Amnesiac

Thirty First

Just when I finished doing that hand-greet thing with Liz, my phone vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans, technically tickling my butt. I took it out and smirked at myself as I saw the message.

Darren: hey, I miss you. Do you mind if I go there and take you out?

"This is surprising." My best friend spoke. "If there is something I know well about your mom, it is that when she hears something about your relationship with Darren, she will call and warn Darren about it immediately."

"She's been doing that?" I asked her.

"Yeah, even before you got the amnesia thing." She says. "I mean, I get that your mom is a control freak, but I never thought that she would also control your own relationship."

"So that pretty much explains why Darren would always be so sweet when there was an upcoming doom between the two of us." I said in realization. "The two of them prevents everything that would possibly jeopardize my relationship with Darren,"

Liz nods and I looked down on my phone. It was now or never. "So you're doing it already, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said. "Maybe this is the start of a better life for me."

"Poetic." Liz rolls her eyes at me before going to the kitchen to grab something for the two of us. I on the other hand, punched in words for a reply to Darren. As I said, this is going to be the start of something better, so I should start making a move.

Sure, no problem. We really need to talk anyway.

-

I sat on one of the booths in the café as I waited for Darren. I can understand it though. The drive from my original address to here was quite a drag. A part of me remained anxious, seeing that what if Darren is as apeshit as my mom? What if he would lock me to himself?

I can't live with that. I'm with Karlos too.

Karlos.

I fished out my phone and immediately punched the numbers I memorized. He hasn't visited in a while, because he's considered the chance of getting in the internship that happens to be willing to give him the job with pay.

"Andromeda?" Karlos answered by the second ring.

"Ate Andy!" Colleen screamed from the somewhere near Karlos.

"Shush, Colleen." Karlos lectures her. "Hi, it's been a while, what's up?"

I sighed and leaned a little more to the backrest of the seat. I smiled like a lovesick puppy, hearing Karlos thick voice was enough to make my day. "Hey, um," I stammered. "I'm about to do something big. I just want to know...do you trust me?"

The line was silent as I waited for Karlos to answer my question. "Of course I do," he says and I imagined him smiling. "I know you can do whatever you plan on doing."

I smiled at the simplicity yet sincerity of his answer. "Thanks Karlos, that's what I really wanted to hear." I exhaled and ran my free hand through my hair.

"Look, I would as much love to talk to you more but Colleen is having tantrums right now and she wants to do something." He explains and I imagine him frowning. As much as Karlos loves his sister, he is usually annoyed with how much energy she owns.

"Sure, bye, Karlos." I said then the line went dead. When I heard the beep signalling the end of the call, I suddenly felt alone again. It just really proves how much Karlos took me over with his presence that I resent his absence too much. Okay, well, that was a little poetic.

The bell by the door rings and I snapped my head up, meeting the usual up-do hairstyle of Darren. He smiles when he spots me and jogs his way to me. I smiled up to him, although I cannot decide whether my smile was real or fake.

He kisses me on the cheek. "Hey," he says and I nod back for greeting. "I'm so glad you agreed on seeing me. I missed you a bunch."

If I was probably oblivious, I would be swooning over how sweet he was. Maybe I would offer some sex too, like how I did before. But the thing was, I am not the oblivious amnesiac twisted girlfriend. Not anymore.

"You too," I deadpanned. "Look, we really have to talk about something."

"Well, we're talking." He gestures to the two of us. This Darren was different. The last Darren I was encountered with was more like a beast. A selfish type of beast. "Anyway, what is it about?"

"Us."

"Us? Is there something wrong between the two of us?" he asked.

I nod. "I don't like to beat this up to you this way, but Darren, my amnesia has drifted." I said simply. "I remember pretty much everything. Including the night,"

He seemed to go pale. "I—"

I raised my hand to beat him up on speaking. "Look, I love you, well, the way I remember it, I think I did love you." I said. "But Darren, after that night when you cheated on me with some random chick, which was honestly not the first time, the feelings I have for you just simply... drifted off like how the amnesia did."

"I am honestly fucking angry for your lies this whole time." I said, tightening my grip on the hem of my shirt. "You know what was running in my mind this whole time, Darren? If you love me, why didn't you tell me the truth that I broke up with you when I woke up from the coma? Were you that selfish enough to keep me tied to you when you honestly just broke everything we used to be in the first place?"

I was out of air when I finished my tiny little speech. Darren looks down, the wood of the table suddenly becoming interesting for him that it deserves his attention. "I'm sorry." He says. "I just... I know that I am a douche for cheating on you like that—"

"Of course you are a douche. That is automatically given,"

He sighs. "Anyway, I really am sorry for that. I just don't like the thought of losing you. I mean, you were the school's top chick and when I dated you, everyone was like, glad that we ended up with each other." he says. "And having you out of my grasp, it feels like it's a big wound for my ego, and as you see it, I am definitely one of those egoistic jerks."

I smirked. "Definitely," I said, "I just want to give this a proper closure, you know. I don't want to leave anything hanging over the edge just like that."

He smiles. "I understand." He says. "Well? I guess this is the last straw."

I shook my head. "You know, having someone to be my other friend besides Liz would be amazing. Besides, you're my ex now. Why not be friends to prevent having people thinking that we're bitter?"

Darren laughs. "Well, okay, we're friends." He finalizes. "Tell that Karlos dude that I'm sorry for everything that I caused between the two of you. It was obvious I was the burden between your romance."

I smiled. "Will do," I said then smirked, "Say, since you're my friend now, why not treat me with some frappe? We're not surely putting this cool café to waste right? Their coffee has been intoxicating me already."

He laughs but then obliges, sliding out of the booth then lines up in the queue.

This is good, being friends with Darren, I mean. I don't have anything against him, despite everything that has happened between the two of us. Deep down, it was obvious he has a good side somewhere and someone is ought to get it out of him. I wasn't just that person who has to put it out of his shell. I'm sure he'll find someone.

I sent a text to Karlos and told him that I'll be passing by in their house later and maybe crash in. I plan on telling him everything later, and I hope that the labels we want to claim for each other will be exchanged later on.