Lost Connections

Chapter 22

"I like you. A lot, actually. But when we met I wasn't in the right mindset to like someone else?" I began, still not sure of myself.

"Is this the part where you say you aren't ready for a relationship and push me away?" She rose an eyebrow, she was trying to be intimidating but her eyes betrayed her.

"No. I'm not gonna do that to you. Especially when I know what it feels like."

"So what was that? She was at your house. You hugged."

"She got her memories back... she's in the hospital now."

"Ok... so what did you need to tell me?"

"Just what I said. I like you and I really do want to date you. But I need you to be patient with me if you want the same thing."

"Okay. But you have to promise me something m." She stuck out her pinky finger.

I rose an eyebrow but did that same. "Promise me that you won't compare me to her. Don't ever. Not even in your mind."

We twisted our pinkies together. "I promise." I smiled a little and she leaned in to kiss my cheek.

~

The doctors told Loel that she had gained all of her memories back and would be on medication prevent future headaches.

Loel broke up with James, he accused her of cheating with Jen when he had saw them hanging out on day after the breakup. But he got a girlfriend not long after. Jerk.

Braydon and his girlfriend were doing great, he was really happy with her and was surprisingly really open. When I finally met her she was really nice.

And eventually me and Amber started dating. I got really close with her family and her as well of course. Everyone was happy to say the least. I might not have gotten what I wanted, but I got much more.

"There's no way I asked you to prom for you to just sit here like you have no date." Amber said when she walked up to me.

She wore a brown fitted dress and heels and I wore a black tuxedo with a brown undershirt. I groaned, "we have literally been dancing all night. I'm on my break."

She lifted me from my seat and pulled my tie. "Not until I say so, and I don't, which means you aren't on break."

"You are dangerously close to my face-" I whispered with wide eyes. "Well obviously. I can't kiss you if I'm at a regular distance." Her tone was sarcastic and soothing. Which of course made me blush.

"Break it up, Loel wants a picture with all of us." Braydon walked over with his date. "Perfect timing Braydon." I mumbled under my breath, making him smirk. "I know right?"

After pictures and everything, me and Amber decided to go back to her house since her mom needed her to watch Don.

----

"I didn't know you could cook." I walked down the stairs with one of her oversized shirts and baggy shorts.

"Oh yeah, of course you can wear my clothes.. thanks for asking."

"Sorry- I've just been over here so much so I didn't think it would be a problem." I scratched the back of my head and sat down at the dinner table.

"Of course it's not, I was kidding. It's cute honestly." She said as she watched the utensil she was stirring dinner with. "Donny, dinner!"

Little footsteps rushed down the stairs and we had dinner together. He told us a bunch of stories about school and this boy that he suspects is a 'vampire.' It was funny honestly, I'm starting to believe his friend is a vampire too by the way he was describing him.

Now me and Amber are washing the dishes in silence. "You never did show me those pictures back at camp."

"Right. You still wanna see them?" She asked, drying up the last dish and putting it in the cabinet.

"Of course I do."

"Okay, how about you go sit in the living room and I'll bring my camera downstairs so we can look at them together."

"Ok." We both smiled at each other and she ran upstairs to her room. I got comfortable on the couch and waited for her to come back. It was dark, the tv was on some kid show that it was muted.

She finally came back upstairs and got comfortable beside me. The first few pictures were sunsets and nature. Then there was one of me. The one she had taken when she told me there was something in my hair. I looked scared and stupid. "Hey! You said you deleted that!" I complained.

"Oh come on, you and I both knew I wasn't deleting this."

She kept going, one was a selfie of us both at the party. Another was a picture of me looking up at something when we were on one of our dates. Others were dumb shit we were doing, mostly pictures she said that she wanted to try but never had a partner to do it with. More pictures of me.

"You're such a creep." I joked when she finally reached her last picture. "I am not!" We laughed. "I believe that you only truly see someone when they're caught off guard or when no one's watching. Plus they were my two favorite things in one, how could I not take a couple of pictures?"

"You just dug yourself into a deeper hole. You sound like a stalker now."

"If I'm a stalker, why aren't I arrested?"

I stayed quiet. I love that she had pictures of me. Turns out I don't look too bad when caught off guard.

"Hm?" She cupped my face and made me look at her. I took the opportunity to kiss her, but I soon pulled away. "Goodnight." I said and faked sleep.

"You know what-" She took all of the covers and made me 'wake up' to get them back.

She's a pain in the ass. But I'm so happy I met her. It took another person to help me realize that I couldn't be stuck on someone who didn't want me. No matter how bad it hurt to accept it and it's side effects. It was only bringing me down and draining me. But Amber has made me see so much of myself that I didn't even know was there. And I wouldn't have gotten to see that if I was still stuck on Loel.

Sometimes wanting something does not always mean you need it and if you dwell on why you couldn't have it, you could miss something worth more than what you thought you wanted.