What If We Drown ?

What if we Drown (33)

The water continued its ebb and flow, unfazed by the events that had transpired. All while Ashlyn's heart thundered in her chest at the vivid memory that had quickly shifted into the tangible textures she'd just experienced.

Twenty years had passed since the last time she'd felt the shifting sand and the foamy kisses, her muscle memory dormant through it all. But with one touch, with one unexpected kiss, her body had responded as though it had only been a day. Her toes had buried into the sand, the granules tickling the soles of her feet when the wave had swept them away.

Panic skirted the corners of her mind, rising within at the thought of what she'd just done. She'd approached the ocean, felt its touch between her toes, and it hadn't consumed her.

Despite the crippling shock she felt as she watched the waves recede once more, she couldn't deny the ghost of strength and freedom she also felt as it approached. While her mind assaulted her with the fear and the implications of what she'd just done, her heart responded with a weakened affection, as though it had been reunited with a long lost love.

While a sense of apprehension still remained, she felt a weight slowly lifting in her chest, as though something had shifted. Nothing could have prepared her for the strength the ocean could have given her, as wild as it seemed after everything else that had tainted its memories in the past.

'As a ship tossed upon the waves, life is all about how you take control and navigate the turbulence that comes, and how much of the damaging waters you allow to board your ship,' the voice upon the ocean spoke. When Ashlyn breathed it in and allowed the empowerment of the words to settle within her mind and her heart, her perspective began to change.

She'd heard these words spoken in a conversation between her father and Abel one afternoon as they'd watched the swells, but until that moment, standing around the blurred edges of the fears that had commanded her ship, she hadn't realized what he'd meant. But now she did, she understood. And that realization gave her a deeper appreciation for what she had just done and the lessons her father had been instilling in her since she was but a twinkle in her mother's eye.

With each breath she drew, deeper and more composed, she was able to take greater control of the turbulence that rolled through her and her response, and she felt her heartbeat slow.

The roaring in Ashlyn's ears slowly subsided and was replaced by the rumbles of low cheering and applause.

Ashlyn glanced over her shoulder and saw that she was not alone in her celebration. Every set of eyes seated around the bonfire was on her, exhibiting a range of emotional displays. Lost in the euphoria of what she'd just managed to do, she neglected the discomfort she felt at being watched.

Her eyes searched the gathering and found Kass's first, a broad grin splitting her cheeks, her hand against her chest with pride. Ashlyn smiled back, her lips trembling.

Her eyes continued to move, stalling on Abel, who wiped at his cheeks, with that same green handkerchief. The pride that bloomed in his eyes and his smile caused a warm swelling in her chest.

Her gaze continued to drift across the different faces, taking in the pride, the joy, the emotion of everyone gathered, until finally, she found the eyes that she'd been searching for.

His eyes were the richest espresso, warm and invigorating, glistening as he gazed back. He didn't reach up to wipe the tears as they flowed down his cheeks, but instead, let them fall. He just looked at her, and she looked at him.

'Proud of you,' his lips moved in a silent message, the pride and joy he felt for her at that moment evident in the set of his eyes, and the smile he could not erase.