Nobody But You

Chapter Five: Under the Metal Roof

*EDITED*

Our clothes are soaked after five minutes of walking. Ace lets go of my hand to push the wet strands of hair out of his eyes, and then he loosens the straps on the backpack before taking my hand into his warm grasp again.

At the end of the driveway, I turn to look at the house. My heart falls when I see the waves crashing against the side of the house.

So many memories in that house. Aidan kissed me for the first time on the private beach. He told me he loved me for the first time in the same lounge where I told Ace how he died.

Looking at Ace's hand in mine, I wished for the world to wash away my memories of Aidan. I was ready to let him go. I couldn't keep living with him clouding every moment. I couldn't keep seeing his death.

Worst of all, I had to get the image of his dead body out of my mind.

Ace tugs my hand, getting my attention, and pulls me toward the road away from the drive. I look back at the house one more time, and through the thick rain, I can almost make out Aidan standing by the front door, his brown curls flat from the water. He's smiling and waving.

With a heavy heart, I turn and take one step away. Another step takes me out of view of the house. Another step, and all I can think about is Ace's warm hand grasping mine.

Thinking about Ace is better than thinking about saying goodbye to my dead ex. The warm hand in mine is a reminder that Ace is here protecting me, and Aidan is my past.

***

We don't talk for a long time. I'm shivering, and since we've left the house, his hand has gone cold, and mine is numb. I just hope he doesn't let go.

Another thirty minutes pass by slowly. I've never been one for exercise, especially walking miles. My Converse aren't the right shoes for all this walking. I glance at his feet to see a pair of black Timberlands. He isn't wearing the right shoes either.

I'm hungry, and my feet hurt. Blisters have formed along my heel and under my toes from rubbing against the wet fabric. The rain has lightened to a drizzle, and the sun fights against thundering clouds, but never wins.

He's gotten us onto the A1A now, and we're walking toward Atlantic Ave, in hopes of finding a shelter, or even a sign for one. Hope flickers inside my cold heart when I see a gas station in the distance. "Do you think anyone is there?" It's the first thing I've said since we left. My throat is dry – a sip of water would be so nice.

"No. But we can rest under the overhang for a few minutes. We need to eat and drink something." It takes us another thirty minutes to reach the deserted overhang.

There's a decent-sized dry spot where we sit down and rest our legs. I close my eyes, enjoying this moment. I take off my shoes next, and while he's going through the bag, I'm able to see the clothes aren't too wet. I'm grateful that I'll have something to wear when we reach the shelter. I'm so cold and long to change into something warm.

He hands me a bar, then pulls out a water bottle. After taking a long sip, Ace hands it to me, and I quickly bring the bottle to my lips. The cool liquid goes down my throat smoothly. I didn't realize just how thirsty I was. When I pull the bottle from my lips, he's finished his bar, so I hand him the water bottle back. There's still a quarter left.

"Are you sure, princess?" I nod, and he doesn't ask again, bringing the bottle to his lips. I watch his Adam's apple move as he swallows. The more I watch him, the more I notice just how sexy he is.

Sometimes he makes the word 'princess' sound so lovely, and others, he says it as though I'm some stuck-up snob who should be in a huge palace. I wish he were consistent, so then my heart would make up its mind about him.