Forbidden: Lost

Chapter Four

The sun passed its peak as they approached the town. It had been a while since Vangelis put the top up. The last thing he wanted was for her to have to deal with sunburn. With skin as pale as hers, there was little doubt she would crisp in a flash.

She looked at the approaching buildings with a mixture of conflicting emotions. Excitement at the idea of seeing new sights. Finding something to trigger her memories. These feelings warred with the building dread of knowing who she was before.

"Listen, Vangelis, I need to tell you something." She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. "If things go wrong, for whatever reason, please know that I appreciate everything you've done for me." She turned in the seat to look at him. He had to see how much she meant it.

Pulling into the first parking spot he saw, he stopped the car and turned to her. There was a breathless quality to her voice that he didn't like.

"I don't know what kind of person I was before. I don't know if I did bad things. I don't know if bad things were done to me. I suspect both. But know that you have made a difference in me. Okay?" To her dismay, tears filled her eyes.

"Thea, shh. It'll be okay." He leaned forward and cupped the face she was trying to turn from him. "The person you are right now is good. That's enough. I doubt there's anything you've done that'll change what my feelings about the woman sitting next to me. The one worrying about how her past may make me see her."

She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to trap the tears. It didn't work and they slid down her cheeks. "I hate this. I hate this not knowing, hate that I could disappoint you. And, bad as it sounds, I hate that you have that power over me. I don't want to find out and have you look at me with anything other than kindness. And you will. I know you will."

He pulled her to him, closing the distance and cursing the console between them. He wanted to hold her. The best he could do was kiss her. Get her to stop saying the words that were making her cry. It was a gentle kiss, one meant to ease her mind.

Pulling his head back, he let her lean her head on his shoulder. Her tears were gone, but she shivered with sadness she had no reason to feel. He wouldn't change his mind about her. He couldn't.

After a few moments, she sat back and sighed. "Thank you. That's what I'm talking about. You have such a good heart. I hope I don't break it."

"It'll be all right. You'll see." He winked at her and a smile crossed her lips. It was small, but he'd take it. It was better than the tears that tore at him. "Come on, you're supposed to be dragging me into a thousand clothing stores. Then we'll have lunch and go for a walk. We'll deal with everything else as it comes. If it comes."

She laughed. "If you insist. Let's go."

He got out and walked around to open her door.

"Ah, a gentleman as well," she said as she took his offered hand. He helped her from the car and kept her hand as they walked up the sidewalk. Did she shop before? What did she wear, the other person that she couldn't see?

Thirty minutes later, she walked out in clothing that fit her. In desert heat, she wore a pair of shorts and a tank top. Flat sandals were on her feet and a baseball cap kept her hair back and the sun off her face.

Vangelis kept staring, she looked so different. The clothing she wore showed more than his robe and he wondered at the wisdom of his decision. So much of her skin was bare to him. His dream... Stop it, he told himself. Let the monster sleep.

"Now, food. I'm starving." She looked up at him with a grin.

"What kind of food do you like?"

She laughed. "No idea. Surprise me."