Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Diana had been more than a soulmate; she was his twin flame, his equal in every way. Life had been unkind to her, and her health had always been fragile; in the end, she was betrayed by those closest to her-her own cousin.

Her death was still a pain he had, but then seeing Emma, who resembled Diana to an amazing extent, had seemed like light at the end of a very long tunnel. The music began to make Brandon blink back tears and he steal a glance at Emma as she swayed to its rhythm. She wasn't Diana, he knew that, but she was the one who had given him hope all over again.

As they approached the beach, Brandon felt a twinge of nervous anticipation. He had hired the whole beach for the day, so they would have the place all to themselves. He wanted this moment to be special, something that she would always remember. He opened her car door and reached out his hand too assist her out. Her fingers touched his, and in that instant, he felt a jolt of current and wondered if she could, too.

Emma changed into a bikini, her laughter ringing out into the air as she playfully teased Brandon. She wasn't much of a beachgoer, she admitted, but she'd make an exception. They ran along the shore, playing in the water and laughing like kids. For a couple of hours, Emma's cares seemed to melt away, and Brandon felt he was seeing a side of her the world rarely ever

saw.

As the sun started to set, the mood turned. They sat together on the sand. They were quiet aside for the sound of the wave.

"Diana used to love water," Brandon said suddenly, breaking the heavy silence between them.

change of his tone. "She did?" she asked softly, trying to read his mood. She let out

faint, bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. She loved it more than anything. We used to go to the beach every week, come what may. She said the sound of the waves made her feel at peace, like everything else in the

tenderness in his voice. She could tell how deeply Diana had touched his life. "It must have been nice," she said softly, though sensing the pain

as the tears welled up inside his eyes before spilling over. "She tried to stay strong, you know? Even when things got hard, she'd still talk about going back

we never got to go

her voice barely

his tears.'m so sorry to hear that," whisper. She looked

"The first time I met you, Emma." He stopped, his eyes fixed on the waves. "You made me feel alive again. Since Diana's death, I never thought it would be possible to feel anything, really. But then you came into my life, and you made me feel whole. It was like you were this light breaking through a storm I thought

swallowed hard. "Brandon." she started,

and determination. "I couldn't explain it at first. How you me feel. It was beyond words. And the

made