I'll Remember

Chapter 16

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

It's harder than I thought.
I can't even say the words to myself, how will it come out saying this to Joy?

She's my girlfriend, I shouldn't have a problem saying it to her.

I sat in the grass, in the middle of track and stared at the ground, as if it could give me answers.

"Okay, you got this," I whisper to myself in a sigh.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I reached for it knowing it was a message from Joy.

Joy: I'm coming.

Oh crap, she's coming.
Okay, she's coming.
Relax.

I typed a quick okay, and put the phone back in my pocket.

A few minutes later Joy came.

"Hey, Leo." I heard her voice behind me. I stood and turned around.

"Hey, Joy." I felt terribly nervous after seeing her.

She's pretty. She was her regular Joy self. Her hair was out and she wore a black hoodie, that looked like it could be mine, maybe it was, who knows, and some plain jeggings.

Her whole outfit made her somewhat, freekishly more prettyer.

Was she really my girlfriend?
I mean, I'm way out of her league.

"Let's walk," Joy said making me stop staring at her.

"Sure." I managed to say, forgetting about my whole rehearsal to say I love you, to her.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" I ask.

Joy walks beside me with her hands in her pocket.
"I just wanted to tell you more." She answered.

"Tell me more?"
She didn't say anything for a while.

"Here, was your favorite place to go." She started.
"Mostly because, people never come here anymore and well...it's out side."

"We met here."
She finally said after a while of silence.

Now that is somthing I haven't thought about.

" You were in the middle of the grass, like always." She smiled and looked at the orange sky.
"It was night, you were alone...we were alone.

A few seconds of silence.

"We became friends over night, then started noticing eachother at school. Hung out at school."

"After a while, you asked me out. I kindly declind."

Wait, you rejected me?

"But then, you did somthing really stupid for me."

(Silence)

"When I heard you got into a fight, I was mad, because what idiot fights for a girl who already rejected you?"
Joy poked my arm.

"You were that idiot."
She smiled and we once again, walked in silence.

A whole minute passed without either of us saying anything.
I opened my mouth to say somthing but, Joy did first.

"You don't know how it happend,"

"What?"

"The car accident."

Ugh, not now.

Joy read my expression then said,"Don't worry, neither do I. I was going to ask you...but," She trailed not wanting to finish her sentance.

So I did,"I ended up losing my memory."
I sighed.

"Before it happend..."Joy stopped walking. I did too.

"You said you had somthing important to tell me,"

Of course I did...

"So did I."

We stood there looking at eachother for a while.
"What was it?"
I ask in a quiet voice.

To be honest I didn't really want to know.

I was suddenly shredded with guilt.
I left Joy.
Alone.
Again.

I'm a terrible person.

"Well I don't remember it all that well but," She said, stumbling over the word remember.
"I just wanted to tell you that," Her voice was getting lower as she spoke.

"You were everything to me,"

And at that moment, all I could listen to was Joy and her words.
Words that I was supposed to hear a long time ago.

"Leo...when you were gone, it was the hardest time for me. I genuinely thought, you were dead after the first month... I cried...allot. But, I realized, I should never give up on you."
She paused.

"Believe me when I say it, I never gave up on you."

I believe you, Joy.
I didn't say that, I let her speak.

"I wasn't the only one, Leo. Micah, Dallas, your dad....We never gave up even if there was the slightest chance, you might not have made it.....When you did wake up, I felt my world was being put back together, after it had shattered.
"I'm not mad at you at all, I'm not upset, that you lost your memory...I'm grateful. Really grateful. Because, who knows...it could've been worse."

Joy took her hands out of her pockets.

"I'm happy....and watever you wanted to tell me back then, it dosnt matter now, because I know what I want to say."

Joy took a step closer. She opened her mouth to say something, bit nothing came out.
Instead, a tear slipped down her cheek.

"I.." She whispered, not finishing what she was about to say.

I....
Could it be... a coincidence that we're both trying to same thing?

Joy wiped her tear with her hand and looked back at the ground.

Okay, so say it.

"Joy.." I say in low voice.

Say it.
Once again nothing came out my mouth.
I'm getting nervous.

Joy looked back at me. Her eyes glicened from tears.

We stared at eachother for a long time, I don't know how long, but a while.

Screw it.

" I love you."

Yea, I said it, but my voice came out funny.
Except, I figured out why, after realizing Joy said the same thing the same time.

I stared at her once again, and she looked to the ground as if she were blushing.

Joy...blushing.

She looked back up at me closer than before. So close, our noses were almost touching. I thought she was going to kiss me, but instead, she hugged me.

Very suddenly.

Her arms were wrapped around me, and I then did the same to her.
We were hugging for what felt like hours, but I'm pretty sure, it was only a couple of seconds.
I didn't really want the moment to come to an end.
In that hug, I felt like I never left Joy. I never left her alone and broken all over again.

I remembered, that I promised myself to never leave her..but I did.

And I oop😮🐀🐀😶👀💦😍🙊💜💜💜