The distinct sound of footsteps suddenly broke Nick�s fascination with a powerful swell of waves before him. Detecting her presence, he turned around quickly. His eyes fell upon her retreating figure and for a few seconds he watched as her hair whipped furiously in the wind. He blinked repeatedly in disbelieving recognition at her figure. He felt his face contort unhappily in silent confusion as he watched her flee quickly.

Nick�s heart began to beat with reckless abandon and he could feel his throat catching. He wet his lips hastily and attempted to swallow the large uncomfortable lump which was beginning to form in his throat. An inexplicable, unusual feeling began to tug relentlessly at his heart. �Wait,� he croaked, with a struggle. �Please don�t go,� he managed to add.

His voice cut sharply through the air, shattering the quiet complacent silence of the beach. Despite the low, gruff quality his voice had taken on, it somehow managed to have a soothing effect on Jessica. She froze in her tracks, unable to move and unsure of what to do. As she stood with her back to him, it was as if she could feel his eyes boring intensely into her. Ever so slowly, and with trembling legs, she turned to face him.

As her eyes landed upon him, she sucked in her breath. His face was bathed in soft moonlight. Nick�s eyes seemed to gaze at her with such forlorn intensity that Jessica was rendered helpless to his gaze. As the pair stood, momentarily enraptured by one another, the electricity between them was palpable.

Jessica could feel a calming sense of peace wash over her. At that moment just being there with him felt more right than anything ever had. �Do you believe in fate?� she suddenly whispered.

Ordinarily for a stranger to ask him such a question would have been weird. Somehow though, her asking him this question seemed more normal than anything to him. The breathy, hushed manner in which she had asked, only seemed to make her even more intriguing in his eyes.

�Yes,� he returned without any hesitation.

�Me too,� she murmured. Having heard his answer, Jessica somehow felt fulfilled. She felt as though she could walk away from him this instant and still treasure this memory forever with no regrets whatsoever. A part of her actually wanted to walk away, but an even bigger part urged her to stay. There was still so much she wanted to say to him.

A contented silence ensued between the pair. They both seemed perfectly complacent gazing into each other�s eyes. At that second, Nick felt as though he could stare into her eyes forever without even uttering a word.

Jessica however broke the silence. �Thank you,� she whispered quietly.

�For what?� he inquired, genuine confusion upon his face.

�For saving me,� she returned simply.

Nick nodded slightly. It was such a simple gesture, but one with such depth and understanding to it. That simple nod of his head was so seemingly unimportant and careless but yet, it meant more than words could ever explain. It was Nick�s way of admitting that he comprehended the deep sincerity and gratitude with which Jessica had uttered her words. He understood that Jessica�s gratefulness came straight from her heart.

Another bout of complacent silence swept throughout the night air. With so much more on their minds but strangely nothing more to say to each other, they remained staring with quiet fascination.

Nick could hear a tiny voice in the back of his mind screaming to him that he would just end up hurt like he did with Rianna. He couldn�t allow himself to care about anyone. He had promised himself that he wouldn�t do this ever again.

�I should go,� he muttered almost to himself. Having said the words though, his body made no move at all. His feet remained rooted to the ground. Somehow he just couldn�t bring himself to walk away from her.

He stood for a few minutes, the words on the tip of his tongue. Finally, he decided to give in. Ignoring his thoughts of leaving, Nick suddenly asked �Do you want to take a walk?�

Jessica paused as if in quiet contemplation, but somehow managed to answer with extreme confidence and conviction. �I�d like that.� It was strange how her usual timid voice had miraculously just disappeared.

They began walking down the beach, each remaining silent as they eyed one another surreptitiously. Jessica noted the way his hair fell sexily in his eyes, his muscular build and his powerful stride. Nick watched the way she carried herself with unmistakable poise and grace, her soft delicate features and her curvaceous figure.

Suddenly, the image of Jessica�s face looking so troubled and confused as she stood upon the pier last night flashed before Nick�s eyes. He couldn�t forget how scared and pained she had looked.

Nick turned his head sideways in attempts to get a better look at her. Jessica felt his gaze and immediately averted her eyes to the ground. She shifted her weight uncomfortably as he stared at her. She could feel his piercing eyes penetrating her entire body and rendering her very vulnerable in the process.

�Are you okay?� Nick asked quietly.

Jessica�s heart began to speed as Nick�s question registered in her brain. Am I okay? Jessica silently contemplated as Nick awaited her response.

Noticing her reluctance to answer, Nick took a deep breath �Last night when I saw you, you were about to�"

�I�m fine,� Jessica replied her voice suddenly becoming cold and distant. She couldn�t talk about her problems with anyone, let alone a total stranger. He wouldn�t understand and it just hurt too much to even think about it. � I really should go now,� Jessica whispered curtly, her eyes still on the ground.

She turned on her heel slowly and with a heavy heart walked away from Nick, totally oblivious to his gaping stare. It was better this way anyhow. There was no way he or anyone could ever understand what she was going through.

~ song �Pure Shores� written by Shaznay Lewis 2000.

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