Loving You Too Long

Nathaniel’s POVCopyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

I was furious. Hearing Haisley’s confession that she would stop loving me felt like something had pierced my heart. Especially the fact that she knew about my feelings for Crystal somehow made a corner of my heart ache. In the end, the girl gave up. Shouldn’t I be happy? After all, that was what I intended by doing all of this, to hear those words. But why did I feel so reluctant now? It was as if someone had taken a beloved toy of mine and finally threw it, breaking it right in front of my eyes. I could only stare at her pale face.

Haisley! The girl disturbed me. Hearing her intention to erase the ten years she used to love me made me feel unwilling. I just let her go past me. Did she think it would be that easy to remove Nathaniel from her mind? While I was sure my name was ingrained in her very being.

Times do change. But it won’t change that girl’s love for me. I was sure of it. But seeing her closeness with Gilbert, for some reason, made my confidence waver. Gilbert was indeed much better than me. I mean, he was friendly, sociable, and well-liked by people. Not like me, who was always cold and distant to everyone.

I also didn’t like it when I saw Gilbert pulling her hand with a piercing gaze in my direction. As if he accused me of doing something evil. Should I confront my brother? Ugh! Gilbert didn’t need to consider me his rival; it was just futile. Gilbert should know his place and step back. Because I was confident that Haisley still liked me.

And where did they go? Stupidly, I followed them. And I knew they entered the soundproof karaoke room. What were they doing in there? Flirting? Damn! Didn’t Haisley say she would learn how to seduce men? Was Gilbert her teacher now? No! That couldn’t happen!

I waited for them to come out. How much time had passed? Why hadn’t they appeared yet? I spent two hours gulping down drinks. Again and again. Until finally, I saw Gilbert coming out of the karaoke room with a half-empty plate in his hand. But not Haisley.

I walked closer. Entered the karaoke room and saw the petite girl seemed to be asleep. Her face looked swollen, pale, and sweaty. I chose to leave her alone for a moment. Walked to the kitchen and grabbed a small towel and a bowl of warm water before returning to the karaoke room.

The girl’s forehead creased when I placed the wet towel on her forehead and gently wiped it. Until her face and neck. I remained silent there for quite some time, gazing at her face, which bore no resemblance to Crystal, the woman I had adored for so long.

Enough!

I decided to get up and leave her alone to return to the front of the ship. Not to mingle with Gilbert’s friends, but to calm my mind after the little girl’s statement.

Soon, I saw out of the corner of my eye that she had returned. Her face was still pale, although not as much as before. She forced herself to smile and responded to Loretta’s friendly greeting before choosing to walk to the other side where her friend was.

Loretta approached me, talking about something related to America and Miami, to which I replied occasionally and as briefly as possible. And then, it happened very quickly. When I leaned in to hear more clearly what Loretta was saying, I saw the girl was looking in my direction. I wanted to give her a mocking smile before I felt the ship shake violently, and I heard a surprised scream as Haisley’s small body seemed to sway and fall backward over the fence.

“Haisley!”

“Reia!”

The shouts were simultaneous with people running towards the fence where the two girls had last leaned. I was stunned. I stood frozen in my place before my feet ran, and somehow my body jumped into the water.

In the beginning, everything seemed blurry. I looked around, searching for heads that might surface. There was Gilbert, Steven, and the other girl who had fallen with Haisley. But where was that girl? I glanced at Gilbert. For a split second, our eyes met before we both took a deep breath and went back underwater.

The orange hue we had seen earlier was fading. It blurred the seawater slightly, obstructing our view. With the remaining air in my lungs, I tried to locate the girl. And I saw her.

The girl seemed motionless. Her long hair spread around her head. Her hands were limp in front of her, and her legs… I swam closer. My movements felt so sluggish, even though I was exerting all my strength. The time I spent getting to her felt incredibly long.

Finally, I reached her body. Her slender waist was now in my arms. I pulled her, kicking the water beneath me so I could rise to the surface. The waves were surprisingly strong. For a moment, I lost my direction until I heard my name being called.

I managed to lift her petite body. Her face was incredibly pale. Extremely pale, and her lips were turning blue. I panicked. I was terrified. I slapped her cheeks, feeling their coldness, and she remained still.

“H!” I shouted with my throat getting hoarse, probably because of the seawater I accidentally swallowed. “H! Wake up!” I slapped her cheeks again, but she remained motionless. “G. Hold her head!” I commanded Gilbert, who was also frozen with his pale face.

I positioned her body to be straight, while Gilbert held her head to ensure her airway was clear. I began chest compressions. One. Two. Three. I pinched her nose and breathed air into her mouth. I repeated it several times until, finally, when I was starting to give up, she coughed and expelled water from her mouth and nose.

“H?” Gilbert tapped her cheek while I sat down weakly. My chest was still pounding. She continued to cough with her body tilted before Gilbert gently lifted her shoulders.

“G…” she whispered faintly while embracing Gilbert. Her tiny body trembled violently, just like Gilbert’s. Her eyes looked dazed, and I saw her lips moving soundlessly.

My sister hugged Haisley so tightly and occasionally stroked her wet, long hair while kissing Haisley’s forehead and temples, murmuring, “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.” Then I saw the girl looking at me. Her eyes were red. I was sure it was because of tears. Then, in a matter of seconds, the girl slumped weakly, fainting in Gilbert’s arms.

“H!” Unconsciously, I screamed in panic. I grabbed her body from Gilbert’s embrace. Whether it was rough or not, I didn’t care. I slapped her cheeks again, hoping she would open her eyes. But there was no response.

“We need to turn back, Nath. We need to get her to the hospital immediately,” Gilbert said before my sister got up and left Haisley in my arms.

I carried her inside. Taking her to the room I planned to use later that night. I closed the door, then undressed her without caring if I had to see her naked body. I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I laid her on the bed and quickly covered her with a thick blanket.

Soon, her body started shivering. Trembling intensely and convulsing. Then I heard her whimpering, followed by her rising body temperature. Now her whole body, initially pale, had turned red.

Gilbert entered the room. He looked at Haisley with his worried eyes. He lifted the girl wrapped in a blanket onto his lap. “H…” He grabbed Haisley’s tiny hand from under the blanket and held it tightly. His left hand caressed Haisley’s wet head. He kept saying, “It’s all okay,” softly and repeatedly, rocking Haisley’s body. As if Haisley was nothing more than a child being cradled by its mother.

I stepped back, my head filled with questions. What happened? What had really happened to Haisley, something I did not know?