Page 17

Chapter seventeen

Ava

The steady beep filters through my consciousness. I can't move, can't open my eyes, but I’m awake.

Ryder's familiar cologne drifts closer. His warm hand wraps around mine.

"I should probably tell you about the wedding," Ryder says softly. "It's in three days. Victoria's been amazing with all the planning. Danie too, actually. You'd be proud of how well they work together. It's been three years since I have been able to hear your voice, see your eyes, listen to your laughter. Three years of waiting for you to wake up."

Three years? Wait, he is getting married and Danie is helping? I’m struggling to understand all of this.

"Time for me to go, sweetheart," he whispers. "I'll be back tomorrow, same time as always. I love you, Ava. Sweet dreams."

No, don't go! My mind screams but my mouth won’t move.

His footsteps echo against the tile floor. Each step taking him further away. I fight against my unresponsive body, desperate to reach out, to call his name, to make any sound that would bring him back.

Three years? Marriage? Victoria? None of this makes any sense. The last clear memory I have is storming out of Club X. I was so hurt and angry after seeing him with that woman. Is that Victoria? How did I end up here? What happened to me?

The darkness behind my eyelids feels li ke it is going to suffocate me. I can’t even cry. I can’t help the overwhelming fear and confusion building inside me. Just the steady beep...beep...beep marking time.

Ryder's words replay in my mind, ”Three years of waiting for you to wake up." Wake up? Am I in a coma? But I am awake now, aren't I? I begin to panic as my situation starts to make more sense.

The beeping of the heart monitor starts coming faster, broadcasting my distress to an empty room. Please someone come back. Please don't leave me alone here in the dark. Please Ryder, come back. I'm here, I'm awake, I'm scared.

I have laid here and listened to the nurses and doctors come in and out, as they make their rounds. They all say the same thing, speaking over me as if I'm not even here. I guess it’s because I’m not really present, am I?

‘Her vitals are good. She seems well.’

I must have drifted off because when I come back again, someone else is talking to me.

"He still hasn't written his vows. Can you believe that? I mean if it was you he was marrying, I bet they would already be written. He misses you. I miss you."

Danie. My best friend, the one who's been there through every up and down. She’s still here with me. She has to know I’m awake. The sadness in her voice makes my heart ache. If I can just get one finger to move then she will know that I am still here. I can hear her every word, feel her presence beside me. I concentrate with everything I have, focusing all my energy on my right index finger, willing it to twitch, to give some sign of life. Nothing. The effort is exhausting, like trying to move a mountain with my mind, but I keep trying anyway.

"I have to go. V is having her bachelorette party tonight. We are going bar hopping and ending at Blaze to meet up with the guys. August will be there."

Wait, what the hell? August? She can't mean my August. He’s dead. How many people are named August? It's not exactly a common name. My brother's face flashes in my mind—his crooked smile, the way he used to ruffle my hair just to annoy me. The familiar ache twists in my chest.

This has to be a dream, or maybe I'm dead? This is my personal hell. There's no way Ryder would marry that woman, and August—he can't be alive. I'm frozen in place, unable to move a muscle, as everything unfolds around me. This is a nightmare.

"I'll be back on Monday. This weekend is packed with wedding stuff. I love you." Then I feel her lips on my forehead.

I can't live like this. A coma, nightmare, or my personal hell. It's too much. If this is real, Ryder is getting married. And my best friend has what? Just decided to help his new girlfriend plan their wedding? What the hell is going on? I can’t live like this. I have to find a way to wake up.