ELAYNE

Forgotten

"What is happening?"
I screamed.. Tears streaming down my face. A group of men were attacking me. One of them was holding my wrists against the wall and the others were running towards me.
"Help meeee.!!"
I screamed and tried to free myself from the hold of the man but he was way stronger than me.
I could feel his nasty breath.. I was disgusted.
His hold was growing stronger and I could feel myself becoming unconscious.
"Ina..."
I opened my eyes only to watch the panicking face of Lola. She continued to shake my shoulders even though she knew I woke up.
"Are you having an another nightmare?"
She asked me with a concerned look in her eyes.
I could only nod as tears were filling my eyes. "It felt so real..", I replied while she hugged me tight.
"It's ok Ina.. You are safe. Please sleep in my room if you can't handle these."
I nodded and quickly took the coffee mug in her hands, chugging it in as I was drained and thirsty by the nightmare.
Lola then stood up and went back to her room throwing me the house keys. " I will be back soon Ina... I just got a huge amount of work pending. "
"It's fine.. Bye." I replied.
I let out a sigh and got out of bed. I washed my sweaty face and went to the windows, drawing the curtains open. I was observing the street down which suddenly gave me a throwback to yesterday's drive through the rain with the man I met.
" What's his name? I should've asked him..ummm.. Arghh...Dammit Ina!"
Feeling frustrated, I went back to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast but Lola was kind enough to prepare everything even before I was up.
A fond smile appeared on my face knowing how considerate she was.
Lola is working and is older than me but she's my bestfriend which I'm proud of.
This was when I remembered the call from Mr. Phil.
I took my cell and dialed the last number I saw.
The phone was picked up after a few rings.
"Hello Mr. Phil?"
"Hello Ina..??"
"Yes.. It's me. I'm sorry about yesterday."
"It's fine...

Miss , it's about the book that you returned. A man claimed it as his own and took it the other day."

"okay..Thank you for informing me."
I ended the call letting out an another sigh.
"Why do I feel heavy inside? Why am I going crazy all of a sudden? I feel an attachment to the book all of a sudden...how strange."
My mind always looks for the hidden meanings in almost everything. I often find the most subtle things in nature interesting..
I got dressed up and got out of the house. The air was pleasant unlike the past few days. My mind was clearer too. Something inside me feels different today. I went to the grocery store and then back to my car in the parking lot. My eyes suddenly met a familiar figure standing beside me. I wasn't sure if it was the person I was hoping it would be.
The man turned around and my guess was right.
"Hey.. What's up?" I immediately started a conversation as I was hoping to meet him again soon. I couldn't wait nor was I patient enough to wait for him to start the conversation.
A big wide smile appeared on his lips as his gaze met mine.
"What a coincidence... How are you?"
He asked.
"I'm great.", I smiled at him which caused him to let out a chuckle.
"I was in such a hurry yesterday and couldn't ask for your name.. " he added.
"Me too.. It's Ina. Glad to meet you again and thanks for helping me last day. I would've been trapped if you weren't there."
He fondly looked at me as if he was admiring me. His eyes were wandering between my eyes.
He stared towards the ground for a while and met my gaze again.
"I'm August.. ", he responded but his face wasn't as happy as before. It felt almost as if I have triggered him in a way. I shrugged it off in my mind while he caught my attention by saying something else.
"I don't know if you can but I would be glad if you would show me around. I have a hard time getting to know these places.I'm confused and somehow again ended up in front of you." He wasn't giving me much attention while asking me for the favour. He was arranging the files in the car to make space for the bags in his hands.
"Of course... I'm bored anyways." I giggled like an idiot as those words spilled out of my mind but the man had a stone cold expression which confused me.
"Let's not waste any more time then.. Get in?", he asked me slightly tilting his head which made my heart flutter out of nowhere.
I nodded and got in his car which is now familiar to me and the intoxicating smell it had.
He was driving to a place I suggested where home appliances were available. It was quite far from the grocery store. The quiet jazz music from the stereo was calming my overall body and mind that I drifted to a shallow sleep.

.
.
.

I opened my eyes and noticed that I was still in the car and started cursing myself for falling asleep in a stranger's car. He had his face on the road even though it was stopped in the middle of traffic.
"Are you feeling better... Ina ?" he asked me facing his face towards my direction.
My cheeks suddenly started burning up and I could feel my heart racing as I heard my name from his mouth. His voice, deep as an ocean just like the look in his eyes.
I nodded, hiding my blush with my hair.
We went to a few shops and I helped him carry his newly bought stuff around. I even took him to my regular café and had a chat. He felt like a safe person. I got closer to him in just a day and I have a feeling that he would've felt the same way too.
It was dark and he offered me a ride home again as I already had Lola pick up my car from the parking lot near the grocery store.

We were passing a bridge and I felt a sudden deja vu. "Stop!" I exclaimed.
He was surprised to hear the sudden voice. He parked the vehicle near the bridge.
I exhaled a huge amount of oxygen and softly looked at him. He had a confused face.
"I'm sorry.. I want to spend some time there" i pointed towards the bridge.
He nodded as i unbuckled the seatbelt and walked towards the bridge.
As I was standing there, all the memories again came back to the surface.
I could see the lights from the other side just like the time I spent with Tyler.
A single tear drop fell on my cheeks, remembering our memories.. His face... His voice.. So distinct yet clear in the back of my head.
As I was immersed in my thoughts, I was taken aback by the sudden tap on my shoulders.
He stood beside me without uttering a single word. It felt like he could read my mind without asking me.
A motorcycle appeared in front of us and asked for directions. August gave him the directions to which I furrowed my brows. After the man left, I turned towards him with an annoyed face.. "How do you know the directions if you are new to the city?."
He smirked and stared right into my eyes which was now giving me goosebumps all over my skin. "I used to live here and I had a lot of special people here. I went to the school that was in the direction of that place."
He continued.
"I had to leave this place,the memories and everything around me changed quite a lot.." he let out a sigh and fondly smiled at me. My eyes were fixed on his face, taking in each word he was speaking out.
I wanted to know about him. I wanted to know him better.
"I lost someone who made me happier than anyone. This was a place we used to hang out at. Nights like these were my favourite with him. I haven't been here for almost a year."
I explained.
He stared into my eyes which was now filled with tears. He had an undescribable look on his face and I wondered what he might be thinking. He was gazing right into my soul and I noticed tears forming in his eyes too.
I had no idea why this man felt for me this deep even though I just met him last day. I talked to him a bit more about Tyler as he was silently listening to me.
"...... It's hard for me to forget". I let out a sigh and shed a few more tears.
He took his hand and wiped it away from my face which caught me off guard .

"No words can heal what you might be feeling inside and I'm only someone you just met but Something in me is hurting to see those tears. "
He spoke in his deep raspy voice only to make me more emotional than I already was.
I quickly grabbed the collars of his shirt and cried hard. He didn't hug me back which made me feel worse than I already felt.
He was standing there like a statue and I couldn't stop myself from crying. Finally, he brought his hands to both of my shoulders and looked into my tear stained face.. I saw a numb face which almost looked broken asking me
"Don't you really remember me Ina?"
.....