We moved silently through the water, the only sounds coming from our paddles. The sun was warm against my skin, and I soaked up the sunshine. I prayed it would stay this nice of weather as we moved around the pond.

I tried to help with the rowing but Brett did most of the work. There was a reason he was in the back. I was just so stunned at how beautiful this place was that I didn't talk. We maneuvered down one of the little side streams and were immediately surrounded by beautiful tall trees and bushes.

The entire time we paddled around I had a wide smile on my face. I felt happier than I had in ages and I didn't want that to go away. I didn't want this to end because then I would have to face reality. I don't think either of us wanted to do that for we spent a good hour on the pond just slowly moving around.

When Brett moved us into a small clearing, I turned in my spot so I could face him. The water was so calm and there was a slight breeze that helped with the heat of the sun.

"Thank you for bringing me here." I finally spoke, interrupting the silence.

"Thank you for agreeing to come along." Brett flashed me a grin. I found myself staring at that smile and slowly moving my gaze along his face. The face I dreamt about for so long. I took note of a few new scars on his eyebrow and by his bottom lip. I noticed the soft laugh lines by the corners of his eyes and mouth.

The longer I stared at his face, almost like I was memorizing every single new detail, the bigger the pit in my stomach got. We didn't know each other anymore; we were now strangers. The boy—no, the man sitting across from me—was a whole different person than who he once was. Hell, I was a different person.

Suddenly, before I could stop it, I was blurting out the one question I have been dying to ask for eight years.

"Why?"

My sudden question threw him off and he frowned, looking confused.

"Why what?" Before I lost the courage to talk, I made myself continue.

"Why didn't you call or write?"

I just had to know. All these years I had been blaming myself, thinking I did something wrong. I sat there waiting for Brett to answer. I watched him with wide eyes as he struggled to say something, his hand once again going to his neck and rubbing.

"Kayla—"

"Why, Brett? Why did you leave me here without so much as a reason or a goodbye?" By now the words were tumbling out of my mouth.

"I tried for a long time to write you or even call you to explain, but I couldn't ever bring myself to. Believe me, Kayla, that it was the hardest thing that I have ever done."

"It isn't that hard to pick up a phone and call someone. You could have just say "hey, I just wanted to tell you I found someone else." That is not hard to do." I could feel tears starting to prick behind my eyes and I swallowed thickly.

"It wasn't because of some girl, Kayla." He looked like I had just slapped him and for a split second, I was happy from the reaction. A sick part of me wanted him to feel the hurt I felt.

"Then why? Don't I deserve some explanation as to why you broke my heart?" Nothing I could do to stop the tears from now leaking out of my eyes and down my cheeks.

"And now here you are eight years later acting as if you didn't destroy me! You've been out for three months, Brett! Three fucking months and you didn't think I'd want to know that? That I'd want to know that you are alive and not dead somewhere?" I met his eyes and showed him all the hurt I was feeling.

"You really think letting you go didn't affect me?" His voice was low as he spoke. "I had to let you go, Kayla. I couldn't do that to you."

"Let me go? No, Brett, you walked away." I laughed bitterly.

"I saw how much it hurt you to say goodbye to me. I knew you hated me for going into the Marines. I couldn't let you sit around waiting for me, waiting for someone who may not come home. I almost ruined your dreams, Kayla! You went to a different college because of me, and you almost put your life on hold for me to go off and do something I wanted. How could I expect you to sit here worried about me?

"I couldn't live with myself for doing that to you. I almost didn't make it out of there, Kayla. Where would that leave you? You here completely devastated and hated me for going. You wouldn't have been able to move on, so I did what I thought was best. I let you go so you could live your life without worrying about me. So that you could move on and find someone else to love, not someone who if they returned home wouldn't be fully whole again. I needed you to forget about me."

The pain in his voice and in his eyes made my heart hurt. My hands clenched my thighs as he spoke and I never lost eye contact with him.

"Kayla, you deserved to live your life without me hindering it. You didn't deserve to have your dreams ruined because of something I did. I am a different guy than the one you feel in love with, Kayla. I did things that will forever haunt me and I have reminders of what happened over there."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to throw myself at him and crush my lips to his but...I couldn't. I was still so hurt and broken from what he did. Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing but it wasn't. He was stupid to believe that I would just move on and forget about him. To live my life and forget I ever gave him my heart.

He could have done something. He could have sent me a one-sentence letter, passed a message along to his parents to tell me. Anything would have been better than nothing at all. And hearing him talk about how he almost didn't make it hurt. Hurt that he didn't let me be there for him to get through it. Hurt that these past three months I could have been there to help him forget.

How I wished we could go back in time and change things. Because I knew, if he wouldn't have done what he did, we would still be together. That was what hurt the worst. He was done loving me and I had just begun.

"Can we go please?" I finally managed to whisper. Not daring a glance at him, I turned back around and grabbed my paddle.

Tense silence followed as we made our way back. The wind was starting to pick up and a quick glance up I noticed it was getting dark. It would most likely rain before we got to the car. It was like the weather picked up on my mood.

My chest was aching as I paddled. I kept repeating everything he said to me just moments ago. I wanted to forget about it all and just kiss him, tell him that I still loved him, but a part of me wouldn't let it go. The wall I built around my heart was starting to come back up once again. It was just like Brett to come back and make my heart do crazy things.

We were almost back to shore when I felt the first drop of rain. I couldn't bring it in myself to care as one drop turned into pouring rain. The rain instantly soaked my shirt and my hair. When Brett paddled us right up onto the sand I quickly jumped out and grabbed my wet bag. I didn't wait as Brett got out and pulled the canoe all the way up.

With my head ducked, I quickly walked away from him, my own tears now mixing with the rain. This was such a stupid idea, coming with him. The moment I saw him I should have gotten another nurse to check him out. I should have never agreed to go get coffee with him. I was fine on my own, had been for a while now. I didn't need some guy to come and ruin that for me.

"Kayla!" I heard Brett yell behind me but I didn't slow down. "Kayla!"

I just about passed Brett's car when a hand on my arm grabbed me and spun me around. My wet hair slapped me in my face and I glared at Brett, who was now standing in front of me. He didn't even look affected by my fast pace or the rain pelting us.

"You can't just walk away from me."

"You did it first so now I am." I went to turn back around but his grip on my arm stopped me.

"Kayla, I was an idiot, okay?" he yelled over the rain. "I was an idiot for letting you go eight years ago. I shouldn't have let you go! I shouldn't have enrolled and I shouldn't have left you all alone. I realized that years ago but I thought you'd have moved on." He let go of my arms and took a step toward me.

"I still have feelings for you and no matter how many times I tell myself you are better off without me, a part of me just won't let go. I have loved you since I was eighteen years old and not a single day has gone by I haven't regretted losing you.

"I know I am probably too late and that I shouldn't even say this, but don't leave me. I know I messed up and for the rest of my life I will try to make it right by you, but don't walk away from me. Now that I found you again I am not letting you go; even if I have to follow you around for eight more years."

Brett took another step toward me, our chest almost brushing against one another. My breathing was shallow as I stared up into those deep green eyes. Eyes that were pleading with me to give him another chance.

My wall was crumbling by the second, and so was my resolve. The guy I had been in love with since I was seventeen was right here begging me to love him again. Begging for my forgiveness and vowing to make up for the pain he caused. He was saying everything I wanted to hear for the last eight years, and it was making my heart swell.

"Kayla Winters, will you please let me try to make up these past eight years?" His eyes were shining like he was about to cry. Seeing him so vulnerable and in pain made more tears run down my face.

Even though he hurt me and these eight years had been hell, I knew I would never regret loving Brett. Nothing could stop me from loving the man in front of me, the man who seemed just as broken as I was. So, with a wobbly voice, I answered.

"Yes." I nodded. "Yes!"

As soon as I had the words out, Brett grabbed my face with his hands and slammed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back just as hard.

Finally, the guy who stole my heart ten years ago was mine again.