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I blink, but the image still doesn’t get clearer. Doesn’t change.
It’s her. Right in front of me.
But am I really here?
And where is here, exactly?
“Lock?” Her voice gives me energy, forcing me to come back into my body and stay conscious. Despite the pain in my body, I focus on her voice. Her scent. Her touch.
I can feel her … everywhere … on my chest, hugging me.
She’s here. She has to be.
But when I open my mouth, nothing comes out but a vague cough.
It’s as though I haven’t breathed on my own in days.
Like I’ve been struck by a falling tree.
But then I remember … the fangs. The sharp claws. And the orange striped coat of the animal that attacked me. Attacked us.
It came for her, so I stepped in to defend what was mine.
I didn’t care whether she told me to stay away or not; I had to follow her, had to know she was safe.
And when that beast came to take her, I knew I had to step in.
No animal can take the one thing I love from this world. The only person who can make me smile.
Jules.
My Jules.
My hand instinctively reaches for her face, but the moment I touch her, she jolts up.
It’s not a dream. She’s really here.
“Jules,” I mumble, my voice hoarse and painful.
Tears run down her cheeks as she leans into my hand. “Lock … I was so scared.”
“You’re here,” I say, still feeling like I’m not awake.
“Yes, I’m here,” she says, smiling gleefully.
I look around, but the lights immediately blind me. Fuck, what kind of place is this? “Where am I?”
“The hospital,” she replies. “You were hurt really bad.”
A hospital? That means I’m off the island.
“Don’t worry, the doctors here are taking good care of you,” Jules adds, swallowing. “You just rest.”
I don’t like it here, but if it means I’ll get better, I’ll stay … for her.
It’s quiet for a while before she opens her mouth again. “I’m sorry; if it wasn’t for me, you would’ve never gotten—”
I place a finger to her lips to silence her. “Doesn’t matter.”
Her smile is the only thing I need. The only thing I crave. Always.
And I heard every single word she said to me while I was out.
For some reason, I knew what was going on, but I couldn’t respond.
I could never let her know … how much I love her too.
So I pull her closer and make her kiss me, her sweet taste lingering on my lips. “I love you too,” I reply.
“What?” She inches back, her eyes widened. “But I never … Wait, you were …?”
A smirk spreads across my lips, and it’s enough to give it away.
“You could hear everything I said?” Her skin turns red everywhere, and goose bumps scatter on her skin the moment I nod.
“No denying it, Jules,” I murmur. “I know how you feel now.”
The look in her eyes makes me want to laugh, but it hurts too much, so I settle for a hug instead.
“Are you angry with me?” she asks.
I shake my head and smile back. “Angry? I’m alive, and my woman is in my arms. I have nothing to be angry about.”
She rubs her lips together, but that won’t hide the grin on her face. “I’m glad you’re back.”
I grab a lock of her hair and tuck it behind her ears, admiring her beauty. “I never left.”
Accompanying Song: “When She Came Back” by Max Richter
Lock
The doctors patched me up well. I don’t know what they did, and they used all kinds of weird equipment I’ve never seen before in my life, but it worked, so I’m happy. I never liked needles much as Father sometimes used them on me, and they hurt, but Jules told me it would be okay, and I trust her.
She’s a good woman, and I’m happy I found her.
It’s not often a woman falls from the sky, but I guess it was what Jules would call ‘fate.’
But even after everything that happened between us, I wouldn’t exchange it for the world. In fact, I would make the same mistakes over and over again if it meant meeting her again.
I’m certain of my desire to be with her, but I also know one thing stands between me and her being together.
This world.
Now that we’re off the island, she’s finally able to go home.
She gets her wish, but I’m not sure I can adjust.
I don’t understand their tools and technology. I know what a bed is, and a shower, but other than that, I never had actual technology in my cell when I still lived in Father’s compound. And I kept it that way when I got out.
I prefer to use my own handmade items, but that’s probably going to be difficult here. I never liked being around people, and they probably won’t understand me. Let alone accept me. Especially after what I’ve done.
