�No!�

The sound of Nick�s scream pierced throughout the night air as Jessica�s eyes snapped open suddenly. She wavered perilously as she flailed her arms about, desperately fighting to keep her balance.

Quickly, Nick instinctively reached towards her. Jessica was completely taken aback as she felt a pair of strong arms encircling her waist tightly as they pulled her to safety.

The arms held her in a protective, silent embrace for a few minutes. Oddly, Jessica felt a strange sense of calm overwhelm her body. Within seconds however, the serenity of his embrace disappeared and was quickly replaced with fear.

Squirming uncomfortably, Jessica attempted to worm her way from his grasp. He was too strong for her though. She thrashed about violently, but his hold never wavered. She opened her mouth, her lips poised to emit a blood curdling scream. That�s when her eyes fell upon his face. All of a sudden, Jessica felt her whole body go limp.

She stood staring into his eyes, completely mesmerized by him. He gazed back at her evenly, his eyes penetrating her very soul. Suddenly, Jessica felt very vulnerable. It was as if he could read her every thought, as if he somehow knew about all the demons which plagued her. Despite this feeling however, she couldn�t bring herself to turn away from him. She was compelled to him by some inexplicable, unseen force.

Jessica�s eyes perused his soft face trying to make sense of what she was feeling. Her eyes landed upon his baby blues once again. Nick�s eyes were masked with an unreadable sadness. It was as if he�d experienced a world of emotional pain and heart-ache that no one else knew about. Almost like something inside of him had died. She saw something else in his eyes as well though. Jessica saw hope.

Suddenly, his hold upon her relented and he dropped his hands to his sides. �I�m sorry,� he whispered, his face crimson with blush. �I thought you were...You looked so much like... I didn�t mean to...,� he stuttered uncontrollably. �I�m really sorry,� he apologized again, his voice cracking. Clumsily, he backed away from her, his footing hasty and uncooperative.

Jessica watched helplessly as he moved away from her. She tried desperately to make any sound at all, but her throat was completely dry. Instead, she watched his retreating figure, feeling completely powerless as he strode away from her.

Nick stalked away quickly from the pier, blindly heading in the direction of his car. He fumed inwardly as he picked up his pace. What was I thinking? She wasn�t Rianna.

He approached his hastily parked car and fished around in his pocket for the key. He found it and quickly entered the car. The car door slammed heavily behind him. Leaning back, Nick allowed his body to sink gratefully into the comfortable leather seats. Closing his eyes briefly, he inhaled deeply in attempts to regain his composure.

Opening his eyes, he leaned forwards and inserted the key into the ignition. He revved the engine, his foot poised above the pedal. For some strange reason though, Nick was unable to move.

Slowly, he turned the car off and closed his eyes again. Suddenly, an image flitted through his mind. Perturbed, Nick opened his eyes quickly, the confusion evident upon his face. Surprisingly, the image he saw before him was not one of Rianna.

Her eyes. They had been so beautiful, but yet at the same time they were so sad. They were masked with an indecipherable sadness. One that led Nick to believe that she had been hurt � possibly beyond repair. They were the eyes of someone who had been robbed of their innocence. Despite the sadness in them though, they possessed a certain compelling intensity to them. They conveyed a comforting warmth which had made it all the more difficult for Nick to turn away from her.

Shaking his head, Nick urged himself to forget about her. She didn�t mean anything to him. He didn�t even know her. Determinedly, Nick leaned forward again and started the car. The car lurched forwards abruptly as he pressed his foot to the pedal. As Nick sped away from the beach, his mind remained a whirlwind of confusion.

He set his mouth in grim determination trying to focus on the road before him, but he couldn�t shake her from his head. All the way home, the image of her sad blue eyes followed him.

Almost two hours had passed since he had left. Jessica remained standing, her eyes staring blankly out at the water. Her arms were crossed protectively across her chest as she stood slightly hunched.

She stood there unmoving, her mind racing and her thoughts in an utter mess. For some reason, she just couldn�t get his eyes out of her mind. They were so sad, but yet in some strange way so hopeful. They spoke volumes to her. The hopefulness they possessed wasn�t falsified in the least. It was sincere and honest. Something Jessica was not used to at all.

This surge of feelings she was experiencing was all so new and different for her. She had been never found herself so intrigued by anyone, let alone someone she didn�t even know.

As she stood staring out at the rippling waves ahead of her, she suddenly didn�t feel so desolate any longer. For some reason, her situation didn�t appear so bleak any more. It was as if somehow his eyes had magically instilled a sense of hope in her. The two hadn�t conversed, but something in his eyes had told her to fight back and not to give up because she was strong.

Taking one last look at the powerful waves, a realization dawned upon Jessica. This wasn�t the way to relieve her pain. Ending things like this would be the same as running away from her problems. She always ran. In the past she had done it because she was scared. It was time to stop running though.

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