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.

head jolting up in surprise at the change of his tone. "She did?" she asked softly, trying to read his mood. She let out a sigh, sensing the weight of the

than anything. We used to go to the beach every week, come what may. She said

his voice. She could tell how deeply Diana had touched his life. "It must have been nice," she said

was," he muttered. "Until she was diagnosed with cancer." His voice started to break, and Emma watched 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 to the beach one day, like

never

said, her voice barely

whisper. She looked

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

she started, but she

his eyes filled with a mix of vulnerability and determination. "I couldn't explain it at first. How you me feel. It was beyond words. And the more I got to

made