Ancor

*Saphira's POV*

I was wrong. It wasn't Benjamin. It was Zachary. Mom had opened up the front door and Zack came in. He had a red rose in his hand and looked like a dog with his tail between his legs.

"I'm so sorry Saphira,." Zach said when he came to sit beside me on the couch. "I honestly didn't know you couldn't swim," he said with guilty eyes. "Is there anything I can do for you?" I shook my head. "Don't worry Zach, I survived, so you won't be charged with murder,"I laughed darkly.

"Maybe attempt to murder," I said making a face. He finally smiled now. "I'm really so-" I interrupted him. "Seriously Zach, don't worry. I'm okay!" I said trying to convince him.

Mom walked back into the living room and eyed Zachary and me sitting there, with a rose in his hands. She probably thought he was the one I was in love with….

Amanda called me a few times a day and Lynn asked each morning if she could come to visit me. I told her I had to rest and that I wouldn't be fun to be around. Part of it was the true though. I wasn't any fun at all.

I stared at my window the whole day, every day of that first week. I did nothing else. Zachary wasn't bothered by that. Even though I told him not to come back the next day he always did. Sometimes he just sat beside me staring out my window. Saying nothing. He just let me be. And every day he brought me another red rose.

By the time it was Thursday there were five red roses in my vase and Benjamin didn't even bother to contact me. That hurt more then I could bare. I was getting depressed. I even got Lynn alarmed, but I never told her about what happened that night. I didn't want to talk about it. The only one that new some of it was Amanda.

On Saturday morning I didn't want to get out of my room. Mom was going to see an old friend she hadn't seen in over seventeen years, so I took my chair again and placed it in front of my open window. I just stared at the waves like I did this whole week.

There were three thuds against my door "Come in Zach," I said. I didn't even bother to turn around anymore. It would've only gotten me out of my concentration. I found a remedy to my tears during the week and that was feeling nothing. Nothing at all. Then all of a sudden I felt a very big hand on my shoulder and it wasn't Zachary's.

I jumped a little and looked up to see who it was. There went my little theory of feeling nothing. As soon as I looked into his eyes every, memory of THAT evening came back to me.

I didn't speak because my voice would betray me, just as my eyes were betraying me right now. I started to sob uncontrollably, while staring at his face. He stared at my vase of red roses without saying one word. He looked frustrated for some reason.

Finally I broke the silence. Obviously he was already well aware of my emotions, so why would I hold back now.

"What are you doing here?" I said cold as ice. "Don't you have a date with Sierra to attend or something?" He was stunned by my choice of words, that much was clear on his face.

"I don't date," he stated, sounding indifferent now.

"Of course you don't," I said sarcastically with a bitter edge. "If you expected company, then why are you still in your pajamas?" he questioned. I looked him straight in the eyes. "Haven't you heard, yet?!" I said wryly. "I live in them these days." I said in a mocking tone.

"Well get dressed then. You made me a promise you'd learn how to swim, remember? Each Saturday morning at ten," he reminded me. I started to laugh without humor now.

"I'm sorry I gave you the wrong impression about....." He said calmly trailing off his sentence. What wrong impression? Impression about WHAT?! I thought.

"But it seemed better this way, having some space between us," he went on.

He'd done it now. "What are you, mental?" I said furiously. "Don't come here acting like you actually care. If that was the case you would of at least contacted me," I yelled at him. "Or did you think I wouldn't mind? Go ahead, take your promises to someone else! I think Sierra would be thrilled if you'd take HER to the dance. I'm sure she would just LOVE that."

"Okay, hold on a sec . You are mad at ME because Sierra is in love with me?" He seemed stunned now. "That's not really my fault now is it?" He was sounding angry now too.

"Fine," I said. "Suit yourself, but count me out!" I started walking away from him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he shouted, as he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back, holding me close to his side.

I wasn't having this, so I tried pulling myself away from his iron grip. "LET ME GO!!" I yelled at him while punching on his chest with both my fists.

"ENOUGH!" he roared with authority in his voice. He picked me up like a drag doll and carried me to our swimming pool, on our roof terrace. With one hand he held me tight, and the other he took his shoes off.

As I tried to free myself again, while kicking around, he had picked me up and jumped into the 2.25 m pool. Both being still fully dressed and now soaking wet.

He swam with me until we were floating in the center, where I had no escape what so ever. "LET ME GO, LET ME GO!" I yelled at him.

"Fine." He said calmly and let go of me entirely. Just before my head went under water, he pulled me back and held me close to his body. "I can let go of you again," he said darkly. "And let you..." he said trailing off his sentence. OR, you could just stop fighting me. It's Your choice."

I surrendered right there and then. Where was I supposed to go, really?!

I said nothing and held on to him and put my chin on his right shoulder, settling myself in his embrace. This felt right. This felt like my place. The place where I belonged.

I felt myself getting angry again. Angry of the thought of Sierra being right here when I was not. I had to distract myself. I could think of a way how. Wanting to smell his delicious sent, I pressed my nose against the side of his throat and breathed.

It was quiet for a while and he began to stroke my hair. I was thinking of the first time Lynn and I went shopping. I remembered without even knowing him, I felt so intrigued by his way of thinking. "True love is not found, it's build." I thought out loud still breathing in his neck.

He said that it wasn't so much about falling in love with someone. It was about the choice you made to love that one person. I realized I was wrong, I wasn't just falling in love with him. I loved him. I had made that choice without even realizing I did and it was my burden to bair.

"Err... what did you say?" Ben asked confused. I made myself look at his beautiful hazel eyes and placed my forehead against his. "I'm sorry," I said as I felt his warm breath touched my lips. "About what Saph?" We were so close now. I felt the urge to kiss him and leaned in.

He closed his eyes and he parted his mouth in response. I caught myself right on time and decided this wasn't the right moment. I couldn't get myself too carried away now, before he would decide we needed some space again. Instead I traced his lips with my index finger.

He started to pant a bit. "About overreacting," I said with my finger still on his lips. My heart raced and my head swam, but I found the strength to part myself from him by pulling away a bit.

I just held him enough so I wouldn't drown.

He had to catch his breath and I smiled at that. I felt a bit smug.

In return he smirked at me.

Before I would start feeling all dazed again, I had to get a hold on myself. "What do you think about starting my REAL swimming lessons next week? And go get some dry clothes on right now.=," I said trying to get a grip on myself. "Alright," he was sounding a bit nonchalant now. "I think it would be better with you wearing an actual bathing suit," he teased. Then he towed me out of the water.

We took some towels and went inside to change.

When I was done getting dressed, I wanted to see if Benjamin was also done using the guest bedroom. When I opened my door I almost got a heart attack. Benjamin was right behind my door waiting for me in his swimming shorts. His cloths were wet of course, so this was the only dry thing he had. My goodness… he was hot.

We went to the beach to let his cloths dry in the sun. Benjamin was on the phone with someone. I overheard him talk. He had said something like. "She's got me now, she won't require your service anymore," and he hung up his phone.

I wanted to ask him what that was about, but Benjamin pulled me in his arms, against his chest and kissed the temple of my face. "I have realized something," he said as he pulled my chin up, so he could look at me.