Dedication: Dysanic for the cover! Thank you! <3

"Can you believe it?" Natalie asks me the following day, a glowing smile lighting up her face.

"No," I breathe, with a head shake. "It doesn't feel real."

"I have been waiting for this moment for years!" she exclaims, throwing her head back and letting out a wild laugh.

The warm wind pours through her open window, slapping her dark hair around her face restlessly. She grins widely, sticking her arm out the window as she makes a wave motion with her hand.

"Me too," I agree, offering her a lope-sided smile, only sharing a quarter of her enthusiasm.

It's not that I don't feel enormous relief, having finished my exams. I'm more... numb.

Olivia, the girl I spent endless days with, discussing our future, making each other promises, died. Killed herself, on this very day, a year ago.

Because of me.

Instead of fighting for our relationship or giving it another go – I simply gave up. I walked away and it cost a girl her life.

"Ethan!" Natalie shouted, her long fingers gripping my bicep as she violently shakes my arm. "Share my excitement! We finished our exams!"

"Whoopee," I reply in attempt to show excitement; however, my voice comes out flat and emotionless.

She notices and withdraws her hand, blowing out a breath.

I breathe deeply, hoping I didn't deflate her mood too much. I'm not intentionally sabotaging her day; I just can't stop thinking about my past. I really wish these two dates didn't merge together.

When silence lapses between us, Natalie leans over and turns up the radio. I welcome the music with open arms, as it allows me the chance to think for a while, without getting myself into any trouble or arguments.

My fingers involuntarily tighten around the steering wheel, when a gush of wind blows over me, pushing my dark hair back from my forehead. I shake my head, trying to rid the dark thoughts from my mind.

It's been a year. I need to let go and move on.

With one bathroom and food break, it took another hour and twenty-minutes, to get to our destination. The first genuine smile of the day spread across my face. I used to spend a lot of time here with my family, growing up.

The last time I was here, Olivia and I had a getaway weekend. It had been a great couple of days – while we were still in the 'honey moon' phase.

Natalie's tan, slender arms, wrapping around my torso cut-through thoughts of my previous time here. I look down at her.

"We're here," I whisper.

"I've been waiting for this for weeks," she murmurs, reaching up and pressing her soft lips to mine.

I take my time kissing her back, enjoying the feel and taste of her.

We load our bodies up with our bags. It takes several trips to get everything inside.

Compared to the warm temperature outside, it seems cold in here. As I place my bags onto the bed, Natalie wanders into the bathroom, openly talking about how beautiful she thinks the place is.

My entire body freezes. Olivia's face stares back at me.

"Shit," I mutter, my eyes widening as I stare the photo of me and Olivia.

I have no memory of putting a photo of us in a frame, let alone on the bedside table of our holiday house.

"What was that?" Natalie calls, her voice having an echo-affect as she sticks her head inside the shower cubicle.

I jostle forward, my fingers clamping around the photo frame. I quickly toss it under the bed, not wanting to bring that up, on our first day here. Not after the mood I've been in all day.

"You okay?"

I jump, spinning around. Natalie is leaning on the door frame, one dark eyebrow quirked as she gazes at me.

"Yes, fine," I mumble, pushing my hand through my hair. "Just stressed, you know?"

"You don't have to be stressed anymore," she reminds me with a playful smile, walking slowly towards me.

She snakes her long arms around my neck and I place my hands on her waist, enjoying having her so close. She smells of something coconut scented. My fingers lightly bunch up her t-shirt.

"I know," I breathe. "Sorry."

"I understand," she whispers.

I lean down and kiss her softly and deliberately. Satisfied, she turns and begins to unpack, humming her favourite song of the month.

My eyes shift to the bed. I scratch at my neck, the thought of the photo being in the same room as me, today of all days, makes me feel catastrophically uneasy. I pull at the collar of my shirt, as if that will help me breathe easier.

"I'm going to go check out the rest of the place," she calls, before trotting out of the room, a bounce to her step.

I sink to my knees and dig out the photo.

My eyes zero in on her eerie, blue eyes and long hair. She looks incredibly innocent in the photo. You can't see the poison that resides in her eyes, or in her soul, for that matter.

I'm beside her, my arm around her shoulders, our cheeks pressed tightly together. I recall the time we took it, but it isn't a memory I have treasured in my mind. It was just a normal day, for us.

Before everything got so messed up.

"Where do you think you will propose to me?" Olivia asked me with a coy smile playing on her cherry-red lips, her light blue eyes boring into mine, almost too intensely.

"Hmm," I reply thoughtfully, tapping my chin as I think. "In the lounge room? Back of the car? Coffee shop?"

She rolls her eyes and shoves me playfully. "Be serious."

"I was being serious," I say slowly with a straight face.

Her eyebrows furrow together for a moment, before I crack a grin. She scrunches her face up and slaps my shoulder.

"Almost had me there."

I lean back in my chair, a lazy smile on my face.

Slowly, she rises to her feet. She slithers around behind me. A shiver runs down my spine as I feel her hot breath on the back of my neck. Her tongue snakes out, dragging over the sensitive part behind my ear.

I let my eyes drift close as a soft sound emits from the back of my throat.

"I want to remember this," she whispers. "I want to remember everything."

As I open my eyes, she reaches over and picks up her phone. She angles it so that the front-facing camera has a view of us. She presses her cheek to mine and smiles. I find myself staring at her beauty, instead of how I look in the photo.

I hear the click twice, before she puts it back down, kissing my cheek, presenting me with a red mark on my skin.

"Ethan," she murmurs, running her black-inked fingers down my chest. "Do you think we will be together forever?"

I nod, a genuine smile forming on my lips.

"I do."

"Ethan."

I jump from the bed and whirl around, my heart seeming to skip a beat inside my chest. My eyes scan the empty room.

My God, I'm going crazy.

I could have sworn I heard her. That voice... I will never forget that voice.

I rip the photo out from the frame with trembling fingers. I carefully place the now-empty photo frame in the drawer.

Natalie's footsteps near the room. In panic, I blindly shove the photo in my bag. I just sit back on the bed, when she walks in, a blissful smile on her lips.

"Coming out?" she questions, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah," I nod, clenching my fists to stop my fingers shaking.

I spring to my feet and follow her out to the living room. I swallow uneasily as I think back to moments ago, when I thought I heard her.

Maybe I will never get over, what happened between us.

🥀🥀🥀