Start Again

Epilogue

Joon Soo

After finishing her letter, I opened my phone and punched in her birth date. Everything she said had sounded familiar and made my heart hurt. But I still didn't quite remember. The phone unlocked and I went straight to the messages.

An endless array of our conversations filled my screen. As I read through them, I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek.

"Audrey, oh Audrey. How could I be so stupid to forget you?"

I went to the gallery and began flicking through our photos.

"How could I forget?" I asked myself again. I put my phone back in my pocket. "How on earth did I forget her?" Then suddenly the thought dawned on me. It was 10:50am. Her flight leaves at midday.

I leapt off the bed and ran out the door.

*

Two hands suddenly pressed down on my shoulders. I turned around and looked to see who it was.

Two, green eyes stared back at me. Her bright, red hair tied up in a bun. A warm smile on her face. She caressed my cheek, and brushed her thumbs under my eyes, wiping away my tears.

"Hi," she said.

"Audrey," I barely made audible.

"You thought I left?"

I nodded.

"I never bought a ticket," she said.

"You... you what?"

She rounded the chairs and walked to stand in front of me, before crouching down. "I promised you that I would never give up on you."

"But you said that if I don't make it in time, then that's it. You were giving up."

"I was hoping the emotional impact would be enough to bring your memories back and bring you back to me. Even if I did leave, do you really think, in this state, I could even think of being with someone else? When you're all that is in my head? Do you think that, if I went back, I wouldn't be hoping every day that you'd arrive at my door to tell me you remembered us?"

I didn't know what to say. I was completely shocked that she was in front of me. I extended a hand to touch her face. Her warm, soft skin collided with my fingers. She nuzzled into my palm. "You're really here."

"I'm here. I'm sorry for tricking you like this. But it was necessary."

"Could you not have shown up sooner?"

"I waited as long as I could! But once it was midday I figured you hadn't remembered."

"Did you leave?"

"No. I really had to pee but I was waiting to see if you'd show up first."

I checked the time. "But it's been fifteen minutes since your plane left."

"There was a long queue."

I fell back into the seat. "You're really here. You didn't leave."

She sat down in my lap. "You said you'd never leave me, so I'll never leave you. I gave you my word. I knew you'd come back to me too. You promised you'd never forget me. You keep your promises."

I leaned forward, resting my head on hers. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Not giving up on me. On us."

"No need to thank me. Maybe one day, when I'm old, I will lose my memory. Then you will have to help me remember."

"I always will."

"Always?"

"Always. No matter what happens to us, we will always find our way back together."

"What if we both lose our memory?"

"I'm sure we will be married by then. Someone will remind us."

"But what about our feelings?"

"We will always fall back in love. But, maybe we can forget all the bad things that happened and just start again with each other. Date again. Fall in love all over again. I wouldn't mind it, so long as it's with you."

"Starting again... that sounds fun."

I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. We sat there, for a little while longer, staring at each other, and chatting. Then eventually, we got up and walked out of the airport, hand in hand.

The End.