Forget Me Not (YiZhan Short Story, COMP.)

REMEMBER ME, MY LOVE

"Will you forget about me..?"

"I shall not, here is my promise.."

~~🍀~~

"Leo. Leo. Leo Wang!"

I flinched and my eyes bulged at the man behind me, calling my name. It was my good friend Tao who seemed mystified and was gazing at me like he had seen a ghost or something. I responded to him with a What are you looking at dead stare and only laughed at me explaining that I had just spent a minute staring blankly and weirdly at the painting hanging on the wall, like a crazy person. I noticed that the other students and the professor have already gone on and proceeded to the next location in the gallery and I didn't even notice them gone. Tao slapped me on the arm and motioned me to hurry up as he follows the others, and only replied to him with a slight nod.

Once again, I looked at the portrait not too high from me. The portrait of a man holding the hand of a boy walking to who knows where and I felt somewhat captivated by it. It was like a dream, a Deja Vu as people say it, like somewhere in time, I was that boy and the man holding me, I'm not so sure who but, seemed familiar and I can picture in my mind the feeling of his hand in mine. I didn't even look at the name of the painter but why does it feel so sad and why do I seek to know who he was and for some odd reason, yearn to be with him? I was confused. My hand couldn't take it anymore and I tried reaching for it for a little touch but before I could do so, a hand snatched my wrist and pulled me away from my daydream.

"Yibo! I thought you were behind me. Dr Kuan is looking for you.."

Tao said to me with an irritated tone without looking at me as he continues to pull me and I couldn't get away. Still shocked, I glanced at the painting one more time before I eventually yanked my hand away from my friend but he just eyed me with both his hands on his waist like a mother ready to scold her kid.

"Ai! Yibo, what is going on with you..? You seem to be in a daze these past few days. You wanna talk..?"

I just raised my brow at the nagging man in front of me and answered back with a firm no which he is used to when it comes to me. He didn't respond back and just sighed at me but he knew that I was lying. It's true, I have been out of my usual self lately and I can't blame him for worrying about me since we have been friends for a long time and it's not common for me to lose my concentration easily especially when it's school-related. I am studying to be a doctor and I am in my final year now but you might be wondering what I am doing in an art museum. Well, as a part of Dr Kuan's requirements before graduating from med school, he organized an excursion for us to go to a gallery where he told us that he would like us to meet someone he admired since he was a kid and is very dear to his heart. As his juniors, we couldn't say no although we found it strange at first.