Page 115 of When Hearts Remember

Safety. The smell of safety.

Then I feel a wall of heat. Firm muscles wrapping my trembling body. The loud drumming of heartbeats, a rhythm seeming so reassuring and familiar.

“Lexy, I’m here. Don’t scare me. Please don’t scare me.”

Ethan.

The strange visions slowly fade, and with them, the sharp agony eventually dulls. A tsunami retreating to the sea.

I heave out a deep breath, then another. Gentle hands rub my back. Ethan murmurs soft words under his breath and pulls me tighter against him.

Eventually, my senses recalibrate, my forehead damp with sweat. I open my eyes, realizing Ethan has tucked me against his chest, cradling me like I’m precious, all the while whispering, “Shhhh…I got you. You’re safe. I got you.”

His hand circles my arm now and for one wild moment, I’m tempted to snuggle deeper into his warm body.

I feel safe. Iamsafe.

“Ethan?” I’m parched, and suddenly, a cup of water appears in front of me.

“Drink this.” Ethan tips my head back and our gazes lock as I take a sip.

Those startling gray orbs, the tiny striations reminding me of stars in the nighttime sky.

Stars.

I wince, an aftershock blitzing me. His eyes widen with alarm. He looks like he’s one second away from carrying me to the hospital.

“You okay? I can take you to the doctor’s.”

I shake my head, and the movement makes me seasick. “No. I’m fine. It’s not the first time.”

“Does this happen a lot?” He eases me up and I wipe my damp forehead, the rest of the room slowly coming into focus.

A small crowd has gathered at the door. Trey’s face is ashen, his eyes alarmed as he stares at me. Debbie and a few other girls whisper to each other, their hands covering their mouths in obvious shock.

Shit.

“Sorry, I’m…I’ve had these weird visions, then there’s the headache—”

“Visions?” Ethan grabs my forearms, his voice urgent.

“W-What?” Why does he look like I’m the answer to his problems?

Another flash of pain and I whimper.

“Shit. Ignore me.” Ethan turns to the crowd, and barks out a command, “Guys, back to work! Nothing to see here.”

The group slowly disperses, except for Trey, who lingers behind.

“Alexis, take care of yourself.” Trey’s eyes hold mine for a beat before he looks at Ethan and strides away.

“You sure you don’t need me to call the doctor for you?”

“It’s probably the side effects from the meds, but I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, another headache radiates from my skull. I squeeze my eyes shut and grab Ethan’s arm.

“Fuck. Alexis, please let me take you to the doctor.” His voice is tense, his fingers gripping mine as I ride through the pain.

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