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What if We Drown 57
She's still scared. I hope they're not far, she answered, looking over Derek's shoulder and back towards the path they'd been walking.There were no roads around this part of the cliff, so they would have to walk out to find them here. She really hoped that they would have understood Derek's directions. She worried her bottom lip, wondering what would happen to Joan if the marine rescue team didn't find them there.Derek took her hand in his."She's going to be okay. They'll find us," Derek reassured her. She nodded, leaning her head to the side so she could look at Joan's face.She didn't know much about the way that turtles displayed their emotions, but the eyes she gazed into were a depth of darkness and pain, and she couldn't help but feel saddened by the predicament Joan had found herself in. Joan blinked. If turtles could have wept, Ashlyn had no doubt that she would have been crying a stream of tears.By the time Ashlyn noticed the flashing lights that approached signaling
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Ashlyn woke by a rough hand shaking her shoulders."Quick, get up. We overslept!" Kass exclaimed over her before something heavy fell on her face. A pillow.Ashlyn groaned, and, squeezing her eyes shut, she rolled over. But the soft surface beneath her back promptly disappeared, and she fell through the empty air, a thud echoing as she hit the floor.She bit her lip against the pain that shot through her knees, her vision hazy as she stared through groggy eyes at the room around her. She was in Kass's living room and still wearing yesterday's clothes. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Ashlyn tried to recall what had transpired the night before.The smell of cookie dough and chocolate were at the forefront of her memories, followed by the distant sounds of laughter and oven alarms. The mess she could see in the kitchen was the last missing piece to her memories.The night before, Kass, Marcus and herself, had been up until the early hours, baking an ensemble of cookies and slices f
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"Poppy, Sage. This is my very good friend, Ashlyn," he addressed each of the girls. She tried not to flinch at his choice of words, her heart yearning for a different word to have been used. But they hadn't yet had that conversation. Perhaps they never would.Quickly, she pushed that thought aside and reminded herself of the words he'd said that afternoon behind Salt. Words that had been proven true countless times since. It didn't matter what they were or were not, only that he was there, and that at some level, he cared.Pushing back the thoughts that threatened to ruin the day, she chose to focus on the people before her, and the good that she felt.Ashlyn waved to each of the girls, her smile warm. As she gazed at both of the girls, she could see the playful spark and curiosity in each of their eyes. The hints of those cheeky smiles they each possessed hidden in the corners of their lips were evident, much like they had looked in all of Derek's photos.The way that Derek spoke
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The ocean drew a deep breath.Suddenly, and all at once, everything came back to life.The sounds of the twin's spirited words were drowned beneath the roaring in Ashlyn's ears, the jagged sounds of her breathing smothering her. Three steps at most stood between where her feet sunk into the sand and the shifting waves that rolled up on the shore. Three steps, but a lifetime of disillusions.The girls continued their taunts from the water, oblivious to the rising storm that raged inside of Ashlyn.She had no doubt that everyone was watching, and there would be no turning back if she ran from this now. But still, her flight instincts urged her on, the security of the sandy dunes more promising than the mysterious depths that approached.Her hands twisted tightly in the fabric of her dress, and her toes curled and clung to the granules of sand, as she fought to maintain a steady heart and a clear head. Panic and fear thrashed against her from all angles, the thoughts she'd always fo
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The water was cold as it kissed her ankles, the softly spoken words dissipating on the breeze that tangled within her curls. A gasp stole from her lungs as she stumbled back, her feet dragging through the sinking sand.That cool kiss hadn't been a part of her memory. She'd felt it, clear as day. Somehow, lost in the memory of that day with her father, she'd lost control of her movements and had drawn too close to the rolling waves.The water continued its ebb and flow, unfazed by the events that had transpired. All while Ashlyn's heart thundered in her chest at the vivid memory that had quickly shifted into the tangible textures she'd just experienced.Twenty years had passed since the last time she'd felt the shifting sand and the foamy kisses, her muscle memory dormant through it all. But with one touch, with one unexpected kiss, her body had responded as though it had only been a day. Her toes had buried into the sand, the granules tickling the soles of her feet when the wave ha
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Ashlyn feigned shock when the twins grabbed on to her hands to hold her in place, which only made them squeal louder. She knew that she had been caught and that she would pay for her involvement in such a scheme. A punishment she only pretended she didn't want, for the twins' benefit."Get her," Sage shrieked, her laughter bubbling around her words, as she moved behind Ashlyn and pushed her towards Derek.His arms were about her waist in seconds, the wind escaping her lungs for a moment. Ashlyn leaned forward, her knees brushing the surface of the waters below, in the hope that he would let go, but his hold only tightened further.In one swift movement, Derek turned her in his arms so that her chest was against his. Her feet lifted from the sand below as he held her tightly against his body like a human shield.The twins required no other signal, as they began to splash again, this time coming at Derek and Ashlyn from both sides. Derek turned her from side to side, warding off as
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Ashlyn stepped around Derek, her attempts to mask her confusion reflected in the wavy smile she cast towards him before she stepped out of the water and jogged up the beach towards the bonfire. She could feel Derek at her back as he followed behind, his feet shifting in the sand the only sound he made.Ashlyn navigated around the crowd of people seated around the fire, muted words of praise and congratulations for what she'd done reaching her ears.She didn't like being the center of attention, almost as much as she didn't like being in the dark about what was going on. And something had to be going on, it was the only way to explain the smiles that Abel and Kass wore when they looked to her, and Derek at her back.Before she could take her seat beside Kass, Kass gave a subtle shake of her head. Ashlyn's brow quirked, and she went to object when the soft cadence of a young girl's voice reached out to her."Sit with me, Ashwyn," Sage called out around the thumb that she nursed. Ash
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As though sensing the turmoil Ashlyn found herself in, Lorraine's eyes widened, and she shook her head."No, No!" She shuffled closer to Ashlyn. "I meant that in a good way." She turned so that she faced Ashlyn, their eyes leveled."I'm sorry, I speak too bluntly sometimes. What I meant to say was that the stories Derek's told us about you do not do you justice. In person, you are more gentle and empathetic than he described. I saw you with the girls before, and I've never seen anyone be so warm and welcoming towards someone they didn't know. I don't think you fully understand just how enamored with you they are." Lorraine paused, both of their gazes peering through the flames to the lively children that lit up the night."And you're gorgeous! He never mentioned before how beautiful you were." Lorraine chuckled, her head snapping back towards Ashlyn.Ashlyn felt the light dusting of rose that rushed to fill her cheeks, her gaze drawn across the crowd, towards Derek at Lorraine's w
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