hardly lets anyone in. I fear she's taking her mother's death a bit harder than it appears on the surface. But, every time I bring it up, she shuts me down. I think she's trying to spare me...

"Just please," he continued. "Look after my baby. She's really all I have left, and I want her to be happy; really, honestly, happy. And I think she can be that, with you. I trust you to take care of her; don't let me down."

***

Okay, so my dream went like this:

Water was rushing around me. I couldn't breathe. I tried to kick my legs but, to no prevail, I continued to sink. I could never keep my head above the thick current.

I tried to cry out for help, but each of my screams went unnoticed and muted. I couldn't use my voice to beg for someone to come save me.

As the air became thin, I knew these would be my last moments. Defeated, I let my body sink, slowly down to the sandy bottom. There was nothing but utter darkness around me. I knew if I could cry, I would be. I didn't want to die, not yet. I wasn't ready.

I suddenly remembered all I would be forced to leave behind if I died. There would be no more AskEmy replies. I'd never be able to help anyone ever again. There'd no longer be anyone for Lucy Perkins to poke fun of anymore. I imagined her trying to pretend that we were the best of friends to a news crew who wanted to document the tragedy that would be my death. I'd never be able to see my father again. What would this do to him? He was already so utterly destroyed over mom's passing, I don't even wanna think about what loosing me too would effect him. And lastly...

I could never see Luke again.

My heart sunk just as my body had at the thought. Call me selfish, but I didn't want to have to say goodbye to Luke so soon. It didn't take long for him to weasel into my heart and implant himself there. We'd have no more picnics, no more movie days, no more beach trips... He'd never have to sneak us into 'Williams' Law Firm' again...

The ache in my heart was so prominent as I laid on the sandy floor in the complete darkness, holding, what was, my last breath. Accepting defeat once more, I shut my eyes feeling colder than I ever had been before.

"Emily," I heard clearly in the brisk silence. I knew the sweet, calming voice instantly.

Mother! My mind screamed, my voice unable to be projected. My eyes shot open, searching for her. Begging to find her sweet face within the nothingness of the water.

"Emily, you're time has not yet come," her voice echoed softly in my ears.

What? My mind asked, my eyes still searching, straining in such dim lighting.

"You will join me, here on the ocean floor..." her voice cooed. "But that day, isn't one that will be coming anytime soon." With those last words, my mother vanished, leaving me to feel just as cold and lonely as I did before. That is, until, two strong hands wrapped around my body and pulled me back to reality.

My breath caught harshly in my throat and I coughed, all air rushing back to me in a strong burst. It took me a moment to fully understand my surroundings. I was in my room covered in cold sweat. I was sitting in Luke's lap, his arms wrapped around me with my head resting in his strong shoulders. "Emy!" He said, strongly, his hands on my back.

It was then I realized I had been crying. "W-What?" I asked, totally dumbfounded. Half of me was in a trace while the other half had some sort of firm grasp on reality.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, pulling my face away from his shoulder to look at me. Luke looked exhausted, dark bags already formed under her shining blue eyes. But, even if this state, he looked beautiful.

I nodded slowly, understanding that what had just happened was some type of nightmare. I quickly wiped under my eyes. I'd never felt more childish, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing. Everything just seemed so real. Like I truly was at the bottom of the ocean with my mothers calming voice cooing in my ears.

"What time is it?" I muttered through my tears, my throat hoarse.

"Five thirty," he admitted. He looked caring and concerned. I nodded as a response, feeling my tears still coming and set my head down into his chest; listening to the rhythm of his heart beating. Luke just held me, his hands gently rubbing my back. He didn't say one more word, but just let me cry into his shirt. 

It was in that moment I knew, that I had fallen in love with a boy named Luke.