S A R A

Ch 2

2

I dropped my guitar pick. Then my guitar. The room went especially quiet and you could undoubtedly feel people getting nervous. It's like everything in the world stopped for a minute and I got tunnel vision.

Then everything started getting hazy. Then dim. Then I passed out.

———

The first thing I felt was a breeze. Where was I?

Sound. The ocean. I open my eyes, but everything is dark, there is no light other than the full moon.

Where am I?

I start to panic. Hyperventilate. I've been kidnapped, or worse. All I know is that I was probably not safe and was not supposed to be where I was. It seems that I was lying in the back of a car seat with the top down. I continue to panic. I make some indescribable noises and suddenly try to sit up, but my oncoming headache is too much. Everything starts spinning and I start to cry.

It looked like there's no one else in the car. I wasn't floating, yet I could hear the water so well. I heard footsteps coming towards me in the sand.

Beaches are not rare in California and sometimes I feel like I must've been a mermaid in my past life but my love for the sea only goes this far. I can't die. Not now.

Suddenly I was sure that it was my rapist, or killer, or whoever was within an arm's reach. And I hear him speak.

"How are you feeling?"

Suddenly, once again it all starts coming back to me. The cafe, the music, and him.

"You're crying, please don't. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I only want to help you. I really didn't mean to startle you back there." He gets into the driver seat and turns back to me.

"Let me help you, can you sit?"

I relax a little and manage a nod. He smiles and extends his hand.

"May I?" I slowly extend my arm and take his hand, then the other. I get up with his gentle pull, and I'm not that dizzy. At all actually. Once I touched him, everything went back into place, just like that.

"My guitar?" I ask, still a little disoriented but mesmerized at the same time.

He smirks and tells me it's alright, he's got it in the trunk. He said something along of a compliment referring to earlier today, then he said.

"I'm Haden."

I lighten up a bit. "I know who you are," I laugh in disbelief. "You don't even understand."

Haden looked sad for a moment, looking out somewhere beyond. He got out of the car and opened the back door. "Come, I wanna show you something.

I get up unsteadily. He invites me to hook my arm through his. I do. Were I not so out of it, I think I would die more than I was at that moment. The hours I spent looking at his pictures, listening to his songs, dreaming...I must have at least 5 songs about him. That should somewhat explain why I passed out. God, how embarrassing. How could I let myself do that? Now I look like a fool. Oh well, at least there's no one else with him but me right now. I've got him all to myself!

"You know, if I didn't know who you were, I'm pretty sure I would've filed a restraining order and called the police. Or other way around, or...how do I know you're not going to kidnap me. I mean, this really is lovely but who let you take me passed out in your car?" I took off my shoes to better feel the sand, while lecturing Haden.

"That's a story I'll save for later. By the way what is your name?" We locked eyes for a moment and I quickly turned away.

"Sara. Now what was it you wanted to show me?" I looked around unsure of where we were going.