Around The World With You

TEN: Sunshine, Take The Keys

It felt good to be back in Jake's car.

How did he even get hands on one?

I was beside him and Abigail at the back tapping away on her phone.

I took tiny and discreet glances at Jake. His position was easy, ready to face anything that comes on the way. His dark green eyes had a glint of mischief and his easy smile was calming to my senses.

How could he have forgotten me?

"What do you know about me?" I asked, eager to extract proof for fact that he was actually a soul turned into a human.

"Zilch," he turned his head toward me, "I don't even know your name."

Frustrated, I threw my hands up in the air, "Then how do you know my address! Are you stalking me and failing to admit it?"

He chortled, "Of course not. I'll let you in on some intel," he turned the wheel towards a sharp left and I kind of fell on his right arm.

What? I didn't have a seatbelt on.

Finding myself, I sat straight again, cringing.

"I think, I lost my memory. I don't know who my parents are. I don't know where I live. I don't remember anything about my life other than my name."

Jackpot.

Hunch number 2, in the process of turning from soul to human, his memory was washed away. I inched further on this idea,"What is the first thing you remember?"

He knitted his eyebrows as he pressed the break in front of a traffic light.

"The first thing I remember...is..," he turned his head to me and his gaze distant, "You."

I doubled over. "Me?" I asked,pointing a questioning finger at myself.

The car started off again as the lights changed from red to yellow to green. And the pedestrians walking across ceased as the huge mass of cars were allowed to move again.

"Yeah. The first thing I remember is you sitting next to those plants and you looked so broken that I knew I had to help you."

Nodding, I decided to stop. This was getting too confusing for me. I just hoped he would reveal what he really was at some future point of time.

Because, this couldn't be a coincidence. It couldn't be coincidence that the person I have been having in my head looks exactly like this kid.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

My phone vibrated in my hand. I turned it over to find Ryan's name in the screen. I accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Come over to the house. Fast. Mom and Dad's here. Hurry, or they'll leave!"

A crackle sounded and he ended the call.

I was left hanging. Mom and Dad back home so early? And leave? Why would they leave and why would I have to be there?

Jake must have seen my tensed expression because he asked me, "What is it?" His voice reflected my tension.

"I don't know. Can you drive faster? I need to get home fast."

He nodded and turned a sharp right and I bumped myself against the door, "We'll take the shortcut and put the belt on for heaven's sake."

His driving was scary. Like final destination scary. Abigail was screaming her heads off as he almost ran into an old lady. I followed the same action as he drove over the speed breaker with such velocity that I hit my head on the roof. "Ow!"