Forget-me-Not

Chapter 1: A Promise of Farewell

That day, everything felt strangely sad, as if the world around me had lost its colors. Seven years ago, Noah invited me to a farewell barbecue because he was moving away—this thought haunted me all morning, bringing tears to my eyes. In my room, filled with childhood memories, I hugged the teddy bear he once gave me, feeling like the world I knew was crumbling. But I promised myself I wouldn't cry when I left the house. I didn't want Noah to see me like that, afraid he'd remember me as a crybaby. I wanted his last memory of me to be different. Deep down, I believed that if he saw how brave I was, he'd want to stay friends, even if we were far apart.

Once I managed to stop the tears, I tried to cheer myself up by thinking about funny cat videos I'd watched on YouTube that morning. I glanced at the clock—only 20 minutes left before I had to leave. My heart started racing. I rushed to my closet and pulled out the dress I had picked for this day. It was lilac with tiny golden flowers, delicate and special, like it would give me courage. I put it on quickly, tied my hair into a loose ponytail, and ran down the stairs, feeling the dress swirl around me, creating a sense of lightness I desperately needed.

Downstairs, Dad was waiting for me by the door, with a concerned expression on his face. His quiet gaze, full of understanding, said more than words could express. He looked sad, as if he knew I had been crying just a moment ago. But he didn't say anything, for which I was grateful. Dad always knew when to leave me alone with my thoughts. I smiled at him as widely as I could and started putting on my sandals.

"Are you sure you can do this?" he asked softly, looking at me with concern. His voice was warm, full of the gentleness I needed at that moment.

"Yes, Dad. I want Noah to remember me smiling," I replied, trying to sound confident, though inside, my heart was aching.

Dad was silent the whole drive to Noah's, but I saw him glancing at me in the mirror, as if to make sure I was really okay. The ride wasn't long since it was still early, and there were hardly any cars on the road. Every house we passed, every turn, brought me closer to the moment I dreaded. When we arrived, I took a deep breath, hugged Dad tightly, and quickly jumped out of the car, not looking back. I wanted to be brave.

From a distance, I saw Noah walking towards me. He looked just the same—smiling, with his messy hair and that same sparkle in his eyes that always made me feel better. But our greeting was a bit awkward, which surprised me because we were always so close. We smiled shyly at each other and hugged gently, as if we were both afraid of what was coming.

We spent the whole day pretending it was just another carefree day. Noah, as usual, teased me—splashing water from a small inflatable pool, shooting foam darts at me with his toy gun, and making silly faces that made me laugh. It felt like our way of pretending that tomorrow, nothing would change, that everything would stay the same. But as the evening came, and the sun began to set, it hit us that something was ending. We sat on the grass, far from his parents, who were busy with the barbecue. I felt my heart tighten, but I tried to stay brave.

Noah looked at me and quietly said, "You know, Emily... we'll still see each other. Moving won't change anything."

His words were meant to comfort me, but deep down, I knew things would be different. I was scared that our friendship would never be the same, that the distance would change us.

Noah seemed to notice because he suddenly picked a flower growing nearby—a forget-me-not. He handed it to me with a slight smile.

"Maybe this will be our symbol," he said, tucking the flower behind my ear. "A forget-me-not. A sign that we won't forget each other. Every time we see one, we'll think of each other."