Jason's hand takes ahold of mine, fingers interlocking as we're led from the aircraft, trepidation filling me now that we're finally back home.

It feels odd, calling a place home when it feels so foreign.

The air still whispers the same secrets it did when I left, yet I have my own to add to it now, letting the memories of our time on the island slip away in the wind outside the airport.

The heat of the day glares down at our backs, a familiar comfort yet still so different.

Within seconds of our feet hitting the tarmac, there is security surrounding us, boxing us in like we could be attacked at any second.

I stare around at the four bodyguards, raising my brows.

Jason squeezes my hand again, "Hey, it's going to be okay, they're just here for our protection."

"From what?"

He looks at me, his face unreadable, "The fans."

I knew he was famous, had even expected there to be a huge turnout now that word had gotten out that we'd been found but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos that unfolds as soon as we walk through those security doors.

The screams are almost deafening, the lights blinding. Panic hit's me as my senses are drowned out, the only one I can focus on is the touch between Jason and I, our hands still intertwined even amongst the fervour.

I lift my other hand, shielding my gaze as the flashes become too much, voices intermingling, yelling question after question.

But they all have one thing in common, Jason.

"Jason!" A voice yells above the rest. "What was it like being stranded?"

Before the question even has a second to register, another is thrown, fans and media alike crowding to get a good look at the ice hockey player who was stranded on an island.

The air is thick with the shouts of reporters, flashes of cameras blinding my vision.

The excited cries of fans pierce the air, seeking a glimpse of the ice hockey star who captured their hearts and their attention. Jason's name echoes through the crowd, his face plastered on banners and signs.

The security seems useless when I see the frenzy unfold, the fans no longer being held back by the barriers meant to keep them away.

It takes all of a second for my hand to rip from Jasons as the people converge on us, the security yelling for people to get back, pushing and shoving them away as we're herded to the side.

Reporters swarm around him, bombarding him with questions about his experience on the island, his physical and emotional state. Cameras are thrust in his face, capturing every reaction, every word. His eyes are frantic as he looks over them.

"Arden-"

A hand slams against my back, pushing me into the throngs of the crowd, shoulders shoving into me with fervour, the yells assaulting my ears. With every shove back, I get further and further away from Jason and the security team, a sea of unfamiliar people in my way.

Anxiety crawls its way up my throat, and I push from the crowd, desperate to get away from the chaos.

I practically fall out of the herd, turning to stare back the way I came but I can't see Jason anywhere.

"Jason!" I try to get his attention, but my voice is drowned out amidst the cacophony. Every single person here is yelling his name, he'd never be able to pick me out of a crowd. I stare over the crowd, trying to see a familiar face - Matt, Aster, Rose or Tobias even Levi but I can't see anything over the strangers crowding the airport.

My heart sinks, an ache washing over me. The contrast between our time on the island, where Jason's presence was a refuge, and this chaotic scene couldn't be starker. It couldn't be more obvious that we were too different in this moment and that sudden reminder has my heart breaking.

"Arden?" A new voice pierces my conscious and I turn to the woman, vaguely recognising her but not being able to place from where.

"Yes?" I answer, feeling trepidation fill me as she looks me up and down in that way some people do when they think they're better than you.

I cross my arms over my chest, staring down at the woman even though she's taller than me. Her lips lift in a sneer and even though we'd been given a change of clothes and cleaned up as much as we could, I still feel like nothing under her gaze.

"My name is Seraphine Lockwell, I'm part of Mr. Wildes management."

She begins walking, looking over her shoulder as if she expects me to follow behind.

Against my better judgment I do, following her out of the airport and towards the waiting Taxi Bay.

She turns to me when the doors slide to a shut behind us and the humidity hits with a vengeance.

She flags down a taxi and beckons me towards it. "I'm sure you can find your way home."

I ignore her, "Where's Jason?"

She pauses and looks to me, "Where he belongs."

She says the words as if I don't understand, and she sighs. "Look, don't embarrass yourself further and just get in the taxi. Jason doesn't need you or want anything to do with you anymore. You guys had your fun, I'm sure." She rolls her eyes as if she's given this talk to plenty of women who have fallen under Jason Wildes charms.

I have no doubt she has, especially since she'd given it to me once before.

I recognize her now. She's the woman from the morning after Aster's wedding, the one that had told me I wouldn't be anything to Jason.

"But it's over now," she flourishes a hand to encompass the open taxi door and looks me up and down in a scrutinizing way before her eyes twinkle with mirth. "Oh, you love him." She laughs then, the sound grating, "You poor girl."

Anger rises in me, but she talks before I get up the courage to reply, "He's Jason Wilde and he doesn't fall in love with girls like you." She tilts her head and looks at me sadly, as if we're two friends having a heart to heart, "Do yourself a favour and leave before you get hurt."

She turns then and walks away, her hips sashaying away and righteous anger takes over me. I look back into the airport but all I see is the onslaught of fans and media and instead I turn for the taxi, shutting the door behind me.

• • •

The drive home is silent, and I have no choice but to listen to my screaming thoughts.

Sighing, I glance out the window, my fingers twisting around each other as I count the houses we pass before the taxi slides to a stop in front of mine.

A throat clears and I look up blinking.

"Oh." I mutter, "let me just pop inside and get you some money."

"Are you okay miss?" The taxi driver says, his eyes staring through me from the rear-view mirror.

I nod, reaching for the handle. "Yeah." I push the door open, "I'll be right back."

The wet grass sinks under my footsteps, the shoes I'd been given when we were picked up from the island, just a touch too small but I'd never been so grateful.

I walk to the gate at the side of the house, unlatch it and push through, walking for the back door.

The window I always have open to let the breeze sweep through stares back at me and I cringe as I move forward to remove the screen and climb through, scrounging up enough cash before walking for the front door and back to the taxi driver, handing him everything.

He nods at me in thanks before driving off. I turn back to my house and walk up the driveway, staring at the rendered walls, feeling absolutely nothing for the structure and perfection of it all, a small part of me wishing I had more trees and plants around me.

Sighing, I shut the door behind me, staring around the empty house, feeling that same emptiness settle into me.

"So happy you're back." I whisper, walking for the kitchen and opening the fridge, reaching in for the water, the action feeling so mundane in the grand scheme of things.

The red blinking light of my message bank stares back at me, and I walk closer, pressing the button.

"Maybe someone did miss me."

"Hello?" A voice says, one I don't recognize. "Is this Arden?"

"The one and only." I mutter, brow furrowing as the person continues talking, going on about a new product they want to sell.

I skip it, waiting for the next one.

"Arden." A voice from my work I can't quite pin sounds, "Call me back, I'll need you to sign that paperwork when you're back from the trip, it's urgent."

I close my eyes, remembering that conversation with Dr. Maverick before I left.

The next message starts, and I can immediately hear the strain in Matt's voice—something urgent and raw, a mix of anger, fear, and something else that tightens in my chest as I listen.

"Arden." His voice is rough, almost breaking. "I don't know what's happening right now. We're all still on the island, we didn't know they would take you both back home straight away."

A shaky breath crackles through the recording, and I can practically hear him pacing, probably running a hand through his hair as he tries to hold it together. "I swear, when you hear this, you better call me straight away. If I don't answer then I'm on the plane, we're all trying to get the next one out."

There's a pause, a tense silence that stretches, before his voice softens, giving way to something desperate beneath the anger. "You have no idea how angry I am at you right now. A boat party-" He cuts off as I hear Aster in the background and then her voice comes over. "We hope you're okay. As soon as we land, we will be over. Nobody has told us anything besides that they found you. Fucking wankers. We're you're fricking family-" Matt takes over again. "Do you know how that feels, Arden? To be sitting here with my hands tied, wondering if my sister's..." He trails off, voice catching, and then he clears his throat sharply, forcing himself back. "I'm supposed to be the one looking out for you. I'm supposed to have your back. But I can't do that if you're out there somewhere, alone. If Jason hadn't been with you-" He cuts off again, huffing under his breath as I hear Aster again, more voices joining in.

"When we woke up and both you and Jason were missing, we - if it wasn't for that stupid pool boy we wouldn't have even known you'd left the island." I cringe at the anger in his voice, fiddling with my fingers. A noise crackles over the speaker, and he grunts, "We've got to go, I'll call when we land. You better pick up or so help me-" The beep of the machine cutting him off has me releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

The next message comes on and Matts voice sounds again, calmer, steadier and it tugs at my heart.

The next message clicks on, and Matt's voice fills the silence once more, calmer now but no less intense. There's a heaviness to his tone, one that reaches through the phone and settles in my chest.

"Arden...we're on our way. We've managed to get on a flight, Aster and I. Rose is back home; they wouldn't let her stay being pregnant and all and Toby left with her, Levi too. We'll be there as soon as humanly possible. I don't know what you've been through, and I know you're going to try to brush it off like it's nothing, but I swear to God, Ardy, you're not doing this alone. We're coming, okay?"

There's a pause, and in the background, I can hear Aster murmuring something softly, her voice reassuring but urgent. Then Matt speaks again, his voice quieter, almost breaking. "Just...hold on for us, alright? Just wait. I know you, and I know you're probably already planning on shutting us all out. But we're here, and we're going to be right there with you. No more hiding."

There's a long silence, then he adds softly, his voice breaking just slightly. "Hold on. I'll be there soon."

The message ends, leaving me standing in the quiet of my kitchen, clutching the phone as Matts words settle in, wrapping around me like the warmth I didn't realize I needed.

I twist, walking for the stairs and taking them quickly, my mind only on a hot shower, forcing myself not to think of anything else.

I shut the bathroom door slowly behind me, breathing in softly before walking for the shower, reaching in to turn it on.

The water falls swiftly on to the tiles, and I step under, fully clothed, closing my eyes as the water washes over me, hands lifting to scrub vigorously at my face, a groan crawling its way up my throat.

I strip slowly from my clothes, the fabric peeling from my skin, catching on the scratches and small wounds that pepper my legs and arms.

My eyes flutter open as I drop the last item of clothing, staring forward, my hands blindly reaching for my shampoo, my eyes catching on my own reflection in the glass. The faint mark of my under eyes catches my attention, the scratch along my forehead from the other day.

It's crazy to think that it was only twenty-four hours ago that Jason and I were stuck on the island.

Even then, it seemed like it was just a fever dream.

Like some type of fairytale.

I enter my room, staring around the bedroom that used to be a safe haven, feeling nothing.

A distant knocking sounds and I quickly pull on some clothes, rushing down the stairs as the knocking grows incessant.

Matt wouldn't be here yet, maybe Jason came back for me?

But as the door swings open, my hopes are swiftly shattered. The blinding flashes of cameras assault my vision, accompanied by a chorus of shouting voices.

The flashing lights are blinding, voices yelling in tandem, a camera shoved into my face, one name being yelled over and over; Jason Wilde.

The reporters swarm like vultures, relentless in their pursuit of salacious details. The world outside erupts in chaos, drowning out my senses, leaving me stumbling backward in shock.

I slam the door shut, my heart beating like crazy in my chest. I can still hear them behind the door, my hand shaking as I reach forward and twist the lock, hearing the screams and the questions.

"What was it like being stranded-"

I turn for the window closest, seeing the camera pointed towards me, another reporter yelling their enquiries.

I reach forward, pulling the shutters closed, moving from window to window as they do, blocking every single one until there is no natural light in the house, a cold silence reigning except for the faint noise of the reporters.

I step back, basking in that cold silence, my head falling back as a resigned sigh escapes me.

"Guess it was never meant to be." I scoff out a laugh, but the sound holds no joy. "And now I'm talking to myself. Great, Arden. You've reached peak maturity."

Exhaustion swallows me and I sag, finding myself navigating the empty rooms of my house, a hollow echo accompanying my every step. The walls seem to absorb the silence, amplifying the loneliness I'd never noticed before.

I look at the roof, wishing I could feel the sun upon my skin, the salty wind in my hair, wishing I had the simplicity of nothing once more.

I'm shocked out of the thoughts when a loud knock hits the door once more, startling me, my name being yelled over and over, the voices combining into one.

Then there's a knock on the window, and I spin, finding one uncovered, eyes and cameras peering in at me.

The reporters, fueled by their insatiable hunger for a story, attempt to capture photos of the woman who was stranded with Jason, the ice hockey league's star player.

I wish they would just leave me alone.