Page 69 of Don’t Forget Me

Lysandra snapped her neck in my direction as she squinted her eyes. “That is rude. I am nothing like the people from your world.”

“I’m joking,” I laughed.

She was right, though. That was what I loved most about her. Lysandra began her life in the slums of poverty and fought to be in the position that she was in today, and she didn’t allow her success to transform her into a superficial person.

“Hilarious.” I watched her roll her eyes with such ease. As if the action had been practiced a million times before.

The cold air of November bit into my cheeks. I let out a breath, the condensation coming out as white smoke. I felt a droplet fall on the top of my head. My brows scrunched as another drop rolled down my forehead. My eyes found Lysandra, who had wiped the bridge of her nose, a look of bewilderment etched across her expression.

We remained still as we realized that more droplets had been falling from the dark clouds above, and in a matter of seconds rain began to pour down on us.

When I thought back to this moment, I believed the rain was divine intervention. That night changed the entire course of our lives. The clock that had stopped ticking, began to tick again.

“My makeup!” she cried.

“Really? I never believed you to be so vain and make a comment like that,” I replied.

Lysandra lifted a hand and slapped my shoulder.

“Do you live far from here?” I asked, raising my voice, hoping she could hear me through the roaring of the thunder. The coffee date would have to be postponed, unfortunately. We wouldn’t know how much rain would pour tonight, and I didn’t want to risk her health.

“I do,” she cried, and then groaned. “I forgot to call the electricians to fix my heater.” She set a hand over her temple.

“What about Camille?”

“She’s off on vacation somewhere.”

My loft wasn’t far from the set. It was just a few blocks down. What if I… I shouldn’t. But she couldn’t be left out in the rain like this.

“You can stay with me. My place isn’t far from here,” I called.

I saw the reluctance in her eyes. If she came with me, the walls that she had built for herself would come tumbling down. We both knew it. I just wished she knew that I didn’t intend to hurt her. Not again. Never again.

“The longer we stay out here, the more we put ourselves at risk.”

Getting sick from the frigid weather would impede our work on the film. The goal was to have her movie out by the next Autumn. It would push every plan back. There were the workers’ lives as well. They could potentially drop the project if they thought it was taking too long, or if they found a better opportunity. A whirlwind of scenarios crashed into my mind.

“Okay,” she said. I grabbed her hand and hauled her with me. We ran across the streets of Edinburgh, searching for refuge. An oasis from the storm that began to roar in the Heavens above. Lightning flashed with power, almost blinding me on our journey to warmth.

I was more worried about her health, so I pushed my legs to move faster. “We’re almost there.”

Lysandra began to laugh. I looked back at her. “What’s so funny?”

“I’ve never seen you so worried before,” she let out between breaths.

“Now is not a time for jokes, woman. Hurry your feet, we’re almost there,” I exclaimed, hauling her with me.

“My feet hurt. These shoes are killing me,” she complained.

“Lysandra, are you always this insufferable?”

“You know that I am.” I could feel her grin appearing on her lips. Reluctantly, I let go of her soft hand and pulled out the keys to my apartment. We jumped up the small steps. My fingers trembled as I unlocked the door that would lead into my foyer.

“The rain make you cold?” she asked.

Am I? I don’t know. I tremble when I’m nervous.

Lysandra Guerrera is here, in my apartment. She’s most likely spending the night. The last time we had been in such close proximity had been at the party I hosted a few weeks ago, and even then, we weren’t this close. Emotionally close. The festivity that Camille hosted hadn’t allowed for us to talk any further; she was more closed-off that night. Nonetheless, as we dripped across the polished floors, I could feel the force pulling us closer to one another.