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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐀 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞
...🏀...
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋
𝐅𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟔
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬.
I gasped, and cold water shot down my throat into my lungs like needles. Everything hurt—my chest, my throat, my ribs—but I coughed and kept coughing until I thought I might break in half.
My fingers clawed at nothing, my body shivering against the cold ground. Lights flashed behind my eyelids—blue, red and white.
"Mylah—hey—Mylah, baby, open your eyes."
I fought to lift my head, but everything inside me felt heavy, like I was still sinking. I blinked again, harder this time, and his face came into view. His blue eyes locked onto mine with fear.
He was soaked too, dripping water onto my bare skin, his hands trembling as they cupped my cheeks. His fingers brushed my face, grounding me. His tie was gone, the collar of his suit soaked and clinging to his skin.
"Nathan," I croaked, voice raw.
His breath hitched.
"Jesus—thank God." He pressed his forehead to mine, eyes squeezed shut, and in that moment, everything faded. The sirens, the shouting officers, the blur of bodies all melted away. There was only Nathan. And the feel of his hands—solid, shaking, warm despite the cold.
"I was so scared..." His voice broke. "I was so scared that you weren't coming back to me, baby."
A sob caught in his chest, one he didn't bother to hide. He pressed a kiss to my temple, his lips freezing, and then pulled back just enough to look at me again like he needed to double-check I was still breathing.
"I've got you," he said, more to himself than me.
He slid one arm beneath my knees, the other around my back, and lifted me. My dress clung to me, heavy and drenched, and the night air bit into my skin. I shivered violently, the cold cutting through every part of me.
I buried my face in Nathan's shoulder, inhaling the scent of river water and him—somehow still familiar, even through the fear.
The noise of the world faded under the beat of his heart against my cheek. I closed my eyes, letting it anchor me, letting it pull me back.
He rushed gently up the back of the river, keeping me tight to his chest. "You're okay now."
Flashing lights stung my eyes as paramedics rushed toward us, but I kept my eyes on Nathan. His jaw was clenched, his shoulders tight, like he didn't trust anyone else to hold me.
