Twisted

[TelephotoMarigold]

Chapter 4

Miles walked into the diner and looked around the place nervously taking in the other people in the diner. Colleen gave him a look before she came over and took his order. He knew that he looked different, heck for a start he had showered and for another thing he had shaved. He was wearing clothes given to him by his sister Sally and strangely not only did they fit him well but they were items he would have chosen to wear himself. He sat back in the comfortable chair and sipped at the coffee Colleen had brought over to him.

“Here you go.” Miles was brought out of his reverie by Roman standing before him with a plate of food in his hand. He gave him a small grin.

“I’ve done this before.” Roman told him.

Miles looked up and caught Roman’s intense gaze as he tried to remember.

“I don’t think so.” Miles said eventually.

“No mate.” Roman shook his head and glanced around the packed restaurant “I’ve put a plate of food in front of you before. Somewhere different to this.”

Miles looked around them before he nodded.

“Where?” Roman asked and then a strange expression crossed his face. “Oh my god mate I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok.” Miles said slowly.

Roman looked over and him and sank into the chair opposite.

“You were there.” Roman gasped out.

Miles once more nodded and picked up his knife and fork looking down at the plate and not seeing the lasagne and salad but the mixed veg and sausages with the jacket potato they had placed in front of him at the rescue kitchen by the beach in Phuket. He sighed, his appetite deserting him.

“Don’t tell anyone.” He begged huskily the image of his wife Louise and daughter Amber coming to the front of his mind.

“Of course not.” Roman told him.

He stood slowly and eased back into the kitchen not suspecting for one moment that there was anything more to the story.

Miles watched him before discarding the attempt at even pretending to be interested in the food and thought back to that time. He and his wife had taken a late holiday, getting a last minute deal in Thailand. The day had begun with a gentle loving before their small daughter Amber dragged them out of bed. She was impatient to be back on the beach. They dressed and ate breakfast on the terrace before going to the white gold of the beach and trying to make a sandcastle with the fine sand. The sound struck them first drowning out the laughter of their daughter and then the big wall of water sucking in all the oxygen around them as they dragged in breath after breath running up the beach away from it. Miles put a hand down on his chest feeling it rising and falling in a ragged rhythm as though it were happening again. He looked up and saw Roman coming over to him and sitting at the table next to him. The other man placed his hand on Miles’ and he felt the warmth of the grip pulling back from the nightmare, just as surely as Roman had when he appeared by some miracle barely a day after it happened.

“Mate.” Roman said quietly.

Miles looked up and gave a small tired grin.

“If you didn’t want to try the lasagne you just had to say you know.” Roman murmured softly.

Miles dragged in another frantic breath before letting it out in a laugh as he caught the other man’s expression.

“Thanks.” He said after a moment feeling embarrassment washing over him.

“No worries. Let’s get out of here.” Roman suggested.

Miles nodded and watched as Roman quickly cleared the table and took the pots through to the kitchen. He met Miles in the doorway and they walked out slowly avoiding looking out at the sea as they walked to the surf bar to get a beer. Roman collected the beers and moved them over to a quiet table away from everyone.

“Now Sal will be impressed with me, I say I’m going for food and I come back smelling of beer.”

Miles said slowly.

“You should tell her.” Roman suggested.

Miles nodded knowing what the other man was referring to.

“I will. But well it’s a bit heavy to lay on people.” Miles pointed out after taking a long drink.

“Not half as much as telling people you were SAS and no you can’t really kill people with just your thumb but you’d give it a try if they continue to **** you off.”

Miles let out a laugh at the other man’s words and saw Roman grinning too.

He was about to say about how much he had missed having a drink with the other man and caught the words before they escaped. Surely though it would only be a matter of time before he remembered.

“Roman.” He began and stopped when he looked at the other man.

“Yes Miles?” Roman asked after a pause.

“Why did you come to Summer Bay?” he found himself asking instead.

“Because I needed some place to call home I suppose.” Roman told him.

Miles nodded accepting those words. The life they had both led meant looking after other people’s homes in distant places that most Australians had never heard of. He gave Roman a grin and saw him tilt his head to one side and look back at him.

“What?” Miles asked after a moment.

“I don’t know. Just something familiar.” Roman said slowly. “Like déjà vu.”

Miles chuckled.

“Thought you didn’t believe in that.” He said and bit his lip as the words slipped past his own censor.

“What?” Roman asked and then looked at him. “Do we know each other?” he asked Miles.

“You said yourself.” Miles pointed out. “Earlier.”

Roman shook his head as though to clear it before standing up.

“I should get back to the diner. If you are ok that is?” he murmured.

Miles nodded watching as the other man strode off purposefully. He was obviously not ready to remember everything.

He drank the last of his beer and made his way out of the bar and back to the Caravan Park. Within moments he had made his way to Sal’s house. He knocked on the door and moved inside at her encouragement.

“Are you ok?” Sally asked him seeing his pale face.

Miles gave her a slow nod and eased down beside her.

“Sally.” He began using her full name.

She looked at him her eyes full of love and support.

“What is it Miles?” she asked him.

“You know I told you about losing my wife Louise and my daughter Amber?” he said feeling a strange sense of courage filling him so he could get the words out.

“Yes.” She said softly.

“We took a holiday, to Phuket, three years ago.” He began. “We had Christmas and it was wonderful, lots of sun and spending most of it on the beach. Amber didn’t want to leave. We were up early the next day.” He paused and risked looking at Sally. Her velvet brown eyes were wet with tears and he didn’t want to continue the story if it were going to upset her but she looked at him and then down and their hands were joined and he knew he wasn’t alone anymore. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

“The tide went out. At first we didn’t notice but then it seemed as though some force was sucking it out to the sea and beyond. And I grabbed hold of Amber’s hand and Lou stood close to me, and this wall of water started coming towards us. The noise alone was deafening like that of a truck heading full throttle towards us.”

Sally gave a small moan, tears falling down her face.

“Louise held on to Amber.” He said his voice full of renewed pain. “I let go of them Sal.”

Sally reached out and put her arms around him as he began to cry.

“It’s ok.” she said quietly after a time.

He straightened up and looked at her.

“I had to tell you Sally.” He said regretfully. “Because there is someone in Summer Bay who knows about them and I felt you had a right to know.”

She gave him a small smile.

“That would be Roman right?” she guessed.

He nodded.

“And you two know each other?” she murmured frowning.

He nodded once more wondering if he should tell her the rest of the story.

“We do. He was part of the clean up operation.” He said eventually.

“I don’t’ know what to say except thank you for telling me I know that it can’t have been easy.” She said to him.

He gave her a smile.

“I need to get off .” he said after a time.

He stood up and moved away to the door. Turning he looked over at Sally.

“Louise would have liked you.” He said slowly.

Sally nodded and watched as he went out.

[TelephotoMarigold]

Hey,

Does anyone want me to continue with this story?

Tele

x

[Inactive User]

Hey Tele! Yes please!! I would love you to continue with this story