Alex's POV

My beautiful Naya.

Hurt.

Lifeless.

Scared.

This is too much for me. It feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. I was still in denial about everything. I didn't want to believe it. I was hoping that this was a fucked up nightmare, that I would wake up any minute. But then I saw her....then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I could barely breathe the first few minutes, my whole body was shaking and I was screaming on the inside.

Seeing her like this is probably the worst thing that I've ever had to go through, it's absolutely horrible.

The worst part of it all is, there is nothing I can do about it. I can't hold her or ask her how she is feeling, nothing.

I feel useless.

Numb.

Heartbroken.

And fucking scared out of my mind.

What the fuck? Why did this happen? This morning she was fine. I held her in my arms, she was smiling, she brought me a cupcake, I kissed her soft gorgeous lips.....she was fine.

Now her face has bruises all over, probably from scattered glass. Her head is covered with a band-aid and her one arm is in a sling. It's not broken or anything bad but her shoulder was slightly dislocated.

My beautiful Naya is pale and bruised up. I am cursing the person who caused this, the person who put her in this bed.

"Alex honey" I hear my mom behind me whisper in a desperate voice.

"Alex you should really eat something" she says again and her hand comes to lay hesitantly on my shoulder.

"I am good mom thanks" I croak out in a breathless voice. I look back at her and give her fainted smile. I know she is worried about me and I know my fake smile was a losing attempt trying to convince her.

I only hear her sigh and she walks away. I know she means well but I don't have an appetite right now. I am sick to my stomach, there is no way I'll be able to eat anything.

I look back at the couch where she takes a seat next to Naya's mom. Everybody is here, nobody has left the hospital since this afternoon but I think my mom and her parents will leave tonight.

Lara has called Jared to bring her some clothes because she is staying with me.

There is no way I am leaving.

....

It's been two days since I have been sitting here, holding her hand and just staring at her. I haven't left her room this whole time. The nurses have come and gone, checking up on her but I didn't move a fucking inch. The first time they asked me to step outside but right before I could jump down their throats, Lara stepped in and explained to them that I am not going to leave.

And I am not leaving till she wakes up and I know she is ok. I'll also probably won't leave after that. I will be here till she can go home and I will be taking her home. I will be the one taking care of her.

The doctor says she is doing fine but he wants to keep her sedated for another day or two. She had some bad internal injuries and needs to be completely still while her body recovers.

As much as I want her to wake up and tell me she loves me. To hear her voice or feel her hand reacting to my touch. I also want her to heal and feel better that we can go on with our lives.

I hate seeing her like this.

The press is going crazy. Everyday there are a few reporters gathered outside hoping someone would give them information. Some of them even tried coming inside, saying they are family members.

It's shocking to see what lengths they would go to just for a story.

I think my phone is blowing up with messages and calls but I switched it off when we got here. I don't want any negative comments at this point. I'm already on edge about everything and some idiot saying some bullshit will send me over.

"Alex why don't you try to get some sleep." I feel a hand on my shoulder and the voice of Lara brings me back to earth.

I look back at her and she squeezes my shoulder. "I'll sit here with her the whole time. I'll wake you up in two hours. I promise."

I have been struggling to stay awake but I didn't want to leave her side. I am scared she will wake up and nobody is there.

"Ok" I croak out in a fake voice.

I slowly make my way to the couch in the room. I place my head on the armrest but my eyes stay on Naya.

I don't know how long it took but I finally fell asleep and got some much needed rest.

....

It's about 9pm right now and everything is quiet. The only sound in the room is the beeping of her heart monitor. Normally you would experience that constant beep very irritating but right now it's my absolute favorite sound.

Everyone has gone home and just like the last two nights, I am staying behind. I haven't really slept much and it's not just because of the uncomfortable couch. I just can't seem to switch off my mind from overthinking.

"Hey baby" I whisper even though nobody can hear me. "So we got some bad news today."

I tear up just thinking about this afternoon when the doctor came in to give us an update.

I hold her hand close to my mouth as I try to fight back the tears. Her hand is soft like always but she is not responding to my touch like all the times I've held her hand.

"He said that uhmm... you had a pretty big hit on your head and there is a possibility of memory loss." I croak out and just saying it out loud makes me realize the possibility.

She might not remember me when she wakes up. All those times I said she'd be better off without me. That she should just forget about me and go on with her life, might become reality.

Why the fuck did I ever say that?

"I don't want you too forget me." I cry out with the tears are running down my face.

Usually when I was emotional like this the only thing that kept me calm, that made me feel better was water. It was that few seconds when I fell down from the pier, diving deep into the blue salty ocean. When I came up for air, it was like all my troubles went away. Like my body woke up, I had new courage and strength to face anything that could potentially come my way.

It's always been water, it's always been my constant until Naya came into my life.

"I don't need anything else, I only need you. Plea-Please don't forget me" I break down with my head on her bed.

This exact moment is why I need her. I don't want to cry with anyone else. I don't want anyone else to see me like this. She is the only person I can share my true emotions with and she would never judge me for it.

She is all I need.

.....

Naya's POV

The sound of a seagull in the near distance and the flapping of a curtain in the wind wakes me up from my sleep.

I slowly open my eyes and is met with white covers draped over my naked body. I look out to the door on the balcony where the fresh air of the ocean comes through.

I can hear the waves crashing against the shore. Just imagining the water rolling over the hot sand  brings a certain calmness over me.

I stretch my hand out to my right and is disappointed to find an empty space. I am not sure why I am disappointed and more so, I don't know who is supposed to be here with me but it definitely feels like something is missing.

Someone is supposed to be here....

After a few more minutes, I drag myself up from the bed. I wrap the covers around my body and slowly make my way towards the balcony.

I am met with the beautiful blue ocean stretch out in front of me. The sun is already high in the sky and the ocean breeze feels cool on my skin.

I don't really remember how I got here. This place looks so familiar but I can't remember. All I can say is, I don't feel nervous or worried. I feel calm and relaxed. It's like my body remembers this place but my mind doesn't.

I feel two arms slide around my waist and my body tenses up for a few seconds. I look down and see too familiar arms holding me tight.

My hands immediately grab onto these arms as if it's a routine movement. A reaction I can't control.

"Good morning Cinderella."

In a split second everything comes back to me. Every inch of doubt or wondering is washed away with one simple word.

I know where I am. I know how I got here. I know who was supposed to be with me. It's like my mind is switched back on just by the sound of her voice.

My body relaxes back into her and I feel her lips leaving small kisses on my jaw and down my neck.

She is my everything.

She is my Alex.

"Naya?" she whispers in my ear. I close my eyes and answer with a soft "hhmmm"

"Naya?" she calls again.

"Yes?"

"Naya can you hear me?" she lifts her head from my shoulder and I turn around to look at her but she is gone.

"Alex?"

"Naya?" her voice echoes in my mind and my eyes look around the room to find her.

"Naya....."

And everything goes dark.

"Naya honey can you hear me?"

I hear a voice call out to me. There is some kind of beeping sound that has me frowning in annoyance.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and a few voices around me. I can't make out what their saying but I can feel they are close.

"Open your eyes sweetheart."

I recognize the voice of my father and I try to open my eyes but it's feels heavy. My whole body feels weak, like I can't move.

What is going on?

After a few tiring attempts I finally open my eyes but the lights in the room hurts my eyes. I blink a few times getting used to the sudden brightness.

I open my eyes fully and see five blurry figures, all standing in front of me.

"Welcome back Naya." I man talks to my right and I immediately look at him. I can't make out his face but I can see he is wearing a white coat.

"Don't try to talk ok."

Feeling to tired to respond I only look at him and blink fast, trying to get rid of the blurring.

"You are in the hospital Naya. You were in a car accident. Do you remember what happened?"

Without responding I try to think. I don't remember everything. I only remember the swerving truck coming my way. Then everything went black.

I look down at my body and see my arm is in a sling. I don't have the strength to move my body but I can feel some pain in my ribs and legs. My head hurts and I can feel some kind of bandage wrapped around it. The blurry vision kind of makes sense now.

My heart starts beating a faster and I start to panic. How bad are my injuries? I can't see properly and what if it doesn't return to normal.

I feel a hand touch my arm and I look up.

"You're ok Naya"

I hear the voice of my sister and I look at her. Everything is still blurry but I can see it's her.

I look around the bed again and notice a man's figure which is my dad. Leaning against him is probably my mom and next to her is a short girl wearing blue clothes. She must be the nurse.

I frown when I don't see the person I am looking for. I hear the beeping going faster and the nurse steps forward. I feel the doctor hold my shoulders and push me back against the mattress.

Where is Alex?

"W-wh-"

"Don't talk honey." my mom leans forward and I close my eyes for a few seconds. The headache is worst now from all the movement. I see the nurse injecting something into my arm and suddenly I am struggling to keep my eyes open.

The next moment my eyes fall shut and I drift back into darkness.

......

Alex's POV

The image of her scared and confused facial expression will forever be in my mind.

I was watching her from the corner of the room with a heavy heart. I was a coward. I should've been there right beside her bed but I couldn't bare the thought of her not remembering me. I didn't want to be the cause of more confusion.

I couldn't watch her not know who I am. I should've been there.

But I was selfish and I feel like a dick.

It's been four hours since she woke up and I am still here, sitting on the window sill just staring at her.

The doctor said she will wake up more frequently now which makes me nervous. But it's actually good news because he is very pleased with her condition.

I stare at the floor and try my best to keep it together. Everyone went out to get some dinner. I think they all needed some time away from the hospital. Everyone is in good spirit after today and the mood has lifted significantly.

My heart stops when I hear movement on the bed. I look up and Naya's head is moving around. I can see a frown on her face but her eyes are still closed.

I keep still as possible, hoping she will fall back to sleep. My heart is racing in my chest as I watch her. I feel the tears streaming down my face and my hands are sweating.

Suddenly her eyes flutter open and she stares at the ceiling. My breathing gets caught in my throat as I watch her eyes adjust to the light.

I need to know. I need to know if she remembers me. I can't sit and wait any longer.

I take a few encouraging breaths before I finally talk.

"Naya?" I croak out in a barely audible voice. She immediately looks my way and her eyes find mine.

She doesn't say anything, and for a few seconds my heart breaks. She just stares at me and her breathing is a bit fast.

I see her bottom lip quiver and a tear rolls down the side of her face. "W-w"

She tries to talk but she doesn't have a voice. I immediately jump up and walk to her bedside. "No don't talk."

Her eyes stay locked on mine and she takes a few deep breaths. I watch the tears roll down her face and I hesitantly wipe them away with my thumb. She closes her eyes and I feel her lean into my touch.

My hand is shaking but to feel her react to my touch is the best feeling in the world. She didn't need to say anything. The expression on her face tells me everything I so desperately needed.

She remembers me.

I close my eyes and I break down. My legs give out underneath me and let my head drop down to my arms on the bed.

This is such a relief that I can't control my emotions.

I haven't lost her. She is alive, she is ok, she is stil my girl.

"I missed you so much." I cry out.

I feel a hand in my hair and her touch makes me look up at her. She also has tears in her eyes but I can see the love she has for me.

"K-kiss mme" she says in a breathless voice. I can hear her throat is still raw from the oxygen pipe she had in yesterday.

I stand up and wipe my tears away. "I don't want to hurt you."

She looks deep into my eyes and I can see the desperation. Don't get me wrong, I need it just as bad but I really don't want to hurt her.

She loosely laces her fingers with mine and mouths please.

I slowly bend down, lean over her face and place my hand softly on her cheek. She has a few scars on and around her lips so I connect our lips in a soft and gentle kiss.

Kissing her makes my heart want to explode. I think back to the last time I kissed her. If I only knew how long it would be till I could kiss her again, I would have kissed her longer and harder.

Actually, if I knew this would happen, I wouldn't let her leave my side.

I pull back and look down at her beautiful face. Her hand reaches out to cup my chin and she traces her thumb over my lips.

"I-I cou-"

"Baby please don't talk" I cut her off but she presses her finger on my lips to shut me up.

"I c-could never forg-get you." she whispers holding my face close to hers.

I let out a deep breath of relief and it takes everything inside me not too take her in my arms and hug her tight.

"Right back at you Cinderella." she smiles and I kiss her again.

A/N

Sorry for the delay. I really struggled with this chapter. I didn't know where to go with it.
But thank you for all the votes and reads. I am excited for what's to come. I think we've hit rock bottom and now the only way we can go, is up. 👌

Much love💜