After a long day on the job, seeing a bunch of things you never really want to see, most of the time it's a good idea to go to your local bar. Sit down, have a drink, and relieve your stresses. Being a detective was fun, and Jess loved it, but it wasn't the easiest of jobs. Especially mentally. Today, there was a huge case with human trafficking. It was going to kill her if she didn't get to the bottom of it. Men were taking these girls and doing God knows what with them. Turning them into criminals when they have a bright future ahead of them. They deserved better, and that's what Jess was trying to give them. Though, some that came in seemed like lost causes she still tried to help them no matter what. Some thought the men actually loved them, but Jess knew it was nothing like that. Another day of not solving this huge human trafficking case, Jess just wanted to go wallow in her own sadness.
It was the summer of 2017 now. A lot has happened for Alex. He was on tour. The Last Young Renegades tour. It was one of the most fun ones he'd ever done. Being a band for so long meant now, he got to revisit some of his favorite places on the tour. This was about his forth time going to one of his favorite pavilions in San Diego. He was happy with his life, but still there was just a hole he couldn't seem to fill. Not with anyone or anything. He just felt empty, like he was missing something, and to be quite honest he wasn't positive what it was.
He stepped up next to a woman with brown hair and thought nothing of it of course. Sure, she looked pretty from behind but he may as well not even try. He wasn't good with girls, he never was. Right, he was hot and gorgeous and girls all over the world thought so, but he's almost thirty- as scary as that number seems- and all his fans and others are about fifteen usually. The only girl he was ever good with was Jess. He never thought about her anymore, or at least he liked to think that. Still he did, because thinking about not thinking about her was still thinking about her.
Jess looked over as a man with brown hair and a flower-covered shirt approached the bar. His hair covered his face. It was so long. She wondered when he was going to get a haircut, but who knows, maybe he wanted a mullet. She watched him take out his wallet and she didn't look away even though she should. Good thing she didn't, because she saw the unexpected. She saw herself. Her eyes widened as she saw the Polaroid in the mans wallet. He was extremely tall to be Alex, but people grow. She watched him hand the man money, and he went to turn away. She couldn't let him go. Still, her eyes were wide like she'd seen a ghost. And she had. A ghost of her past. She reached out and grabbed his arm, which caused him to turn around. He stared at her a minute. He looked so much older. So much more healthy. So much more confident and happy. He didn't look sleepless, he looked.. great. He was even hotter than before.
The face in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. He didn't want to say something wrong and hurt the girls feelings, as he didn't remember who she was exactly. So, he stayed silent and waited for her to say something. She was gorgeous though, no doubt about that. There was something weird drawing him towards her, and now he was wondering if his obsession over Jess could stop.
"Alex?" She spoke, still unsure even though that was him, it had to be. He had her in his wallet still, and she was beyond flattered. She had their prom pictures up in her house. She loved them. She had lots of pictures up. Still she never reached out to Alex when she should have.
When he heard her voice, that was when it hit him. Of course, his was a lot more deeper now. Still, he knew who it was now and he didn't know what to think. How could he not recognize her? True, she was a lot older and completely different looking, but he knew she was still undoubtedly the love of his life. How could he not remember her? "Jess?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's me." She let out a breath of relief. She was on the edge of her seat. She didn't know what to say, and it was obvious he didn't either.
