The days rolled by like years and the nights seemed even longer. I couldn’t see him again. I promised him. But all I could see was him. In everything and everyone, I saw him. Even as I stand here staring at my distorted reflection through the moisture on the bathroom mirror, I see him staring at me with his intense gaze. What was it about the way he looked at me? How did it create such a yearning within me? I was burning for more.

Get a grip Molly, I think as I slap my cheeks a couple times. No sooner did I hear the purring of Will's motorcycle as he pulled up to the house. That's right, I have my one friend and only two months left. There's no point in fighting for something that won't last. Quickly drying my hair, I use the same towel to wipe the mirror, streaking the moisture to blur my image and head to my room.

Hanging out with Will was like a breath of fresh air. It was only then that my thoughts seem to calm, and I always have fun. If I had to describe what a perfect man would be like, it could be summed up in one word: Will. It was an automatic win because I had no one to compare him to. He was good looking, strong, funny, polite, and he didn't judge me. He never once judged the fact that I had to speak through Monotoneisa. My "voice" apparently needed a name. He even made an effort in learning a few signs so that the simple things didn't need the phone.

The surprising part? Even his friends were accepting, which I still am having trouble grasping. I guess the world outside high school isn’t as scary as I once thought it’d be. I haven't felt this comfortable around people since...well, since before the accident.

I could hear the muffled voices of Dad and Will downstairs as I was getting ready, but they were too low to really understand what they were saying. It sounded serious by the tones, so probably work related. By the time I took to the stairs, their conversation had lightened, making the desire to eavesdrop nonexistent.

"There she is!" It was Dad who saw me first. "You look nice," he contiued eyeing my choice of attire.

Will had made it nearly impossible to figure out what we were doing today, so I tried to dress for any possibility given the choices I had in my suitcase. I had on a pair of light jean shorts and a high-neck tank. It was plain enough that I wouldn’t feel out of place in a place like the beach, but nice enough that it looked like I was trying to take this hangout...date...whatever it was we were doing seriously. Not that I was expecting it to be a date or anything. All the signs seemed to point to what we were doing being considered dating, but we never actually touched that topic, so I didn't want to get my hopes up. But the thought did bring on an excitement.

Will stood and turned, his hazel eyes immediately greeting me. I ignored the disorientation that accompanied them, more drawn to how easy it was to hold his gaze. His grin made me smile and my heart flutter, all the while my brain was trying to figure out how this was even happening.

“You look nice," he said politely.

"Thank you," I signed without even a blink. "So you do you." His smile brightened making now my stomach knot over.

Dad's throat clearing was what finally interrupted our little moment.

"Where did my baby girl go?" He pouted. I rolled my eyes, knowing that if we stayed any longer he was going to start spouting out memories that Will did not need to hear.

"Love you, Dad!" I grabbed Will by the arm and practically dragged him to the door. Just as we were about to step out of the door, Will flinches and I hear a clang as something metallic hit the floor. When I turned around to see what had made that noise, I became horrified.

"It goes a lot faster after ten!" Dad announces and then chuckles to himself. "I've waited years to do that." He was obviously talking to himself, but it was loud enough to be overheard. "You all have a good time." With a wave he heads to the kitchen.

"Sorry!" I signed and picked it up.

"Don't worry about it. He's just being a father. Though I guess I better have you home before ten, huh?" He joked. I threw the small bullet back down the hall toward the kitchen with nothing more than a shake of my head.

"You could kill someone with that!" Dad hollers from the kitchen as we head out the door.

I caught sight of Raider, his red and black motorcycle, parked at the end of the drive and nearly disappeared from his side to go to it. He liked to name things and he kept them simple. Raider is just the model name, but it fit. I love Raider. She was the first motorcycle I had ever actually been on and Will quickly learned that I'd prefer he take me around on her than in Shelby, his 1967 classic that he is probably the most proud of. I had the joy of being taken around in her the first time we went out and got an ear full of the car. I'm pretty sure I could tell anyone about it now as if I had been the one obsessing over it. It was cute the way he talked about it, though.

The ride to wherever he was taking me was more open, peaceful. The traffic had died out leaving just us and maybe a few other cars traveling down the highway. He picked a speed that left us a perfect distance between the car in front and behind us, which gave the illusion that we were the only ones on the road. I relaxed my hold around him to get a better view of the scenery passing us by as Raider's purr cruised melodically on the road. If anyone wants to know why I prefer Raider, this is why.

When he truned off the main road, my nerves began tingling. I had not paid attention to any signs, so I had absolutely no idea where we were. The small road wound around, trees on either side. We were going pretty far off away from the main road and that made me nervous. I couldn't ask him where we were going, so I only squeezed my hold around him. If I was going to die today, I wanted to at least get to feel a man one last time.

Before long, the road opened up to a clearing and my eyes immediately fell onto a grand, black and white lighthouse accompanied by three smaller buildings and a white picket fence. The relief that washed over me was instant and I involuntarily heaved a sigh, relaxing into him.

"You alright?" He asked placing a hand on my arm. I nodded, too embarrassed with myself for even thinking the thoughts that had slipped into mind moments before.

He led the way to the white two-story building with a covered porch that was placed directly in front of the lighthouse. He was the first to step in and not a second later a voice erupted throughout the building.

"William James Profit! Where have you been?" A slightly over average woman with short blonde hair done in a perm came out of nowhere and immidiately wrapped him in a warm embrace, giving him a little squeeze to finish it off. "I feel like it's been much longer than normal, and you know what that does to my heart! Did you know I was working today? Look at you, where did all these muscles come from? They've grown since the last time we saw each other. Are you eating well? Are you getting enough sleep?"

She was practically shouting at him and talking way too fast for him to even get a word in. Her whole mannerisms was that of a woman who hadn't seen her son in almost a year. The urge to back away from him crept into me, but I froze the moment her eyes swept in my direction. They widened as her mouth fell open. I peeked at Will, unsure of what I was about to expect from the woman.

"Are you with him? Is she with you?" She asked bouncing back and forth between us.

"Anna this is Molly, Molly...Anna. She practically raised me."

"And you turned out amazing if I do say so myself." She gave him a good pinch in the cheek. He pulled away from her, rubbing his cheek as she laughed. I couldn't help but smile at them.

"Molly is the daughter of one of my employees. They just moved here not too long ago, so I am showing her around."

Anna gave him a look. "Showing her around huh?" With a wink, she turned to me. "It is such a pleasure to finally meet a girl for once." She held out her hand for mine. In turn, I did the same. The moment she enclosed her around mine, she pulled me into a hug much like the one she gave Will.

"How did you manage to catch the eye of 'I don't need anyone but myself'?"

"Hey," Will began to protest, but he said no more afterward. I could see he wanted to, but the look Anna must have been giving him was all he needed to close his mouth.

"Alright, alright, I will leave you two be. I need to get back to work anyway," she said as a small group of people entered the building. She pulled Will into a joined embrace with me and held us both closely as she began yet another winded monologue. "It's so good to see you again. Don't be a stranger, okay? Come by for dinner more often. I will make your favorite and I bet it beats being home alone. Bring this fine young lady along with ya, too! And you," she directed at me. "Make sure you don't let him get into any trouble. He can be quite a handful at times, bless his heart." She whispered the last sentence in my ear before letting us go. 

Tapping Will's cheek, she waves us off and proceeds to her duties. Will did not say a word again until we were on our way to the lighthouse. 

"She comes on strong, I know, but she's a good woman."

"I like her," I thumbed into my phone.

"Yeah?" I nodded with a smile. "She is the closest thing I have to a mother. Mine died when I was very young."

The last couple times we had gone out we had done things where we really couldn’t talk. I couldn't help but wonder if he specifically chose this location so that we could actually get to know each other.

"Mine too," my phone replied for me.

"I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "I was six. I can remember the things we did together, but her face is gone. It's the pictures Dad has that help me to remember her as a person."

"At least you have that," Will said as we entered the lighthouse. "My mother died shortly after I was born. Even the pictures cannot help me. Everyone says I favor her, so when I look in a mirror I try to imagine the person staring back being her. As weird as that sounds." I shook my head as we climbed the stairs. I can't even begin to imagine that being me. Even I favor my mother, except I get my height from my dad.

The rest of the trek was quiet except for the echoes of our steps. I felt empty again. A feeling I hadn't experienced in years. I don't talk about her to anyone since Dad stopped years ago. The things that he did save of hers are tucked inside a box. She's a memory anymore, an imaginary friend that I had grown out of. It was easier to think of her that way. But talking about her reminds me just how real she was, and how empty my existence had become without her.

I thanked the view at the top of the lighthouse for quieting my emotions. It was just us and the wind and the scenery that set around us. Little could be heard by the miniscule people below except for the laughs that had managed to ride the wind to where we stood. I took the round slowly, taking in the area. The ocean was further out than I expected it to be, but it was visible, the sun's light glowing against it so brightly. The lighthouse itself was situated in the furthest reaches of civilization, surrounded by nothing but marsh, ponds and forest. 

"So would it be rude of me to ask what happened to your mother?" Will asked when I came to a stopping point overlooking a large pond and out toward the ocean.

After a moment, I brought out my phone and began typing. "Suicide. At least that's what they're ruling it as. But if there was one thing I remember the clearest about my mother, it was the day she disappeared." I wish that moment had become just as fuzzy and broken as the event that happened right after it.