Draw Again

Prologue

After slipping into the darkness I woke up in a very dull place with gray walls and an even grayer floors. Sitting up I grabbed my stomach expecting something, but as I looked down I couldn't remember what it was. My clothes were fine, no wrinkles, nor rips, but I knew that wasn't right.

"Oh you're finally awake. . ."

I turned to see a man standing in the center of the room by what looked like a small game table. I knew that face, those bright brown eyes, that shiny maple colored hair, but mostly I knew the smile that was on his face.

I opened my mouth to greet him, but I couldn't think of his name. I couldn't remember his name. How could I not remember his name when I could so easily recite his random hobbies from cooking to video recording every silly little moment. As I stared at his face I could tell he was experiencing the same thing, he couldn't remember my name, and his grin was slowly slipping.

"Hey?" I asked getting to my feet.

His grin brightened once again, and there was a ghost of a flutter in my chest. "Yeah?"

"Did I do okay?" I stepped towards him.

"What do you mean?"

"Did I live properly? Did I do it right?" I asked.

His smile faded slightly as he seriously thought about it. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

"Did you cry?"

"Yeah."

"Did you laugh?"

"A lot."

"Did you love?"

"So much."

"Then I think you did fine. I know I enjoyed it," he smiled.

"What are you two doing?"

Turning around we saw a man with a bored expression walk toward us. I don't know where he came from because I haven't seen a door in this place. His hair was a fiery red that I remembered just as well as the other guy's smile, but his name was missing from my mind.

"We're just talking," the brunet laughed.

The redhead stopped at my side his hands in his jeans pockets. I couldn't explain the faint ache in my core as I stared up at him. Part of me felt that we've met like this before, and another part wanted to cry because we met here again. I couldn't stop myself from leaning against his side knocking my foot against his.

"Did you have fun this time?" I asked him.

He paused staring down at me with those molten amber eyes. "Hmm, it wasn't bad."

"Do you want to go back?" I inquired.

He leaned into my side as his gaze slipped off of me. "Not just yet."

"Hush you two, and come look," the brunet said. He was staring intently at the game table. I walked with the other, and as we neared the table I felt I should have been more surprised to see that the cards were moving one their own. "She settled everything," he pointed to a single card in the center of the table.

"Did you expect anything different?" I asked with a smile.

"Not really," he agreed.

I stepped away from the silent redhead, and made my way around the table to where I had noticed several face down cards. They were in a messy pile on the far side of the table away from all the other cards that marched along.

As I reached for them I could feel the guys' eyes on me. I stopped to look back at them, and neither of them bore a smile. "What?"

"It's not time to draw yet. Leave the discards where they belong for now," the brunet said gently.

"When is it time to draw?" I asked.

They both shrugged at me, but the one smiled like he always did as he said, "When the gods decide to draw again."

I lowered my hand from the table and stepped away as I thought back on how we got here. Back to this point that we won't remember after the next draw. I wanted more time with the memories that got us here, that meant the world to me, that had allowed me to be with those great people. I just wanted to keep remembering.