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I struggled against the wind to get the boards up and over the windows, but another resident came by to help me. I recognized him as one of the parents of the kids I taught. He didn't say anything, just jumped in to help me nail up the boards, and between the two of us, we made quick work of it. Before I could say thank you, he was running off to the next building to help.
Just then, the sky turned lighter, and I got a sinking feeling in my chest. Within seconds, big fat drops came down and then huge buckets of water poured from the sky in large torrents.
My house would have to wait and I prayed it wouldn't get too banged up, being so close to the water. I would have to wait it out at the community center until the worst of it passed and then get my butt home.
At first, I distracted myself by organizing the art supplies. The kids and adults alike usually did a pretty good job putting things away, but there was always an opportunity for a more organization. When the howling reached a fever pitch, and it felt like the whole building was shaking, I got nervous and squatteddown in a corner. Now all I could do was wait for the storm to pass and hoped it blew by fast.
As I was squatting down in the corner, praying that everybody was okay, I worried about where Cooper was and I started thinking about everything we left unsaid.
We weren't guaranteed forever, just like Cooper and I didn't get our forever the first time. And we certainly weren’t guaranteed a long time on this earth. My parents were proof of that. The only thing I was grateful for was the fact that they went together, which I know is what they would've wanted.
As I listened to Mother Nature take out her aggression on every building in Hanalei, I started making promises to myself if I got out of here unscathed.
First, I was considering leaving California. As much as I would hate leaving Tess, I’d already started rebuilding my life here, in Hanalei. It wasn’t the craziest idea I’ve ever had. I was needed here—at least it felt that way—and this was the last place I had fun memories with my parents before everything got turned upside down.
I started thinking about the last time I spoke to them when I heard a loud crack and then felt water dripping on me from above. The corner of the roof ripped off like it was made of cardboard. Rain gushed in and I huddled further into the corner. As I tried to make myself smaller, my mind raced, and I vowed to do things differently from here on out.
I would tell Cooper I never stopped loving him, and the only reason I left was because his dumbass agent strong-armed me into believing I would mess up his career.
If I got out of here okay, I would come clean with Tess. She’d be upset with me, but she needed to know I loved her brother more than anything.
I would start being honest with the people who mattered most to me, including myself. No more running away—I had to facemy feelings head on and learn to ask for help—and accept it without obligation.
The wind howled, thunder crashed, and I saw a streak of lightning through the hole in the roof as the rest of the roof threatened to rip off, flapping in the wind. "Please, please, please," I whispered to myself. "Please let me get out of this alive... please let Cooper be okay... please keep all the kids safe with their parents."
Another crash of thunder, and a loud roar that sounded strangely like somebody shouting "Hales!"
Cooper?
"Cooper!" I screamed, not sure if I really heard my name. But then the door burst open, and there was Cooper, sopping wet, his eyes searching wildly around the community center. I jumped up from my corner, rushing to him with my arms open. "Cooper!" I screamed, jumping into his waiting arms.
He squeezed me to him, holding me tightly as he kicked the door closed against the heavy winds.
"What were you thinking coming out here in this storm?" He asked as he cupped my face in his hands, his eyes roving over me to make sure I wasn’t hurt.
"I wanted to get boards over the windows. I thought I had enough time..."
He shook his head. "You about gave me a heart attack. I was worried sick about you. There's more storm coming—so we’re going to have to stay put for a while."
I nodded, tears of relief streaming down my face as I clung to him. "That's okay, because I have some things to tell you, Cooper."
"Okay, Haley, but first there's something I need to tell you. I owe you an apology. I’ve been really hard on you since you came back to town because of the way you left me all those years ago. But now I know the truth."
I looked at him in question. "When I got back to my place, Bo was waiting for me. He came here to persuade me to interview for this job he’s lined up, but in the conversation, he let it slip about what he did to you—what he did to us."
I tore my eyes away from his, unable to see the pain there because it looked exactly like what I’d seen in the mirror for the last ten years. "Coop... I don't know what to say."
"Well, I do. I understand why you did what you did. But I want you to know this, Haley Ellis. I am not better without you. If anything, I am less of a man without you. The only distraction you pose is the good kind—and I want more of it, not less. I'm sorry he put you in that position. It breaks my heart to know I’ve been mad at you this whole time, when I should have blamed my greedy agent, who I fired, by the way."
I was openly sobbing now. Ten years. Ten years of agony, lost love and heartache. It was going to take more than a few apologies and tears to ease this pain, but this was a start, for sure.
"And Haley, listen to me. I may have been wrong about your intentions or why you left, but one thing has never changed—I’ve never stopped loving you. I know your life is complicated right now, so understand me when I say I'm not asking for anything from you. I just need you to know that I love you. That I have always loved you, and I will love you for the rest of my days. You get that right?"
I nodded vigorously, pulling him to me and kissing him, not caring that he was tasting my tears. We clung to one another, kissing the kisses of the heartbroken and long held wounds... ones that just might mend after all.
When we parted, I told him, "I love you too, Cooper, that never changed for me either. I think that's why I couldn't move on. Nothing felt right without you, so I kept making one disastrous decision after another... like getting engaged to Marcus."
A shadow crossed over his expression. "We don't need to talk about that now."
