Our Last Dance

Chapter 20

As I drove down the street, a thought kept nagging at me: how many other people had I forgotten? I knew I'd forgotten Elijah and that woman from my dreams, but who else? Ever since my visions started, I'd known that a head injury wasn't the real reason. Something else had happened in the past, something messed up, and everyone had been determined to keep it from me.

Except for Elijah and Esha. Even though they'd been lying to me, they were still trying to help me remember. But why all the secrecy? Why had Elijah been urgently triggering my visions? There was a sense of urgency in his actions, but I didn't know why. It was like he wanted me to figure it out on my own, through my memories. But why? Why not just tell me the truth if it was simple?

But it wasn't simple, was it? It was complicated.

Still, I couldn't shake this anger towards Elijah, especially him. I confided everything in him, and yet he just kept pretending like he didn't know me, like he wasn't someone I once loved deeply.

I turned right at the intersection toward my college. Esha had said she'd meet me there. I told her I needed some girl time, wanted to hang out together.

But really, I needed Matilda's number. She was an old friend from last year, from when we studied together. That's why I was meeting up.

I parked the car in the college parking lot, switched off the ignition, and then grabbed my coat. The weather was starting to get colder, and I hated winter.

Getting out of the car, I walked toward the college entrance, rubbing my palms together and blowing warm air into them to fight off the chill.

Now I was certain that Esha wouldn't divulge my dreams and visions to my parents, especially since she and Elijah were in this together, pushing me to remember. But she wouldn't reveal the whole truth to me either. If that were the case, they would've disclosed everything by now. It seemed they were pushing me to recall my past on my own, without directly revealing the truth.

So, instead of waiting around for my memories to magically return, I was going to take matters into my own hands. I'd play my cards right and try to uncover the truth on my own.

They weren't directly revealing the truth for a reason, and I needed to uncover that reason.

I hurried toward the college entrance in my flip flops, feeling like a duck waddling in the cold. God, now I remembered why I hated winters so much.

I entered the college, weaving through the bustling crowd of students despite it being a Sunday. The campus hummed with activity, a mix of studying and socializing echoing through the halls. Dodging a group of giggling freshmen, I made my way toward the inviting aroma of coffee and baked goods drifting from the cafeteria.

There, at a corner table, sat Esha, her bright smile instantly warming me as I approached. "Hey, babe!" she greeted, waving me over.

"Hey, Esha!" I replied. "God, it's freezing out there," I remarked, rubbing my palms together for warmth.

Esha chuckled, closing her laptop to focus on our conversation. "You always exaggerate the cold, Layla. It's not that bad," she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want," I retorted, grinning despite myself. "I'm just not built for this weather."

"Anyways, what's with this sudden meet up? Missed me too much?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

I hesitated for a moment, knowing there were so many questions I wanted to ask her. But I couldn't just dive into the deep end like that. So I let out a small sigh before replying, "I just needed some girl time, you know?" I said, offering her a small smile. "It's been a crazy week, and I could really use a break."