* Hi my fellow wattpaders! This chapter is dedicated to my good friend, @Portia_Whitlock for making the awesome book trailer on the side>>

FINALLY, after a billion gazillion years (kidding), "MB'SBF" now has a book trailer! ❤❤❤

Please watch it, loves. Xx

Also, read her book "21 Days in the Philippines"! Truly an interesting read if I say so myself. You should read it, alright? You would absolutely love it! I got hooked reading it only once. ;)

==

-Alexis Reed-

Darren stopped the car in a nearby playground making me raise my brow.

"We're here." He smiles.

He gets off the car and opens the car door for me. I gaped at him.

He's really bipolar... that's for sure.

Now he's acting all gentleman-ly and I'm not used to it.

I got out of the car when he slowly intertwined our fingers.

My face turned scarlett in an instant! He's holding my hand!

"This is the place! The air sure is fresh. It's been a while I've been here." He smiles, stretching his arms and letting go of my hand.

Bummer. I was even enjoying that.

"Yeah, it seems.. nice." I replied, holding the two swing handles.

The swing set only has two swings for two people to play with.

I was about to sit on the right swing when he stopped me, sitting on the right swing seat and sticking out his tongue at me.

"Hey!" I pouted, slapping his arm.

"You always sit on the left swing." He chuckled.

"I do?" I frowned.

He nods his head while I sit on the left swing.

"This is where we first met." Darren says. his voice seems so calm and.. gentle.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

Just imagining Darren playing in a playground is already too odd to me.

"I never imagined you in a playground. You're so... cold." I honestly shrugged.

"I wasn't cold.. that was until you forgot all about me." He mumbled.

But I heard it.

"I'm sorry.." I apologized.

As much as I want to remember my memories, I couldn't.

I was sinking in all the detail, everything about this playground but.. na-da.

It doesn't really ring a bell to me.

"It's not your fault. I'm at fault here. If I didn't leave you on your own then Carson wouldn't have kidnapped you." Darren replied nonchalantly, swinging himself up in the air.

"WHEEE!" He shouted.

Honestly, it was very cute.

Darren's swinging like a kid.

"You're swinging too high." I laughed.

"Yeah? You used to swing like me too! We even compete who swings higher." Darren replied.

"Oh?" I smiled, "It's on then!"

"Bring it!"

Then Darren swung himself high.

"Not high enough." I chuckled, swinging myself back and forth.

I felt like a child. No worries, no drama.

When life was simple.

We played the swing a couple of times until he gave up.

"It's not the same anymore. I'm too heavy to push myself." Darren snickers.

"That's too bad. I was just having fun." I pouted.

Darren stopped swinging and sexily raked his hair with his fingers.

"Well, that's adorable." I said, rolling my eyes.

But inside, I was drooling and so checking him out.

"I know you can't help but check me out." He teasingly smirked.

"You're really such an egoistic jerk. Aren't you?" I laughed.

That's when I noticed his eyes piercing through me.

It was like he's reading me.

"Let me show you something." He smiled, getting up from the swing and held both of my hands, pulling me up as well.

He was walking speedily infront of me making me pull his shirt.

He turned to look at me in confusion and I just smiled, intertwining my fingers between his.

I blushed at this simple gesture and I guess I surprised him as well.

I mean-- I initiated in holding his hand.

"What? Aren't you going to show me something?" I asked, my gaze plummeting to the floor since I'm probably as red as a beet right now.

"Right..." Darren replies, looking away and tugging me to a big apple tree.

The tree is really big-- I assume it's really old. It towers among all the trees.

He lets go of my hand and I watched him as he seems to search for something.

The next thing I know, he's climbing the damn tree.

"What the hell are you doing? It's dangerous!" I said, laughing.

He looks like a monkey. There were even leaves stuck to the fringes of his hair.

What is he searching for?

"Found it!" He said, smiling. "Wooohooo!!" He cheered.

"What did you find?" I asked, smiling.

Today, I saw a different side of Darren.

His playful, childish side.

It was really heartwarming.

Him being excited over small things like these..

I liked it.

"Check it out, Alexis!" Darren smiles.

"Should I climb?" I asked quizically.

"Yeah. You should or else you wouldn't be able to see this."

"Just tell me what it is." I sighed, not really wanting to climb since I'm wearing a dress.

"You should see it for yourself." He pouted.

"Fine." I replied glumly.

I took off my wedges and walked barefoot, climbing the big tree.

"That's my monkey." Darren claps.

"I so hate you right now." I huffed, panting for breath.

With all of my strength, I climbed the tree but it was no good. I kept slipping.

"Here." Darren smiled, leaning down the branch he's sitting on and offering me a hand.

Of course, I couldn't deny the offer.

It's also another excuse for me to hold his hand, duh? ;)

I grab hold of his hand and it was as if I'm lightweight or something, he lifted me up like I'm nothing but air.

"You're heavy." He whined.

"What?! And you pulled me up like I was nothing."

"Oh? I'm just strong. I mean look at my biceps?" He winks.

"You gotta stop being narcisstic, don't you know that?" I replied.

"I'm not narcisstic. It's the bitter truth." Darren smirks.

"Oh? Whatever you say then." I replied, wanting to sound uninterested but in the inside...

I couldn't agree more.

He's hot and that's the bitter truth.

"Close your eyes." He smiles.

"Okay." I closed my eyes gently and he held my hand.

Inside my head, I was like-- OMG he's holding my hand.

In my heart, it's like-- BADUMP, BADUMP, BADUMP.

"Open." He whispers, sending tingles down my spine.

I opened my eyes and couldn't believe it.

"Yup. We drew that together." He smiles, touching the wood carving.

It was heart shaped, with the initials "A + D" written on it.

"This is so... cute!" I squealed but then I frowned, "I couldn't remember it though.."

Darren gave me a sympathetic smile saying,

"Don't worry. You'll remember everything soon."

"I hope so." I sighed.

I can't believe I don't remember these crucial and memorable things in my life. The thought just makes me so sad...

"Do you know the story of this wood carving?" Darren asked, pointing at the wood carving.

I shook my head in response.

"I'll tell you everything from the very beginning..."

I nodded my head, anticipating our story...

The story of us.

"That sandbox over there..." Darren pointed to the small sandbox below us, unlike other sand boxes, the sand here looks somewhat like mud already.. It looks so old now wonder.

"I have a question..."

"What is it?" He asked, placing my loose hair back behind my ear.

"How old are we when we met?"

"I think.. eight." He laughed.

"Eight? No freakin' way."

"Yes, A. We're eight years old when we met." He says, ruffling my hair.

I cocked my head to the side, raising one brow.

"A?"

"I call you 'A' when we were young. You called me 'D' back then." Darren answered.

We have nicknames for each other?

I've known him that long?!

No wonder he has the locket with my middle school picture inside it.

I still wonder what's the reason behind that locket though..

"You must be thinking about the locket." He said so suddenly, as if reading my thoughts.

I was shocked but then simply nodded my head.

"We found that locket in that same sand box." He explained.

"We did?"

"Yes."

~~~

I saw a little girl crying. She's really pretty.

She seems to be alone in the sand box.

I approached her, poking her face.

She was surprised, wiping her tears.

"What's the matter?" I frowned.

"I lost my doll." She bawled.

I rubbed her back to calm her down.

"Let's find your doll. Don't cry anymore! Crying won't solve anything." I smiled.

"Okay." She said, wiping away her tears.

"Where did you lose it?" I asked.

"Here. I just left it here when I was finishing my sand castle." She sniffled.

"Don't worry! We'll find it. Let's search the whole sand box."

We searched the whole sand box, it was little but at that time, it seems so big.

"I found it!" She happily shouted.

"That's great!" I clapped with her, looking at an old rag doll.

I was going to crawl my way towards her side of the sand box when I tripped on something.

I fell flat on the sand and felt something on my feet.

That's when I saw a silver heart shaped locket.

"What's that?" She asked.

"I don't know. It's a woman necklace I think." I answered.

"Wah! It's so pretty!" She squealed.

That's the first time I saw her smile.

It was pure bliss.

"I wonder what's inside!" I say, opening the locket up only to find it empty.

"You can slip on a picture in there." She replies.

"Oh? I'm keeping it!" I happily smiled.

"What? No fair. That's for girls." She pouted.

Although I knew how much she liked the locket.

"Don't worry, when we get married, I'll give it back to you." I smirked.

I saw her cheeks tint pink and I thought she was going to kill me and steal the locket away from me.

Instead, she nodded her head.

"Okay!"

I blushed as well when she said that.

"I promise to marry you!"

I was young back then.

However, I'm not a guy who breaks his promises..

"I'm Alexis!" The girl greeted.

"I'm Darren." I smiled back.

Both of us shook hands and that was the start of a budding friendship.

~~~

"What? Tell me more!" I say, my eyes tearing up, slapping his arm repeatedly.

I mean--

That was really cute! It would pass for a movie love story.

"What? Stop it. That hurts. I'll tell you more next time." He laughed.

I pouted but I have no choice.

I don't remember a single thing.

"Fine."

If only I remembered my memories...

* Snap! *

"What's that...?" I twitched.

"I don't know--"

"AHHHHHH!!" I screeched when the branch we're sitting on snapped.

"ALEXIS!!" Darren shouted, grabbing hold of my arm.

"That was close.. Whew." I sighed in relief.

"Yeah--"

* Snap *

Uh oh.

I spoke too soon...

"We're so dead, aren't we?"

Darren nodded his head as both of us fell from the enormous tree.

* BAM! *

We hit the floor and of course, we're in pain.

"Ouch.." Darren says.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He eyed on me questionably. That's when I felt my arms hurt from the impact as well.

"Ow!" I cried out.

I hear Darren chuckle,

"As always, you've got late reaction."

I shied away, blushing.

Then, with a quick move, he turned us around.

That's why our position right now is him towering over me.

It's.. not really a decent looking position if you ask me but we're not doing anything dirty just so you know..

My heart is hammering inside my chest and he smiled.

No, no, you've got it all wrong!

It's a genuine smile this time..

"I've missed you." He says, playing with my hair.

I opened my mouth to respond but I don't have the right to.

I can't say I miss him too since I don't even remember our memories together.

God, it's so depressing I wanted to cry.

"You know what?" He smiles, kissing my forehead.

I gasped with his small gesture and blushed crimson.

"W-What?" I croaked.

"I love..."

Is he going to say it again?

Will he tell me he loves me once more.

God, I wanted to hear it so much.

Go on, Darren.

Tell me--

"I love food."

I love food.

I love food.

I love FOOD.

What??

He smiled faintly, standing up from the ground smoothening the creases of his pants.

I was left stunned, lying on the ground in shock.

Darren was already walking away but he stopped when he noticed me still lying on the ground.

"What are you lying there for? Let's go!" He laughed.

I stood up from the ground, glaring at him.

"That was so mean!"

"What's mean about that?" He asked.

I stomped my foot, making my way towards him.

"I was expecting something back there!" I pouted.

"Well, don't expect too much. I told you before, right?"

"What..?"

"I told you I won't say it again." He whispered, making me shiver.

He pulled away, smirking, then he stretched his arms.

"I heard your stomach grumble. Let's go grab lunch first." He laughed.

"What?! My stomach didn't grumble." I defensively retorted.

"Deny all you want. Geez, you like to deny a lot, don't you?" Darren teasingly snickered.

"Whatever. I'm mad at you." I pouted.

"Oh? You can't be serious." He pouts back.

"I'm kidding." I giggled.

"What's that? You say I'm hot?"

"You have a really big head. Don't you?"

We hopped inside Darren's car, fastening the seatbelts.

I kept stealing quick glances to the place where we first met and there's this butterflies in my stomach again.

"What do you want to eat?" Darren asked.

"I don't know. Where do we usually eat before?" I asked back.

"Well, there's this little cafe we often go to but right now you might not want to go there--"

"Let's go." I interrupted.

Somehow, I like this kind of atmosphere.

It's friendly and warm.

Right now, I don't really know a lot about my memories but--

I will try my best to remember each and every one of them.

After all, I can't possibly forget memories I made with my first love.

If not, then, I hope to make new memories with him.

**

How's this chapter?

More tidbits about their past to be revealed next time--

To where they may go.

However, OPEN QUESTION: Where the heck is Carson?

Hmmm, did he already give up? Or is he brewing something nasty again?

Any wild guesses?;)

Nonetheless, I hope she remembers her memories. *sniffs*

Darren's such a darling when he's young!

What happened? Hehe; a full-fledged hottie happened. ;)

Send some vomments, aryt?

PEACE.

Xx