Lest I Forget

The Underside of the Pillow

Mitch stretched his body out, still engulfed in his covers from his restful slumber. He had such pleasant dreams, though he still felt like he was in one with how soft the blankets felt and how cool the underside of the pillow was when he stuck his hand underneath it. He always had perfect mornings, especially since he kept his apartment so cold so he could layer up the blankets. Before getting out of bed he did as he normally did: checking Tumblr before racing to the bathroom. He never wore socks to sleep in because he felt restricted when he wore them, so the initial step down off his bed was always a harsh one after he made it away from his carpet and onto his hardwood floors. He did his morning routine in the bathroom: brushing and flossing, showering, moisturizing, and throwing his hair up into a bun so he could deal with it later. He put on his large black rimmed glasses (only because he didn't feel like stabbing his eyes today to put in his contacts) and decided against shaving his stubble for the day.

He emerged from his bedroom and walked through the living room to the kitchen and begun by filling up Wyatt Blue's food and water bowl. Not too long after the kitty submerged, hiding wherever he likes to hide when he's not snuggled up in the crook of Mitch's neck. He greeted his owner happily with purring and rubbing against his leg before having his breakfast. Mitch, too, made himself some breakfast. He grabbed some yogurt and a banana and sat down on the couch with his meal, flipping on the television. He opened up Netflix and browsed for Spongebob and played an episode at random. He was feeling spontaneous today and didn't care what episode was on that morning. He loved all of them and knew them by heart, which explained his very vibrant tattoo sleeve. He'd recently gotten the wonderfully grumpy Squidward added to his ink collection and couldn't have been happier.

Mitch's phone vibrated against his leg and he blindly reached for it, eyes glued to the episode where he learned that the drinking hat belonged to Smitty Werberjagermanjensen. He was number one. Mitch picked up the phone and smiled at the name.

Scott: morning love
Mitch: hi hi hi
Scott: r we still having lunch today? Bc I'm hungry and I need u to be with me
Mitch: god ur so needy. Yes we're having lunch.
Mitch: Wait. Did u watch the video? Did Kirstin tell u about lunch?
Scott: what video? And no, u told me yesterday. Remember?

Whenever Mitch watched Spongebob he would never take his eyes off the screen. If he had to he would pause the show so he could watch it in full. With this current conversation all bets were off.

Mitch: wait. YOU REMEMBER ME
Scott: ofc I remember you, silly.

Mitch immediately dialed Scott's number and got a quick answer.

"Babe, what's going on? Did you hit your head?" Scott laughed melodiously from the other line. Mitch was staring at the wall bewildered, yet really excited at the same time.

"No. I mean... wait. You did? What the hell is going on! You're not supposed to remember me!" Mitch spoke with his hands waving left and right, frightening his cat away from the spot he found on the couch next to his owner.

"Babe, did you drink too much last night?" Scott's smirk was evident through the phone. "C'mon, get dressed. I'm coming to pick you up soon." Scott quickly hung up, not even giving Mitch a chance to respond. He was more than ecstatic, yet super confused. Did Scott magically regain his memory overnight and can remember him? No, maybe Scott was just pulling his leg. Scott wasn't curable. He would wake up and not remember Mitch every day... so why was today any different?

Mitch ran to his closet and pulled out different combinations of outfits, trying to figure out what he wanted to wear. Every day he'd try to dress his best, considering Scott would always be meeting him for the first time. Whenever he would watch the video he'd see Mitch in his Rilakkuma onesie, and although that's one hell of a stylish outfit, that doesn't settle for Mitch who is all about a first impression, especially with someone he's falling in love with. He figures out what he wants to wear and then worries about the bun on top of his head, taking his mini straightener and slicking the hair down, flattening each piece and modeling it the way he wanted. He had to look his best.

And then there were four knocks to the front door and one skipped beat to the heart. Mitch ran through his apartment, almost tripping while jumping over Wyatt, and stopped at the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door, revealing his tall, beautiful blonde.

Only he stood there looking extremely confused.

Mitch's smile dropped and he stepped aside, allowing Scott to come inside... but he remained stationary.

"I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment." The blonde scratched his head and looked around like he was searching for something. It was as if he hadn't realized how he'd gotten there. Mitch reached his arm out and touched Scott's shoulder gently. He immediately pulled away as if Mitch were poisonous. "Hey, man, I don't even know you."

"What the hell is going on, babe?" Mitch laughed, thinking he was only joking with him.

He was just joking, right?

"Babe? I'm really sorry, but I don't even know why I'm here. I don't know who I'm looking for... I just showed up here." He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head before turning around and heading for the stairs. "I'm leaving." Mitch chased after him, yelling for him to wait. Scott turned around for a moment and shook his head, waving his arms up. "Look. I'm sorry for barging in on you. I'm going. You were clearly waiting for someone."

"Yeah. I was waiting for you. If you're just fucking with me then stop it."

"I'm not fucking with you! I don't even know your name." Scott quickly ran down the stairs. "God, I'm leaving."

"SCOTT! What the hell is going on?!" Mitch didn't follow him. He figured it was no use. His Scott wasn't playing. His Scott was being true about all of this.

Mitch couldn't quite process it. He didn't understand what just happened... but standing in the stairwell he thought to himself. Scott had texted him. He had remembered him. He knew that he existed and wanted to take him out on a date. Everything was perfect... until he looked at his face. It was like some reverse object permanence situation... either that, or Mitch was just dreaming. Scott truly arrived at Mitch's apartment because he thought he was going on a date and his memory shortened.

Or, better yet, maybe the texting was all a dream to Mitch and Scott genuinely found his way to Mitch's apartment, unknowing of who he'd be seeing.

But none of it made sense... because moments later Mitch finally realized that it was all a dream.

He truly woke up this time, once again feeling the coolness of the underside of the pillow. He stretched, just as he had done in his dream. Everything was the same, causing him to almost question reality. He went about his morning routine, just as he always did. It was all normal.

Until he received two text messages. He glanced at his phone and instantly he was brought to the realization that this was reality... and that there might be a chance that Scott could remember him.

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View the above photo for the text messages. :)