FORGET ME

CHAPTER 08

I slowly placed my hands on his shoulders while I felt the intensity of his breathing as he inhaled and exhaled heavily against my neck. "Tavin?" my voice came out as a whisper but it only prompted him to tighten his grip on me more, as if he feared that I might vanish into thin air.

The atmosphere was chilly as the evening breeze gently pelted us. I gazed into the horizon with my lips parted; the sky was painted with an array of colors, blending shades of orange, red, and purple. But my whole being was aware of the man who was clutching me, his silent sobs wracking through his shaking body and mine. I waited until he calmed down while silently giving my support and stroking his back gently.

He had stopped trembling now, but he still held onto me. I gave him his time, and then finally, he pulled away from me.

"Candace..." he began, assessing us and our surroundings, "We- You are alive, I am not dreaming, am I?"

"No, Tavin. We made it, we are alive," I confirmed gently.

"We did? I just-" he paused, squeezing his eyes before opening them to look at me, "I just needed time to process everything and register the fact that you are here in front of me, alive."

Tavin looked ahead into the horizon dazedly. It took him a few minutes before he began to speak softly. "Everything happened so suddenly...When I was pushed down from the boat, I thought everything was over. But then, I was relieved," he said the latter in a whisper, I almost didn't hear it.

"...Relieved? Why?" I inquired, my tone matching his.

"I have nothing to live for anymore...my family-" his words caught in his throat and he took a minute before he continued, "I took my family for granted and now, they-they don't exist anymore. The moment I was pushed into the sea, for a second there, I gave up fighting and accepted my fate so I could join my family, to tell them that I appreciate and love them. But then, I heard you..."

My eyes widened as I looked up at him, and he gave me a small smile before looking back at the sea, "I heard you screaming out my name. Then I was reminded of how you would be alone if I had given up. Even though it was kind of forced, you were my only companion these days, in the middle of nowhere. If not for you, I would've gone insane or something. And I couldn't let the same happen to you. You said we were a team, remember? You and I?"

He came back for me. He fought his inner thoughts and swam up to save me. My heart warmed and my mind eased; Tavin could be trusted, he came for me, he is not like...Greg and George.

You can trust him, Candace.

My lips tugged into a smile, "Yes, we are a team. Thank you...thank you for not forgetting me."

God knows what would happen if I had been alone with those two men.

"I couldn't leave you to fend for yourself. So...I hauled George into the sea with me and-" Tavin stopped before he stilled, his eyes struck wide with realization. "Tavin," I scooted closer to him in concern.

"I killed him."

His voice was a soft whisper that was taken by the breeze that filled the silence. Tavin looked down at his outstretched palms with wide eyes.

"I- I killed someone. I strangled him to death..."

I gulped down my dry throat, knowing exactly what he was feeling. I recognized the signs of his distress -darting eyes, labored breathing and the trembling hands that clutched his head as he started breathing heavily.

I quickly held him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes and I told him what I'd been telling myself when I had the same kind of mental breakdown before for the same reason, "I understand, Tavin. You are not at fault for what happened. The situation forced you to act the way you did...without it, we wouldn't be where we are now. We had no idea what kind of people they were... Sometimes, we don't even realize what we're doing in such extreme circumstances that we end up carrying out actions before we can even process them," my hands clenched as realization sunk in. "...Unfortunately, that's the reality of survival, we learned it in the cruelest way. We had to do it for self-defense; for our survival. We did what we had for survival even if it was...even if it was taking someone's life forcefully..."