Underwater (35 page)

Putting me down, he whispered, “Tiny…”

“It’s your song,”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I started writing it after we met. All I wanted to do was hug you.”

“You did more than that. You saved me.” He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “I’d planned to wait. I wanted to do it differently, but I can’t wait anymore.”

I looked at him, dumbfounded, not sure what he was talking about.

He knelt in front of me on one knee, and pulled a ring out of his back pocket. I sucked in a breath and brought my hands up, covering my mouth. Gold and emeralds looped around each other to form a band, and an emerald in the shape of a star sat on top.“Dorian....”

He smiled, his eyes filling anew with unshed tears. “Would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “I wish my dad could have seen this,” I whispered, having a need to say it. Everything that happened to me, no matter if it was good or bad, I always wanted to tell him.

He stood up and pulled me into his arms. I clutched his shirt, crying quietly.

“You know...” he said softly. “I asked him for your hand.”

I pulled back and looked at him in shock.

“I told him I was planning to make you my wife one day, and wanted his blessing. He held out his hand for me to take, and when I did, he asked me to take care of you. To treat you right and make you happy. I vowed that I would, and even made him a little promise,” he added sheepishly.

“What kind of promise?”

“That we would name our first son after him.”

I had no words. Only –
thank you
.

“Are you ready?” he murmured in my ear.

“For?” I breathed.

“Telling the family,” he answered, grinning.

Oh, I was definitely ready. They would be thrilled.

With our hands clasped together, we went to tell our families about our new life together.

“By the way,” he said. “What’s the name of the song?”

“
Underwater
.”

By Maayan Nahmani

Toronto, Canada.

“M
r. Johnson, I got what you asked for.”

I nodded, not looking up. I tapped my fingers on the mahogany table in a slow rhythm, watching as my assistant, Devon, placed the files on the table. When he just stood there, watching me in silence, I growled, “You can fucking go now.”

He fled, closing the door behind him.

I sighed. I hated people. And more than anything, I hated being here, bound in chains to this company I was doomed to lead.

Alone in my office, I picked up the files I attained and looked over a variety of photos of
him
. He was always with his fiancé. All the pictures that were taken were of them together.

I studied the image in my hand closely. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, with her attached to his side. The look in his eyes as he gazed down at her was filled with love and warmth. I never imagined that this broken fellow I once met, full of hatred and anger, could generate such a facial expression. But there he was, looking at her
in love
. And it made me feel torn.

I had ruined his life, fucking destroyed him. But at the same time, like the legendary Phoenix, he had risen from the ashes right in front of my eyes. If those pictures were any indication, he was finally at peace.

Was it right to approach him now, after all this time? Was it fair to ask for his forgiveness, to seek redemption?

He’d haunted me for all of those years, and even now, when I was discharged and away from it all, I could never forgive myself for letting Michael, one of our own, die on my watch. Even though I wasn’t physically there, those fuckers were still my responsibility. Everything was my fault and I had failed. I was careless because all I cared about was finishing the mission. I didn’t motherfucking look sideways, only straight ahead, and that was my ruin.

What they did to
him
was unforgivable. And I fucking let it happen.

As I kept going through the pictures, I came across one photo that made me pause. It made my whole body freeze and give my unmitigated attention to the woman who stared back at me. She was stunning, the most exquisite thing I had ever seen, and that thought alone gave me pause. I haven’t had the urge to look at a woman in years, and I was fine with that. So why the fuck did one glimpse of this girl’s face have my heart rate doubling?

She was tall, I could tell, with legs that went on forever. I was pretty sure, though, that no matter how tall she appeared to be, she would look like a midget next to my 6’4” frame. Her red hair was long and curly, and those eyes....those blue eyes were so big and vibrant, she fucking took my breath away.

“Fuck,” I growled, throwing the picture on the table.
Who the fuck is she?
And why couldn’t I stop myself from picking up her picture to stare at her again? Damn… but her lovely image took root in my mind, imprinting itself in my brain. The file only said that she was a mutual friend, and I fucking wanted to know more.

After a while, as my eyes sought
his
picture once more, I found a different guy than I thought I would find.
A Phoenix.
And deep down, I knew I was going to steal the little piece of heaven he had found.

“I’m coming for you,
achi
.” I murmured to the picture, caressing his smiling face with my thumb. “I’m going to make everything right between us.”

I’m gonna attain redemption
… And along the way, I was gonna meet the Redhead.

Ella.

* 
Won’t Let Go - Rascal Flatts

* 
If I Lose Myself - Alesso Vs OneRepublic (Remix)

* 
Hey Brother - Avicii

* 
Home - Phillip Phillips

* 
Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift Feat. The Civil Wars (Cover by Sam Tsui & Kurt

Schneider)

* 
Love Me Again - John Newman

* 
Ashes Remain - Change My Life

* 
Underwater - Nikki Flores

* 
Go Light Your World - Chris Rice

* 
Right Here - Ashes Remain

* 
Move Along - The All American Rejects

* 
RED – Not Alone

* 
Every teardrop is a waterfall - Coldplay

* 
May I - Trading Yesterday

* 
All This Time - OneRepublic

* 
Country Lanes - Bee Gee

* 
Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkin

* 
Dance Me To The End Of Love - Leonard Cohen

* 
Copeland - Chin Up

* Lupe Fiasco & Guy Sebastian - Battle Scars

* Alan Walker – Faded

* Jacquie Lee - Broken Ones

* Kutless - What Faith Can Do

Pamela Sparkman
. How can I ever find the words to thank you, my dear? You have been my guiding light, my teacher, my friend. Meeting you was such a blessing. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I have someone like you in my life. I want to thank you for so many things. Thank you for loving Dorian & Aria as much as I do. You were so involved in the story. Line editing – copy editing. You knew how they would behave without me having to say a thing. Thank you for your beautiful writing and the ability to find just the right words to touch my soul. Thank you for every second of your precious time you have spent on my book. Thank you for all your kindness and words of reassurance. You have no idea how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me. And for your belief in me - thank you. You’ve treated this book like your own, and I would never forget that. I love you, my lovely.

Mariam Al Tamimi
. YOU are my sunshine. You were such a vital part of this book. Thank you for being there for me every step of the way. Every time I freaked out or felt like I did something wrong, you, with your poetic mind and beautiful soul always encouraged me from the other side of the world. I adore you. And just so you know, brainstorming with you were the highlights of my days.

Christie Parker
. What can I say that I haven’t already said to you? Thank you, my friend. You are one of the most talented, brilliant, and skilled women I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Your mind is a vast place full of imagination, originality and creativity. You have the talent to bring your graphics alive and mesmerize everyone with your creation. Thank you for bringing Dorian & Aria & her dad to life. Thank you for your encouragement and kind words. I love you.

Author Melyssa Winchester
. First, I want to thank you for writing
Count On Me
. Without it, you and I would have never met. Since that day, you captured me with your lovely writing and rare sense of humor. You are one hell of a fighter, and one of the strongest people I know. I want you to write a thousand more books, and to keep on being my friend for many years to come. Besides, when shit eventually hits the fan, I know that I can always
count on you
to pick up the pieces and mend me back together with your wit and some ice cream.

To my editor, Erika Reichek Levine
. Sweetie, you came into the party a little late, but you definitely brightened the whole room. You, my friend, are an amazing editor. I’m so glad I got the chance to know you. You’ve become such a good friend to me. Thank you for loving Dorian & Aria as much as you do. Thank you for believing in them. Believing in me. Thank you, and I love you.

Alicja Jakubowska
. My dear, dear friend. Your passion and enthusiasm for this book always managed to put a smile on my face. I love you, sister. Your faith and support means the world to me. I want to thank you for loving Dorian so much, and believing in him to do well out there.

My family and friends
. You guys been there for me even when you had no idea you were there at all. Writing a book in English when your native language is Hebrew can be a bit hard. And stressful. I had a lot of ‘I-have-no-idea-what-the-hell-I-was-thinking’ moments and your faith and belief in me pushed me forward. So thank you. And I love you. Daddy. This whole book started because of YOU. I wish that I had discovered my writing from other circumstances, but we can’t change the past, and this is how it was supposed to be. I would like to think that you are sitting up there, in heaven, looking at me from above, and smile. Smile, because you are not hurting anymore. Smile, because I made you proud. Your daughter finally finished your book. With the ending you told her to. I miss you, daddy so much. And I love you.

For Dorian & Aria
. You came into my life when I needed you the most. You two, with your brokenness and harsh reality took a root deep in my heart. Bad things happen to good people, I think the three of us already figured that out. But no matter how hard it gets, or how lost you feel… someday, somehow, you’ll find the reason to keep moving forward. You two found each other and together – you healed the scars. I wish for anyone going through a difficult time in their life that they’ll find a reason to move forward. Life goes on, with all the pain we have stored within us, and like bad things happen to good people, good things happen to good people, too. All you have to do is wait for it.