project

by Torrance, Asa

  “Damien,” she says, her hands stroking Windy’s head of soft caramel colored waves. “If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be alive.”

  She’s right, in the way that I hadn’t hesitated to jump in after her. The water sucked me into its cold grip seconds after she disappeared beneath its surface. I lost sight of her, at least for two or three seconds before I could get my bearings.

  Those had been the longest seconds of my life.

  Finally I saw her, being tossed around by the swirling ocean around us like a ragdoll. I swam for her, lungs burning for air, and knew I wouldn’t see the surface again unless it was with her in my arms.

  All the times I had gone out with Ace and Fabian into the frigid waters of Diablo Beach had come in handy. All the times I felt some sort of commune with Jessa when the sea clutched at my body but I fought back had amounted to me being able to save Windy’s life.

  Coincidence? Yeah. But one I’ll gladly take.

  Not everything needs to happen for a reason, but it’s not always bad if it does.

  I know I need Windy in my life. Now if she would just wake the hell up.

  Like me, Windy’s mother has been here every day. Eventually, she gets ready to leave. “See you tomorrow, sweet girl,” she says, kissing Windy’s forehead. She gives me a look, eternally maternal just when I need it the most. “Make sure you’re taking care of yourself, Damien.”

  I give a nod, watching as she heads out and knowing I’ll be next. Visiting hours are almost over, but I try to spend every moment with her I can. My vision lulls towards the TV, the news softly playing just to drown out the noise of the hospital around us.

  “In local news, former Diablo Beach sheriff Joseph Black was arraigned today on several charges. Authorities arrested Black last week after an hours long stand-off. The former sheriff is now being questioned over concerns of a conflict of interest, and evidence tampering, in the death of former Diablo Beach mayor, Horatio Redwood.”

  I flick the TV off. News of the Sheriff’s fall from grace has been all anyone has been able to talk about for days. I’m as satisfied as anyone that he’s getting his just rewards, but I don’t want the news bothering Windy, bringing back her traumas, not in the condition she’s in now.

  She’s sleeping peacefully, and I’ve stared at her hard enough to commit every single freckle on her face to memory, but I would do anything to see her brown eyes flicker open.

  “Come on, Wind,” I whisper, pleading with her in a voice only we can hear. If she can even hear me at all.

  Sometimes her eyelids flutter, almost like she’s dreaming. Whatever she’s dreaming about, I hope it’s good.

  She hasn’t been moving, so her skin is paler than normal, but despite this, her lips are still rosy and pink. It feels like she’s daring me to kiss her.

  I shake my head. The label might be accurate in the literal sense, but this isn’t Sleeping Beauty. She’s not going to wake up like out of a fairytale, brought to life by a kiss from true love.

  I’m not even sure if I’m supposed to fucking do that.

  Then again, considering everything, I think maybe she wouldn’t mind. And I’m done living with regrets.

  I lean forward and kiss her in a spur of the moment decision. Wouldn’t it be a bitch if someone walked in here now?

  Her lips are soft, just the way I remember them, and that morning we spent together before this all happened feels a million years ago. That was the last time I had been able to feel her kiss, and feeling it again leaves me reeling.

  Come on, Windy, you’ve gotta wake up.

  I close my eyes and wish, because wishing just might be all I have. My patience is waning. I want to see those brown eyes again.

  “Damien?”

  I want to believe it’s my imagination, but I’m not stupid enough to take any chances. My eyes snap open, and our gazes lock.

  “Holy shit,” I murmur.

  “Were you just kissing me while I was sleeping?” she says groggily, but a corner of her mouth raises in a grin.

  “Worked like a charm,” I say as a breath I had been holding leaves my chest. “I can’t believe this. I’ve gotta get a doctor—”

  “Wait,” she calls out to me, and I go back to her like a snapped rubber band.

  I take her hand, holding it in mine and feeling her fingers move weakly against my palm. “What is it?” I ask her. I’ll do whatever she wants until the end of time if it means she stays awake, and stays mine, forever.

  Her eyelashes flutter, but after that, her eyes widen a bit, and she gazes into mine. “I just want one more minute with just you and me.”

  I bring my hand up to her face, my thumb moving down the soft skin of her cheek. “One more minute?” I say. “It’s you and me now, Wind, until the end of time. I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

  Words gush out, all the shit I’ve built up and felt for her since it seems like the moment I very first saw her. But I’m done wasting any more time.

  “I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses,” she quips, but her eyes say so much more despite her weakness.

  I kiss her hand, my princess, my Sleeping Beauty, the only girl I’ve ever wanted. “Better late than never.”

  Epilogue

  “Mom, I’m leaving!” I holler, directing my words to the dining room as I trot downstairs.

  She comes out, holding one of the craft beers George has gotten her into recently. “This one tastes like apricot,” she notes with a grin, glancing back at him as he follows her out of the dining room. He’s here for one of the weekly dinners he’s been coming over for recently, ones where my mom hosts and he cooks. Lucky for us, he’s a competent chef.

  “And you’ll be at the DBB until when?” she asks me, but forgets her question in almost mid-sentence. “Oh, you look so pretty. My little girl is all grown up. Let me snap a picture, honey, hold still.”

  “Helen, she’s gotta go,” George says, shooting me a conspiratorial look. He’s actually turned out to be not just a good cook, but a decent guy as well, and it’s nice to see my mom have fun again.

  Everyone deserves a little fun.

  “I’m getting my phone, it’ll take two seconds,” she calls back to us. She pops back in a second later, her phone held aloft as she snaps off a series of pictures.

  “Mom,” I say. “Mom. You can take plenty of those tomorrow at the graduation ceremony, I promise.”

  “You’ll be all covered up in your cap and gown,” she says with a wave of her hand. “But trust me, I will. Remember, we have a hair appointment at ten sharp, so don’t be out all night.”

  I smile at her. “No promises. But I’m sure the boardwalk will kick all the grads out sooner or later.”

  “But will you all leave?” she muses with a mischievous look.

  I grin. Spoken like a true citizen of Diablo Beach. She knows us so well.

  “I think they’re saving all the hell-raising for tomorrow,” I say. “But you never know.”

  You definitely never know in this city.

  There’s a knock at the door, and I instantly know who it is. “That’s him.”

  “Well, open the door, I can get a picture of you two together. You’ve been going out for weeks and you’ve never sent me a picture of you both together, not once.”

  “Sorry,” I murmur, opening the door to greet Damien. Taking pictures together has definitely been low on our priority list when we’re together.

  I feel my face light up as soon as I see him, and he grins back at me, a wordless greeting only I can read.

  “Damien, picture!” my mother all but orders.

  He nods. “Of course,” he says, stepping inside and pulling me towards him, circling his arms around my waist like we’re taking prom photos.

  It’s exactly what the doctor ordered.

  “Perfect!” Mom says.

  Same, I think, but for a completely different reason.

  We lock eyes in ano
ther bout of telepathy, twin smiles reflected on our faces.

  “Okay, we’ve gotta go,” I declare. “We’ll be safe. Maybe.”

  “Not funny, young lady!”

  “Love you!”

  Damien and I walk outside, heading towards his car parked in the driveway. It’s a perfect nearly-summer evening, and the air outside feels incredible, electrified even, but that could just be me.

  “You’re so getting laid tonight,” I murmur, taking his hand and letting him twist me towards him as we walk.

  “I thought that was the point of all this pageantry,” he tells me with a smirk. “Everything I do is just to get in your pants. If you want, we can skip the entire charade—”

  “No,” I say, even if it does sound tempting. “I think we should make an appearance. We are one of the hottest couples at Diablo Beach Prep, you know.”

  “It’s just because we’re new,” he says with a smirk. “But if you insist.”

  We head towards the boardwalk, lit up with swirling lights and twisting rides that cut across the darkened sky. It’s officially grad night at the DBB, the one night when the entire place is closed to anyone who’s not an outgoing senior at Diablo Beach Prep. With graduation just around the corner, I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic.

  This year sure has been a hell of a ride.

  Luckily, I’m better off for it, but I’m not the only one. It’s felt like an unprecedented era of peace in Diablo Beach. Sheriff Black is gone, and so are the tensions within the gangs. There hasn’t been a reason to claw to the top when everyone can get an equal peace of the pie.

  With the Falcon parked, we head into the madhouse of the DBB. Jubilant voices and screams surround us from all sides, the rollercoaster rattling on its tracks overhead as the waves crash gently against the beach. I clutch Damien’s hand, taking in everything. This isn’t a night I want to forget.

  “Windy!”

  I turn to see Samaire approaching me, her face painted in bright colors, a sun on one cheek, a moon on the other. “You’re looking extra,” I say, returning her embrace.

  She grins. “Well, I figured, when in Rome.”

  “Yeah, only I heard the Romans were fuckin’ crazy,” I murmur, a laugh bursting from my chest a second later. “I’m going to miss seeing you every day. What’s next for you?”

  She tilts her head back towards Jax, who meets eyes with her from the middle of the conversation he’s having with other members of the Daggers. Damien and I may be the hottest couple in school, but Samaire and Jax are definitely the cutest. “Summer road trip with my man,” she says whimsically. “Maybe get into a couple of bar fights. Maybe rob a bank. Sky’s the limit really. Probably just stay in bed a lot of the time.”

  I grin. “Ambitious.”

  “Come on,” she tells me. “You guys should come and say hi to everybody one last time before you disappear into the cosmic orgy.”

  “Okay,” I say with a laugh, turning towards Damien.

  While there’s been peace, it’s still hard for me to read how he feels about the other gangs sometimes. But just like anything, change takes time.

  To my surprise, he claps hands with Sylas. “What’s up, Andreas? Your mom gonna make an appearance at the ceremony tomorrow?”

  “Or is she too busy casting spells?” Sloan says, grinning as she reaches over to give Sylas’s cheek a playful pinch.

  Carina glares at her, but a smile tilts her lips a split-second later. Everyone is in a good mood, playful, jovial, one last night of heaven on Earth.

  Sylas grins. “She’ll be there,” he confirms with a nod.

  There’s no room for any other type of vibes tonight but good ones, and it feels fucking spectacular.

  I turn towards the beach, watching as the waves crash onto the sand as I run my fingers over my tattoo.

  I’ll always keep them with me, just like the memories of tonight.

  “Well, boys and girls, now that everyone is here,” Sylas says. “Should we rain hell in this city one last time?”

  “Hell yeah,” Damien says as cheers erupt around us. He pulls me forward and kisses me amongst the chaos, and I pull back, breathless and laughing but wanting more.

  Because love has the ability to transform.

  And all of us are living proof.

  Connect with Asa

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  Other Books by Asa Torrance

  For Sylas and Carina’s story, read Poison Dagger (Lords of Diablo Beach Book 1).

  For Jax and Samaire’s story, read Savage Thorn (Lords of Diablo Beach Book 2).