amnesia

epilogue

2 years

"I'm not drinking that." Ana speaks as she scrunches up her face.

The smell of the liquor was beginning to make her sick to her stomach there was no way she would be able to handle anymore.

"Come on Ana! Just one more you never get out of the house." Aariana begs her friend.

Ana rolls her eyes and takes down the last shot. Aariana claps her hands and drags her friend back to the dance floor. Ana enjoys the music playing loudly through the speakers, moving her body to the beat without a worry in the world. She feels a pair of arms snake around her waist and she turns to become face to face with Ryan.

"You look good out here friend." He whispers into her ear.

Ana giggles and pushes him back playfully. She and Ryan had met not long after she arrived in Ontario. It took awhile for her to grow to trust him, but they had developed a solid friendship.

"Thank you. Don't get too handsy you know I hate that."

Ryan nods and apologizes.

"Sorry. Sometimes I can't help it."

Ana blushes and goes back to dancing with Aariana. Another hour passes and the ladies exit the club hand in hand with Ryan and his friend Julio following close behind them.

"The Uber will be here in about ten minutes. You going home Ana?" Aariana ask as they stand on the somewhat busy sidewalk outside the club.

"Um, I don't know. I'm kinda hungry."

"You know what that means!" Julio chimes in while draping his arms over both women's shoulders.

"Hot wings!" Ryan shouts from behind them.

"Back up Julio, yo breath." Aariana complains as she shrugs out of his hold.

"Nigga my breath smell like yours we was drinking the same shit."

"Nah you got a little something extra going on in there."

Ana and Ryan laugh while Julio waves aariana off. Ana scrolls through her phone making sure she didn't have any missed calls from Aaliyah or her mother. Aariana was right she didn't go out much and was constantly in mommy mode when it came to her son. tonight was doing her best to relax and enjoy her night out with her friends. The cool wind blows and Ana pulls her jacket close to her body as they continue to wait for the Uber. She looks around and sees a man standing across the street looking at her and her friends. He stood tall, making sure to keep his face out of the street light. Although she couldn't see his eyes she knew he was looking in her direction.

Ana shakes her head and focuses on the conversation Ryan was having with Julio as the Uber finally pulls up. They all climb inside and Ana takes one last look at where the man was standing only to see he was gone. Shaking the negative thoughts from her mind she buckles her seatbelt and enjoys the ride to their favorite late night restaurant.

xxxxxx

"Stop fucking crying." 

Aaliyah sniffles and wipes away the few tears that had fallen. She looks up and over at the three men who were seated on her loveseat in her living room. The smell of cigarette smoke fills her nostrils as her puffy eyes water again.

"Keep crying you gone end up just like yo mama." East chuckles.

Aaliyah does her best to compose herself knowing his threat was all too real right now.