Exiled (AmBw)

Chapter 35

Takanori POV

"It has to be her." I thought, staring at Crystal.

Even after mentally prepping what to say to her, while I watched the two of them talk, I still had nothing. I had a few opening lines, but they didn't feel right. I was thinking of starting with "Hey, missed me?" or "About time you showed up." Then I quickly remembered how hostile she was in the store, so I settled on the next best conversation starter.

Takanori: "So." I paused. "Crazy weather we've been having lately, huh?" I said, then immediately regretted my decision. Crystal's blank stare just perpetuated the feeling. In time her stare ceased, and she returned to ignoring me.

Crystal: "How long do you think she'll be? I have some things I have to do today." She said, looking at the door where Layla was taking her call.

Takanori: "She shouldn't take too long." I answered.

She nodded her head, then began to scroll through her phone.

Takanori: "So, what do you do?" I asked, hoping she'd say a bartender so we could wrap this three-year mystery up.

Crystal: "Look, we don't have to do the small talk thing. I'm just here to talk to my sister so." She said, letting the last word drag before returning to her phone.

Takanori: "Fine." I surrendered.

I stared at Crystal, trying to connect the dots. She sat across from me, annoyed by my presence. I found this strange because she was the one who almost had her tongue down my throat a few minutes ago. Yes, mine was too, but that was beside the point. She was the one who started it. Before walking over here, I contemplated the possibility that Crystal was the woman from my dreams. It would explain why Layla's face was so prevalent in my mind when I tried to remember her. I looked for more clues to prove that she was there that night at the bar. Even though Crystal seemed a bit trigger happy, I still needed some answers to the questions I've been carrying for years.

Takanori: "You like to wear jewelry I see," I said, noticing she had a few piercings and rings.

Crystal fiddled with a knuckle ring on her right index finger with her thumb before slightly rubbing her chest and playing with a thin chain by the rim of her hoodie.

Crystal: "Yeah, I do. What's it to you?" she said, irritated.

Takanori: "Just observing." I said, trying to tread lightly. "You seem pretty comfortable with glasses," I mentioned, noticing she was casually balancing Layla's empty frappuccino glass on its bottom edge with one finger. "Were you a bartender in a past life?" I said, trying to mask my question with a joke.

Crystal: "Am I crazy, or did I not just tell you we don't need to have any small talk?" She said agitatedly.

Takanori: "Fine, no more small talk. Since you're so offended by chit-chat, let's have a conversation." I said, getting exasperated by her constant state of irritation. "Have you met me before? Do you know me because I feel like we've met before, and I get a feeling that you know that we have?" I said, trying to get down to brass tax. "I feel like we were together."

Crystal: "In your dreams." She scoffed.

Takanori: "Yes, in my dreams, that's where I know you, but they don't only feel like dreams to me. They feel more like memories." I said, looking at her, hoping she understood. "My memories are blurry, so what I'm going to tell you is going to sound crazy. Three years ago, I met a woman in a bar or lounge, and I proposed to her with my mother's ring and promised her I'd protect her. I haven't been able to find any trace of her until now." I said, trying to summarize my dilemma. "Are you her?" I asked, almost pleading for an answer.