Aella woke to the steady beep of a monitor and the sharp sting of antiseptic in her nose. The ceiling above her was too white, too bright, and for a moment she couldn't remember how she'd gotten there. Her throat burned as if she had swallowed fire, and when she tried to breathe deeply, her chest protested. Fragments rushed back in jagged flashes…
Water….. Darkness...
She swore she felt hands around her waist, but she had been in her bathtub… hadn't she?
The door clicked open softly, and a nurse stepped inside, offering a reassuring smile. "You're awake. Try not to move too much. You gave us quite a scare."
Aella's voice came out hoarse. "Where… am I?"
"St. Elora's General. You were found unconscious near Blackwood Lake." The words struck harder than the dizziness.
"Lake?" she whispered.
The nurse nodded gently. "A man pulled you out. Said he saw you fall in."
Aella's pulse quickened. A man.
"Is he still here?" Aella pushed herself up on one elbow, ignoring the sharp pull in her ribs.
"He waited until the paramedics arrived," the nurse replied, checking the IV drip. "Said his name was Bennet."
Bennet.
It didn't feel new on her tongue. It felt remembered. Her fingers tightened around the thin hospital blanket.
"He… he left?" The nurse hesitated.
"Not exactly. He's been asking about you. I believe he's still in the waiting area."
The nurse gave her a sympathetic look. "You inhaled a lot of water. You're lucky he found you when he did."
Lucky.
Was she truly lucky?
Because she remembered the grip around her waist.
That grip didn't feel like rescue to her... It had felt like restraint.
Before she could gather her thoughts, a shadow stretched across the floor from the hallway light. She didn't need to look to know who it was.
Bennet stepped into the room as if he belonged there.
He looked exactly as he had in her dream: dark eyes, composed expression, clothes still faintly damp at the cuffs as if he'd only just left the lake. His gaze found hers instantly, and something unreadable flickered there.
Was it relief or satisfaction?
"You're awake," he said softly.
The sound of his voice made her pulse stumble. It was the same voice that had whispered against her skin. The same tone that had echoed in her bathroom.
"Bennet, was it?" she said.
The nurse glanced between them, "I'll give you two a moment." She adjusted Aella's IV one last time, then slipped out quietly.
Silence filled the room as Bennet stepped closer.
He wasn't too close, yet close enough for her to notice the faint scent of lake water clinging to him.
"How are you? You almost drowned, you know.." he said gently.
"I was in my bathtub," she replied.
His expression didn't change, but you could hear the doubt in his voice, "You were in the lake."
Their eyes locked.
Aella's ribs ached as she shifted, but she forced herself upright anyway. "How did you know I was there?"
He hesitated just for a fraction of a second, "I walk there at night."
"At three in the morning?" she pressed.
His lips curved slightly, "Sometimes… to clear my head."
That smile did something to her, but she chose to ignore it.
"You pulled me out, I guess I should say thanks."
Bennet smiled as his hand moved slowly. He was about to brush a loose strand of hair from her forehead when Aella suddenly popped a question,
"Have we… met before?" she asked.
"Not properly," he replied.
A knock interrupted them, and the doctor came in.
"You've inhaled quite a lot of water, which caused you to go into shock.. Do you have any history of hypothermia?"
"No," Aella replied.
As the doctor was explaining her condition, they'd keep her for observation for a few more hours.
By late afternoon, the doctor cleared her for discharge.
"You need rest," he instructed. "And no stress. Someone should stay with you tonight. Do you live with anyone?"
"No… It's just me."
Before she could explain further, Bennet spoke.
"I'll take her home."
It was said so naturally that no one questioned it.
—
"What's your address?" Bennet asked.
"Just a few blocks away from the lake," Aella replied.
After that short exchange, the car ride was quiet.
Aella sat in the passenger seat, stealing glances at him as he drove. The fading sunlight cut across his profile. He didn't look like someone who belonged in the daylight.
"Why were you really at the lake?" she asked finally.
His fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
"I told you," he said calmly. "I walk there."
"That's not normal."
A faint smile tugged at his mouth. "Neither is drowning in the middle of the night."
She didn't have a response to that.
When they reached her house, he insisted on walking her inside. The place looked exactly as she left it.
This time, she didn't feel harmless. She felt aware.
He stood in her living room now, close enough that she could see the tiny flecks of gold hidden in his dark eyes.
"You should rest," he said.
"I almost died when I was alone," she replied quietly.
"Yes."
"And you saved me."
"That I did."
Her heart began to pound again, but not from fear this time. Something else. Something warmer. She stepped closer, testing the space between them.
"You don't seem surprised I'm willing to invite you to my home," she said.
"I'm not."
Her breath caught. "Why?"
Aella didn't know what she was doing. Something in her was making her act this way.
His gaze dropped briefly, to her lips, before lifting again.
"Maybe I knew you'd do something like this."
The words sent a tremor through her.
Waiting.
She swallowed. Every logical thought in her mind felt distant, muffled beneath the pull she felt toward him. Maybe it was because she was frustrated after being alone this whole time. The memories she thought she had. The dreams of a man who looked exactly like the man in front of her. The memory of his mouth against her neck. The way he'd held her.
She moved slowly, closer to him.
If he wanted to step back, he had time.
But he didn't.
He stood there like a mannequin, not moving a muscle.
Her finger lifted, hesitating just before touching his chest.
"Bennet, was it?" she whispered.
Her body leaned in before her mind could stop it. But just as the space between them nearly vanished, his hand rose; not to pull her closer, but to gently stop her.
Two fingers pressed lightly against her shoulder. He wasn't rejecting her… just redirecting.
"Your shaken," he said softly. "You don't know what you're feeling right now."
Her stomach dropped.
"I know exactly what I'm feeling," she insisted.
"Aella," he began, then stopped himself.
Her brows knit together. "What?"
A faint crease appeared between his brows, almost amused. "I don't even know you," he said calmly. "I barely learned your name from the nurse ten minutes ago."
The words landed heavier than they should have.
"You were unconscious when I found you. We've never met." His tone wasn't cold, just firm.
"You went through something traumatic. Adrenaline does strange things to people."
Her cheeks burned as she realized what she was about to do.
"But you–" she started, then faltered. How could she explain the dreams? The voice? The way his touch felt familiar?
He stepped back, putting deliberate space between them.
"I'm glad you're safe," he continued. "That's all this is. I saw someone in trouble. I helped."
He gave her a small smile, the kind that strangers gave.
"You should rest, Aella. Get some sleep."
And just like that, whatever heat had been building between them thinned into something almost painfully ordinary.
The front door closed with a quiet click. Leaving her alone with the echo of a dream that suddenly felt foolish… and the unsettling certainty that he had lied about something.