Tide

Chapter 56

A/N: Last chapter!!!! I may or may not post an epilogue after this:) Thank you so much if you've actually made it this far in the book, it means so much to me <3 Also, the extremely talented sunflowerin made a trailer for this book! I've linked it above if you guys are interested in watching it:) (don't forget to watch it in HD guys, 1080p is your best friend;)) Now without further ado, the last chapter :)

A week later, Isaac and I found ourselves on our way to the hotel he had stayed at in 2004. It was one morning while watching the sunrise when we had decided to take a day off of volunteering to visit the places we had been at when the first wave had hit. Isaac didn't like the idea at first; it made him anxious and he thought it'd be too much of a reminder. He had his mind set on avoiding everything that made him think too much of the disaster, but after a while of talking to him, he'd finally agreed.

His hotel was close to the beach. On the way there, I could spot a blue hue hiding behind the trees as we drove down the road. Isaac had told me that if you stood on the balcony of his hotel room that day, you could see the Indian Ocean. The first few days they were in Thailand his mother had spent most of her time sitting outside on the balcony with the view of the ocean, either reading or drawing. His mother was an artist, apparently. His aunt and uncle kept her paintings framed on the walls of their home.

Driving to our destination, I watched Isaac closely, noticing the way he fidgeted and avoided looking out the window. He wasn't really speaking; it was something I had noticed he'd do whenever he was in deep thought or feeling anxious. He stared down at his hands, chewing his lip. "Isaac?"

"Yeah?" he breathed, his gaze meeting mine.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm uh, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded again, offering me a smile. "I'm fine, Ava. I promise. Actually..." He reached for his bag which was sitting in front of him and unzipped it.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"I got you something."

"Got me something? What'd you get?"

"You'll see," he said. He took out a black velvet box and handed it to me, smiling. "Open it."

I stared at him for a few seconds, then opened it gently. Inside of the box was a necklace, the letter A dangling off of the silver chain. "Isaac, you really shouldn't have..."

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. Want to help me put it on?"

He sat closer to me, taking the necklace and placing it around my neck. "There," he said, clasping it together.

"Thank you," I said, leaning closer to him and planting a kiss on his lips. When we pulled away from each other, he smiled a little. I did, too.

--

Stepping out of the vehicle, I felt a refreshing breeze dance across my skin. It was early; the air was cool and I could hear the sound of the trees rusting and the birds singing. His hotel was being rebuilt; similar to mine, and Isaac just kept staring at it without saying anything. I didn't really know what to do or say, so I just stood there quietly, watching him carefully. He stared at it for a very, very long time.

I couldn't imagine how he must have felt. Isaac had lost the both of his parents, and now he was just living with his aunt and uncle. He'd told me about them. He'd said when he'd first arrived there, he didn't really know how to feel. Maybe it was denial, he supposed, or it could have been shock. He wasn't really sure, but when it became official that he and Harper were living there, it dawned on him that his parents were really never coming back -- that he'd have to restart in a completely new environment with new parents who had new parenting styles in a new home.