Ariana’s POV –
Darkness, flashing lights and a warm hand in mine. . . That’s all I remember.
I stir against the cold floor of the room, my mind beginning to wake up. I feel my hands land on soft material and through my closed eyelids, I frown in confusion.
This doesn’t feel like the cold floor anymore . . .
My breathing comes to a sudden halt, fear taking over my entire body as I try to listen out for any sounds. I don’t dare open my eyes or move a muscle. The sleepy fog lifts itself from my mind and finally I hear the faintest of beeps in the background. Where the hell am I?
I slowly begin to feel around, my fingers trembling as I try to grasp the environment I’m in. My hands roam over the soft material until they land on wires, I give them a little tug and wince as pain flares up my arm.
The wire is connected to my arm.
The first image that pops into my head is a hospital. I begin to feel tears of relief and joy fill my eyes as I slowly open them, squinting as they struggle to readjust to the lights inside the room. It’s been so long so my eyes have seen light, even if it’s artificial. I hold my breath as I begin to make out shapes in my vision. My brain registers the bed I’m lying on, a white sheet pulled over me. Several wires are hooked into my arms and hands which are connected to the beeping ma-chines alongside me.
I’m alive.
My body begins to tremble with silent sobs as I’m unable to control my emotions any longer. I let my hands run over the smooth material of the sheets, amazed by how soft it feels under my palms. Despite my body roaring with aches and pains, I feel like I’m floating in the clouds. I blink once, twice, three times before bringing my hand up and rubbing at my eyes.
Tears continue to stream down my cheeks and when my vision isn’t blurred, I begin to study the rest of the room. It’s small and designed with simplicity. The walls are painted white with medical equipment on one side. My head slowly turns to the left, landing on a figure slumped over in a chair. He’s sleeping, his head flopped over with his chin resting on his chest. He’s wearing a plain white tee with denim jeans, his usual combo that I’ve seen him in so many times. His dark hair looks longer than usual and I eventually tear my eyes off him.
I shake my head in denial, not believing what I’m seeing. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real.” I mutter under my breath, unable to stop the tears flowing down my cheeks.
“This isn’t real. I’m dreaming.” I tell myself, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. My body continues to shake and tremble and I whimper, wanting my mind to stop playing tricks on me.
It simply isn’t fair.
“Hermosa?”
I freeze, too shocked to speak or open my eyes. I continue to shake my head, refusing to listen.
“No. No, no. No! Stop, please stop.” I whisper, putting my hands up to my ears to block out the sound of his sweet voice. I don’t want to hear it, it’s too painful. I can’t enjoy this dream when I know the damage reality will do to me once I wake up and find myself locked in that dirty room once again. Warm hands land over mine and his scent ravels all around me. My body breaks down when I feel his touch and I cry out once again.
“I’m dreaming. Please stop.” I plead with myself, desperately wanting to wake up.
“Open your eyes Hermosa.” I hear Alex say, his voice trembling. I slowly do as he says and when my eyes connect with his, I feel my heart skip a beat and my breathing come to a stop. His beautiful eyes are filled with such sadness, tears streaming down his smooth tanned cheeks. I’m instantly hypnotised by his dark eyes but he always did have a way of mesmerising me with a simple look. I’m scared to blink incase he vanishes from my vision and I’ll never see him again.
“You’re not dreaming, you’re safe now. Lo prometo.” Alex whispers, his eyes flickering between both of mine. I inhale sharply, my hands shaking as I slowly bring them up. Alex remains still, waiting for my reaction as my fingers land on his cheek. When my skin touches his, his eyes flutter closed and he breathes in deeply. I watch his shoulders slump in relief and it finally hits me.
He’s real. I’m safe. I’m alive. I’m not dreaming.
“Alex?” I whisper, tears invading my mouth. I feel the saltiness of them, my chest heaving with pain and love combined. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything, so long since I’ve seen his beautiful face inches away from mine. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again, I was so sure I’d die in that room with only my memories to remember.
“Si, it’s me.” Alex murmurs, his hands reaching for mine. He intertwines our fingers together and opens his eyes, the sad-ness in them deepening. I’ve never seen him look so broken, relieved and guilt ridden at the same time.
“You found me?” I ask him, my hands shaking in his. He silently nods, leaning forward so his forehead is resting against mine. I breathe in sharply as I stare into his eyes, watching him cry silent tears.
“Yes, I found you.” He cries, his eyes flickering to the floor. He can’t hold eye contact with me and I feel my heart clench with pain. I don’t say anything as I shuffle to the edge of my the bed, ignoring the screams of protests from my body.
Once I’ve made room, Alex climbs in next to me, his arms automatically wrapping around my body. I close my eyes and breathe him in, his presence making the pain in my heart hurt that little less. I don’t think it will ever fully heal, the damage has already been done. I can feel his body tremble, brown eyes filling with tears.
There’s so much we both need to talk about and I know I’ll never be the same person again. Right now all I want to do is have him close to me and I know he needs this just as much as I do.
We both lie there for hours in silence, comforting one another and holding each other close. I hear Alex faintly praying in Spanish, thanking God for helping him find me. I do the same, thanking whoever’s listening for my rescue and reuniting me with the one person who motivated me to stay alive for so long.
When I continue to search his eyes, I don’t see the old Alex. I see a new one . . . broken, defeated and blaming himself. I don’t question it because I know when Alex looks at me, he’s going to see the exact same thing.