Forgetting You

Late

Wesley could feel something pressing hard against him, with fur blocking his nose from breathing. He smells a familiar scent, while a warm wet tongue constantly licks his face. The sound of its nose breathing down upon him disrupts his sleep. Slowly opening his eyes, Ollie..." Wesley brags, shoving off its face away from his. Seeing it panting with its tongue sticking out, he notices how "moist" his face had become. "Ew, what did I say about licking my face? Your breath stinks!" Wesley says, wiping his entire face. Ollie let out a bark before jumping off the bed, wagging its tail left and right excitingly. "What time is it?"

Looking at the digital clock beside him, his eyes open wide. "I'M GOING TO BE LATE?!" Wesley jumps out his bed, racing against the time he has left.

"Be a good boy Ollie, I'll be back as soon as I can!" Leaving only a can of dog food in front of it before slamming the doors behind him. He runs towards the bus stop, nearly missed the bus if a second too late.

Breathing heavily from the running, he slowly catches his breath, calming down the adrenaline rushing all over his body.

"You're running late," a familiar voice calls, follow by a poke in the shoulder. Following the voice that calls for him, he is surprised to see Ina sitting right next to him. "Ina? Wha...When and where did you come from?" Wesley asks in a wave of confusion. Ina evenly confused, calmly replies, "What do you mean? I'd been here long before you got on. I just recognized you and decides to have you company,"

"Well, that's...fair..." his voice slowly trails off into silence. "First day of work?" Ina asks. "Oh, right. You nervous?" Wesley asks back. Ina shook her head; Wesley too could almost feel the overwhelming confidence surrounding her. Unlike him who still struggles to find one to begin with. He couldn't recall the times where he was confident like she was, unafraid of the views of the world.

Yet he had a feeling he had gone through the times where he stood on top of the world around him, only having his goals and dreams guide him. But something happened, maybe something traumatic? Something Wesley found it hard to recall as his memories begins to blur. Slowly fading away, with only a nostalgic feeling of the past lingers in his head.

Shaking off his thoughts, the bus pulls into a halt. "Well, good luck!" Ina wishes. Wesley quickly returns to his senses and dismount off the bus. With the bus's doors closing behind him and the office's doors opening in front of him, he takes in deep breaths before entering the building.

It all seems like a blink of an eye, with the skies turns livid and the sun dims into darkness. His body exhausted from the work he had to endure is now wobbly and seemingly in the brick of collapse. His eyelids grew heavily as he led out a sign of relief. A hard smack on his back springs his tired body back to life. "Ouch!" Wesley cries, wanting to return the favor to the one who's responsible.

"Tired already Old man?" Ina teased from behind.

"Old man?" it took Wesley a few seconds to realize she's referring him, which hurts a little for a 24-year-old adult to be called an elderly. "Whatcha up to tonight?" Ina asks. Still bitter of being called old, Wesley simply brushes off the question by a simple "Sleep," as his answer.

"Aw, come on the night is still young!" Ina complains, without warning she grabs hold of his hand, "Let's go to the park!" She suggests, pulling along a tired Wesley. "Whoa, wait slow down or I'll trip!"

By the time they reach the park, Wesley is now breathing heavily with his hands on his knees while Ina not having a slightest sigh of exhaustion.  "You ok there, Old man?" Ina asks in concern, as Wesley is still panting heavily beside her. "I'm fine, I guess." Wesley replies. Placing his hand on his chest, he has forgotten the last time he listens to the beating of his heart. Something tickles his memories deep inside his mind, but it faded before Wesley could play it.

"It's been a while, doesn't it?" Ina asks "In the past, we're the ones that are down there running wildly while our parents watch over us. But now, its When was the last time we could have fun like we used to I wonder," She continues.

Wesley contemplates, with his mind replaying each individual word she'd just said. "Yea, remember the time I..." "Tripped down and I had to carry you to the nurse's office?" Ina interrupts, with a bright smile appearing on her face. The atmosphere around them brightens, and Wesley too has a grin on his face. "Yeah, I was testing if running without shoes would be faster or not, turns out it's more painful than with shoes." Wesley jokes.

They both burst into laughter, with tears forming in the corner of their eyes. "Yea, I remember those funny, something cringy, anxious, depressing teenage years." Ina tilted her head, placing her finger on her lips as she recounts the memories of the past. "It was fun," Wesley continues to grin, till his cheeks reminded him that was enough. They both continue to share their stories till the once exuberant park dims into a quiet one, with only echoes of laughter from a bench carried away by a gust of wind.