Page 162 of Invisible String
My head snaps in his direction. “Where?”
“I’m not sure. Anywhere, but I’m tired of this shit.”
“Can I come with you?” I pled.
“You can’t.” His voice lowers. “You’re too young. You can have my stuff, okay? Take what you want. You stay strong. Take care of yourself and don’t let anyone fuck with you.”
I nod, and he gives me a bear hug.
Drake ran away.
Another week and a half passed,and school will soon start. On Friday, I’m going to be placed in a new home.
The ring of the doorbell startles me. Maybe it’s Sol. I run halfway down the stairs. A man is at the door with blonde, reddish hair and a nice brown, clean suit.
“Hello, I’m Rowan, and this is my wife, Jenna,” he says. “You asked us to come over to pick up Sol’s items.”
“Yes, I didn’t know you were coming today. I’ll get them from upstairs.”
The man waves his hand in mid-air. “That won’t be necessary. She hasn’t regained her memory. Her case of amnesia is severe. It’s best she doesn’t regain it. My wife and I have given it some thought.”
Slowly, I climb down the stairs until I’m at the last step. The woman turns and gives me a small smile. She seems nice. Will Sol like her? She waves, and I wave back.
“Are you sure that would be for the best, sir?” Mrs. Sara frowns at them. “She lost her mother and father. Surely you can take her photo albums. She might remember them.”
He cuts her off. “We are her parents now and will decide what is best for her. We just thought we’d let you know. You can trash them if you wish. We’re going to give her a new, fresh start. New name.”
Mrs. Sara just gives them a curt nod. She opens the door, and the woman steps out first. The man looks at me. He doesn’t smile. He just stares and walks off.
That night, I asked Mrs. Sara if I could take Sol’s things with me when I went. She smiled and said to take them. I also took Drake’s boxing gloves and baseball cards. He left a note. It read:I’ll find you someday.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
MAX
Rainey lies on my chest, weeping. I never thought I’d see her again. For all those years, I carried her belongings with me. It’s all I had to hold on to, to remind myself it was never a dream; she was real.
When I moved into a new home and school, I searched for her. My heart sank when I didn’t see her. All those times we ran into each other, I tried to regain her memory by calling her sunshine, Twizzlers, dancing with her, and buying her a dog named Daisy. I’ve tried too hard to get her to remember.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she muffles into my chest.
With my index finger curled under her chin, I lift her head to meet my eyes. Gently, I wipe her tears. “You did nothing wrong. You have nothing to be sorry about, baby.”
“Yes, I do because I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember us at that age. And I’m sorry for how my adopted parents treated you. I’m sorry I left you alone. I’m sorry you had to continue throughout the years in different homes while I was living a make-believe life.”
“Amor mío,none of it is your fault. I’m happy you lived a safe and happy life. I was so worried about you all those years, I wondered. Then, when I saw you at Highland Academy. Ithought I was dreaming. My heart sped up. I wasn’t sure if you had gotten your memory back. When you approached me, fuck, I was scared. I was a skittish kid back then. I didn’t know how you would react to seeing me again.”
“Were you upset I didn’t remember you?”
“I’ll admit I was upset a little at first when you spoke and said your name was Rainey and you seemed different in some ways. I hated people’s hands on me, but that same day, you took my hand like old times. Wanting to get to know you again was hard because you weren’t Sol anymore; you were Rainey. The more you forced your way into my heart again, the more I realized you were still my Sol. Sweet, smart, witty, and beautiful. Then seeing you smile and be so damn cheerful all the time, I knew you were happy with your new life. You weren’t in pain from losing your parents and what had happened to you in that home.”
“What if we get married and have kids? And we spent all these years together, and I never got my memory back. They said you could trigger it back.”
My lips brush every tear on her face. “If you never regain your memory, that’s fine. Your memory might not have remembered me, but your heart did. What a coincidence. Our gaze met on the first day of school, and you ran up to me.” I laugh at the memory. “You were attached to me all over again. Then you asked me to kiss you. Although it wasn’t our first kiss, it was our first kiss with tongue and me getting hard as a rock.”
Rainey’s arms wrap around my neck as she steadies herself on my lap. “Then you left.”
“When Andrew told your dad, he came looking for me. He wanted to see the guy who was with his daughter. Turned out it was me. The last person he would think of being around you again. He remembered me and told me to stay away from you, that I was nothing more than a trigger. He said a lot of other shit and had me sent me away.”
