Don't wait for me

Chapter 3: Bandana

He couldn't get it out of his head. Caesar had been thinking about it over and over during an entire month. He was ghosting every 'friend' he had, knowing they couldn't last very much longer anyway. The most frustrating thing is that he had no way to reach out Joseph. No Facebook account or anything with his name. He surely felt like a creep, searching everywhere for Joseph Joestar. He even wished for his watch to break again. But he could do nothing but wait, so that's what he did.

He had a lot of clients that day. A girl with long dark and wavy hair who wanted a watch for her small boyfriend, a buy with earrings shaped like ink pens who seemed to take notes of what he was seeing, a guy with a weird-looking orange hat and a pink haired dude who was making a phone call with a toothpaste tube. Hopefully they weren't all here at the same time.

Caesar was now alone, he took the necklace with the big ruby and contemplated it. The sunlight that was refracted trough the stone made amazing reflections, the deep red becoming more and more enigmatic as he observed it.

The sound of that damn bell cut him out of his focus. The big brunette was here.

At this moment, Caesar had a hard time controlling himself. He wanted to yell 'Fucking Finally', jump to him and ask him the question right away. But if the answer was going to be negative, he would simply embarrass himself.

-Don't tell me you've-

-No, Joseph interrupted.

-Hey I didn't even end my sentence.

-You were gonna say 'Don't tell me you've broke it again', so no, I didn't.

Caesar was a bit confused, and stressed out in anticipation.

-Why are you here then? he asked.

-I...was bored, that's all.

His answer was clearly implying that is was not all, but the reason could wait.

-Well, good thing you came. I'd like to ask you something.

Joseph came closer and his face was telling he was paying attention.

-Did we know each other before? he abruptly said. Before I turned fifteen?

Joseph's eyes widened, his month opened, then closed a second after.

-We did...we were friends, Caesar. I don't really understand how you cannot remember...

Caesar decided to close now. He turned the panel, took Joseph to the back room and made him sit on the sofa with him. They both needed explanations.

-Amnesia, Caesar said. I've lost every memory from my birth to my fifteen years. Head trauma.

Joseph looked chocked, but let him continue.

-Now, my first memory is waking up at the hospital, being told that I nearly died in a car accident that caused my dad to pass away. I trust my memory, but I can't trust the words of strangers. Please Joseph, I need you to tell me...who I was.

He stayed silent for a moment, then said quietly.

-You were...smaller.

-Huh, but you're the big one now don't you see?

Joseph laughed gently, and stopped, a strange smile on his face. But then, he began to tear up, and cry, his hands covering his face.

It must be weird, Caesar thought, being a stranger to a long-time friend.

-Hey Jojo, what's wrong?

-No, it's nothing, he said, his shoulders twitching. I just...I missed you.