Remember Me

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I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope we make it babe
For rich or poor, we won't be broke
But baby even if a nigga ain't rich

Remember me like this
Just like this

remember me; jeremih

As the day turned into night I lay with my girlfriend staring up at sky above us. My arms wrapped around her shoulders while she rest her head on my chest. Aaryn had been rocking with me through some of the toughest times in my life and put up with me through some of the dumbest things I managed to get myself into, yet her love never faltered. She always stood tall by my side.

In LSUs open stadium, we watched the stars begin to sparkle up high. In a few days, I'd be taking a plane to New York for the draft and things were getting sticky between Aaryn and I.

"Babe?" Her soft voice sounded off just above a whisper.

"Yeah?" I turn my head to look down at her. The lights in the stadium were off blocking out the lights from around the city, making star gazing a lot easier.

"Are you nervous? You know for the draft?" I felt Aaryn's hands brush absentmindedly across his stomach while she looked at me.

"Of course. I've waited my whole life for this and it's kinda surreal that this is happening now." I turned my head back to the stars and smiled. All my memories from childhood rushing into my head. Playing ball all by myself in the front yard, tossing it in the air and catching it, my mom rushing outside asking me what I was doing, responding with all the confidence in the world:'I'm getting ready for football mommy, Sunday football.'

"How much do you think things'll change?" I could hear the uncertainty in her tone.

"Do you want me to lie, or do you want me to be truthful?" I watched her smile and roll her eyes, already knowing what her response would be. "I don't know. I can only imagine it's gonna get hectic and chaotic." My uncertainty began to bubble up in me from my gut. I was all for growth and progress but this big of a change was beginning to scare me.

"Are you scared?" I could only smile at her questions. I was gonna miss seeing her everyday.

"Yeah, I think anybody would be scared of the unknown. Like what if I go undrafted? I will have opted out of my senior year and football all for nothing."

"It won't be for nothing babe, you'll get drafted. I mean they obviously think so or else you wouldn't have gotten the invitation to actually be at the draft." Aaryn's soft lips met the side of my neck, I squeezed her tight.

"Yeah but that's not anything definite baby. Plenty dudes get those invitations and don't get picked." I closed my eyes and took in the last peaceful moment I knew I'd have for a while. Whatever the circumstance, after this weekend, my life wasn't going to be the same and something in me wanted it to be like this forever.

"You'll do fine Odell, you and Jarvis have been such a force offensively for us, these pro teams see that. Give yourself more credit."

We lay in silence again. The moon glowed majestically in the night sky. Aaryn pulled me close to her, her eyes no longer focused on the stars but instead trained on my face. "I love you so much, you know that?" I just nodded and continued to watch the sky. "I gotta know something."

Aaryn sat up, urging me to do the same. "What?"

"You promise that even if things change and for whatever reason we might not make it," her voice trailed as a tear dropped from her eye, "promise me that you'll always remember me and what we had?"

"We gon' make it Aaryn. At least I hope." She smiled through her tears and wiped them away with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Promise me Odell."

"I promise to always keep you in my heart no matter the circumstance. But you gotta make me one too." Aaryn nodded slowly, my lips curved into a small smile. "Promise me you'll always remember me like this. Before the fame, before the money, before all of this. Remember me from this moment right here, the two of us against the world."

"I promise." We looked back up at the sky. "Make a wish."

"For what?" I asked puzzled.

"There's a shooting star." Aaryn pointed to the streak of light shooting across the sky.

"That's not a star babe." I joke, hugging her waist.

"Just shut up and make a wish." I watched her shut her eyes really tight and I felt my heart melt. The first woman I ever loved, and the only one to ever steal my heart the way she did. No one would ever top her, even if we didn't end up together.

Have me lover
Keep me baby
Think of me forever this way
Hold me closer, keep me safe
Now I told you, love don't change

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