Only one person had ever reduced her nervous system to rubble, and that same person was once again in front of her.
She’d mused that it was possible she’d run into him if he still lived in Utah, but once she was back in town for a bit, that idea faded away.
And when she lifted her gaze to look at those familiar gray eyes, the only thing that seemed recognizable, and forever unforgettable, she wondered if he remembered her.
Probably not, she surmised.
Why would he? It was a lifetime and forever ago.
Lisa gave a slight nod and smile to prevent embarrassing them while playing “Where do I know you from?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Splice.”
And as she figured, he didn’t seem to know her, which was a relief when he replied. “Yeah, you too.”
But his stare didn’t leave her face, and Lisa forced her body to relax so as not to show her edgy energy.
“My car should be here by now.” She said so to make her escape. “Call me when you’re home from your vacation, and have the best time, guys.”
The pair embraced, and Lisa’s stride carried her around the side of their house, out of the gate, and thankfully into the waiting car.
Only then did she exhale, blowing the blonde bangs from her forehead.
“Holy shit.” She muttered to herself.
Of all the times and places, huh?
She’d randomly run into former dates from time to time, and it never bothered her. If they were good guys, she’d say hello and ask how they were doing. If they were colossal assholes, she’d walk on by.
So why was she feeling altogether different now? So much time had passed. She was probably a different person from the one he knew.
The journey back to her house took next to no time because Lisa only lived on the next block to Nina, and as she paid and unlocked her front door, she paused, scrunching her nose.
“Did I really avoid reminding him we knew each other?” she asked herself. “Lisa, you crazy girl.”
Then she shook her head in her doorway as she punched in her security code to turn off the house alarm.
Lisa had been married into a fancy family that threw parties just for kicks. The guests were always big shots, politicians, and stars, and she’d never freaked out like that before.
But then, she admitted, some people were always meant to affect you in fundamental ways, big or small. It had been a decade since she’d laid eyes on that man.
Ryan Gold—now Splice—was one of those memorable people.
Their passing might have only been brief—barely filling up a few pages of her book of life—but she’d never forgotten one moment she’d spent in his presence.
And as she kicked off her heels, her feet were grateful to be set free. She walked over to the fridge to grab the creamer to make a coffee before she went up to her home office.
She smiled to herself, knowing that memories of the past and her first love would come to mind sometime tonight.
Even that was inevitable, though she hadn’t thought about him in forever.
THREE
Lisa
The tough part about digging up old memories is that they can get messy when you let them resurface.
Lisa realized too late that night.
