In an attempt to strengthen his grip on the metal railing, the sweat dripping from Zach’s hands only make him slip more as the waves continue to sway him back and forth like a rocking chair. Getting seasick, however, wasn’t even the biggest problem he was facing as his worst fears were absorbing him as well. 

What if she says no? What if the plan doesn’t work? 

Of course she’ll say yes. It’s been 4 whole years. She wouldn’t still be here if she wasn’t committed. Just get on with it! 

The two sides of Zach’s brain battled back and forth as he faced his own battle of keeping his lunch in his stomach and not the ocean. His inner dialogue was on the verge of consuming him entirely until a faint pitter-patter of footsteps started approaching him. 

A pair of soft, angelic hands start to gently glide up and down his back, sending goosebumps up his spine. The petite woman traces a small heart with her finger a dozen times just under the back of his neck before releasing a soft giggle when noticing his green complexion only getting worse by the second. 

Failing to fight back the giggles by puckering her bubblegum pink lips, she manages to find her words by saying, “Awe, someone’s not feeling well. Do I need to burp the baby?” 

This has always been her favorite thing to say to Zach when he inevitably starts to feel seasick every single time they step foot on a boat. The waves continue to crash with more force, splashing onto the boat and tickling her bare feet, causing her to almost slip. 

Quickly grabbing ahold of her waist to not allow her to fall, he draws a sharp breath in order to control his laughter and expresses, “Believe it or not, Celia, I am perfectly fine. I think after about 4 years of boat rides to visit your parents I can handle a couple of waves. And would you please put on some shoes before you fall again and I’m not here to catch you?” 

Knowing that they would soon be home as he could see land in the distance, he loosens his hand around Celia’s waist. Immediately gripping his sweaty hands back onto the railing, he can’t seem to take his eyes off of her, enchanted by the way her auburn hair still manages to flow perfectly even in the humid Florida air. 

She doesn’t notice his stare, though, due to her own focus on the ocean in front of her. The royal blue water hypnotizes her as she fondly recalls her childhood days of running along the beach and picking up seashells along the way. She has always said she feels a connection to the ocean even now as an adult she can’t entirely explain, but Zach never cared for an explanation. Her happiness was all that mattered to him at the end of the day. 

Snapping back into present time, Celia kisses his shoulder and starts to walk away, “I’ll go put on my sandals just for you, my poor little seasick baby.”  

Mesmerized by the way her long red dress followed closely behind her as she walked away, Zach can’t help but envision her in white instead, walking down the aisle towards him. He waits for her to be out of distance before pulling the small square box out from the back pocket of his jeans. Wanting to get one last look at it to make sure it was perfect before Celia got a chance to see it for herself, Zach flicks it open to reveal the ring he’s been saving for since the day they started dating. 

Celia’s favorite gemstone, emerald, glimmered in the direct sunlight and the reflection danced around his face, making him forget that the food in his stomach was dancing around as well. Celia had always told him how his eyes are a perfect match to the gemstone, but he never believed her until he came across this ring one day and knew it was perfect. 

“It’s now or never,” Zach thinks, knowing that being proposed to on a boat would be Celia’s dream. Just before he can close the box and turn around to make his way over to his future bride, a giant wave in the distance catches his eye. 

Paralyzed with fear and motion sickness, all Zach can do as the boat begins to shake more with each passing second is cling onto the railing even harder than before, just this time with both hands. Not even thinking, his sweaty hands release the ring box overboard and he holds onto the railing for dear life. The sound of the box plopping into the water below can’t even be heard over the crashing waves. Water forcefully slams against his body, luckily tightening his grip in the process but leaving slippery puddles all over the floor as well.  

Celia quickly appears out from below deck once the water regains stillness and looks around not knowing whether Zach had been carried away by the wave or not. Locking eye contact with her boyfriend, Celia clasps the sides of her dress and lifts it up to ensure a fast sprint, revealing her feet to still be bare. Only thinking about how thankful she is that he is okay and how much she wanted to hug Zach, her stare remains on his glowing green eyes. 

Realizing the hazard that waits only inches in front of her, Zach tries to push off from the railing with all his force in order to ensure he can catch her before she falls once again. Still paralyzed with fear, it feels as if weights are holding his feet to the ground and before he knows it, it is too late. 

Celia steps directly into a puddle of water and slips. 

With her hands still clenching the sides of her dress, she is unable to catch herself to break the fall. Her knees wobble to the ground followed swiftly by her head. The sounds of crashing waves and squawking seagulls that had just previously filled her ears turned to silence and she gets one final glimpse of her boyfriend finally heading her way before her eyes fade to complete blackness. 

…

Be-beep… Be-beep… Be-beep… 

The sound of the heart monitor doesn’t fade from the depths of Zach’s brain as he makes his way out of the room and into the hallway. It was three in the afternoon which meant time for Celia’s daily snack. Practically able to navigate the hallway with his eyes closed, he makes it to the vending machine and shoves his crumpled dollar bill in. He clicks F2 which had faded from his past fingerprints to get a bag of Skittles and is on his way. 

Upon entering the room once again, he kisses Celia on the forehead before taking a seat next to her bed. He admires her gracefulness as she sleeps even in a coma before beginning to tear open the bag of candy to be waiting for her when she wakes up, if she wakes up, that is. He had been assured by the doctors that she should be waking up any day now, given the promising look from the dozen of tests they have been performing on her lately. 

Just as Zach pulls back a corner of the red bag, his head shoots towards the heart monitor. The lines start moving sharply up and down as opposed to the slow waves he had gotten accustomed to over the past five months. He had been waiting for this moment and knew exactly what to do, but his body wasn’t as ready as he was. Struggling to move as if in quicksand, Zach grasps the remote on the nightstand and clicks the ‘call for doctor’ button over and over until his hands regain their steadiness. 

Expecting it to be a false alarm as it had been many times before, Zach takes a deep breath and begins to pick out the purple Skittles and eat them while he waits for the doctor. Celia had always hated anything grape flavored which coincidentally happened to be his favorite, just another way to prove they were soulmates as she would always say. 

For the first time in months, Zach managed to blur out of the sound of the heart monitor as he began to reminisce about all of the cute things Celia always says and try to remember her voice he had nearly forgotten by now. He was so deep into his own thoughts that he could almost swear he could hear her talking to him. It felt real, a little too real. 

Knowing what that meant, Zach froze and slowly turned his head up to face his sleeping girlfriend, only she wasn’t sleeping. 

“Um…Hi,” her soft voice cracks as she begins to look around the hospital room and shifts her eyes to Zach.

Convinced he was still in his imaginary world, Zach snaps himself back to reality and his jaw drops, along with the bag of skittles in his hand. Startled, Celia shifts her gaze down to the rainbow-filled floor, waiting for Zach to say something. 

“Th-those were for you.” His voice getting shakier with every word he continues, “I’m s-sorry.” 

Noticing his stammering and embarrassment, Celia can’t help but blush. 

“That’s okay, I don’t like the purple ones anyway. So I guess you did me a favor, come to think of it.” She says calmly, trying to ease his nerves. 

Unable to find his words, Zach just points to the nightstand on the other side of her bed where she finds a handful of other Skittles bags all missing purple in front of her. A smile comes over her face, causing her dimples to be prominent for the first time in over 150 days. 

Overcome with emotions, Zach goes in to kiss his girlfriend, something he’s longed for every single day since the incident. Still figuring out how to move in her body, Celia’s smile quickly fades as she struggles to swerve away from him just in time. 

“Woah, woah, woah. Look, I’m flattered, but that’s a little unprofessional to kiss your patients, don’t you think?” Celia says shocked, “Could you at least explain to me why I’m here or at the very least tell me your name before I get another Doctor to come in here instead?” 

Zach’s worst fear became a reality at that moment as he realized she doesn’t remember him. His brief moment of happiness was over in an instant, causing him to spiral. Have I spent all this time here for nothing? Is she not going to want anything to do with me once we get out of here? How am I supposed to live without her? Zach finds himself battling his mind once again. He went from having a perfect life and a woman he was about to call his fiance to sitting in a hospital room with her thinking him to be a stranger. What was he supposed do to now? 

Feeling the Skittles coming back up from his stomach, Zach presses his hands around his mouth and darts out the door, leaving Celia alone with her numerous unanswered questions. On his way to the trash can, he passes Dr. Friar on her way to check on Celia. Took her long enough, he thought as he began to turn the once dull inside of the trash can into a sticky, grapey mess. 

Wiping off his mouth with his sleeve, Zach’s shaky legs cry out in pain as he slides down the wall and rests his head in his palms. Unsure of what his next moves should be, he slowly makes his way back to Celia’s room after a few minutes of silence, trudging his feet along the cold tile. Before he can turn the corner to enter the room he clearly isn’t wanted in anymore, Zach hesitates and decides to just listen in on their conversation instead. 

“From the looks of it, Miss Winstead, you are suffering from Post-traumatic amnesia after waking from your coma. I understand you may be feeling weird which is all completely normal I can assure you,” Dr. Friar begins to explain, seeming unusually calm. 

“I’ve been in a coma? Celia asks, eyes wide. “For how long? And what happened?” 

“You have been here with us for just a little over five months, Miss Winstead. I’m going to discharge you tonight after filling out some paperwork and doing a few tests and I’ll leave it to your boyfriend to fill you in on everything else,” the Doctor smiles, amazed at how well Celia is adjusting to being awake. 

Zach takes this as his cue to emerge from the doorway and reveal himself, this time not as a creepy Doctor like Celia once thought. Celia gasps upon his entry. 

“He’s my boyfriend?” She manages to say, her face now a brighter shade of red than her hair. 

Her cherry-red complexion makes him chuckle. Celia has always been one to get embarrassed easily. Good to know some things never change, even if she doesn’t remember it herself. 

Wanting to give Celia a few moments of alone time to process everything that has been going on, Dr. Friar pulls Zach out of the room once more to explain his job once they leave the hospital. 

“Miss Winstead is seeming to be adjusting just fine on her own and I have full confidence that she will be back to her normal self in a short time. Given the shortness of her coma, we see that most patients don’t remember much upon waking up, but I’m sure she will remember you and everything else about her life in no time,” she assures Zach. 

“Is there anything I can do to speed this process up?” He pleads, crossing his arms and biting his tender nails until they bleed. 

“Many things will come back to her in time, you will just need to be patient. I do recommend jogging her memory with association, though. Take her to places that are important to her and show her any possessions that have meaning to her. This usually helps most people,” Dr. Friar explains. 

“Thanks, Doctor. I just don’t think I’m ready to tell her what happened. I really don’t want to relive that day or have her fear going on a boat when it is her favorite thing,” He stresses. 

“You don’t have to tell her anything you aren’t ready for,” She places her cold hand onto his shoulder. “Tell her what you want and leave out what you don’t for now. I trust you know what is best for her. Just respect her wishes until she feels comfortable with you. Let me get you some paperwork and I will leave you two alone for now.” She pats him on the back and ushers him back into the room. 

Zach takes a deep breath and enters the room again, lost as to how he should approach his girlfriend that knows nothing about herself or their relationship. 

He places himself at the bottom of her bed, “So CeCe, tell me, what do you remember and what do you want to know?” He asks encouragingly, reaching for her hand to hold. 

Slowly backing her hand away, Celia stammers, “Please don’t call me nicknames when I’m still unsure of yours to begin with. I want you to tell me what happened and take me to some people I actually do know. Where are my parents?” 

Remembering what Dr. Friar had just said, Zach tries to remain calm and think of a way to avoid telling her the story to spare the memory for both of them. 

“Your parents are too old to make their way here. We will find a way to visit them soon once we can jog some more of your memory,” he says, hoping she would focus on that and not the fact he didn’t acknowledge her other inquiry. 

Celia notices the concern in Zach’s voice and the empathy in her can’t help but think how he must feel. She shakily reaches her hand back to his, stroking his veins with one of her fingers. Sniffling through the tears he didn’t even notice had started piling in the corners of his eyes, Zach smiles, willing to give it another try. 

“My name is Zach. I want to make this work CeCe – er – Celia, I really do. I will do anything to help you remember everything. I love you,” the words spill out. 

Tightening her grip on his hands, Celia smirks, revealing her dimples once more. 

“Thank you, Zach. I want this to work too, and not only because you have such pretty eyes.” He then noticed how she has been staring into his eyes ever since she was informed on who he was, bringing him relief. Celia is still in there, and he would do anything to reveal her to this world again. It was his fault after all that she was here in the first place, at least that’s what he had fully convinced himself while she was sleeping. 

“As for what I do remember, I’m sorry to say you aren’t on that list but there are a few things I can tell you,” Celia giggles, leaning into Zach excited to tell him everything she could. 

The two talked on and on until the sun went down and they were able to go back home. She is able to recall many memories of swimming in the ocean as a little kid and realizes how much she had missed the sea while in a coma. Zach tried many times to shift the topic off of the ocean in fear of her remembering that day, but her stubbornness won like always. Her eyes light up while talking about the ocean and water, but she can’t quite understand what it is about it that has such a sudden magnetic pull on her. 

“We can go to the beach and walk along the sand tomorrow if you would like, Celia. Maybe the water will help you remember a few things.” Zach reluctantly suggests, noticing how much it would mean to her. 

Jittering with excitement, Celia attacks him with a giant hug before returning her gaze to his emerald green eyes. 

“I think I would like that very much. And you can call me CeCe, I like that nickname,” she smiles. 

“You better. You’re the one that came up with it when we first started dating.” Zach hugs her back with all his strength and they walk out of the hospital, Celia grasping Zach with one hand and a bag of Skittles with the other. 

…

Celia awoke early that next morning, consumed with excitement to head to the beach and get to know her boyfriend. She didn’t get much sleep that night, and not only because she had gotten plenty for the months prior. Celia couldn’t stop thinking about Zach and everything he must have done for her while she was in a coma. She felt lucky to have him and wanted more than anything to remember more about him because she was already falling in love with him without knowing practically anything about the man. 

Zach didn’t sleep much that night either, not out of excitement like Celia but rather fear. He knew that taking her to the beach would of course stir up many memories as it has been her favorite place for as long as he could remember, but it also will undoubtedly help her to remember that day. It was clear he couldn’t avoid it forever and he would have to tell her eventually, but he just wasn’t ready quite yet, and he didn’t think she would be either. 

Tensions were high as they got ready for their day out as Celia was observably uncomfortable talking to Zach and he didn’t know where to start or how to help. The car ride to the beach was silent and awkward which sent him spiraling, thinking Celia may not want to continue this relationship at all. 

Committed to helping her remember as much as he could in one day, Zach made a stop at their favorite bagel place for breakfast and coffee. He of course wanted to stall heading to the beach, but hopefully, she could make some connections to their relationship in the meantime by eating her favorite bagel and having a cup of coffee. 

Upon entering the small shop, Celia took in one deep breath of the air and Zach could see from the beaming smile on her face that she knew where she was. She took ahold of his hand tightly and led him to a small table in the corner, the exact place they had their first date. 

“You remember?” He asks shakily with excitement. 

“How could I forget?” She smiles. “More than four years ago you brought me here and we sat in these exact seats. I was wearing a blue and white striped shirt with ripped jeans and you had on black shorts and a green button-up. It matched your eyes perfectly and was all I could think about the entire time.” 

They continued back and forth remembering their first date until their food was ready and they began to eat. While it was good news she is able to recall memories easily, this meant that just touching her toes onto the sand will give her a glimpse of that day, walking towards the boat. 

Not noticing his sudden change in mood, Celia can’t help but notice a small tattoo just below his neck when he gets up to throw away their food. 

Upon him sitting back down Celia blurts out in fascination, “What is that tattoo for?”

All the worry leaves his body for a moment as Zach smirks at her question but doesn’t answer it. Leaving a brief moment of silence, he turns in his seat to reveal the tattoo again and allow her to get a good look at it. That’s when it hit her.

Celia’s jaw drops and she throws her hands over her mouth, “It’s for when you start to feel seasick. I trace my finger in a heart until it calms you down and you feel better. Works every time. I remember, Zach, I remember!”

They both chuckle and continue on talking as they leave the cafe to get back in the car. Both giddy with joy, Zach starts driving home without even thinking. After a few moments when he begins to realize his mistake, he apologizes and starts to turn around. 

Putting her hand on the steering wheel, Celia explains, “No, it’s fine. Take us home. I’m a little too tired to go to the beach anyways. Can we maybe just put on a movie and take a nap instead?  Maybe order some pizza for lunch?” She suggests. 

Kissing her forehead, Zach continues on home, realizing she remembered how much he likes pizza and would rather keep him happy instead. Classic Celia move. 

They got home and spent the rest of the night together. Celia picked up on small things and anytime she remembered even the most insignificant thing she would tell Zach and they would both get giddy with joy. This pattern continued for the next several weeks until Celia had most of her memory back and their relationship was almost fully back to normal. 

Zach had managed to avoid going to the beach with her, but couldn’t stop her from taking late night strolls by herself as she explained she desperately needed the alone time. While she had many childhood memories on the beach, she never quite knew why she felt so connected with it especially after waking up from her coma until she came across something while watching the sunset one night on the sand. 

A corner of something small and pointy had been revealed when she sat down after a long stroll. Digging the rest up out of curiosity, she discovered it to be a small box that she couldn’t help but feel she had seen before. Opening it she knew what to expect but still couldn’t help but gasp. She closed it quickly and stuffed it in her pocket, not telling Zach about it when she returned that night. 

…

Zach is awakened suddenly one morning to see Celia’s face right in front of his, beaming with joy. 

“Finally, you’re awake!” She begins pacing the room back and forth with joy to give him time to wake up before sharing the good news, “My parents said they want us to visit! They paid for a boat for us and everything, all we have to do is show up in four hours and we will be on our way!”

Still trying to process what was being said, Zach just smiled from her excitement and started packing their bags without even thinking of what this meant for her to be on a boat for the first time since the incident. When it finally hit him hours later how bad this might hurt and affect her, they were already stepping onto the boat. 

Taking a frantic look at Celia for the first time that day, he noticed she was wearing the same red dress she did on that day and he couldn’t help but wonder if she already knew. Scanning her up and down he also noticed she wasn’t wearing any shoes. Quickly pulling her sandals out from her bag, he places them on the floor and demands she put them on. She instantly complies without asking questions and brings Zach a much-needed sense of relief for the time being. His calmness didn’t last long, however, as he found himself at the railing like usual, fighting to keep the food in his stomach down. 

So consumed in his sickness, Zach didn’t even realize he had let Celia out of his sight which was something he vowed to never let happen again while on a boat. Searching around for her only made him feel worse, so all he could do was tighten his grip on the railing,waitingt for the waves to calm down, and hope she would find her way to him first. 

Staring out at the vast blue ocean was starting to calm him down which surprised Zach until he noticed the touch of Celia’ssoft hands on the back of his neck were responsible for his sudden serenity. 

“It’s beautiful out there, isn’t it? The color of the sea was something that never left my mind and I’m glad it didn’t. I will never be able to get enough of this view. In fact, the only thing better than the ocean is sitting on the beach watching the sun go below it,” She begins explaining to Zach while continuing to trace hearts on his neck. 

“I sat on the beach not too long ago watching the sunset, alone with my thoughts. I was alone at least, until I found something in the sand next to me,” Celia reveals her other hand from behind her back to Zach, holding the ring box. 

She opens it slowly as he stands completely still in disbelief.

“Emerald, just like your eyes.” She whispers, tears beginning to fill her eyes. “It’s even more beautiful than the ocean, Zach. I love it.” 

“How did you know?” He questions, gently closing the box and taking it from her. 

“When I saw your tattoo and remembered it that day at the cafe, I also remembered every boat ride we’ve ever been on where I’ve done that. I have memories from that day.” She begins to choke on her words, “When I was walking over towards you to help you feel better I saw the box in your pocket and I just connected all the dots. I just didn’t give you the chance to carry out your plan that day,” she admits with her head down, unable to let him see the tears flooding down her face. 

“I knew you would find out eventually, I just hope you understand why I was hesitant in reminding you of that day. I didn’t know how it would make you feel and I honestly wasn’t ready to relive it myself.” Zach explains, lifting her head up by the chin with his finger to reveal Celia and her quivering face. 

Struggling to find her words, Celia finally manages to say, “I’ve been drawn to the ocean my whole life, Zach, and I never knew why, but now I do. It may have taken my memories away from me as well as me away from you, but it brought the ring back to me along with the rest of my memories.” Noticing her rambling, she cuts to the chase, “So I guess what I’m trying to say is yes, I want to marry you.” 

Zach pulls the emerald out from the box and gently slides it onto her angelic hand. She goes in for a hug and he puts one hand around her waist, the other tracing hearts along the entirety of her back, sending goosebumps all over her body. The moment he had been waiting months for turned out to be better than he ever thought possible.

“I guess we won’t be needing this anymore,” Zach says as they both take ahold of the square box and let it go together, plopping back into the ocean once again, only this time on purpose. 

The couple smile together, watching the box fall to the ocean floor until out of sight. Celia goes in for another hug, looking out to the vast blue water ahead of her, thankful to it for bringing back her ring to her. She stares at her hand and the gemstone so alike to Zach’s eyes and can’t help but smile and hug her fiance just a little tighter.