When We Crashed (ON HOLD)

19| Try

Chapter 19: Try (Zander's POV)

I can't believe I just did that. I was going to make her remember me first and then kiss her. But it's all happening backward. 

I sighed, putting my hands on the wall, staying close to her. "I can't pretend to keep hating you anymore, just because you don't remember me. That's not your fault, we both know that. Do you remember anything about me? Or about us?" I asked again, slower. 

If she thought about it with a clearer mind, she might remember something. She stared at me silently for at least a minute, maybe before she softly whispered, "No." 

I closed my eyes, ducking my head and pulling away from her. 

"You feel like a stranger." 

I looked out the window. 

"But... still familiar," she sighed. 

My eyes snapped over to hers.

"I don't remember you... but my body does." 

I blinked, letting her continue. 

"The kiss felt familiar. And I didn't kiss you back because I could understand why it felt so normal. It felt like I'd kissed you before. Multiple times. Have I?" 

I nodded softly. 

"Were we... together?" she whispered. 

I nodded again. 

She let out a soft, barely audible gasp. "Were we... in love?" 

"Yeah, we were. That's... why I kissed you. Hoping that you would remember doing it in the past or you would feel the familiarity, I guess." 

She blinked, raising her fingers to her lips. 

"But you're right. I shouldn't have kissed you without asking for permission, especially when you were talking, that was out of line." 

"Wh... what happened then? I mean to us? When I left? With the accident? I'm... I'm very confused, sorry, I can't..." 

"You don't have to be sorry, it's understandable. I'd been pretending not to know you but now I kissed you. Out of the blue. I'll tell you what happened, okay?" 

She stared at me for just a minute. "Were we really in love?" 

I nodded. 

"What was in the box? I saw it today but I didn't open it. I was too scared." 

"It's... an album that I gave you. It has all our pictures. I gave it to you on your birthday, the same day as the accident. I didn't want you finding it because when you first got back, I didn't want you to remember me." 

"Why not?" 

"I was scared. I didn't think you'd still want to be with me. I still don't know if you would," I mumbled, staring at the ground. 

"Can you tell me what happened? All of it?" 

I looked back up at her. I nodded. But I don't know if I can tell her about the accident. I don't know if I can admit that I was right there with her, and I still couldn't help her in time. "We'd been dating for two years." 

"Fourteen?! I became your girlfriend when I was just fourteen?" 

I nodded, chuckling softly. "Our families were somewhat close. We were friends first. You, me, and Preston. I liked you a lot but I didn't speak to you until I met you officially at a party with our families. We started dating, gradually. Then Luna joined and you became friends with her too. We all became friends. Then on your birthday, I came to your house bright and early. I brought you that album and a giant teddy. I planned a picnic and then..."