7th August 2021 (continued)

"Wait, I need to tell Darcy that I'm leaving." Evie tugged me aside.

"Okay, you do that, and I'll let my friends know. Meet you out front?" I didn't think; I leaned forward and placed my lips on hers.

It wasn't until I was standing in front of my friends that my actions caught up with my over-stimulated brain.

"Hey Sam, cleared your head?" Jaxon asked, his mouth bursting with food.

My mouth popped open, and I began stuttering like an idiot.

"Quick Tori, I think Sam's having a stroke. Sam, can you raise your arms? Sam, raise your god damn arms," Jaxon cried before Tori pushed him aside.

"Shut up, you idiot. Sam, what's going on?"

"I-I didn't think I just did it." I was so stupid. She didn't remember a thing about me and I went and kissed her. She was going to think I was some type of pervert.

"Did what?" Tori put his two hands on my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. "We can't help if you don't tell us."

"I kissed Evie. I didn't even think about it. She was just in front of me and I did it." I screwed my eyes shut.

"So?" Jaxon peered at me over Tori's shoulder.

"So? So she's going to think I'm a real weirdo is what," I snapped.

"She's not going to think that, Sam." My eyes popped open at Hazel's voice. "She's going to think you like her and if she likes you too then no harm done."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"Only one way to find out." Tye pointed out.

"Where is she?" Tori asked, his head looking around but not spotting her.

"I said I'd meet her out front, we're sort of escaping."

Hazel clutched at her chest. "Aww how romantic."

"Ah, so what are we all doing here?" Jaxon sprinted towards the side of the house before anyone could stop him.

"You'd better catch up with him before he really scares her off," Tori joked, but I had already taken off after him.

I skidded to a stop when I saw her waiting out front for me, Tony and Darcy next to her. Her smile was wide when she saw me, and my worries dissipated.

"You're sure about this?" Dracy asked, not as quiet as she'd hoped, when she noticed me looking.

Evie's eyes met mine. "I'm sure." She turned back to her assistant. "Besides, you deserve one night off from babysitting me. I'll be fine. Go have some fun."

No one could fail to see Darcy's quick glance at Tony, no matter how discreetly she made it.

"I'll have the car pick you up in two hours," Darcy said.

Evie frowned, but before she could say anything Tori came to her rescue.

"I can take her wherever she needs to go when she's ready." He passed his valet ticket to the attendant.

It appeared my friends were also in on the escape plan.

Darcy pursed her lips, turning to Tony since he knew us better.

I could see Tony internally assessing the situation. "She's in your care; anything happens it's on your heads, understand?" Sounding like every inch the worried father, even though he was only thirty-one.

Evie rolled her eyes. She kissed Darcy on the cheek and slid into the car, already waiting for us. "Stop worrying. I'm not."

Darcy's eyes snapped to her, taking in her excited smile and sparkling eyes. She looked like the Evie I remembered from two years ago.

"You're really not, are you? Have fun babes." Darcy smiled, grabbing Tony's arm and marching them off.

I looked at my friends, who practically pushed me in the car with Evie. Our hands connected of their own accord and after telling the driver where to go, we sat back and enjoyed the journey.

As we pulled up, Tori and the others came from around the corner, minus the car.

I could tell Evie was nervous as we entered, and I squeezed her hand for reassurance.

Excited yipping greeted us as soon as we crossed the threshold. Teddy came bounding into the hallway, his tail wagging a hundred miles a minute. Ignoring the rest of us, he skidded to a stop in front of Evie and whined, rubbing his head against her leg.

Evie giggled and gave him a scratch behind his ears and - like the lapdog he truly was - he soaked up her attention like a sponge.

"Aren't you a Teddy bear?" Evie cooed, making Teddy's ears perk up. "What's his name?"

I chuckled. "Teddy."

The others looked between her and Teddy with speculation, all wondering the same thing; could she really be the Evie we knew?

Evie turned to look at me and laughed. "Seems to fit."

"So what do you want to do first?" Jaxon asked.

"Can I see your music room?" Evie blushed when we all looked at her. "It's just I've never seen it even though that's where you played everything for me."

"I think that's a good idea. I'll fetch up some snacks." Hazel made a beeline for the kitchen.

"I'd better supervise." Tori headed after her with a resigned sigh.

Tye, Jaxon, and I breathed a sigh of relief, and Evie looked between us.

"My sister has...unusual food cravings," Jaxon explained, taking Tye's hand and pulling him up the stairs.

Evie's expression cleared. "Because of the baby?"

I nodded. "It can get a little gross so she's no longer allowed in the kitchen unsupervised."

Jaxon and Tye made a beeline for the beanbags, but Evie just stood in the middle of the room and turned in circles, taking it all in.

I sat on the piano stool and watched her, her eyes alight with curiosity.

"You can play all those?" She pointed to the various guitars hung up on the wall.

"Some, some are Jaxon's."

Her hands went out to touch one of them, but she stopped just in time.

I walked up behind her and pulled it from the hanger. "You're allowed to touch them." I chuckled.

She looked away shyly, but took the guitar from me. She sat on the piano seat and placed the guitar against her knee. Pulling the pick from between the strings, she played a C major chord, making Jaxon's head pop up.

"You play?" The surprise in his tone perfectly reflected my own.

She played another chord. "A little. It was part of my rehabilitation process plus it helped when I was writing my book."

"Rehabilitation process?" Jaxon and Tye looked at each other.

Evie grew uncomfortable under their scrutiny. I sat beside her, resting my hand on her knee. She leaned into my side a little.

"I was in an accident a few years ago and I got hurt."

I kinda liked how she only trusted me with the full details of what she'd gone through.

"Whilst I was recovering I sort of had this song in my head. It's what inspired Expiry Date. But I couldn't seem to find it. Eventually my parents suggested music therapy."

"Did it work?" Tye asked.

Evie smiled to herself as she continued to strum the guitar. "It's a work in progress, though some music helps more than others." Her eyes met mine, and I knew she was talking about the songs I'd written.

My chest felt like it was exploding with happiness.

"So what's the song you couldn't get out of your head?" Jaxon sat up straighter, which was no straightforward task on a beanbag.

"I don't know the name and I only have the first few chords." She played it out, and I froze, goosebumps rising on my arm.

It was the song that I'd written for her.

I could see that Jaxon had recognised the chords as he struggled to compose his expression.

"Hey guys, how does a picnic on the beach sound?" Hazel asked from the doorway. Her eyebrows pulled low when she saw mine and Jaxon's expressions.

"Sounds fun to me."

I pulled myself together as Evie looked at me. "Sure. Sounds good," I choked out.

Hazel pointed Evie towards the bathroom and watched her walk downstairs before rounding on us.

"Why do you two look like someone just killed your puppy?"

I swallowed, but struggled to find my voice.

"Because she's definitely Evie," Jaxon strangled voice whispered. 

"What! But how can you be sure?" Hazel rushed into the room, looking between us and the door in case Evie came back.

"She remembers Sam's song. The one that he wrote for her."

"I never played that song again after Evie left," I reminded her.

"She could have heard it online, though. People were filming that night," Hazel said.

"It's not just that. The accident she spoke about; it happened two days before I met Evie. She was in a coma for over a week."

Jaxon shook his head. "Whilst she was in a coma she was here."

"And when Evie left here, she must have woken up," Hazel finished.

"So you just need to get her to remember." Tye summed it up.

"But how?" Jaxon crashed back against his bean bag, making the seams bulge.

I looked at the guitar Evie had left beside me, and I knew what I had to do.

"We need to go to the beach." I placed the guitar back on the rack and instead packed up my favourite one. It was the same one that I'd written Evie's song on. It wasn't the best, but it was the one that meant the most to me.

"Right." Jaxon stood to attention, pulling Tye with him.

"This is so exciting." Hazel clapped her hands together.

I wasn't quite in agreement with Hazel, but it was definitely not going to be boring.

We met up with Evie and Tori and headed out to the beach. The sun had already set so there weren't many people around, which I was glad of.

We picked our spot, laying out towels and handing out food. Tye disappeared and came back with armfuls of driftwood. Being part of the beach clean-up crew had its perks.

Before long, a fire was gently burning in the middle of our little camp. Teddy was messing around in the sand, rolling around and sneezing when it went up his nose - not that it stopped him from digging his head back into the sand.

Evie grasped my arm, pointing at the fire in excitement. "It's blue." Her hands strayed to her side, and I knew what she was looking for.

"You didn't bring your book." I reminded her.

"Oh, right." Her hands paused and her eyes flashed to me. "How do you know about my book?"

I ignored her question and instead asked my own.

"Can I play you a song?"

Her eyes searched mine, and she reluctantly nodded, though I could sense she was nervous.

The others watched me with their own faces, a mask of expectation. Jaxon gave me a thumbs up.

Either this would work or it wouldn't.

I stood and put the guitar strap around me and played the first few chords that Evie had earlier. I could see her watching me with wide eyes.

"She's my girl and I'm her guy,

She's my world and I don't ask why,

But she doesn't know the way I feel,

I dance with my feelings, not standing still.

In her eyes, I see a place,

A place where we go to escape,

Where the moonlight touched the sand,

And the sea hugged the land.

I look to the sky to give me strength,

But the stars just laugh at me instead,

Why don't you tell her, they shout to me,

Share the feelings that are running deep."

"Stop!" Evie cried out, jumping to her feet. She looked at us. "How the hell do you know that song? You can't possibly know that song."

I could see her next move in the way her foot stepped back. I tossed my guitar to Tori and chased after her.

"Evie, listen to me, please." I grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at me.

Both of us stood in the surf, but neither of us cared. Teddy was splashing alongside us, thinking it was all a great game - getting soaked whilst everyone else was too distracted to tell him no.

"Sam, how? How is that possible? I tried everything to find that song. I don't even know what it's called." Tears slipped down her face and my heart broke.

I lifted my hand and wiped them away.

"It's called Standing Still, and I wrote that song two years ago for a girl I loved."

Her face locked on mine as I pulled her closer to me.

"I wrote that song for you."

"Sam, that's mental. This type of stuff happens in books, not in real life."

I laughed. "That's because you wrote about it in yours." I looked into her eyes. "Did you not feel anything when you woke up from your coma?"

Her face fell. "I felt like I'd lost a piece of myself but I couldn't explain it. I'd never felt so lonely. A part of me wished that I'd never woke up because wherever I was I was happy."

"After you disappeared, I felt lost. You took a piece of me with you that day that I only feel like I'm getting back now."

"But Sam, I don't remember it. Any of it."

I pursed my lips, trying to figure a way to explain it to her. "You said that I didn't affect you like other people. What do you really feel for me?" It was a loaded question, but I was getting desperate.

Evie turned to look over the ocean. Her hand in mine was the only thing that gave me strength.

"I feel like I've known you for years, Sam. When I'm with you I'm the Evie I was before the attack. You make me feel safe." She turned to look at me. "How can I love you when I only just met you?" Her face crumpled, and she threw herself into my arms, her face resting against my heart.

"Because you've already met me. I love you Evie. I love the you I lost two years ago and I love you now."

Evie sniffed. "But I'm not her. I'm not the same."

I placed a hand under her chin and raised her head, crashing my lips against hers. The sparks spreading out throughout my entire body.

"You're my Evie. Past, present, future I will always love you."

Her eyes looked up at me with so much hope. "But I'm so broken, Sam."

I placed my forehead against hers. "I was in love with a ghost for over two years. I think I got you beat."

Evie laughed through her tears, stretching until her lips met mine.

"Can I just ask one thing?" I asked when we broke apart.

Her eyes rose to meet mine, and she bit her lip in worry.

I smoothed a hand over her lip. "Just promise you won't run away from me again. I don't think my heart could take it again."

The worry faded from her eyes and she smiled up at me, her green eyes sparkling.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She turned to look behind me and laughed. "Did your friends happen to meet me when I was here two years ago?"

I frowned. "Yeah, why?"

She turned me around to see all four of them watching us. Jaxon, Tori and Tye passing a bottle of champagne between them.

I hung my head whilst they cheered as Evie waved at them.

"I think you're going to have to tell me exactly what happened two years ago. Though I'm not sure I'll believe you." She looked up at me as we headed back to the fire.

I thought of all the moments we'd shared and smiled. "How about I just show you?"

She tilted her head. "I think I could live with that."

"Good, I'll start with this then."

I placed my hands on her face and kissed her long and hard. My friends cheered in the background, but I paid them no attention. Instead, I pulled back and looked at the beautiful freckled face of the girl I loved.

Happy knowing that fate had gifted me my second chance. And there was nothing on Earth that would make me waste it.