Olivia, an empty lady in the full bloom of youth, stood alone on the beach, gazing over the azure water with her mournful mahogany orbs. Her auburn hair danced lightly in the ocean breeze, tickling against one cheek as she tried to deny the stirrings in her heart, resting her cheek against one hand as she crossed one high-heeled foot behind the other. She wore a sable tank top, her shoulders a beautiful ivory in the sun, and pitch-dark shorts that looked comfortable and easy to wear. Her mane flowed in a swarthy torrent past her shoulders, complementing her empty lily-white visage. A prominent scar stood out on her silvery skin. Beautiful wings sprouted from her back.
Her thoughts wandered to her days in Peter's company. On that day, the shadows of her past had become unbearable. Meeting Peter brought some light into her life for the first time in a long while. He was her salvation. From then on, Olivia was sometimes needy and close, but then suddenly cold and fearful. Peter tried his best to hide his pain, but it was plain in his windows to his soul. That was how it was to this very day.
"Olivia," Peter said simply with an admiring look-over and a beaming grin. His mahogany depths complimented his cinnamon strands, brushing against his ears, belying his unique heart. He was dressed in his usual everyday clothes. He was healthily color-touched alabaster and sturdily built. As Olivia drew nearer, she caught a note of his familiar perfume: a sweet, rich lavender. Her pools softened. It always reminded her of the time they shared.
"Peter. I feared you might not come," Olivia whispered.
His eyes widened. "Of course, I came!"
She shook her head. "Everyone else abandoned me."
"That's awful," Peter mumbled. "I swear I won't." He affectionately reached out to her, and carefully she wrapped her fingers in his. With that, they began to walk along the beach. As they proceeded tenderly down the shoreline, Olivia's windows to her soul mused over the doubts that haunted her, trailing her like a mournful shadow. Her lips softly parted from the confessions that welled up in her throat, only to be swallowed back in grim defiance. Olivia struggled to keep together her fragile composure.
"I'm... glad I was able to see you today," Olivia whispered, steadying her tremulous voice. "While I still have you here, that is..."
A faint blush tinged Peter cheeks; he turned his face away with a nervous laugh.
"Heh, me too, Olivia!" Peter didn't pick up the hint of foreboding in Olivia's tone. "Uh...so... what's on your mind?"
Despite the enthusiasm in Peter's reply and his grin, Olivia's heart sank like their feet in the ocean-kissed sand. What would Peter think about her? Would he recoil in disgust? In fear? In ridicule?
But Peter was different from the rest. Under that charming, outgoing exterior, there was a truly kind heart. Pain and doubt had plagued Olivia before Peter nearly extinguished it with his infectious optimism.
Olivia shook her bowed head slightly at the thought. She was lying to him; Olivia wasn't worthy of his kindness. Olivia was ... Always falling short. Damaged beyond repair. Wounded by the unexplainable.
Olivia was undeserving.
Before Olivia could notice and dam the impeding flood, a bit of dampness flecked and darkened the sand at their feet. Tears were rolling down her cheeks in soft rivulets, like hot bullets. Then came the sobs, breathless and soft as the dark bile in her heart came to a boil and bubbled up in the form of quiet, trembling whimpers.
"Hey! Hey now," Peter murmured, pulling Olivia close to his chest. "What's the matter?"
Olivia pulled away and gazed into Peter's concerned spheres. The affable gaiety those deep swarthy windows to his soul once held had since given way to tender distress.
"It's nothing. Please do not trouble yourself."
Olivia cast her troubled visage aside and fought back the welling tears, glinting gold as they caught the light off the heavens' sympathetic glow. The ocean rolled and sighed with her shuddering breaths, and the flocks of seabirds overhead sung their lament. A newfound resolve set itself in Peter's eyes, and he pulled Olivia close.
"That's nonsense," he murmured comfortingly, slowly stroking Olivia's upper back. "You've got to tell me what's going on."
"I... I could never do that to you, Peter. There's something about me you don't know, and I fear it's... it's too much to bear."
"Come on. What could be so bad that you wouldn't tell me?" Peter attempted to cheer Olivia up with a reassuring smile.
"There's a reason... I am the way I am. A dark secret hidden deep in my past that I wanted to keep from you. You're just so...happy, and I couldn't stand to take that away from you."
"It's me, Olivia. Come on, you can't keep stuff like that bottled up!"
"I can barely put it into words. You've treated me so well, and I never want this to change."
"What makes you think it'll change?"
Though comforting, the kindness in Peter's reassurances only aggravated Olivia's grief.
"Act as nonchalant as you please, then!" Olivia sobbed louder than she had intended to. "It's horrible all the same!"
"Well, whatever it is, I don't care!" Peter shouted defiantly. "We'll bear it together!"
The sudden firmness, yet gentleness in Peter's voice drew a slight gasp from Olivia's lips. Peter truly cared... for a person like her. She shook her head, another wave of racking sobs overcoming her.
After a few moments, they found themselves walking down the beach again. Olivia couldn't stop thinking about her worst memory. It plagued her endlessly - while she was far from him and while she was near. It threatened to consume her. When she had let the faintest hints slip in the moments before, it had already taken so much of her will.
With concern, Peter turned his burning globes toward her. "Olivia? What's wrong?"
"Peter... it's..."
And at that moment everything came together, all of the magic and the hurt that had been building that day, and he locked his crystals with hers and whispered, "You can tell me."
It was like a floodgate burst, or some barrier of fear had been struck down. Olivia shook her head, and everything came out at once. "I... I keep remembering it... That day. Peter, I can't help myself! I don't want to think about it... it hurts, Peter. But even when I sleep, it comes back to me in my dreams. I can't forget, not for a moment... Not a moment's peace."
Peter listened silently and solemnly. At last, when all the words had left her and she was at a loss for words, he reached out to her and took a deep breath to whisper back, "I know, Olivia. I know how it feels. You see, that's been on my mind too. My worst memory... I haven't told you, but it's been bothering me too. But... never mind that." Peter placed his hands on Olivia's shoulders. "I'm here for you, Olivia. As long as you need me."
Olivia's eyes began to burn, and she abruptly pulled him into a fierce embrace. His pools widened at first, but then he too felt overwhelmed by emotion and succumbed to the warmth of her touch.
"You," Olivia whispered, her breath hot on his ear. "As long as you're here, I... I can make it." They held each other as tears trickled down cheeks and dripped onto the shifting sands to be carried away into the sea. With time and soothing embraces, their pain dissipated into a mist swept out by the ocean breeze and into the setting sun.