"The last kiss had the taste of a cigarette. Bitter and sad smelling..."
From Selena's perspective
With anxiety in my eyes, I look around the beach, unable to spot Felix anywhere. Holding the blanket in my arms, I walk closer to the ocean shore, but the darkness prevents me from seeing his figure.
I don't know why, but my heart feels a strange uneasiness. I have a bad feeling that something bad has happened.
Why don't I see him anywhere? Why isn't he in the place where he was supposed to be waiting for me?
- Felix! - I shout, but no one answers me. Only the sound of waves can be heard. - Felix! - I renew my shout, a little louder, feeling panic gathering inside me. - Felix!!!
At one moment time stands still, and I know that in a moment it will move again, and I may discover something terrible....
My heart rises to my throat when I hear a woman's voice, and my attention is caught by the phone, which is lying in the sand. I drop the blanket and grasp it in my hand, and my face fades into the camera as I spot his mother's face on the video call.
- Selena, save him! Save my son! - shouts in a panicked voice, and my heart stands still. In my head I have the darkest scenarios, I am weak and sick.
I feel dizzy when I notice his shoes, but there is no trace of him. Initially, lonely tears turn into panicked crying.
- Felix? Felix, please answer me! Felix, where are you! - I shout, looking around me. Misty eyes aim at the ocean, believing that I am able to save him. - Felix, darling, please answer me!
I walk towards the water, not feeling the shrill cold as the waves wash over my legs. My thoughts are only with finding and rescuing him.
My love. My only, first, and greatest love. I cannot lose it.
I'm already submerged up to my chest, not caring that I'm risking my life. All I think about is that I have to find him, I have to help him.
He is now so lonely, lost and scared....
- Selena! - I am grabbed from behind and embraced. Someone is holding me tightly in his arms, and I'm too out of touch. - I'm here, I'm with you, I'm fine. Everything is fine," he adds in a weepy voice.
When I snap out of this strange amok, only then do I feel the shrill cold. I am shaking like a jelly and with trembling lips I look at the ever-increasing waves coming towards us.
- I'm with you, I'm fine. Let's go back to shore, please.
I turn to face Felix, looking at him with tears in my eyes. Icy waves wash over our bodies, and we are still standing in the water, looking at each other with weepy eyes.
I raised my hand and stroked his wet hair, not caring how icy my hand was.
- I thought something happened to you," I whisper.
- I'm fine, my love. I'm with you. - He puts his forehead to mine. - Let's go back to the shore, please.
We are both shaking from the cold and from fear as we emerge from the water. Felix grabs a blanket and covers us, hugging me tightly to himself.
- Why didn't you react when I called you? Why did you make me think something bad had happened to you?
- Sorry, I had to come to my senses. I won't hide the fact that for a while, I was in such a state that I wanted to do something wrong. But when a wave hit me in the face and took me underwater, it made me sober up from my cupid. I realized that, however, the world I live in is real, that everything around me is not an illusion if I can feel it. Then I thought about you, how much I love you, how much I will hurt you if I don't fight, as I promised you. You are my mainstay, and I know that everything you do for me is for my good. Mother once again wanted to destroy me, but the thought of you made me regain my strength. I know that you and Lucas protected me from the truth, from her. Yes, I thought you were an illusion, but I quickly recovered from that. This is the real world, you guys are real, and the only illusions are the bad things, all the bad things I've believed in so far. If I am happy, they will never appear in my mind again.
I burst out crying, and he squeezes me even tighter.
- I love you, Felix, I love you madly, so don't ever do this to me again, please," I say in a stifled voice.
- I love you too, and I promise to overcome all the rest of the darkness that rests on my shoulders. You will always be my love, regardless of what may happen to me in the future, I will remember to love you. You have taught me that you will always be the one. Forever, my one and only Selena.
*
One year and six months later
With tears in my eyes, I look at my best friends who are standing at the wedding cake, taking vows to each other. Although they had lived in partnership for a long time, for Lily's sake, they decided to get married, so their parents, too, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I glance sideways at the man I love and smile happily. His hair is blond again, reaching his shoulders and shining in the sun.
He is handsome and still makes me breathless.
Squeezing my hand, he smiles flirtatiously at me, showing how happy he is. Although he is still healing and has a long way to go, he can live a normal life because of this.
He has no contact with his mother. Ever since the woman illegally obtained his number and called him, nearly causing a tragedy, Lucas has been on a rampage. He made their mother have a restraining order against them.
Speaking of Felix's complicated older brother, I have to admit that he has changed a little over that time. He's able to be a bit more friendly with people, although he has a hard time doing so. He is not very sociable among new people he meets.
Yet, after a year of fighting, Hannah managed to win his heart. It was a long and bumpy road, but she made the cold-hearted bastard let go and gave her a chance, since he himself had a weakness for her for a long time.
However, he found that he had to test her to see if she was definitely not the same as other women who only flock to his looks and money.
Well, he needed a girl like Hannah — a strong woman who knows what she wants from life.
Although they bicker perpetually, they have wonderful chemistry. They are crazy about each other, and well, Lucas can finally smile sincerely.
And Sebastian?
He is still the boss's most important man, well, and he is still waiting for the love of his life.
I believe he will meet her, just as the other people close to me have succeeded.
I and Felix, we are happy. We have practically our whole life ahead of us, and we don't know what the future will bring, but I'm sure he's the only man I want to stand in front of the wedding carriage with.
And it will happen soon...