Ariya

I couldn't seem to process the words coming from his lips. It didn't make sense, none of it did. How could he possibly remember me? After all this time? He meant so much to me but I guess I was merely a stranger to him.

A stranger.

"What?" I questioned, tears streaming down my cheeks. My chest rose and fell, burning and burning.

"Ariya, god-I always remembered you, all of it."

"I thought you had forgotten?" He added.

He took a step forward and I kept my feet planted, staring blankly up at him. My breathing hitching with every inhale.

"Why didn't you say anything! Khyson! Please answer me! Please!"

"Ariya, look at me." He cupped my cheeks and I nodded quickly.

"I remember all of it, I remember when we met in the fourth grade, I remember when you stuck up for me, I remember when I snuck into your room every night when your brothers were camp, I know you, everything about you, I know you love the colour purple, I know you love binging the office, I know when you sleep you always twist and turn in the night, I know that you love waking up early, I know that you had no idea how you wanted to live life, I know that because I remembered."

I was happy, so happy. But the feeling of euphoria hazed my judgment, judgment of reality.

"Khyson, I remember too, I remember when you snuck in, in remember when you comforted me, I remember when you held me. I know you have dimples, I know you like going on late night walks, I know you hate math but love science, I know you wanted to run your own enterprise, look at you, Khyson.. you did it." I softly shrugged my shoulder right before he embraced me.

I rested my head on his chest, embracing myself within him. He felt the same, he smelt the same, he was my Khyson. The same kid from all

those years ago.

"I missed you so much, Khyson."

"Missed you too, Ariya."

I backed away from him and sniffed back.

I unbuttoned the middle of my dress and showcased the skin just underneath my breast.

A small tattoo of the outline of a heart.

"Khyson?"

His hand reached forward and his fingertips grazed the skin of the tattoo.

He then proceeded to unbutton his button up and showed the same tattoo on the right side of his torso.

"You kept it." My voice echoed throughout the large office. I bent my head upwards to look at him.

"Rylan." He spoke, the words flowing past his lips so freely.

What!?

"What?"

"Rylan, Ariya. Your son? Was I that important?"

"Yeah, you are that important." I teased him with rosy cheeks. I lifted my hands and cupped his cheeks, grazing my fingers against his stubble.

"Ariya.. Ariya Allure Kingston." He spoke my full name and I smiled.

"You named your firm after me."

"Seems like we both think each other are important." He laughed.

I smiled at him and he smiled back, his dimples prominent as I let my fingers cascade over them. He hates them, he always did, I never understood why.

I seemed to get lost within his eyes, there was something so nostalgic and comforting about them that I couldn't pin point.

"What the fuck is going on!?"

Khyson and I both whipped our heads to the door seeing Kameron with furrowed brows.

I couldn't imagine what we looked like, with unbuttoned shirts, tears and me cupping his cheeks.

We pulled away from each other and I began to button up my shirt. Khyson stepped in front of me and made sure I wasn't exposed.

"Kameron, what are you doing?" He asked calmly, his work persona back up.

"I came in to look for you and then see you and Ariya, I don't know! Your shirt is undone, her shirt is undone, she's feelin' you up!?" He shrugged.

"Kameron, leave."

"Loo-"

"Now!"

"Jesus, fine."

He remembers, that felt nice to let out.

He remembers, oh gosh he remembers.

"I need to go." I blurted.

"What?"

"I'm sorry." I felt his hand wrap around my wrist. I stoppped in my tracks and looked down before whipping my head back to his. His face beckoned with sorrow. I bit my quivering lip.

"I'm so sorry." I repeated before pulling my arm from his grasp and rushing out.

I pushed his large double doors opened and caught a glimpse of Amara who began to walk up to me.

"Ariya!?" She caught up to me, I kept my head high and ignored her shouts. She grabbed my arm and I stopped.

"Do you need a ride home? Is everything alright?"

"I'm just not feeling too well, I'll take the train." I quickly mumbled before rushing off.

Khyson

I walked over to the edge of my office and pulled my stash of vodka out. Pouring some in a glass and walking forward to the large window. I stared at the city, the lights, I buildings.

She remembered me, after all these years. She was still the same girl I knew, the girl who refused the pulp in her orange juice, the girl who refused to hurt anyone on her own account.

I watched Kameron slip into my office through the reflection of the glass window, he closed the two blue doors and walked forward.

"Kameron." I stated.

"Khyson, what the fuck! You know she has a boyfriend right!?"

I kept quiet.

"Khyson, she has a fucking son! Whatever is going on between you two is not right."

I spun around on my toes and plopped down on my chair. Sipping the liquid in my glass.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"We've known eachother for about three? Four years?" I asked.

"Three and a half. To be exact." He corrected.

"Eight years.. eight years of friendship." I laughed to myself.

"Eight-what?" He questioned, shaking his head in pure confusion.

"That's how long Ariya and I have known each other.. eight long years." I laughed inwardly to myself.

"What? Khyson, what are you taking about? I thought I was your oldest friend?" He leaned back with furrowed brows.

"She had a deadbeat father, on and off mom, three brothers."

"She grew up in Atlanta?"

"Mhm."

"Fourth grade, Ms. Ruth's class, she asked me for a purple marker and I told her my box didn't have any but I had a red. She took the red and came back for another color, I told her to sit beside me, and she did.. for the rest of the year." Maybe she didn't remember the small details but I did, I remembered everything.

"Why wouldn't-why where you two acting like complete strangers?"

"Her brothers went away to camp, we slept in the same bed every night for two months, fourteen weeks to be exact."

"Did you two date?"

"Never.. we did sleep together once." I stated, staring past him.

"How were-how di-you slept with her?"

"She left, no warning, no note, no letter, nothing." I seemed to be caught up within my own memories.

"Khyson, you knew her this whole time and chose to pretend like you didn't remember her?"

His words slipped my mind.

"I looked everywhere."

"Khyson, is she the girl you couldn't get over?" His eyes opened in awareness and I adverted my gaze from the door to him.

He shot back and gasped.

"Shit! Khyson what the actual fuck is going on between you two?" He covered his mouth with his hand.

"Kameron?" I called.

"Yeah?"

"I think Rylan is my son."