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I sniff the air for any clue of where we were heading but all I smelt was wet bark that mixed with damp earth and dead leaves that crunched beneath us with every step we took.
"Where are we going Max?" As usual he didn't answer, he laughed then tightened the blind fold in case I was peeking.
"Im so tire-," I pause to listen to the sound of water crushing against rocks as its calm melody burbled over rocks and branches.
A river?
"We are here," I breath in to the calm scent of the forest and as I do so I feel a weird peacefulness reside in my heart. The blindfold finally falls from my eyes my vision taking a moment to adjust to the change of lighting. I rub against my sore eyes and open them again.
I gasp at the beauty of the nature around us, it was breathtaking. The trees formed a shadowy roof on top of us as the branches twirled to hug each other. I watch as a small leaf fell from the branches and delicately danced in the wind until it landed in the cool blue water of the river where it was splashed away.
I laugh, my voice projecting out making the chirping birds flap away as it disturbed their peacefulness. I kick off my sandals wanting to feel the damp soil with my bare foot.
"I love it," I turn towards him and look down to his shoes that were still intact with his feet.
"Take them off!" He furrows his eyebrows then averts his eyes to my bare 'feet' as I busily buried my toes in the wet soil.
"Aren't you afraid of fungi or something?" I roll my eyes and move away from his boring presence, I didn't need his negativity at a time like this.
I look over to the water body, was it a river? A stream? Whatever it was it was sure as heck tempting.
"What is this?"
He furrows his eyebrows again,"Water..."
"No is it a river or a stream?" He walks to stand beside me.
"Why do you care?" He clearly didn't know also.
"Just curios," he takes my cold hand in his warm one and leads me towards the river/stream, whatever it was.
"Why care..." My eyes widen when he flings his shirt off and carelessly throws it to the ground. They keep intact with the shirt laying on the dirt, tempted but not wanting to look at his naked chest and clearly with the noticeable tension that was forming between us it was better to not incase it instigated anything. But shortly after I quickly look towards the source of the energetic yell and splash, and there he was popping his head out of the water with the hugest smile I had ever seen on him. I laugh and run towards the water body kneeling down so that I was able to look at him better.
He swims towards me and looks up at me, his eyes holding an exploding happiness within, the blue in it matching the water around him.
"Aren't you afraid of fungi or something?" I mimic him, my hand sweeping away the wet hair stuck to his forehead.
His smile grows and he looks up at the sky for the longest time that I am forced to look up to see what was so interesting that it could take all of his focus away, excluding of course the intertwining branches.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing..." his voice sounded lost and I knew exactly what he was doing, he was remembering, probably a memory he had made here before. I look down at him but he was still looking up with utter concentration, his smile long gone.
I need to get back his attention. I dip my hands into the cold water and splash him, he laughs and quickly swims away from my flapping hands.
"Come in!" I laugh and shake my head.
"Come on stop being a bore!" I look down at my distorted reflection. I wasn't the 16 year old with anticipation anymore, I was a grown woman finishing my course and going to fulfill my dreams.
But this was what you loved.
Not anymore,
I stand up and dust away the soil that was stuck on my jeans, "No," I turn my back towards him and as soon as I start walking away something shines into my eye. I look towards where the pervasive ray of silver light came from and quickly turn back towards Max.
"There is something out here," I yell back at him my eyes concentrated on the shiny silvery object that was hidden behind a tree.
"Who would keep something out here?" I whisper to myself as I slowly approached it feeling slight fear as I neared it.
What if it was a snake?
Why Im I even going near it?
What if it is an assassin ready to kill you?
What if the assassin is pulling you towards him so that he could kill you?
Using my vast movie knowledge that could save me from being assassinated at dire times like this, I look around for any signs of an assassin strolling around but most importantly I inspect the trees, they always hide in trees and pounce on you when you least expect it.
"No assassin," I breath in and walk towards it again trying to make as little noise as possible. I finally reach close enough to see what it was confusion consuming me as soon as I see the silver prosthesis lying in the dirt.
"A prosthesis?" I bend down to pick it up, gently patting away the dirt. I was confused, really confused, why would he bring a prosthesis?
It was a fancy looking prosthesis, yellow by the knee cap and silver to the bottom. I inspect it carefully, the ankle part too flexible and its foot... its foot was the most weird part of it, it looked like a fin, curved and flat. The whole prosthesis looked funny the parts not in proportion as the upper part was more thick then the fin looking thing. It had a strap that looked adjustable which meant there was no need for knee measurements.
"Its a swimming prosthesis," I turn around to look at him unable to respond to him partly because he was half naked in front of me with water dripping all over his defined features and mostly because I was very overwhelmed.
"Um..," he moves closer towards me and tucks away the loose strands of hair that were falling on my face. A habit he now had.
"Now will you swim with me?" I look up at him trying to read his eyes but unable to define the swirling anticipation within them.
"Its been eight years," I whisper as I look down towards the prosthesis again. Eight years.
"Time is just a number," I laugh at his lame attempt of advising me to swim.
"But those numbers change you."
"Hi," I furrow my eyebrows at his sudden greeting.
"Hey?"
"You are beautiful," something tickles my stomach at his sudden compliment and I cant help but hide the heat gushing to my probably pink cheeks.
"Hales?" I nod giving him the permission to proceed.
"I know it wont be the same, it is different but this is your life now and instead of running away from it and trying to bury it, live it. You made me live mine and get some tan, now its your turn," he stretches out his hand towards me.
"Live it now," I smile looking down at the prosthesis.
Eight Years...
Eight Years,
But it took him less then eight minutes to convince me.
I place my palm in his and smile, a pleasant warmth evading my chest.
This was it!
I let go of his hand and with no time left for second thoughts I throw my shirt off, my eyes concentrated on the water and just the water.
I gulp and as swift as an eagle my sweatpants fall to the ground leaving me in my unmatched undies. Usually I would feel embarrassed to be this revealed in front of a guy, no one except my mom has ever seen me in just undies or just a bikini, but today, today there was a sudden surge of confidence within me and I wanted to unleash something and I didn't exactly know what.
As I stood there half naked in front of Max I didn't care about all the flaws I would try to hide about my body that including my prosthesis in full view. I felt free, it was weird but thats exactly how I felt at that particular moment with the cold wind slapping my bare skin.
I look over at Max.
"Lets go for a swim."
.
Here is what the prosthesis looks like to all those wondering
Guysss! All you wonderful Human beings😭😭 Im falling in Love with my book finally.
I usually struggle to believe in my work or in myself and finally liking something that is my own is a big step towards self development!
Take compliments, see the good in you and stop trying to pull yourself down because your biggest enemy is you! Start believing in yourself and in the things you do!
Alhamdullilah❤️
Ramadhan kareem to All My Muslim readers!! I hope you are having a fantastic Ramadhan and may this Ramadhan help us all develop into better muslims.
I hope each and everyone reading this is having a great DAY❤️
Love
~Shey✨