There's always this peaceful aura after a storm. It had come after a brief period of calm when I didn't realize what was happening. Then, before I knew it, the storm was already here. Little did I know at the moment however that the serene time was fast approaching now. It didn't feel that was while I stood there in nothing but my nightgown, up to my neck in salt water. The man didn't bother hollering for me for long; he fell backwards, landing on the sand passed out pretty soon. Even so, I was still too wary to come out of the water yet. It didn't matter how cold I was- well, it kinda did- but I'd rather take my chances with hypothermia than predators prowling around on the beach. That was my short-term plan anyway.
I don't know how long I was out in the ocean for; it could have been just a few minutes, but the cold made it feel much longer. It was definitely long enough however, for someone to notice our, or rather my absence. My ears perked up at a familiar voice shouting in the dark distance. My nerves quickly spiked as more- male I should add- voices followed. "Where is she?!" "How the hell should I know?! She's "your" girlfriend; your problem! I'm looking for Steven." That's Paul, my eyes narrowed unconsciously. The cold was really starting to get to me now. Still, I refused to move; not like this. Not until I was sure that it was safe for me on shore.
A couple of guys emerged from the fauna, coming into view on the beach. It was so dark out that they didn't see me right away. They did spot Steven- I guess that's the attacker's name- who was too blacked out to register their calls. "Steven!" Paul gasped loudly. This was followed by him waving his hand in a "come here" motion in the distance. "He's over here, you guys!" "Ok, we've found him. Now where's Aerity?!" Peter demanded angrily. Peter… My eyes widened the tiniest amount at the sound of him saying my name. I should yell back, I should wave my arm…. But I was so cold it actually hurt to move now. My arms felt heavier than they ever had and my throat…... don't get me started. So I remained there, shivering uncontrollably in the water with them still on the beach.
"You have to help me find her! What if she's hurt?!" "Why should I? Like I said, she's your problem, bro. I've got a ton of people puking at my place I need to babysit." "I don't care! Aerity's missing! You can't just….!" Peter froze mid-sentence when he saw the drunken Steven still holding onto my bathrobe in one hand. It came into view as Paul hoisted him off the ground, draping Steven's arm over his shoulder. "T-that's her robe…" Peter sounded more stunned than anything. His initial shock only lasted a mere five seconds however. Paul almost accidently dropped Steven when Peter took firm hold of his shoulders. He proceeded to shake the unconscious man with vigour; even Paul looked flabbergasted.
"Wake up! Wake up now! Where did you get that?! What did you do?! Wake up!" "Whoa, Peter, stop! You'll hurt him!" I couldn't see but I knew Paul was trying to stop Peter's assault right now. "I swear to god, if you laid one hand on her…." My fake boyfriend growled loudly but dangerously. "Lay off, dude! He's not comin' to anytime soon!" "He's holding Aerity's bathrobe!" I don't know why it took me this long to realize it, but it suddenly hit me like a lightning bolt: Peter might actually hurt him. Not on purpose I'm sure, but I probably wouldn't stop until Mr. Attacker woke up. It was up to me to make sure nothing bad happened to him; at least not yet.
Sucking in the biggest breath I could, I had to force my arm to let go of me and reach up into the air; the cool breeze stung my bare skin immediately. C-come on, Aerity; you can do this. Another kind of deep breath. "P-Peter." No, my voice was not loud; nothing about me was animated right now. When this failed to grab any of their attentions, I winced knowing I would have to try again. "P-Peter…."
It wasn't Peter but Paul who first caught sight of me. I don't think he recognized me off the bat since he didn't react seriously right away. "Dude, do you see that?" "What?" "That- there's something in the water." Ok, here we go. Having their attention now, I proceeded to give my arm a small wave. "Whoa! There's something in the water!" Paul asserted. I couldn't see Peter's original expression, but he didn't sound super concerned when he hollered out to me. "Yo! Yo, bro; you ok out there?" He must have thought I was another partier. "P-Peter," I tried again in my most feminine tone possible. I'm sure Peter's eyes went from confused to downright horrified because he gave a little cry.
"A-Aerity?!" "Peter….." "Oh my god, Aerity!" What happened next were lots of splashy noices. I could hear Paul yelling something back on the beach, but I didn't catch what. Within a matter of seconds, Peter was right in front of me in the water. "Aerity! What the hell are you doing out here?!" Boy, was he furious. I don't think I've seen Peter this livid before, and that was only for five seconds. I didn't answer, too frozen to speak unless absolutely necessary. "Jesus, you're freezing!" I failed to notice him touch my arm; my skin was that numb. "Come on!" But I didn't move, only stoking his rage. "Come on, Aerity! I'm not arguing on this! You probably already have a fever!" A fever? Oh yeah, I forgot I got those randomly, like on the ski trip…
"I've had enough!" I did feel Peter take hold of my wrist this time; he gave it a swift tug. My body was so frozen that it didn't move me like he thought it would. "You need to get out, Aerity! Why are you even out here?! Did you want to freeze to death?!" Oh boy, great time to scold me. My lips parted slightly, shaking all over themselves. "N-not safe…." That was all I could get out. "Huh?" Peter's eyeroll rose puzzled. "It's not safe….." "What are you ta-…" Then his gaze went back to the now lone bathrobe resting on the sand; they returned to me very wide.
"Wait….. did… did Steven try and attack you? Did you touch you?!" I nodded softly, motioning for my shoulder. The look on Peter's face was dark now, really dark- but still understanding, even compassionate now. "A-and that's why you're out here? To get away from him?" Another gentle nod. Peter just watched me for a second- a very fast second. Then, without warning, my whole body was scooped up princess-style into his strong arms. This was the most intimate position we'd ever been in before, not that I really noticed or cared at the moment. Peter didn't hesitate to press me up close against him.
"Covey…." "I-I'm sorry….." "Stop it, don't apologize!" His tone was a bit frantic. I responded by resting my head against his bronze chest. He felt warm, so warm…. "It's me who should apologize. I'm sorry I left you alone like that, even after I promised…" "I-it's ok," I whispered as he kept walking up back to shore. "No, it is not ok. I told myself I'd never let happen again to you again, and I'm so, so sorry, Covey. But promise me… promise me you'll tell me everything that happened, ok? I want to be there for you, to help you." Oh Peter, you already do, I sighed softly.
"We'll leave the house tonight. Don't worry about a thing; I'll start a hot bath for you, pack up everything while you warm up, then we'll go straight to the hospital. I'll call your Dad once we…." "P-Peter," now that we were officially out of the water and with Peter's body heat slowly warming me up, I was able to speak easier now. It still took a lot of effort though. "Huh? What is it? Are you hurt?!" The panic in his voice…. "S-stay with me," I wasn't asking, I was begging. I just needed to feel safe, just for a little while. "What are you talking about? Of course I will! No, I'll never let you out of my sight again." Peter…. "S-stay… with me," my eyes gently shut. I feel so safe when you're here with me… And I could feel Peter's eyes practically burn a hole through me with how hard they were staring. "Just rest; rest now and leave everything to me, Covey. I'll take care of it….. I'll take care of you."