Memories Fade

Home Again

They spent twenty minutes in the car without speaking to each other. When they finally arrived at her how crazy her breathing was. She climbed the porch to her front door and made her way to her room. Asher followed her inside.

She added an extra outfit just in case her dad decided to have her stay again, aware of the boy walking through her home unsupervised. 

"You guys have a nice place," Asher called from the living room where he was picking up pictures from the bookcase and poking books he thought looked interesting. Gia didn't answer, she felt too tired to have a polite conversation. She stopped in front of the kitchen and remembered the hope she felt that morning. 

"You ready? I'm not a huge fan of being in town, ya know?" Asher nodded towards the door they had left open and started walking. Gia started following him until she heard a soft whisper. She was sure it was Cadence. She tried to listen harder, tried to figure out what he was saying, but couldn't. 

Asher snapped his fingers in front of her eyes and she felt her face go red from how close he was to her. She shook away the tingly feeling crawling up her back and followed him out the door. This time she shut and locked it before leaving.

Gia took a step back when she saw the idling truck in her driveway; she forgot they had used it to get back to her home. She took in the scene and thought about taking a picture with her phone so Cadence could paint the scene. Her heart sank at the thought of never seeing a new Cadence painting again.

She slipped inside the truck with her bag and locked herself in. Their ride home was silent, though, Asher tried to ask her questions about her family and the house. Once they got to edge of town, he stopped trying and she placed her head on the cold window. The scenery on the way back seemed dark and cold.

"I can smell the soup from here," Asher said as they pulled up next to the house. She felt her shoulders relax as she stepped out of the truck. Asher came around to her side and held his hand out. Gia stared at it for a minute, taking in the calloused fingertips.

"I can carry your bag," He said poking her in the head, "you really need to get back to reality." 

"It smells good," Gia nodded towards the house where, through the window, she saw Shin walking towards the door. She ignored Asher's extended hand and walked along the path to the porch steps

"Hey," Asher called after her, "It'll work out."  She looked back at him and gave him a slight nod. When he said those words, it felt real.

"Oh, thank goodness you guys are back!" Shin greeted them at the door with Do-No by her side, "I was worried I'd have to eat the whole pot of soup by myself." They walked past her and into the warm living room, "You can just set your stuff on the couch there, you don't mind for the night?" Shin started walking back towards the kitchen. Gia placed her bag on the couch and sat down next to it.

"You'd think we'd have a spare room for you, but the only room is down here and is occupied by a bunch of clutter." Asher slightly snarled at his sister who threw her hands in the air to shrug off his accusation.

"This is completely fine," Gia patted the couch as if to reassure them and encourage a more united sibling front instead of the bickering she felt coming. Gia hated when people bickered with each other, especially siblings.

They ate the soup Shin made and Gia felt more like she was home with each bite. Shin and Asher joked with each other and even got Gia to laugh with them despite the gnawing feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. Gia was happy she found a moment in all the madness of the day to laugh and feel lighter. The three of the them played board games for hours then Shin started yawning.

"Well, I guess I better head to bed or else I will pass out on this board game before you guys have the chance to wipe the floors with me." She stood up and went up the stairs. Gia noticed Asher's eyes were locked onto her and she shifted in the discomfort.

"You aren't going to sleep tonight, are you," Gia looked towards the window, checked the clock on her phone, and counted down the hours until the next day.

"I haven't been able to," Gia shrugged and stood up from the table, but who knows." Gia made her way to the couch with Asher behind her. 

"It isn't healthy, you know. Not sleeping." He said after a minute of them staring at each other. She nodded and shrugged.

Gia wondered if it was possible to develop a crush on someone after knowing them for just a day. She figured it would be since she had a few crushes on celebrities and she never even met them. Her heart beat faster at the thought of someone as handsome as Asher having a crush on her. 

"Just, don't think I have any kind of feelings for you," he stood up and walked towards the kitchen, "It's a medical fact that not sleeping is unhealthy for your body." Gia felt panic rise in her. Did she speak her thoughts on crushes?

Gia sat on the couch trying to hear what Asher was up to in the kitchen, she pictured him rummaging through the cabinets, filling something up with water, and turning on the oven. There was a long minute of silence where she debated going to the kitchen to check on him. As soon as she stood up, she heard the familiar whistle of a kettle and sat back down.

"This is some kind of sleep tea, don't drink too much of it or else you'll be out of it even when you wake up." He was holding two cups of tea and his lips gently found their way towards the top of one, "ah, still so hot!" he jerked his head up as he handed Gia the other cup.

Gia sniffed the tea as Asher headed towards the stairs, she wasn't sure if she wanted to drink the tea or if she wanted to stay awake. She sighed and took a big sip, it burned her mouth, but the moment the tea went down her throat she felt her limbs grow heavy. A brief moment of panic washed over her as she thought of the stories involving young girls and unknown beverages. That quickly faded as she took another sip and placed the cup onto the table in front of her. 

She didn't know how long she watched the fire die before everything faded to black.