Where My Love Went - A Novella

Chapter Thirteen : Girlfriend

Josephine

"And you don't remember anything that happened to you the day you went missing?" Dr.Rupart asks me. I shake my head as Will squeezes my hand. "What about your mom?"

"I only remember things that Will was there for too." I sigh. "I remember that she smiled a lot and had brown hair, but other than that... It's fuzzy."

"Okay. That's okay. Your remembering Will is a good sign. He obviously triggered something in your brain. It'll probably take some time for something like that to happen again. Honestly, this is a miracle." She smiles. "You're free to go, just stop by the desk on your way out to schedule your next appointment."

"Thank you." Will and I say at the same time.

After I make my next appointment for next month, Will slides his hand into mine as we walk across the parking lot. "Wanna go get some lunch?"

"Sure." I smile, but it's not my best smile and he knows it.

He glances around us. "We'll talk in the car?"

I note the teenage girl walking in with her mom, pointing to us.

I don't say anything, I just nod.

Will leads me to his truck, where he opens the door and helps me up inside before closing the door and walking around to the driver's side. He makes sure I'm buckled before pulling out of the parking space and heading towards the exit. "Chinese or pizza for dinner tonight?"

I ponder it. "I dunno. Ask me later." He smiles, reaching across the center console to grab my hand.

"What's bothering you?" He looks over at me as we come to a stop at a red light. "You've been quiet all morning."

"Can you blame me?"

"No." A head shake. "But compared to Miss Chatterbox last night..."

I nod. "You had a girlfriend, Will." Looking over at him, I try to read his expression but fail. "The girl from the restaurant. You told me she wasn't your girlfriend."

"I didn't lie." He shakes his head. "She'd just broken up with me."

I wet my lips. "Why?"

"Because of you."

"Will." I sigh.

"And because of me." He glances at me. "My attachment to you. My inability to move on from you. It wasn't your fault. It was all me. She asked me to move on and I told her I would, but then you were right there. You looked so much like you it was like staring at a ghost. We went back to our table but I kept looking over at you. She'd had enough and I don't blame her. I wasted three years of her life that she could've spent with someone who loved her the way I love you. Instead, we'd fight, and then make up and act like it never happened. This time was her last straw." He brings our twined hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss on each of my knuckles. "We broke up because of me, not because of you."

I swallow slowly. "Do you love her?"

He sighs. "I won't lie to you, Jo. A part of me loves her." I look down at my lap and Will squeezes my hand. "But not anywhere near how I love you." Will pulls off an exit that leads to who knows where. After a few turns we end up on a side road somewhere with no one around. The truck gets thrown into Park and Will turns to look at me. "Hey, look at me." I lift my gaze up to meet his. "I'll never love anyone the way I love you."

"You've grown up a lot," I say quietly.

Will leans forward and lifts my chin up with his fingers before pressing his lips against mine. "You're so beautiful." He mumbles against my lips before he pulls away. I bite down on my bottom lip as my cheeks burn. "And you want Chinese for dinner, don't you?"