"Laura..." The name seemed to echo off a breeze, as though the ocean itself had whispered it. Laura wasn't even sure if it were real, or if she had imagined it. One thing she was sure of, though, was the presence. She could feel it, feel him close by, like an energy drawn towards her. She heard her name again, clearer now, and the gentle wind that carried it lifted her light, brown hair so it fluttered around her shoulders. Her toes shifted in the sand, her bare arms showing goosebumps despite the warm weather. Robert was near her, and he was trying to say sorry. Laura could feel the deep sorrow as though it were her own, but at the same time it was a detached feeling; she was but a medium for this emotion. And she could hear him, if she listened hard.
"Forgive me," came Rob's unmistakeable voice. "I need you to forgive me." He was apologising for the pain he had caused her, the trust he had betrayed. He had never meant to hurt her, she knew this. She didn't need him to apologise for that - it was no longer significant.
Laura found herself shaking her head, unable to speak. Her arms were wrapped tight around her torso, although she could not feel the warmth they should've given off.
"Forgive me..." The voice was pleading now.
"I can't," Laura whispered, a tear crawling down the side of her face. "Don't you see? I can't forgive you." The tears were flowing freely now; she was all but sobbing.
"I loved you, Rob. I still do. But now you're gone forever." She breathed in, her words painful and broken.
"I still love you..."