CHAPTER 2
Distraction
It had been three months since you came back to your sanctuary. Polis is like your safe haven. All those business meetings were making you exhausted. You always want to be alone. There are only few people you actually trust. You are not good in socializing with other rich people that your father wanted you to befriend with. Your father might be the nicest businessman in the business world but you are the opposite. They named you The Commander because of your uptight and formal attitude. You are cold and stoic.
Especially ever since your mother died.
And Costia.
The two women whom you loved so dearly.
It had been 7 years since your mother died and 5 years since Costia died but it still affects you. You had definitely moved on because you are very good in distracting yourself. But sometimes there are things that even fame and fortune can't buy.
You woke up in an empty house. You love your beach house ever since you were a kid. You love to spend time here with your mother. Even though this is the place where your mother had her last breath, this place is still your sanctuary. Your mother had cancer. She wished to spend her remaining days here with you and your father here on this island. Your father was busy. He wasn't there when your mother died. You were lucky Costia was there for you but you never realized that two years later, Costia would leave you too.
Taking a deep breath, you stood up, took a shower and prepared for your morning run.
Half an hour later, you decided to spend your time sitting on the beach. The sound of waves soothed your soul. You were staring blankly at the lovely ocean when you saw a woman leaning towards a floating wood. Instinctively, you removed your clothes and ran towards the beach to save a stranger.
You carried her towards the shore. Slowly, you put her down on the sand so you could check her pulse. You were relieved when you realized that the woman is alive. You had the chance to look at her serene face; the woman looks like an angel. She is gorgeous. But then you mentally stopped yourself from ogling because you need to focus on the task on hand.
You know that you need to give her a CPR so you positioned her and you lowered your head to give her a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After that, you start to give her chest compressions.
"Come on! Breathe!" You said as you deliver compressions on her chest. "Please wake up!"
You were sweating damn fast. Two women already died on this island. You don't want to add a third one because you were feeling like a hero today when you jumped into the ocean to rescue a stranger. You were getting really really frustrated because there was no response.
You lowered your head again so you could breathe into the stranger's mouth. The stranger's soft lips lingered on your own. You mentally berated yourself for even thinking about the lips of the beautiful stranger on your island.
"Come on!" You repeated, embarrassed for yourself. "Damn it! I don't want a dead body on my island so wake up!"
The stranger's eyes opened slowly and you found yourself staring at those piercing blue eyes.
Carrying her, you glanced at her calm face. Her breathing is normal. You know that she must have been exhausted. You suspected a shipwreck or a plane crash that brought her into your island. If she was in a plane crash, then what country was she from or where was she heading to? You have a lot of questions inside your mind. But first things first; you need to treat and take care of her for the time being.
As you lay her down, you noticed her necklace. There was an engraved name on it.
Clarke.
You smiled because that is definitely a cute name. You shook your head; this is neither the time nor the place to find a complete stranger cute. No matter how cute she really is.
You laid her down slowly on the bed. You checked for her head wound. It was just superficial so you gathered your medical kit to clean her wound.
After you finished cleaning her wound, you decided to video call your trusted doctor friend. She answered the call after five rings, which was unusual.
"Hey Lexa." She greeted.
"Dr. Stewart." You formally greeted her, which made her roll her eyes.
"To what do I owe this pleasure of being summoned by the billionaire heiress Lexa Woods?" She teased.
It was your turned to roll eyes at her. "You are reading too much magazine, Holly." You commented. Because of that Billionaire Heiress issue of Forbes, everyone you know teased you about it. "Besides you were in it too." You added.
Holly laughed. "Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, do you need something? And where are you? You look… wet."
Unconsciously, you touched your hair. You haven't really dried yourself after saving the blonde stranger. "I have a situation." You started.
Holly furrowed her eyebrows. "What is it?"
"I'm in Polis and I have company."
"That's new." She said. "I mean… you always want to be alone after…"
You sighed. "There's a woman. I think she met an accident or something. I don't know. She doesn't remember who she is. I tried to treat her head wound, it's superficial. But I want to make sure that she is okay. Are you able to come here immediately to check on her? Nyko will only be back here in three days." Nyko is your trusted caretaker when you were not around the island. He stays with his family on a nearby island, which is still actually far from Polis. Once a month, he comes just to check if you need food or supplies.
"Oh. That is… uhm… I c-can't." She stammered. Her eyes were in full panic mode. You know that because you are very observant.
"Is something wrong, Holly? Where are you now?" You asked.
"I'm fine… but I have stuff that needs to… It's complicated." She said.
"Are you okay, Holly?" You asked again.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Anyway, I need you to observe her. Check for other wound sites. Did she faint?"
"Yes. Her vitals are okay. She looked exhausted though." You replied.
"Okay. Just take care of her for now. And when Nyko arrives, you should transport her to the nearby hospital, if there is, from your faraway island." She said. "Seriously, you have a mansion in LA and New York. Why do you choose to stay there?"
"Holly…" You warned. "You know why."
"Okay. I'm not going to say anything but we missed you." Holly said.
You nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Stewart." Before you ended the call, you looked at her sternly. "I feel like you're hiding something. Just please be safe, okay?" You are very observant; something is bothering your friend. You don't know why but you just want her to be safe.
Holly nodded.
Two days later, the blonde stranger joined you for dinner. You were quiet; you don't know what to tell her. As much as you wanted to deny it, you had a quick glance at her body when she was in the bathtub. You were embarrassed at yourself for even thinking like this towards her. Looking at her ocean blue eyes, the cute cleft chin and the mole near her lip; it is positive that you are attracted to her. And you shouldn't.
It feels like you are betraying Costia. You promised her that you would never love another woman and no one could replace her. Although she didn't really approved of that promise because she wanted you to find someone and be happy. But still, you insisted on keeping that promise till her last breath. Costia is your life. And you never realized that someone would come along and grab your attention. You want to be angry at her for coming into your life. But it wasn't really her fault is it? It's not her fault that she lost all of her memories. It seems like you are both trapped in this situation.
You stopped chewing and looked at her. "You could stay the night but tomorrow someone will set sail on this island, pick you up and accompany you to the nearest public island."
She looked right back at you. Her eyes seem to panic for a second. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked and you felt guilty so you looked away. There was silence for a while before she spoke again, "Is it okay if I stay here for a bit longer? I don't have any memories, Lexa. You are the only person I know for now."
You sighed. You and Clarke alone here on this island? It's not a good idea for you. "There's a reason I want to be alone, Clarke." You said sternly.
"You are the only person I could trust." She insisted. You looked at her and you noticed that her eyes are pleading.
"Clarke…" You started but she cuts you off immediately.
"I'm not going to bother you or anything. I could even clean your house, cook for you or serve you as a thank you. Just please don't make me leave." She begged. Looking at the panic look on her face made you realize that of course, she is scared. She doesn't remember a thing. But the logic thing to do is find her family.
"Someone might look for you, Clarke. If you're here with me, then there is no chance they could've find you." You reasoned.
She looked down. "I feel safe here especially without my memories. I promised to leave as soon as I regain my memories."
You clenched your jaw. This is going to be difficult for you. Your attraction to this blonde stranger will make things complicated. You can't fall for her. "I have rules." You told her.
She smiled and you realized that you're a goner for that smile. "I'll be happy to oblige." She said.
You exhaled a deep breath. "You can't work on that state. You have to regain your strength so there's a good chance you might remember something." You told her and you initially hoped that she would remember everything fast because being with her like this is really dangerous for you.
She nodded.
You are angry with yourself for entertaining the attraction you feel for this beautiful stranger so you do what you do best. Keep distance. "We're not friends, Clarke. I value my alone time. So, what I'm saying is you can do what you want but just don't bother me in any way." You said in a harsh tone and looked away immediately. You don't want to see the look on her face.
"Sure. It would be like I'm not here, Lexa."
"Thank you. That's all." You stood up.
"J-just leave it. I'll clean up after." She offered.
You shook her head. "You need to rest, Clarke. I'll take care of these. If you're done then you should go up into your room and rest."
You opened your eyes, feeling angry with yourself. You haven't had any sleep through the night and it was because of the blonde sleeping on the other room besides yours. In the past two days, you took care of her and you kind of miss looking at her sleeping face. You want to get to know her but how? She doesn't even remember a thing.
With a deep exaggerated exhale, you stood up, take a shower so you could have your morning run.
As soon as you finished, you went downstairs and the amazing smell of fresh brewed coffee awoken your senses. Seems like your visitor make herself feel at home. You shook your head, told yourself to ignore her and then goes straight to the front door but you stopped when you heard Clarke called your name.
"Lexa… Good morning." She emerged from the kitchen and was carrying two mugs. Costia's mug. "I made you coffee." She said, smiling at you. She looked absolutely gorgeous in the morning. She was wearing one of the oversized shirts you kindly provided her. She looked so good in it.
"I-I need to run." You told her.
"Oh." She lowered her head. "Enjoy your run, Lexa." She said after a while then she turned around.
"Wait." You stopped her. "You already made me coffee so…"
She turned around with a smile on her face as she gives you the mug.
You wanted to smile at her but you stopped yourself. "Thank you." You said simply.
"No worries." She said, again with a smile on her face. She turned around and you were left watching her go back to the kitchen. Damn it, you cursed yourself.
You run and run and run until you were out of breath. You want to remove Clarke from your thoughts by distracting yourself with exhaustion. But still, your mind goes back to the beautiful blonde stranger making herself at home at your house.
You found yourself staring at the ocean once more, you wanted to tell Costia (wherever she is) that you made a promise to her and you intend to keep it. That you don't want to fall for the amnesia girl you are currently stuck with. That looking at Clarke never made you feel things you shouldn't feel. You want to assure Costia and yourself particularly that there is no such thing as 'love at first sight'. You are not attracted to Clarke in any way.
You. Just. Can't.
Afternoon came and Nyko hasn't come yet. You are planning to tell him about Clarke and if he received any news of a plane crash or shipwreck. But there were no signs of Nyko. You wondered what happened with him. Or maybe the current weather is the answer. It is not safe for Nyko to sail at this current weather anyway.
As soon as you opened the front door, you found Clarke sitting at the corner hugging herself. Immediately, you walked towards her. "Clarke, what happened?" You asked worriedly. She lifted her head to look at you; her eyes brimmed with tears.
"The lightning." She said. "It scared me."
You hugged her immediately. She looked so afraid that you felt the need to protect her. "It's okay. You're okay. I'm here."
"I'm so sorry… I feel like I'm a mess. You don't need me here and I'm just a burden to you." She sobbed.
You shook your head. "No… Don't think like that, Clarke. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I will protect you." You promised her and you meant it. From the bottom of your heart, you meant what you just said.
She pulled away slightly. "Thank you, Lexa. Thank you for saving me. For letting me stay here. Thank you for everything." Her face inches away from yours.
You smiled at her and nod your head. You guided her so she could stand up. "What do you want for lunch?" You asked her as you pulled away from her. Your heart beats fast and you were afraid she could hear it. You can't be close like this to her. It's making you insane.
"Actually, I cooked something." She told you. "I was waiting for you to come back."
"You remember cooking?" You asked dumbly.
Clarke laughed and it made your heart skipped a beat. "I just don't know who I am but I think I remember basic cooking."
You chuckled lightly. Did you just chuckle? You barely even smile for years. This woman is really making an impact on you. "Alright. Let me take a shower first."
Clarke smiled at you once again. Her smile could brighten the day of anyone. Then you asked yourself, there is no way that this beautiful ray of sunshine is single.
You clenched your fist, you could feel that your heart is clenching from an unknown pain. It's definitely possible that she would eventually leave you as soon as she regains her memories. You can't be attached with her. You remind yourself that over and over.
