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“Thank you, kind sir,” she giggled, the wind stealing the sound.
We sat mostly in silence as we headed to our destination, enjoying the black, starry night and the sound of the waves against the boat. As we neared the island, Nee let out a gasp. “It’s like our own deserted island.”
“You wanna get off and explore?”
“Off the boat? You want me to get off the boat, wade through the ocean and then explore a dark, deserted island?”
“Yes.”
“What are we waiting for? Can I leave the seahorse here? I don’t think he has the right temperament to creep around in the dark.”
I tucked the seahorse between us, shucking off the blankets. Rolling up my joggers to just below my knees, I jumped off the side of the boat, holding out my arms to help Nee down. Sliding off the side, she landed with both feet, screaming as her feet hit the water.
“Do you think there are monsters?”
“In the sea? No. Well, not this shallow. Come on. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“More surprises?”
“I have a lifetime’s worth.”
“Smooth, Arch. Now let’s get out of the ocean before we’re mauled by saltwater crocodiles, ‘cause that’s a surprise we could do without.”
Lifting her bridal style, I carried her to the sandy beach as she wriggled in my arms, demanding I put her down.
When I did, she took a minute to look around. “Wow, this place is… look at all the driftwood and the broken trees.” She let out a hollow laugh.
“What is it?”
She shook her head slowly, but I could see her body language had changed and tension coiled around her. “Nothing, it’s just… if I could look inside my memory, this is what I imagine it looks like.”
I sucked in a breath. “God, I didn’t bring you here to make you think that.”
She pressed her finger to my lips. “Of course you didn’t. How would you know I thought that? But actually, I like it here. It feels familiar somehow.”
“Well, you’ve never been here. Neither have I.”
“Another first for us both. You really have excelled yourself tonight, Arch. This is the best first date I’ve ever been on.”
“Erm, this is only the first date you remember.”
“Well, you’ve set the bar high. My next first date doesn’t stand a chance.”
A growl spilled from my lips as I thought about Ionee with anyone else.
“Stand down, Arch. I promise I don’t plan on having another first date anytime soon. Shall we go explore? And is Pete going to follow us like some weird shadow?”
“You’re learning fast.”
Ionee
Tonighthadbeenperfect.I didn’t know what I’d expected, but something so carefree and fun was not it. He had made me laugh so much in the aquarium that I almost dropped to my knees and asked him to marry me there and then. All I kept thinking was whether this was what it was likebeforeand if we could have it again. Surely it took time to fall in love, but my heart and my body were trying to persuade me otherwise. But it couldn’t be that simple… could it?
I was spending time with a man I didn’t remember, feeling like I’d known him for a lifetime, and it was confusing as hell. Being around Archer was heaven. Every smile, every brush of his arm against mine, every word that spilled from those beautiful lips. I craved him, even though I didn’t understand why.
Holding hands, we walked across the sandy beach through the trees, silence shrouding us.
“Where are we going?” I whispered eventually.
