ʟᴏꜱᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

4.

Ariya

Five years ago: the day after

I way always an early riser, my body didn't know any different. It was usually five at the earliest, five thirty the latest. I was used to being the first one up.

My eyes fluttered open, there he was. His arm over my body, trapping me to his side. Our bodies were bare, nothing separating us.

We were connected.

I could hear the beating of his heart, the heavy breath exhaling his mouth as he breathed.

It reminded me when my brothers were at camp and he slipped into my bed in the middle of the night, to make sure I wasn't alone.

He shifted and I froze, moving his hand under his head while licking his chapped lips.

I relaxed against him.

I had to take it in, love the moment. Be happy.

I'd never see him again.

Present day-

"Ariya." His voice suddenly seeped into my mind, reminding me just how nice it felt. I waited for him to speak. For him to say something, to smile, to laugh. To stress, to be angry.

To remember.

But just like that, he sat down. Those two seconds of memory faded and his guard was back up.

Did he remember?

"Ariya... Kingston?" He read off of his computer.

I guess not.

"Yeah." I smiled, rubbing my palms together.

I needed this job, I really did. It paid extremely well, leaving me more than enough for Rylan and I. I had the credentials, I had the ethic. But could I work here, could I see the father of my son everyday?

Just go for it.

He doesn't need to know.

He probably doesn't even remember me.

How could he not remember me?

"Ariya, that's a beautiful name where is it from?" He asked. I gulped down the arising bile in my throat and breathed out a response.

"To be completely honest, I have no idea. People have told me it's Hebrew.. I've even got ancient India but I don't exactly know."

Talking to him, as if we're strangers. Strangers who never knew each other.

Acting like we've never spent hours on the phone at the dead of night everyday, acting like our history had never existed.

He knew everything about me, and I knew everything about him.

"I read over your resume, I'm quite impressed. It says here that you studied three degrees at once?" He leaned back in his chair while gazing forward at me. I nodded.

"Okay, shall we get started?"

-

"That's all I need from you Ms. Kingston." We both stood up as he led me to the doors. His hand placed itself on the dip on my back.

I shivered, feeling his touch again.

"Thank you." I breathed.

"Kameron!" He yelled loudly. I flinched as I watched Kameron's head twitch up before quickly running out towards us.