I hated Alex, I really did. Sometimes, families could annoy you so much that you just wanted to strangle them. But Alex, I wanted to push him off from a bloody cliff! The drive from London to Bath took about two-and-a-half hours if there wasn't traffic. If traffic was a problem, then it'd take about three hours.

Our journey was going fine until the one hour mark when the car broke down because Alex forgot to fill the tank. It didn't help that we were in the middle of nowhere either. It was hot outside, and I was sweating like crazy. Alex kept trying to flag people down to help us, but to no avail.

This had been going on for two hours already. We couldn't even book a ride online because neither of us had accounts since our family didn't trust companies like Uber. It took a lot of effort for me to not burst into tears. At some point, I reached for comfort from my daisy necklace and began shaking when I remembered I wasn't wearing it.

"We'll get there in time, Eden," Alex assured me, checking his phone to find the nearest gas station. I chose not to respond in fear of crying. "I promise you that." The sweat was dripping from his face as he dug in the boot, looking for something. "There's supposed to be some- fuck," he swore, holding up the empty can. "Do you think I could walk to get this filled?"

I shook my head, being honest. Climbing out of the car, I ran my hands through my hair. The roots were moist with sweat and so were my clothes. "We're in the middle of nowhere, Aleksandr!"

He ignored me, and I stifled a frustrated scream. My phone began ringing, and I looked down, surprise on my face as I read Christian's name. My lip began quivering, and I wondered whether or not I should answer it. Ten weeks of looking forward to this festival and I was going to miss it. I didn't want to bother Christian with my problems, so I let my phone ring until it stopped. He had enough on his plate already.

After so many years of living in fear, I finally gathered the courage to tell my story and now look at what happened. My phone rang another three more times, and I sighed, deciding to answer. "Christian, now's really not the time-"

"Where are you?" he spoke over me and I struggled to hear him over the passing cars.

I frowned, closing my other ear so that I could hear him better. "What?" I asked, watching Alex try to wave over people, but they merely ignored him. "What do you mean, where am I?" Alex tripped over a stone and fell onto the gravel. I winced, and he sent me a thumbs up to show that he was okay.

Christian cleared his throat, and I dragged my attention away from my cousin. "You said you'd text me once you got to the festival safely. I thought something happened to you." He spoke so fast that I barely understood him.

An angry driver tried to run Alex off the road and I watched my cousin jump into a ditch before the man drove away whilst yelling obscenities. I stuttered awkwardly as Alex brushed himself off and replied, "something kinda did happen."

The concern was apparent in his voice. "What happened? Are you hurt?" Hearing his voice and knowing that we were so far apart made my lip quiver. I was so stressed out and I couldn't even hug Christian. "Eden? Baby, are you okay?"

"Not really," I choked out, hating that my eyes began welling up with tears. "Our car broke down. I'm sweating. Alex nearly got run over by an angry man, and we're late for the festival. I'm not okay, Christian." I began crying and heard Christian swear before he asked me to put him on speaker.

"Alex!" He yelled and surprisingly, my cousin heard. Alex walked over and took the phone before wrapping a sweaty arm around my shoulders to comfort me. My eyes stung at the powerful stench he gave off. "You better get my girl to that festival safely."

Alex sighed. "Trust me, mate, I'm working on it." I heard little after that because Christian asked to be taken off from speaker and continued talking to Alex whilst I tried to calm myself down. "Got it. I promise. She'll get there." He spared me an apologetic look. "Maybe not on time, but she'll get there."

After their phone call, Alex began trying extra hard to get people to help us. His efforts made me sob all over again, and I slid down the side of the car, crying into my hands. I didn't know how long I was crying for, but my eyes felt swollen. The screeching of tires caught my attention, and I looked up, seeing an elderly lady get out of a red pickup truck. Her hair was a bright red colour and her lips matched it perfectly.

"Are you okay, miss?" she questioned in worry, looking to Alex for a second. "Did that man hurt you?" I didn't get to respond because, in the blink of an eye, she grabbed her handbag from the passenger seat before she began hitting Alex with it. "Did no one ever teach you not to make a woman cry?"

I shot to my feet, stepping in front of a terrified Alex. "You're mistaken, Ma'am," I told her gently and she eased slightly. "He's not the reason I'm crying." Not entirely. The woman let her handbag drop to the side now that she knew Alex wasn't a danger. "We need a lift, you see," I began, and she raised her brows. "I'm supposed to give an important speech at a festival, but our car broke down." I gestured to the vehicle for emphasis.

"How long have you been stuck here?" she asked, eyeing our sweaty forms. Alex looked way worse than me, and I had to admit that he was trying his best. And for that, I loved him.

"Two hours," Alex responded, fanning himself.

The woman gasped. "Oh, dear! And no one attempted to help you?" I shook my head, and she scowled. "The people of today, I swear. Back in my day, we'd give the clothes off our back to help someone in need - oh! Look at me rambling like a parrot. My name's Dolly, dearies."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Dolly," I told her with a genuine smile. She reminded me a little of my Babushka and it was soothing. Alex sent her a hesitant one and still appeared to be frightened of her. I could tell that he thought of our Babushka too because she frequently scolded him as well - just like the way Dolly did.

"C'mon," Dolly waved us towards her truck and I felt my spirits rise. "Let's get you to that festival. You'll have to direct me though." I leaned forward and kissed Dolly's cheek, making her laugh as I thanked her repeatedly. I was losing hope that someone would stop to help us. "It's no problem. If my kids were stuck on the side of the road - I'd want someone to help them. Let's go."

Alex called his dad to let him know to send someone to get the car. I made sure I had my phone and took my notes with my speech from the glove compartment before hopping into Dolly's truck. I sat in the middle and Alex took the door seat because he was sweating furiously. I used the map on Alex's phone to direct Dolly and also messaged Christian to inform him we were back on the road.

We had two hours to go, and I knew that we'd have missed a good portion of the festival, but after letting Marlene know we were delayed, she moved her speech to a little later. Instead of stressing, I took my cards out of the pocket of my denim jacket and began going over them.

"It's bloody hot!" Alex exclaimed after half an hour of driving, trying to get more air in through the tiny gap of the window. "Can this go any lower?" He fiddled with a lever.

Dolly took her eyes from the road for a split second to yell, "no, don't-"

But she was too late. Because of Dolly's window already being opened, when Alex opened his, a powerful gust of wind danced through the truck, grabbing hold of my cue cards and twirling out the window, disappearing into the distance. I froze in shock, feeling as if my head was about to burst. Alex sat quietly, not daring to look me in the eye. My eyebrow twitched. My speech just blew out of the bloody window!

I dropped my head onto Alex's shoulder and he flinched, thinking that I was going to hit him. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down. I was sure I was going to faint, and I breathed in deeply. This day had been the worst so far. It was as if the universe was trying to tell me something. For a second, I wondered if things would've gone the same if Christian was with me.

Dolly glared at Alex and continued driving. The latter leaned down to whisper comforting sentences in Russian in my ear. It wasn't his fault; I knew that. It just wasn't our day. Soon enough, I fell asleep to the soothing sound of a Russian lullaby.

"Remember when we wanted to go to Neverland?" a fourteen-year-old Ruben asked me as he pointed to the sky. His face was chubby as always, and he wore that weird wizard's robe that he refused to take off. "Eden?" I stared at him, feeling my eyes water. "Do you want me to get your mum?"

He made to run inside, but I stopped him. It was then that I saw my reflection in the window. I was shorter and so was my hair. The clothes that I was wearing were different from what I usually wore. I was fourteen years old again. "I'm fine," I told him, a sad smile on my face.

"Are you sure?" He still seemed unconvinced. His dark skin glinted in the sunlight as we stood in the gardens of the bed-and-breakfast. Everything felt so real.

I sniffled, stepping closer. "I miss your voice." He frowned, seemingly confused. "I miss your smile so much. I miss having you around. I miss spending time with you. I miss seeing your face." I choked on a sob. "I miss you, Ruben."

He wrapped an arm around me. "Eden, I'm here. What are you talking about?" I could feel his touch, feel the warmth that he was radiating. I sank into his embrace, inhaling the fruity scent that greeted me. Being in his arms felt like coming home after a long day at work.

Shaking my head, I cried louder. "No, you're not. You're not here, Ruben. And that's the problem! I never should've let you come with me! I could've prevented it all if I wasn't so selfish."

"Eden." Ruben interrupted, placing his hands on my shoulders so that I could face him. His eyes were wide with fear, much like the last day I saw him alive. "Why are you crying?"

"I couldn't save you from Peter! I should've tried harder and now you're gone!"

"Eden," a small whisper broke into my thoughts. I shot up with a start, checking my surroundings and looking for Ruben. But he was nowhere to be found. His voice faded into the distance, becoming a mere memory. It was weird that I still remembered exactly how he sounded. Alex was standing outside of the truck, waiting for me to hop out. I still couldn't form any coherent words.

It'd been years since I dreamt about Ruben. Usually, it was all just nightmares, of him in pain, of what happened that night. This was the first time that it was just us. Just me and Ruben. He looked the same as he did all those years ago. He still had that dorky smile and the obsession with Neverland.

I barely paid attention when Dolly wished me good luck before driving off. Alex and I stood outside of the large hall that the festival took place in. He had no shirt on because it was soaked through with sweat. My hair was a mess from the wind and my eyes were still swollen. We looked horrible. I looked like someone that just woke up from a coma. I didn't realise that I'd slept for so long.

"Let's get you inside," Alex hurried out, gripping my arm and dragging me inside. He showed the security the tickets he kept safe in his pocket and they let us in. It surprised me he hadn't lost it yet. We weaselled our way through corridors before a woman blocked us.

"Eden!" she exclaimed with a grin. Her smile faltered when she saw my appearance, but it was genuine, nonetheless. Her face was wrinkled since the last time I saw her, but she was still beautiful. It was obvious that she aged, and I had to remind myself that I hadn't seen her in years. "It's been forever."

"Marlene," I greeted, managing a smile. She looked like she was about to hug me, but then realised I was sweaty. A grimace formed on her face, but it quickly dissolved into a smile. "I'm sorry we're late. There were a few setbacks. I was hoping to rewrite my speech so that I could have cue cards-"

"You're actually right on time," she cut me off whilst steering me ahead of Alex. "I'm about to be called on stage now so I'll do an introduction then call you up after a few minutes. I'm so excited!" She let out a shrill shriek.

"But-" the sound of cheers drowned my voice out, and Marlene sauntered up onto the makeshift stage. She looked comfortable in front of so many people, but what could you expect from a woman who spent years in front of a camera? I peeked around the wall, seeing hundreds of people sitting in the audience. My breath got caught in my throat. "I can't do this. I don't have my cue cards-"

Alex shook his head. "You said you had your speech memorised. Why do you need cue cards?"

"Because they distract me from the audience, Alex!" I trembled. "Without it, I have to look at all of those people and I'd end up forgetting everything because of nerves. I can't do this. I don't know why I ever thought this was a good idea. Perhaps everything today was a sign. The car, the cards - we shouldn't be here!" It became a struggle for me to get air into my lungs and I heaved in deep breaths as Alex watched in concern. Bile pushed its way up my throat, but I forced it down. "We have to leave," I blurted. "Before Marlene spots us."

Yes, I'd feel bad eventually about abandoning Marlene, but currently, I didn't care. Surely if I explained to her later than she'd understand. Everything was my fault. I shouldn't have agreed to give the speech in the first place. I thought I was ready, but clearly, I was wrong.

I turned around to ask Alex to call his dad to pick us up when a deep voice stopped me. The husky tone drifted through my ears and suddenly there was no audience, no noise. "I didn't take you for a quitter, baby."

Freezing, I glanced up, eyes meeting the glacial stare of Christian James. The corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk as he held out his arms. My daisy necklace hung safely around his neck. He no longer looked as stressed as he did the past few weeks. Christian looked carefree and energised.

I struggled to figure out whether or not I was hallucinating. Because my dream about Ruben felt real too. Alex nudged me forward, breaking me out of my daze and reminding me I wasn't daydreaming. Christian was actually standing in front of me. A laugh of incredulity left my lips as I walked closer. "Christian-"

That was as much as I could get out before I hunched over, throwing up all over my boyfriend's shoes. I watched remnants of the breakfast Alex made splatter onto his shoes as well as the ground. Once I was done, I stood up, clutching a hand to my mouth in horror.

Christian stared at his feet before looking back at me. There was no doubt vomit all over my face, and my hair was a sweaty mess. I could feel how inflated my eyes were, and my cheeks were probably red from the intensity of the vomit. He shook his head slowly as Alex's laugher filled the background. I struggled not to burst into tears all over again.

"Well, that's one way to greet your boyfriend."