by Mike Ryan
“Why not?”
“It’s very thoughtful, and you’re so sweet,” she told him, kissing his cheek. “But it’s such short notice. We have a lot of work going on right now. I really can’t get away so soon.”
“But you can. I already talked to your boss about it. He endorsed it,” he explained
“What? You talked to Mr. Chaney?”
From the sound of her voice, Cain thought she was angry he talked to her boss and tried to explain his actions. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have. I just wanted to surprise you and I wanted to make sure they were OK with taking you away. I didn’t know of another way.”
“No, it’s OK,” she smiled, her eyes getting teary. “It’s incredibly sweet and thoughtful. Who knew under that rough exterior laid the heart of a sweet, romantic guy?”
“So you’ll go with me?” Cain hopefully asked.
“Of course,” she replied, wiping her eyes, then kissing his lips. “How could I refuse an offer from an extremely good looking, hopelessly romantic man like yourself?”
“Hmm, not sure I like the sound of that,” he kidded. “You might start expecting this kind of stuff all the time.”
“I might at that,” she replied, her tears still flowing.
“What’s all those tears for?” he asked, wiping them away.
“I’m just really happy,” she told him, hugging him.
“Let’s go home and finalize everything.”
They left the building holding hands, excited about the trip they were about to share together. The entire way home they talked about things they could see and do. Once they got back to the apartment they immediately went on the computer to book the plans.
“Wait, are you sure your work is just gonna let you go for a couple weeks?” Heather asked.
“Already cleared it. Relax,” he replied with a kiss.
“There is one more small problem,” she informed.
“What’s that?”
“I’m starting to get a little nervous.”
“About what? I promise I’ll take care of you.”
“No, it’s not you. I feel completely safe with you. That’s not the problem.”
“Then what is it?” Cain asked.
“I’ve never been on a plane before,” she revealed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be by your side the entire time. You know I fly all the time. It’s completely safe.”
“Right.”
Cain talked to Heather about her fear of flying for a few minutes, seeming to relieve her fears, if only temporarily. She did feel a little better about it but she also knew she wasn’t near a plane yet. She might think differently once it was time to board one. They booked their flight and hotel room, staying in Maui for seven days. That’d leave them a few days to relax once they got back before they returned to work.
They arrived at LaGuardia Airport the following morning for their 7:30am flight. As they waited, Heather and Cain sat next to each other, holding hands. Cain could tell she was getting more nervous as she started squeezing his hand tighter by the second.
“Trying to break my hand?” Cain chided.
“Huh?”
“My hand. It’s starting to hurt,” he playfully added.
“Oh,” Heather replied, releasing his hand. “I’m sorry. Guess I’m nervous.”
“Doesn’t show.”
Cain grabbed her hand again and smiled at her, rubbing her hand.
“Everything’s gonna be fine,” Cain told her.
Heather didn’t respond, her nerves had gotten the best of her vocal chords, and simply smiled back at him. She appreciated his calming influence and let him know that even if it didn’t show, that he really did help put her mind at ease a little bit.
“I so would not be able to do this without you,” Heather said, taking big breaths.
“Once this is over you’ll be able to do it again with no problem. The first time’s always the worst.”
The passengers started boarding the plane and Heather’s anxiety was starting to get the best of her. She stopped, not sure if she could go any further, but Cain was able to coax her onto the plane after a minute.
“I can do this,” Heather stated, pumping herself up.
They boarded the plane, Cain walking ahead of her, still holding her hand. “Want the window seat?”
“You’ve got to be joking,” she replied.
Heather felt a little better once the plane got in the air, breathing somewhat easier. Cain helped her immensely by holding her hand or putting his arm around her the entire plane ride. They had one stop in Dallas before landing in Hawaii a few hours later. They had a jam packed itinerary once they got settled at their hotel. They had activities lined up around the clock almost every day they were there. They planned on dolphin excursions, whale watching, helicopter tours, hiking, horseback riding, snorkeling, and surfing lessons, along with restaurants, shopping, and the beach. They decided to spend their final day just relaxing on the beach. They walked along the shore line for a little while, holding hands and talking, just letting the water roll past their legs. The week they’d spent there it felt like they were in heaven.
“You know, I almost don’t feel like going back,” Cain said.
“I know. This has been the most incredible week of my life,” she responded, kissing him. “This really does seem like paradise.”
“Maybe one day when all this is over we can settle down in a place like this.”
“That’s a nice thought.
They walked for a few more minutes, Heather contemplating telling Cain exactly how she felt, though she was unsure how he’d take it. She definitely wasn’t trying to rush into things but they’d known each other for over a year and had been living together so it wasn’t like a typical new relationship. After some thought she decided she’d just lay it all out there for him to interpret however he wanted without pressure from her.
“I have something I wanna tell you,” Heather started.
“Well that sounds ominous.”
“I want you to just hear me out and let me finish. There’s something I want to say and get off my chest and you don’t have to respond. You don’t have to say anything at all if you don’t want to, OK?”
“Sure.”
“You know this…us, is what I’ve wanted for a long time. I almost feel like pinching myself, like it’s a dream, and if it is, one that I hopefully never wake up from. There’s a million thoughts that are running through my head and it’s hard to rationalize them all.”
“Just say what’s on your mind,” Cain said.
“OK. I’m just gonna say it then,” she nervously replied. “You don’t have to say anything back and I’m not expecting you or pressuring you to reply.”
“Just say it, Heather,” Cain laughed. “If you don’t say it soon you might bust.”
“I love you,” she blurted out. “There. I said it.”
“Wow,” Cain said.
“You don’t have to say anything back. I just wanted to throw it out there so you know how I felt.”
They stopped, turning to face each other. Cain was about to respond to her affection when a photographer suddenly approached them.
“Get together guys,” he told them. “Smile.”
“No, it’s OK,” Cain replied.
“Aww, c’mon,” Heather objected. “We don’t have any pictures together. We’re here in Hawaii, let’s get one.”
“OK.”
The photographer took a few pictures of them in a couple different poses. He gave them his card and told them he’d have them developed and ready to be picked up in a few hours. Cain and Heather stayed at the beach for another hour before going back to their hotel room. Heather was very excited to get the pictures of them. She’d been wishing for some photos of them together so she couldn’t wait to get her hands on them. After getting something to eat they went to the man’s small photography store to pick up the pictures. Heather gave the photographer the ticket he gave them. The sho
p’s walls were lined with pictures of people whose photos he’d taken over the years who never came back to claim them. He hung them up as examples of his work. As they waited, Cain went over to the wall and looked the pictures over. The photographer grabbed the pictures and handed them over to Heather. As the two of them looked them over, Heather started gushing over the pictures, though Cain didn’t hear a word she was saying. As he looked over the photos on the wall, his eyes stopped once he saw a particular picture. He was mesmerized by it and couldn’t take his eyes off it. The faces were familiar though he didn’t know the names. They were the ones he’d had visions of. It was a picture of a blonde haired woman hugging a little boy. Heather looked over at him and saw he was in a trance and called out to him. He never responded so Heather walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder, startling him.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Umm, nothing,” he responded, not sure of what to say.
Heather looked up at the photos, wondering what had him so entranced. Cain looked at her and remembered his promise to be honest with her. He cleared his throat and looked back up at the picture.
“I know them,” Cain whispered.
“Who?”
Cain reached up and grabbed the frame, taking the picture off the wall. “They’re the ones I’ve told you about. The visions I’ve had.”
“Are you sure?” Heather asked, incredulously.
“I’m positive. That’s them.”
Cain turned the picture over to see if there was anything written on the back, a name or a date, but was disappointed to find nothing. He looked back to the photographer to see if he had any information about it.
“What can you tell me about this picture?” Cain asked.
“Not much,” the photographer replied. “It was taken on the beach a few years ago. She never came in for it so I just put it on the wall.”
“Do you know a name or anything?”
“No. Just like I did with you guys, I took their picture on the beach and developed it in case they came in for it. No names or dates or anything. If they don’t come in, I just hang it on the wall sometimes.”
“I see,” Cain said, disappointed.
“What’s so interesting about them?”
“I know them. Somehow. I just can’t remember where.”
“I know how frustrating that can be,” the photographer acknowledged.
“How much for this one?” Cain asked.
“Twenty and it’s yours.”
Cain paid for the picture along with the ones that were taken of him and Heather. The excitement she had for the pictures she finally had of them was temporarily halted by jealousy of this woman in the photo. The woman in the photo was very pretty, and if it was a former girlfriend, maybe he’d go back to her once he found out who it was. As happy as she was that maybe Cain had found a link to his past, she worried that maybe it would be a link that would ultimately be their undoing. They went back to their hotel for the night, though they might as well have been in separate rooms. All Cain could think about was the photo, analyzing the faces, hoping something would eventually jog his memory. Heather spent most of the night in misery, watching Cain stare at the picture constantly. Even when they were talking she knew that his mind was somewhere else. As the night wound down, Cain started to feel badly, knowing that he didn’t make the night very enjoyable for Heather. It was their last night in Hawaii and Cain didn’t make it a memorable one for her. As they got ready for bed, Cain snuck up behind Heather and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and stroked his forearms, happy to be in his grasp.
“I’m sorry,” Cain stated.
“For what?”
“I know my mind’s been elsewhere tonight.”
“It’s OK. I completely understand,” Heather said.
“No. We’ve had a great time this week and I made our last night here not very special for you.”
“Listen, this whole week has been special. Nothing could change that,” she told him, trying to ease his mind.
“Thanks. That’s what makes you special. You see the good in me no matter what.”
“It’s not hard to see.”
“It’s just that once I saw that picture I knew that I’m not crazy,” Cain said. “At least not yet.”
“That’s comforting.”
“It means that these people are connected to my past somehow. Now I feel like I’ve been here before. Maybe I subconsciously saw the ad for Hawaii and wanted to come here, because I was here before. Maybe everything is connected, these people in the picture, Hawaii, and maybe I knew that deep down.”
“That’s a lot of supposing,” Heather added.
“Maybe you’re right. But it’s the only lead I have.”
Chapter 6
Cain and Heather had a relaxing night at home once they got back from Hawaii. They had a romantic dinner, Cain trying to put the picture aside and not think about it for the evening. He wasn’t due to check back in at the agency for another couple of days but was thinking about seeing Lawson in the morning. Around midnight, Cain got out of bed, careful to not wake Heather up. He sent Lawson a text asking if she was still in New York. She replied almost instantly that she was. Cain asked if he could meet her at The Center around ten the next morning to which she agreed. As Cain read the message he glanced over at Heather’s naked body and smiled, the sheet barely covering her torso. He put the phone down and got back into bed, trying not to wake her. She felt the covers moving which woke her up as Cain slid under them.
“What’s wrong?” Heather whispered, her eyes barely open.
“Nothing,” he replied, kissing her cheek. “Go back to sleep.”
“Then why were you on your phone?”
“You don’t miss much, do you?” Cain asked, rubbing her back.
“I try not to.”
“It was just a message from Lawson asking if I was back.”
“Oh.”
“I gotta go in for an hour or so tomorrow just to let them know I’m back.”
“But you’re still on vacation.”
“I am. It’ll only take an hour or so,” he told her, passionately kissing her lips, as they began their second round of the night.
The following morning they got dressed and had breakfast, mostly still talking about their trip to Hawaii and how much fun they had.
“You know, as much as I like living here, I wouldn’t have minded forgetting our way back,” Heather said.
“I know.”
“Everything was so perfect there.”
“Well, I’ll be back in a little bit. I’m just gonna go check in now,” Cain told her, buttoning his shirt.
“I’ll miss you,” Heather stated.
“I’ll only be gone an hour or two,” he replied, chuckling.
“I’ll still miss you.”
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said, giving her a hug and kiss.
She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back, before lowering her hands to his butt. She raised them slightly and sighed, feeling some type of paper tucked in the back of his pants. Though she didn’t see it, she knew what it was and what he was doing.
“Thought we said no secrets?” she asked.
“We did.”
“You don’t have to hide the picture. I know what you’re doing.”
Cain sighed, before letting out a grin. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to burden you with it.”
“Listen, I know this is important to you. This might be a link to your missing memories. And if it’s important to you, then it’s important to me. You don’t have to worry about what I might think. I’m with you all the way. I always will be.”
“Have I told you recently how great you are?”
“Oh stop.”
“Really, you’re the best,” Cain said, holding her chin with his thumb and finger while kissing her.
Cain let out a sigh, concerning Heather about what was wrong with him.
“What’s th
e matter?” Heather asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“Matt,” she stated, giving him a look.
“It’s just that sometimes I look at you and think about how much better you deserve than me,” he told her. “I don’t know what the future holds for me but I wonder if it’s fair for me to drag you along with me.”
“All I want is you and I’m willing to go wherever you take me.”
“I have so many flaws,” Cain softly said.
“Everyone has flaws.”
“Not like mine. I still think about that boy in Russia. That’s never gonna leave me,” he said, looking at the floor.
“We can get through everything, anything that comes up, we can get through it together,” she reassured him with a kiss.
“The other day at the beach you told me something,” Cain said. “And you told me you didn’t want to pressure me or anything.”
“And I meant it. I won’t ever pressure you.”
“And I appreciate that. But now it’s time for me to tell you something and you don’t have to say anything back, it’s just something I want to say.”
“OK,” Heather said, somewhat worried.
“I’ve been thinking for the last couple days about what you said. And the more I thought about it the more I realized that I feel it too. I love you. And no matter where this journey takes me to find the missing pieces of my life that’s not gonna change. Whoever this woman is, isn’t gonna change my feelings for you. But I need to know where I’ve been, the people I’ve known, the places I’ve been. I need to connect the dots. But however those dots connect; the one person I know I can count on is you. That won’t ever change.”
Tears were streaming down Heather’s face as Cain was talking. She couldn’t believe he was actually saying the words, though she was ecstatic that he was.