chapter ten

He rowed the canoe further and further into the ocean. Each paddle unnerved her, but she ignored the tingling sensation that ran up her spine. It was going to be okay, Callum knew how to handle a canoe, they'd done this before. But this time felt different, off.

“Don't you think it's way too far from shore?”

“Is it?”

“ A little.”

He stopped paddling and looked at her with a wide grin.

“ I guess I got caught up.”

“ it's okay.” He reached for her and she gingerly got up and sat beside him. He put his arms around her and placed a kiss on her cheek. She smiled.

He trailed kisses down to her neck, and she hummed. He reached for the hem of her top and let his hands wander upwards.

Warning bells shot through her, quiet rings, that she carefully ignored, kissing back the man she was sure loved her, the way she loved him. When he unclasped her Bra, she tried to pull away, hide her discomfort behind a smile.

“Not here, baby, Not now.”

His eyes were cloudy, “If not Now, then when?” He reached for her again, this time with a bit more force, and was shocked when she pushed him back fierce.

“No.. No. ”

“That's Not possible.” he tried placating with kisses, holding her down with his body strength, and those warning bells became full fledged Terror sparks. He dragged up her shirt and placed kisses on her tummy,

“you want this as bad as I do.”

“Damn it, callum, I said No." She tried to push him off her, but he was stronger, Tears stung her eyes. They were in the middle of Nowhere, he was going to rape her. She trusted him, and he was going to rape her.

He reached for the buckle off her belt, and she fought. If he was going to rape her, she wasn't going to make it easy for him so she fought, using teeth and nails, making him swear.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Let me go, I won't tell anyone, just let me go!” she shrieked, but he was bent on having his way, Then she remembered, as if something divine reminded her, she remembered. There'd been a bottle of wine.

She stopped struggling for a moment, for a moment and groped above her head for the wine, Callum so lost in the pleasure he forcefully took from her body.

“God, Forgive me, forgive me.” she cried, then she hit him across the head with that half empty glass of wine. His scream rent the air as he dragged himself away from her.

“you cagey b*tch. You idiot.” she shook as she sat up, careful to avoid the wine shards.

“wait here, I'll get you help, wait here.” then she jumped out if the boat, she could swim, but she was grateful to God for the life Jacket. And she swarm, for all her worth, Heart thudding, Thankful for her life, she swarm back to shore.

She did not wake up in a start. She did not sit up and start begin to pant. she did when in the earlier days though. Then she got out of bed and began to cry and call for help, then something divine hit her and she got Dante. in the nights that followed after getting Dante, she would wake up to him by her side, as if whatever movements she made brought him closer, he would whine, and she would find her way back to sanity, and somehow she would fall asleep feeling safe. He was God's gift to her, she tried to remember to be grateful.

But on this night, Dante was curled up at her feet, she hadn't woken him up, which meant she hadn't stirred in her sleep, but she woke up feeling tired and drained. As if going back to that time and place required an amount of energy. She sat up, and Dante stirred, and looked at her with sleepy eyes.

“Go back to sleep, boy. Mummy's okay. ” she crooned.

He did as she asked. She rested her head on her pillow and heaved out a breath. She thought she was passed having dreams like that. But then again, if she was being honest, she thought of callum often lately. She didn't miss him, but found herself wondering how she hadn't seen the lunatic in him.

She'd sent for help that evening, she couldn't even leave him like that. She hadn't pressed charges, she couldn't bring herself to do it, but she had gotten a restraining order against him, if he went against it, then he'd go to jail.

She didn't like having the dream, not on this night, she didn't like to remember, so she prayed, her heart heavy, she prayed.

°°°°

“Creation tells a kind of story.” Bryan said while he stroked her hair. They were in a field, the starry sky was their audience as lay on the grass, his arms around her, as she listened to his heart beat.

“ What kind?” she asked, feeling warm and safe in his arms.

“ The best kind. One of Love and companionship. ”

“Like us?” she didn't know where that had come from. But Bryan found himself smiling at her Question.

“Yes, Like us.” He succumbed to the word Love, he wasn't afraid of it. But did she know she had to? He couldn't ask. He wouldn't ask, he would let her give it in her own time, at her own pace. But he was Happy she had thought of them and thought of Love.

“I like that. That we have a story of Love and companionship. ” she yawned and he held her closer, if that was possible. “Tell me Bryan, Tell me the story of creation.”

Oh, how she warmed his heart.

“well, first we have the Creator, God, Abba. He did all this. The skies, the stars, the birds. The trees. He did all the beauty we see. Its hard to not see creation and not see the creator, its hard to not think of Love, when you realise he gave all this beauty to us as an act of Love, his Love. And when you Love, you want to be with the beloved. He is with us in creation.”

“That's very Beautiful, Bryan”

“He is.”

“He is.” she repeated, and nearly wept.