Remember Me (1) {d. dobrik}

7

After that day, Sam didn't bring up the accident to David. It was a sensitive topic, and she was smart enough to know it was best to leave it alone for a while. She began focussing less on the memories she lost as time went on. David and their friends made enough new memories with her to fill the gaping hole in her mind. Their friends didn't talk much about the accident either, per David's request. He knew he'd have to tell Sam why she was on the road in the first place the night of the accident eventually. Putting it off seemed to eat away at him more and more as the days went on.

"She deserves to know," Natalie would tell him, "It'll be okay."

"Will it, Nat?" David was ask in return, "Because last time we talked about it, it didn't go so well."

Natalie would sigh, knowing he was right. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she wasn't sure he was. "Look, the further you put it off, the more she's going to wonder and the guiltier you're going to feel," she reasoned, "You made a mistake, but that doesn't mean you can't fix it. Just tell her. And this time, don't let her leave."

That was how David spent the next month of his life: debating whether or not to tell his girlfriend the truth. Truth be told, he didn't want to ruin the progress she had built up since the accident. She had to rebuild friendships with people she once called family, relearn the ins and outs of YouTube. She had to start over in her relationship with him. How could he tell her his mistake was the reason she had to go through all of that?

Each time he worked up the nerve to confess, he would see her smile, and he'd selfishly push the conversation off further. He wanted to be selfish with her. She was everything to him, and he couldn't let that go, let her go. He was given a second chance with her, though. Shouldn't that mean he shouldn't do the exact thing that put Sam in that hospital bed? Lies–they never got him far.

The day the truth spilled from his mouth would be a day he'd never forget. He tried to keep it from her. For as long as he could, he kept that night from her.

He sat nervously on his king sized bed, recalling the night everything went wrong.

Samantha sat on the white cloud couch, reading the email over and over again. She couldn't believe what she was reading.

A confession. Two lengthy paragraphs, explaining a night of infidelity. It left her speechless. Tears brimmed her eyes as she read it again, hoping the words "THIS IS A PRANK!" would somehow appear. But they didn't. Of course they didn't.

She loved him. Gave him everything and then some.

How could this happen?

Lost in her own world, she didn't even hear the front door shut or the "Hey, baby" that fell from his lips. She barely flinched when he approached her, and she nearly missed the words that brought her back to reality.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked.

She didn't look up at him. She couldn't without breaking entirely.

"When you were in New York, you told me you were there for business," she started, "You were filming with Casey and going to a few meetings." She paused, "What else did you do?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? I was with Casey and--"

"Don't lie to me, David," she warned.