Wistful Remembrance (Wattys 2014 HQ Love Award Winner!)

5. Well, Too Bad I Can't Remember Ever Doing That Before When I Obviously Have

Chapter 5

Well, Too Bad I Can’t Remember Ever Doing That Before When I Obviously Have

 

 

“Em, what are you waiting for?  Come on!” Jason called from across the courtyard of the Louvre.  Dad and Mom had already headed inside, but Drake, Jason, and I had slowly made our way toward the entrance.  They would be in a meeting for at least an hour before we’d be able to go behind the scenes of the museum with them, watching as Dad worked a little curator magic.

“Any day now, Emmy,” Drake yelled as he and Jason went inside. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I mumbled, trudging slowly across the courtyard toward them.  I took my sweet time, resulting in them holding the doors open for three tour groups.  That’s what they got for rushing me.

“Do you need a cane, old lady?  It took you forever to get here,” Drake grinned. 

My answer was to punch his stomach as I walked inside. 

Why was I going so slow?  Maybe it was because of what had happened the day before.

Who was I kidding?  That was the reason.

After spending hours doing more research on John Raymond, I only found a few more pieces of information about where I’d been found…and who I’d been found with.  And knowing them made me even antsier as I stepped inside the building.

Because I wanted to see him again…and ask him so many questions that I knew he could answer.

Why was I there the night of the raid? 

What had I done to get these scars?

Why did reading Ed Parsons’ name make tears burn in my eyes?

How did I have any connection to any of them?

Why did I feel so connected to him?

But seeing him again also brought along the nerves.  If I did know him from before my accident, what exactly went on between us?  Did we just know each other, were we friends, or were we something more?

I didn’t know what possessed me to entertain the thoughts of being more with him.  Maybe it was the feeling of the thought just being right…or maybe it was the way my heart hammered whenever I merely thought of him…or maybe it was looking down at the ring on my left hand that got me thinking…

No.  Stop right there, Emmy.  Now, you’re starting to sound like a lovesick teenager, scribbling your name with his on your school notebook…

Emmy Raymond.

Oh…wow.

But what happened when I thought of that name wasn’t what you’d expect to happen.  A small, pulsing headache began in the back of my head.  It wasn’t strong enough to cause me any real pain, but it was enough to remind me that it was there. 

“You okay?” Drake asked, looping my arm through his as we started walking through some of the exhibits. 

Jason was already ahead of us, looking at every piece in the exhibit room we were in on the ground floor.  In the time that I was inside my mind, I didn’t notice that we’d already walked through a couple. 

“Yeah, I just have a slight headache.  I didn’t really sleep much last night,” I explained, rubbing the back of my head where the ache was.

He raised an eyebrow.  “And that would be because you were up on your laptop all night in the sitting room, huh?”