Back to you.

After six long years of devastating losses,I had finally decided to go back to the only place that held happy memories for me.Being back in this town gave me a feeling of nostalgia. I had always wanted to come back...If only we hadn't left in the first place,maybe my parents would still be here;among the living,but as they say,that's a story for another day.

The people here were still as friendly as I remembered, the scenery was still breathtaking if not even better,but mostly;HE was here and he had crept his way into my mind everyday since I left.

I knew that first love is hard to forget, but with time I realized that,apart from being my first love,he was my soulmate.He understood me in ways no one else could,he felt right even when everything was going wrong.Young love can be stupid,but what we had then ran deeper than love.My entire being was bound to him,he had been my anchor.

It was selfish of me to want him after all the time that had passed,but I was greedy.I needed him to need me just as much as I did him.

I had spent days praying,wishing and hoping that one day we would find our way back to each other and get the chance to whisper promises of forever one more time.One more time is all I needed to keep that promise.Now that I was here I feared that he might have moved away or even worse,moved on.....I knew I hadn't.

If I knew him well enough,I had a clue on where I would find him and I wasn't wrong.We had always come down to the beach whenever we needed to escape and there was a glimmer of hope within me knowing he had kept our little culture alive.

It had been a long time but I could never forget him.I could never forget his striking features that made him stand out the more now in his manly physique.

I took my time taking in every part of him.His hair glistened with water as little droplets found their way down his built chest.There,I could see black ink etched on his skin but I couldn't make out what they said.My eyes trailed lower to his toned abs and I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks all the way to my ears.

When my eyes finally rested on his face again,they met his smouldering blue ones as he eyed me in surprise.For a minute that felt like forever,we stared at each other drawing each other in.As if on cue,we started walking towards each other without breaking the intense gaze.It shocked me how he still had that effect on me and I could only hope he felt it too.

"Elle." He spoke when we were finally inches apart.It sounded like he was confirming it was really me.

"Tyler."I confirmed with a slight nod.

Before he could speak,a lady approached with a little girl trailing closely behind her looking excited as she ran into Tyler's open arms.My heart was slowly breaking into pieces but I couldn't bring myself to look away,let alone walk away.

"Elle,meet Dani and Leila." Tyler finally introduced as the little girl smiled brightly at me.

"Nice to meet you Elle." Dani-the young lady-said pulling me into a hug."We'll be by the palms."She addressed Tyler as she pulled away and took the little girl with her.

We stood in awkward silence for a while and I took the time to read the words tattooed on his chest.

'When the road decides it's time,our paths will cross again.'

Different emotions swirled within me as I remembered those were the exact words I had said to him when I had been forced to say goodbye.Without thinking,my slim fingers traced the fine lines of ink soflty but I pulled away when I felt his muscles tense.

"I'm so sorry about that,I..." He didn't let me finish that as he held my fingers and led them back to his tattooed chest."I don't think your wife will appreciate the idea of..."

A deep,hearty laugh erupted from his chest.He was heaving for air when his laughter had finally died down."Wife?If you're talking about Dani,that's Ted's wife."Ted was his elder brother.

"Oh,I just thought...."

"Well,you thought wrong." He interrupted again.This time,he pulled me with him as he walked towards a small cove.We had laid up there when we were younger.

"So,no wife or kids?" Curiosity led me to ask.I had my fingers crossed that his answer would favour me somehow.

"No.I dated a few ladies after you,but at the end of the day I knew it would always be you." He said as he stopped and took a step closer.His words took me by surprise as a little gasp escaped my lips.

When our eyes locked,his blue orbs were looking deep into me,like they could read my soul.I wanted to get lost in them once more,like I had years back.His words and his intense gaze made me feel things that only he could make me feel.I had been waiting years to feel this again and here it was.

"Our paths crossed again." I said leaning my palms against his chest with his hands over them.

"And after all this time,it's still you." His voice was low and his words were like music to my ears.

Time seemed to stop as he tucked the stray strands of my messy bun behind my ear.His face was close fanning me with his minty breath,so close that if I tilted my head a little more our lips would touch.

The thought of his lips on mine made me run my tongue over my lower lip,an action that didn't go unnoticed by his keen eyes that turned a shade darker. The chemistry was still there and I knew he could feel it as much as I did.

As our faces inched closer,I could feel my soul ignite once more.This were the moments poets put down on paper and artists poured out on canvas.After all this time,it was still HIM!