A Million Reasons

Chapter Eight: Crystal Clear

The contrast of a lemon sun, against a crystal blue sky, filled Nathaniel's heart with Joy as he ran ahead of his family, over the sand dunes and toward the sea, eager for the adventures that awaited him.

"Hurry mommy! Hurry." He called over his shoulder.

"Nathaniel, don't go too far." The slender brunette smiled as she took her checkered blanket and spread it out over the sand.

"I won't mommy." A curly-haired Nathaniel laughed as he ran in circles, holding his toy plane high and making the sputtering sounds of an engine.

"Come on Caroline!" He shouted as he headed for the water.

The warmth of the waves engulfed his small body like the loving hug of his mother. Playfully, he splashed water in the direction of his sister.

"Stop Nate!" She cried as she retreated to the safety of their mother.

Laughing, Nathaniel made his way further into the water. Looking over his shoulder again, he smiled as his mother waved.

Submerging himself in the salty waves, he swam until the shore became a thin line on the horizon.

Treading water, his heart began to race when he realized how far he'd gone.

He was a good swimmer, his father made sure he and his sister had lessons, but he'd never gone out this far before, and definitely not alone.

"Mommy!" He called, desperately searching for a point of reference that would help him find his way back to shore. "Mommy!"

Suddenly, the flash of light and rumbling coming from above, turned his attention to the clouds. They seemed to appear from nowhere, filling the once lucent sky with darkness.

"Mommy, help me!" He cried as water droplets formed on his cheeks.

"Nate! Over here!" Her voice called and he swam in the direction of the sound.

"Mommy!" He exhaled as she suddenly came into view. Kicking fiercely, he struggled against the waves as the current seemed to work against him— pulling him further away.

"Swim harder, Nate! Harder!" The look of panic on his mother's face frightened him as she morphed into Aaliyah. The realization that he was now a grown man and the woman he loved was in danger, made his heart beat faster.

"Aaliyah!" He shouted before he went under. He couldn't understand why he didn't swim to her. It was as if he was paralyzed by fear and the current was too strong.

Forcing himself up again, he panicked at the sight of nothing—nothing but a dense fog that settled on the water and the sound of Aaliyah weeping.

As another wave crashed over his head, causing his body to be tossed and turned under the water, he struggled to hold his breath until he could rise again, but the water kept churning, pulling him further and further into the dark abyss.

"Nate...Nate!" a voice called pulling him out of the cold sweat of darkness.

"Nate wake up! You were dreaming again."

His blue eyes blinked open until the sweet face of Raegan Finn Harper came into focus.

"Shit." He sighed. He hadn't dreamt about his mother in years. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Where am I?" He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"You showed up last night, drunk out of your mind. I let you crash on my couch."

"Shit," he mumbled as memories of the previous night came to mind. "I've gotta see Aaliyah." He stumbled and fell back onto the sofa.

"Not so fast, Greyson. Don't you think you ought to sober up? Change at least?"

"I fucked up, Harper. Big time."

"You don't think I already know that? The poor girl. The look on her face when....".

"We don't need to relive the night, Harper. I just have to get to her. Explain things"

"Ok, well..., Do you have a plan of action?" She handed him a steamy mug of coffee.

"What?" He stood up, searching for his shoes.

"You can't just head over there without a plan, Nate. You want this girl back, right? How do you plan on doing that?"

"Ugh," his head ached as he took the coffee and sat back down on the sofa.

"I'll buy her something. Something expensive and shiny. Women like shit like that."

"God, Nate! You still haven't learned!" Raegan threw her hands in the air and plopped herself on the couch next to him.

"Aaliyah's not like other women. You have to do something special."

"Shit." He sighed as he realized his friend was right. Aaliyah didn't care about money and expensive gifts. She'd probably slam the door in his face if he showed up, trying to buy her affection.

"What do I do?"

"You've been with this woman for two months now, Nate. Haven't you gotten to know her by now?"

Rolling her eyes, Raegan rose from the couch and headed upstairs.

"You know, for a guy who spent his entire four years at Harvard on the honor roll, you sure are dumb."

******

Raegan's words haunted Nathaniel as he sat in the back of the limo nursing his throbbing head.

"You've been with this woman for two months... Haven't you gotten to know her by now?"

Truth be told, he didn't know Aaliyah, not really, not in the way that counts.

"Never again." He vowed, referring to his alcoholic binge and his behavior the night before.

Raegan was right. If Aaliyah was special, like he swore she was, he needed to treat her better. She deserved it.

"How much longer, William?" He asked as he scrolled through his contacts, deleting the names of every girl he ever hooked up with.

"Another ten minutes with traffic, sir."

"Ok," He sighed as he pushed a button, closing the partition; giving himself privacy as he deleted the last of the contacts and dialed Aaliyah's number.

"Hey, Liya..." He paused as he reluctantly left a message on her voicemail.

"I really need to see you today. I... I was wrong last night, and I know nothing can make up for what I did, but...".

Running his hand through his thick hair, he sighed. "Please, just give me a chance to make it up to you, baby."

Ending the call, he tossed his phone on the seat. When his phone chimed, moments later, and he saw a text from Aaliyah, his face lit up.

Aaliyah: If you want another chance, it's going to cost you. And I'm not talking about material things.

Typing his response, he smiled as an ingenious plan came to mind, one that was sure to get him out of the doghouse, once and for all.