Forget Me Not

Chapter 12

"Hi," she repeats back, the smile still on her face. The room was quiet again but it was much more comfortable than it was at first. I slightly tilt my head to the side a bit, clearing my throat gently.

"You look great!" I say, easing the mood. I walk around her to the couch and take a seat, expecting her to follow. She doesn't at first, but after a moment I feel the couch shift. I guess one could say I was trying to break the ice. However, I'm not a polar bear. She blushes, folding a piece of hair behind her ear. I pick the remote up. "Want to watch something?" Now I feel like the quiet one when she doesn't respond.

My heart is still racing and I still do feel sick to my stomach but my ego is getting the best of me. She shakes her head and takes the remote from my hand. She places it back down on the table. Her shirt rises a little and I see another scar on her lower back. If I remember correctly, she had many surgeries. Aside from the head trauma, she also had a back injury that involved a simple cut across her spine, a stomach injury that ruptured her spleen from where the seat belt was, bruising on her chest and legs again from the seat belt, but her legs are from where her knees collided into the dash and a few broken ribs, a sprained wrist and a twisted ankle. All of which, she seems to be recovering effortlessly from. Then again, she's always been a fighter.

"I want to talk," she says. I look over to her and take a deep breath in. Truth of the matter is, I want to speak as well, but the problem is all of my questions and topic involve her, the accident and what she's been up to and I do not want to bombard her. So, I just nod my head in hopes she'll take the lead on this. "Okay, I don't want to hold back. I want to be honest in hopes you'll do the same. First, I want to start off by saying I don't remember a thing about you - other than photos and what people have told me. Second, some guy posed to be you back in Michigan and now wants me dead. So, I do sincerely hope you're not anything like that. Lastly, I didn't come here to," Her eyebrows crease and she gets a confused look on her face. I remain quiet, but my mind is focused on the guy who wants her dead. I don't remember her having any enemies - except Chris, her ex. He can't stand the fact she left Michigan to begin with. It could be him but I highly doubt he wants her dead. Plus, wouldn't she know it's him? "What's the word?" She asks, looking at me with a frustrated face. "I didn't come here to ugh, what is the word?! I didn't come here to rush.. Ugh," She groans a bit, but I think I know what she means so I lean forward and chuckle.

"You didn't come here in hopes of making everything better, but you wanted to make a start?" I offer. Her face lights up as she nods quickly.

"That! Thank you.. I didn't come here for that. I do feel like I miss you. It's a weird feeling. Like, I just met you today, but I feel like I miss you so terribly much." She runs a hand through her dark brown hair and sighs. "I'm sorry, that's rushing it isn't it?"

"It's okay," I smile. "I miss you too. And no, it isn't rushing it. That's just being honest." She just smiles. My heart melts. Her smile is one of the only things that hasn't changed. I'm thankful for that.

"Anyways," She continues after a long moment. She turns her body to face mine and smiles, placing her hands on her thighs. "Let's uh, let's talk. Liz told me you're in a band."

"I am. We're called Hot Chelle Rae." I respond, criss crossing my legs in the couch as I turn my body back to face her.

"Have you written any songs?"

"Yeah, of course, many."

"Can I hear some?" She says softly, nodding over to the guitar. I glance over to it then smile and look back towards her. I lean backwards and grab the wooden instrument. I didn't know what to play out of the songs I've written - there's so many. I can't play her a love song but I can't play her a sad song either. I could play her something like I Like It Like That or Tonight, Tonight. I feel my lips purse in thought as my fingers graze over the bronze strings.

"Do you have any requests?" I hear myself say but then blink, laughing slightly as I notice her facial expression. "Sorry, I forgot.."

"And I'm the one with memory loss," She jokes with a smile, her eyes rolling. "Something fun, sad, funny, I don't know.."

I sigh dramatically. "I forgot to mention I suffer from selective memory, oops?" I smile. Although hints of awkward lies in the air, this feels completely natural. Like nothing's changed even though everything has. "Does it have to be one of my songs?"

"Oh, my bad! I'll try to remember that." She laughs out, shaking her head. "What are you scared to sing me something of yours?"

"Absolutely not!" I argue falsely.

"Then sing me something!" She groans. "You're so stubborn."

I just smile before shaking my head slowly laughing quietly. I finally decide on Alright. It's my all time favorite and it's one of the only songs that I didn't write about her - seeing as though this song came out on our first album. I try to focus on playing. Nash normally does the guitar, I just sing.

"Come back in the middle of the night and tell me everything is gonna be alright, it's alright, it's alright. We're face to face while the stars are burning bright and tell me everything is gonna be alright, it's alright, it's alright
It's alright, it's alright . It'll never be alright without you."

Once the song is over, I realize how closely related it is to us. Suddenly, I feel slightly guilty for singing it. I look up to her and she's smiling widely, blushing very slightly.

"That was beautiful," She says softly. "Oh my god, you have such a good voice."

"Thank you," I smile. "Do you play?" I know the answer to this - but if I want to start over, I gotta know this Megan.

"No," she says. "Well, yes, but I'm not amazing at it." That's a lie, Megan. I hand the guitar to her and smile.

"Try,"

She gives me a look before taking the six string and holding it awkwardly. She looks to me with a soft expression, as if asking for help. "Like this," I say. I gently take her hand and place it onto the neck, putting them into a C position, taking her other hand gently and strumming. I smile at the sound it makes and so does she. She strums it twice more before it becomes natural and switches from C to D, D to A, A to E, E to F and F to G. "There you go!" I say with a huge smile. She still has it in her.

"Wow," she says with a laugh. "That sounded good.. Okay, okay. Uhm, I think I have a song. I heard it on the radio while we were traveling here." She says softly. She sat up straight. She looks at me once mor before playing Sparks Fly.

I remember her love for this song - and for Taylor Swift. It's one of the more easier songs to play which is probably why she picked it. She messes up once, but finds the groove and plays the song with somewhat of ease. For some reason, she didn't sing, so I did. Her face went from concentrated to relaxed and full of life as I did. Small laughs escape her mouth as she plays. She looks to me and at "I run my fingers through your hair," she joins in. Her voice hasn't changed one bit - it's stronger than it was and more beautiful. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Liz and Jamie walk in. Liz is smiling from ear to ear and Jamie looks stunned. I kept going right up until the end and Megan laughs once she's done.

"That was amazing!" She squeals. "Oh my god, I didn't know I could do that!" She places the guitar down gently. Liz walks over quickly and smiles.

"I told you you could!" She says, laughing. She hugs her sister tightly.

"Dinner's ready. Mom told us to come to get you." Jamie says, laughing a bit as he helps me up. He leans into my ear and whispers, "I thought for sure this would be a lot more awkward than it is."

"Oh shut up," I laugh. The two of us walk into them kitchen and behind us, Megan and Liz follow.