Shadows of Past

                                    

                                          
Emma's POV
Corsica
Three months ago
                          
After a month long planning and bouts of excitement surrounding this trip, it was the day we finally reached Corsica to celebrate the birthdays of two of the closest people in my life. 
                          
It was the first blush in the morning when we arrived. The dawn's early light felt like a golden blissful vision, and a sense of positivity blanketed my wary instincts. I wished so strong that this vacation would embark new beginnings, and somehow, something assured me that the inevitable was bound to happen.
                          
We were a group of seven friends, including Nate, Niki, myself, two of Nate's hostel roommates - Jared and Austin, Niki's upstate neighbour friend Jessica and her younger sister Sansa. Acquainted with all the others, I was close only to Nate and Niki.
                          
The idea of travelling across the globe with my boyfriend alone made my heart flutter. More so, because I saw this trip as the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with him. 
                          
Ever since he moved to the city, our relationship had hit a rough patch. We hardly spent time or talked to each other; gradually, we became distant.
                          
I knew of the blue skies behind the hounding grey clouds, and I wished the sun broke through the darkness of distrust, and helped me restore the charm that our relationship unknowingly lost. 
                          
We have had some really memorable times together, and I wasn't ready to give up on us.
                          
We reached our resort and were provided with our room keys. I was sharing my room with Niki, while Jessica and Sansa shared one, Austin and Jared shared the other and Nate was staying alone.
Worn out by our long journey, we all decided to take some rest and regroup at noon to begin our week-long holiday.
                          
When we met at the reception, we were all there except Nate and Jessica.
                          
"Hey Niki, did you see Nate? His phone is going straight to voicemail?" I was totally unaware of my boyfriends' whereabouts.
                          
"I don't know. Never saw him after we reached here." Niki shrugged.
                          
"Sansa, how about Jessica? Where is she?" 
                          
"I don't know ya, must be somewhere. I ain't her babysitter." Sansa retorted indifferently, without looking up from her phone.
                          
I rolled my eyes at her peculiar behavior, and started waiting for the two of them. After waiting for almost an hour, they both arrived at the same time, apologising for the delay and hurrying us up so that we could reach the beach soon.
                          
I looked at Nate, but he dodged eye contact, and suddenly I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. Something didn't seem right; I was just unable to put a finger on it.
                          
When we reached the beach, I tried to talk to Nate, but the guys decided to play voleyball instead. Soon the girls joined the boys in the game too. Niki being a pro, was the first one to volunteer. 
                          
I gave the game a pass. My mind was at several other places, drifting my attention away from the enthusiasm that flowed through the group.
                          
I walked down alone. The soft golden sand beneath caressed my bare feet. I sat close to the shore with my knees to the chest, the earthly scent of the ocean filled through my nostrils, and the mellow sea breeze started to put my mind at ease.
                          
Suddenly, I was jolted, and I snapped out of my trance to a sharp pain below my left shoulder. 
                          
I got hit by a volleyball. I looked around to see where it came from; and almost immediately, I caught sight of a bare torso running towards me. 
                          
A guy close to our age or maybe a couple of years older drenched in water with only a pair of white shorts on, came running towards me. 
As if his six-packs outlined by his strong muscles were not enough, because the moment my eyes trailed through his toned mascular body up towards his face, I was speechless.