Remember me.

part seven.

Amelia remembered the exact words that rolled off the tip of Kelly's tongue many years ago, on the first day they met when they were only 11. It was at the back of the school stage. Our little Amelia was about to perform for her very first talent show. She stood at the back of the stage, all jittery. She was holding onto the microphone tightly, her little fingers curling around it with an iron grip as her heart pounded loudly against her chest. She was the most nervous she had ever been in a while. It felt as though her heart might just burst out of her chest any moment if it beats any harder. Amelia had stage fright, she always hated performing in front of a crowd with so many unfamiliar pairs of eyes staring and judging her every move and word. But for some odd reason, she found herself right in the middle of the situation she hated. 

She was busy fidgeting around, tapping her feet against the wooden floorboard that creaked under the smallest pressure. Her big doe eyes were peering from behind the heavy red curtains to look outside into the vast audience. She felt her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes grew wide. That was when she felt a small tap on her shoulder, making her jump a little more than usual. She was startled when she whipped her head around to see another little girl that she had never seen around in school. The girl was dressed in a bright shiny dress adorned with sequins and crystals, along with a pair of short heels that click against the wooden boards as she walked. Her blonde hair was weaved into fun little pigtails with dainty silk ribbons. The girl looked cheerful and as energetic as one could be, Amelia wondered how was it possible that she would miss someone this bright in a crowd.  

"Hi, I am Kelly!" She greeted enthusiastically with a huge grin plastered across her face, her emerald green eyes dancing with excitement. 

"Hello, I am Amelia," she replied, a small polite smile graced her lips as she returned a meek wave. The silence stretched between both of them when finally Kelly broke it again, her high-pitched voice ringing in her ears.

"You look nervous," Kelly pointed out rather bluntly, but that's just the way she was- something Amelia would have to grow accustomed to over the years. "Be brave," she encouraged as she shot her a playful wink. Little did Amelia know that it was only one of the many times that she was going to hear those words come out of her mouth. 

'Be brave'- Those two simple words echoing in her head. It became her mantra whenever she doubted herself or when things were tough and she simply needed that confidence boost.

This time, she was finally brave. Brave enough to show up right at his doorsteps with nothing but a list of questions she had already written down. She knew that she could never avoid this forever as much as she wanted to. She knew that if she never finds out the truth, it will keep haunting her, following her everywhere like a shadow. And now, it's time to finally face it.

Nathan did not have a single clue that the girl he wanted to see so badly was currently standing right outside his door, the only thing separating the two of them- physically. Neither did he know that her heart was thudding at a speed she never knew was possible as she recalled every little step she took that led up till right here. 

She had stayed up many nights, writing and typing away as she worked on her little novel. But last night, she had stayed up writing every single burning question she had on a piece of paper instead. Her mind was everywhere and so were her words. They were scribbled messily in black ink across the paper that was already crumpled as Kelly gave her all the reasons why this was a great idea. But that was only after their 2 days of cold war. 

Amelia had refused to talk to Kelly, declining every call and ignoring every text. She was furious when she found out Kelly was lying about not knowing who Nathan was. She was even more furious when Kelly refused to say or tell her anything about him even after she found out she lied. "It's better you ask him yourself." Those were the words Kelly had said to her when she was caught lying. "Go talk to him."

But friends fight all the time. Amelia found it in her heart to forgive her when she apologised, bringing over her favourite Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies with pecan nuts. After all, how can she stay mad at her best friend? And so there they were, sitting by her study desk in her bedroom as Amelia scribbled away. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked for the fourth time now.

"Yes..." she drawled. "Just do it already. You got this, be brave my angel."

So there she was, right now, coming face to face with the boy she tried so hard to avoid. He was surprised for a while, his eyes widened to the size of a saucer when he opened the door to reveal Amelia standing right there in front of his eyes. It was nothing like he had ever imagined. He never would have expected her to come to him anytime soon and so he said it. "Hey, didn't expect to see you." 

"Yeah, hi." They stood by the door for a while, looking at one another as silence settled between them. "So are you going to let me in or what?"

"Right. Come on in." He gestured awkwardly as both of them settled down on one armchair each, sitting opposite of one another. "So you finally came huh?" Nathan started, his deep voice piercing through the silence that was hanging in the air for a tad bit longer than they both liked. He was still leaning back onto the couch with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked over at her, waiting for a reply with a deceivingly relaxed expression on his face. He wouldn't say it out loud or even admit it, but he too was nervous, maybe even more so than Amelia. And fear crept into him as a million of thoughts swirled in his mind. 

She quirked a perfectly groomed eyebrow at him, confused as to what he was trying to drive at. "What do you mean finally? Were you waiting?" She asked, her body leaning slightly forward as if to get closer to hear his response clearly so she wouldn't miss it. But of course, he won't say a word about that as he gulped inaudibly. Though, he very well knew that over the days, he found himself constantly watching his phone, waiting for a call or text from her. Whenever a notification popped up on his screen or his phone started ringing, he would rush to his phone expecting to hear from her but only to be disappointed. 

There was a long pause as he took in another deep breath before bluntly ignoring her question and changing the subject not so subtly. "How did you find me? Why are you here?" Amelia realised this, of course, she was not one to miss details. But in the end, she chose not to say another word or call him out.

"I have my ways and we need to talk," she replied, her voice firm as she straightened her back. By "ways", she meant Kelly. Of course, this was all Kelly's doing. She was the one who gave her his address the very day they fought, exactly 2 days ago. And why exactly? The answer remained the same- it was Kelly who convinced her. "I have questions." She reached into her bag, scouring for the piece of paper she was just scribbling on the night before.

"Do you know me now?" He had asked and she stopped rummaging to look up at him. The straight forward answer was no, she hadn't got a clue as to who this boy was. Not only did he look unfamiliar, even his voice sounded unfamiliar, almost like a stranger - a word Nathan now learnt that he hated. But the words that came out of her mouth were much more than just a simple no. Even though she didn't know this boy, she knew she couldn't bear to see the hope fade away from his bright eyes to become consumed by sadness. So she tried her best to make her words hurt less, she was constantly thinking about others- it was both her strength and her weakness. 

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "Trust me, Nathan." He hated the way she said his name, the way it sounded. It no longer rolled off her tongue smoothly like before, it sounded as if she was trying to speak a foreign language. "I tried. I really want to say I know you, that I remember you. But the truth is I don't and I am truly sorry but-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, she found herself interrupted by the dark hair boy, his words cutting her short. "What are you sorry about? That you don't remember your own boyfriend?" His lips were twisted into a grim line as something hard crept into his voice, sharpening his words. He felt a hollow feeling sitting right in his stomach and he felt sick to the core. She didn't miss the sadness that crossed his face for a barely a second and the hope that was extinguished from his eyes just right before. "A no would suffice."

"Wait, you are my boyfriend?"

A/N:

Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well. Thank you for giving me the support and reading this book, it means a lot to me! Don't forget to vote, comment and share if you enjoy it and I would love to hear from you (:

Much love,

Rachel xx