Tide

Chapter 54

There he was, wearing a timid look as I stared directly at him; joy, relief, and confusion striking me all at once. He looked a little different; he wasn't all covered in the guck the wave had painted him in and the gashes that had cut into his skin had become scars.

"Hi Ava,"

I didn't know how to reply to him. I was shocked and happy, but also slightly angry and puzzled. I could feel my heart pounding and my face reddening, unsure of what to do. Questions spiraled through my head. What was he doing? Why was he here?

"Isaac," I breathed.

There was a long pause as we proceeded to do nothing but stare at each other, allowing the awkwardness to sink in. I didn't know what to say, so instead, I kept my gaze fixed on him and said nothing.

Finally, he broke the silence and asked me, "How have you been?"

I opened my mouth to say something -- anything -- and then clamped it shut. I continued to stare at him, still unable to say anything.

After a few moments of just watching him, I felt a lump grow in my throat and built up the courage to ask him, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm volunteering."

"But how did you know I was here?"

Another long pause.

For a second he avoided eye-contact with me, looking away and squinting as the sun hit his eyes. Then, he cleared his throat, took a deep breath and his gaze met mine. "I called you back," he said finally.

"When?" I questioned, folding my arms and straightening my posture in an attempt to mask how uneasy I was. The gleaming sun beat down on me as I found it difficult to breathe, my palms clammy and my heart racing.

"A little while ago," he told me. "I got your message; the one where you told me you were leaving. Then I called you back... Your mother picked up the phone and told me everything."

Memories came flooding back; from the time I had met him up until when we had watched the sunrise. I didn't know where my family was, and neither did he. Then I remembered the last time I'd spoken to him. He'd hung up on me, leaving me wondering whether or not he was going to live. Things had changed a lot.

When I'd first met him, he'd seemed so poised and enthusiastic. He'd had a firm belief that everything would turn out okay. Now, he seemed dismal and bleak and barely gave eye-contact.

My throat tightening, I could feel my hands beginning to tremble. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again," I said quietly, tears blurring my vision. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and caught a glimpse of him staring.

He took a deep breath and pulled me into a hug, the memories of our past pouring into my mind. I felt comfort in his arms, pulling him closer so that nothing could stand between us. "You scared me."

"I know," he whispered, burying his face into my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I breathed.

For a second I pulled away from him and cupped his face in my hands, taking a moment just to look at him. I could feel my eyes stinging, my heart running a mile and felt like nothing else in the world mattered except for right then. He offered me a smile through his misty eyes, wrapping his arms around me once more and holding me close for just a few more moments. I didn't want to ever let go.

"It's okay," I repeated, holding onto him tightly. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

--

Later, I brought Isaac to where the orphaned children were. I introduced him to them, and Lawan explained the instructions to another game for us to play. The kids loved Isaac, especially Kasem. Kasem thought he was hilarious. At lunch time the children all sat and chatted amongst each other, some of them telling their stories. Kasem had lost his single mother to the wave -- we'd found this out through Lawan. She'd told us that he'd struggled with a bit of denial, but overall he'd handled the situation well.

Little Kasem saw the situation in a different way. He'd told Isaac and me that his mother wasn't gone and that he'd see her again soon. She was on vacation and she was happy, and she'd be coming home soon to see the family. He'd told us how he looked forward to seeing her again. His twin sister, Manee, believed the same thing. Their mother would be coming back; they were sure of it.

At the end of the day, a few of the kids came up to us with joyous expressions and gave us hugs before leaving. I glanced at Isaac, catching a glimpse at the slight grin on his face and smiled to myself.

That was when a sense of relief washed over me. I just kept staring at him, unable to take my eyes off of him. Suddenly, I couldn't imagine what it would have been like if he was gone. It was comforting to see him smile; it offered me a sense of hope that he was actually going to be okay and that everything would turn out to be okay in the end.

I looked around and watched the other children surrounding me. A lot of them had already pushed their pasts behind them and moved on. Most of them wore smiles and had contagious laughs and their eyes held pure happiness. Now I just needed to find mine.

When I'd first met him, Isaac had seemed so poised and enthusiastic. We'd both been in shock, and since then, both of our lives had changed. I'd gone to therapy, had breakdowns, done interviews -- and I still didn't consider myself a survivor. Sure, I had lived amongst the thousands of people who had lost their lives, but I hadn't moved on. I needed to move on.

Now, I just needed to find my way onto the road to recovery.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Isaac's finally back :D Tide has like two chapters left 0.0 It's almost overrrr