Selective/Memory: The "Depth of Emotion" Book 2 (The Depth of Emotion) Read Free Page B

looked as if they were afraid to approach any topic of conversation.
    “I’m not made of glass, you know,” Aria groaned. “An emotional breakdown doesn’t mean you’re weak. I’m opening up the discussion. Ask me what you want to…about me.”
    The three of them looked each to the other. Aria could tell that no one wanted to go first. She treasured these women. In their own ways, they were each part of her recovery. They had called, stopped by, walked with her, brought meals, watched movies, made her laugh, and handed her Kleenex when she cried—but now they were uncomfortable. She couldn’t stand it.
    “Okay, I’ll go first,” she said. “I had a clinical nervous breakdown. There; I said it. My central nervous system could no longer support my daily functions. To hear my doctor explain it, I had gone through two very emotionally traumatic events, within a very short period of time. One was the illness and death of my father. The other was witnessing the physical annihilation of someone I loved by a piece of machinery, and feeling that I was to blame. Two very heavy events. My dad wasn’t here for me to share my feelings with, and I didn’t want to burden my mom. Declan couldn’t share conversation with me, and certainly not feelings other than blame and resentment. I bottled up all the emotions of those two events. The day that Paige saw me on the beach was the afternoon that Declan had let loose on me. I thought that I had squelched all of those emotions. According to Dr. Sumner, eventually emotions find their way out. My day of reckoning was that afternoon on the beach.”
    Aimee, usually their most outspoken, but also their most tenderhearted, was the first to speak.
    “Do you miss him?” she asked.
    “Aimee!” Paige and Katherine said in unison.
    Aria put her hand up to indicate that she didn’t need their protection.
    “Yes…” she answered.
    Mercifully, the waiter delivered their drinks. Everyone was silent for a few moments while they sipped. The chocolate was a welcome, if momentary, diversion, and she savored the flavor as it fed her sweet tooth, as well as the craving in her brain for something that she once compared it to.
    Paige was the next to speak, taking an authoritative air over the group.
    “We won’t speak about him for the rest of lunch. There are many more topics of discussion.”
    Although sweet of her, Aria felt she no longer needed anyone’s protection.
    “Yes, there are, but he’ll always be the one topic you’ll wonder about if we don’t discuss him, so let’s do it now. I’m stronger than you realize,” she said, taking another sip of her drink. “I may have another one of these , so I’ll speak freely and one of you can drive me home.”
    She laughed at them, and they seemed to lighten up a bit.
    “Now, let’s order,” Aria interjected, taking control of the conversation…
     
    …and she purposefully relaxed into the alcohol…

 
     
    “Declan…” she quietly whispered. Her familiar face came before him in a mist of memory. The terror in her eyes was unmistakable.
    Declan both wanted and attempted to reach out for her. Frustrated within his subconscious capacity, he knew it was an impossibility of space and time. The impotence of helplessness overcame his mind and body. Arms weren’t long enough, feet not swift enough, and mind not clear enough within the dream, he was failing in a mission he had taken to his heart—her safety. Although he had protected her, she had always been his strength. In his mindful visualization, the space and time between them was a frustrating hindrance to her safety. The parameters of delusion dictated his movements and he found himself opening his mouth to speak. Only one word came out, and its sound was relayed in slow motion. Impossible, forceful physical energy was expended and it all but slayed him as he stared toward her in terror. A voice that sounded foreign to him ripped from his throat as every minute reserve of