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My cliff.
It's mine, I realize. The one cliff I've been coming to since I was a child. The one that has repeatedly taken me through the same cycle. Every time. The outcome is always the same.
Why am I here?
I tilt my head up, seeing the clear sky. No clouds. No nighttime stars. Only the open sky, as blue as the water below me. No wind today, either. There's a silence in the air, in the sky, and below me. I hear the waves, but their lapping is calmer than usual. It's like everything is in a lull.
"Hello?" I ask, and I'm not sure why. It's not like anyone has ever responded to me. No one is ever here, it's like this place is abandoned. No one ever visits, except for me.
No one answers this time either.
I spin around, looking out into the distance. The water is dark, nearly black. So much mystery underneath those waves, so much unknown that I can't see.
There is no wind, and there is no sand. No soft grains hitting my skin, wrapping around my legs like desperate fingers.
What am I supposed to do?
I walk to the edge, the tip of my slippers curling around the edge of the cliff. I look down, feeling like I’m looking into a funhouse mirror as the waves crash against the side of the cliff. It's like it grows closer and further away at the same time, making my stomach turn with nausea. I step back, not liking that feeling at all.
With a breath, I turn around, hoping I can travel the other way. Once I turn, though, I come face to face with a gust of wind. It's filled with sand, shaped in the form of a body. The gust whips me off my feet, pushing me back and off the cliff with one huge, aggressive push.
I shoot up in bed, fear lodging a scream in the back of my throat. My hands go to my neck, heaving breaths punching out of me as my heart pounds in my ears.
The bed shifts, and Roman sits up beside me, instantly pulling me into his lap. "I was wondering if you still had those dreams."
I nod."Always," I breathe. The aggression in which I plummeted over the side of the cliff scared me. Shocked me. I feel a little whiplashed from it. A shiver breaks out along my spine, and Roman pulls me close, holding me tight.
Tears flood my eyes, tumbling down my cheeks in rapid rivers. "Why do you think I keep having this dream? It has to mean something, right? I just don't understand." I wipe my face with my sleeves, feeling confused. I don't get it. I don't get any of it. "What does it mean?" I cry.
He turns my face toward him, kissing along my river of tears, licking the saltiness from his lips afterward. "It's just a dream. That's all it is."
I feel like it's not, but I curl into him anyway, seeking his comfort. He lies back in the bed, keeping me on top of him. His arms suction around me, pinning me against his body. I curl into his neck, the scruff from his beard tickling the top of his nose.
I close my eyes, hoping my dream doesn't take me back to the cliff. I have a feeling it's not just a dream. I hope Roman's right. I hope that no matter what, he'll keep me safe. That he'll protect me from everything and anything.
I hope, I hope, I hope.
CHAPTER THIRTY
LUNA
The moment the taxi drops us off at the airport, I turn to Roman. "Where are we going?"
He has a nervous but excited look on his face. "I told you, it's a surprise."
I think of all the places he may take me; of all the things we could do. A part of me wonders if we're going home. I bite my lip, a bit of excitement filling me.
It's been a few days since he told me about our trip. I packed last night, thinking we might go to a fancy hotel or something. Head further upstate and go to a bed and breakfast. This, I wasn't expecting. Not at all.
He opens the door, grabbing the bags with one hand and my hand with the other before pulling me out of the cab. "Come on, you took long enough to get out of bed this morning. I don't want to miss our flight." He tosses the cabbie some cash and pulls me along. I can barely catch up, his large steps making me trip over myself.
I huff, racing after him.
Check-in is relatively quick. It's early in the morning, the sun barely cresting over the tall buildings. The line is short, and it doesn’t take long for us to get through security. I look around for any type of indication of where we're going. My heart stops when we pass the sitting area for Hawaii. I'm not ready to go back there, and a part of me is worried I never will be. It's a beautiful place, with such beautiful people and beautiful scenery, but it's been tainted for me.
We walk past the area where Roman and I met again after all this time. The moment where our lives connected again. My eyes water as we walk past, and Roman gives my hand a squeeze. I look up at him, knowing he remembers too. The place where our hearts met for the second time in our lives. The moment I saw him, it was the moment in my life where everything settled into place.
Soon enough, he curves right, heading toward a seating area. In the center is a huge sign that says Washington.
