Fragments Of Yesterday
1097 Words
Sleep did not come easily that night.
Elena tossed beneath the soft cotton sheets, the glow of the city filtering through the curtains in pale streaks of silver. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.
Those grey eyes.
That smile that never quite reached them.
The strange ache in his voice whenever he looked at her.
She turned onto her side and pulled the blanket higher, willing herself to think about anything else.
It didn’t work.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed her.
Then the dream began.
⸻
She was seven years old again.
The air smelled of fresh rain and blooming flowers.
Children ran across a wide green field, their laughter echoing beneath an enormous oak tree.
A little boy stood a few metres away.
He couldn’t have been older than eight.
His dark hair danced in the wind as he waved excitedly.
“Lena!”
His voice was bright with excitement.
“Hurry!”
She laughed and ran towards him, clutching a tiny silver bracelet in her hand.
“I’m coming!”
“You promised we’d race.”
“I know!”
“You always cheat.”
“I do not!”
“You do.”
He reached for her hand.
Their fingers intertwined naturally, as though they had done it a thousand times before.
“I’ll always find you,” the boy said.
“No matter where you go.”
She smiled.
“And I’ll always wait for you.”
A loud horn suddenly shattered the moment.
Tyres screamed.
Someone shouted.
The little boy’s eyes widened with fear.
“Lena!”
A blinding light rushed towards them.
Then—
Darkness.
⸻
Elena shot upright in bed, breathing so hard her chest hurt.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
Her cheeks were wet with tears.
She looked around her room.
The dream was over.
But the fear remained.
She pressed trembling fingers against her forehead.
“Who…?”
The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.
“Who was that boy?”
She searched every corner of her memory.
Nothing.
Only the sound of his voice.
Only the feeling of his hand holding hers.
Only the promise.
“I’ll always find you.”
The words echoed through the silent room.
For the first time in years, Elena was afraid of her own memories.
⸻
Across the city, Adrian hadn’t slept either.
His apartment overlooked the river, where the first hints of dawn reflected across the calm water.
He stood on the balcony with a mug of untouched coffee cooling in his hands.
Sixteen years.
Sixteen years of wondering whether she was alive.
Sixteen years of searching through schools, hospitals, records, and old neighbourhoods.
Sixteen years of hoping.
Now she was only a few streets away.
Yet she felt farther than ever.
His phone vibrated.
Victor.
“You’ve been awake all night, haven’t you?” Victor asked after Adrian answered.
“I wasn’t tired.”
“Liar.”
Adrian smiled faintly.
“I keep thinking she’ll remember.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Silence settled between them.
Finally Adrian replied,
“Then I’ll give her new memories.”
Victor exhaled slowly.
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
“So do I.”
“But I’d rather try than spend another sixteen years wondering what might have been.”
⸻
Later that afternoon, the café buzzed with its usual rhythm.
Coffee machines hissed.
Plates clinked.
Customers chatted over warm drinks and pastries.
Elena tried to focus on work.
She really did.
But every now and then, her eyes drifted to the door.
She caught herself doing it four times.
By the fifth, Mia noticed.
“Expecting someone?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not.”
“You’ve looked at that door more than you’ve looked at the customers.”
Before Elena could answer, the bell above the entrance chimed.
Both women looked up.
Adrian walked in.
He wore a navy coat this time, with the sleeves rolled neatly to his wrists.
His gaze searched the room until it found Elena.
For the briefest moment, the noise of the café seemed to disappear.
He smiled.
Not the confident smile of a businessman.
Not the charming smile of a stranger.
But the quiet smile of someone relieved to see that the person he’d been worrying about was safe.
Elena felt her heartbeat stumble.
Why?
She barely knew him.
“Afternoon,” Adrian said.
“Hi.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“No… not at all.”
Mia looked between them, trying very hard not to grin.
“I’ll just… check on table six.”
She disappeared so quickly that Elena almost laughed.
Adrian rubbed the back of his neck.
“I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“I left rather suddenly yesterday.”
“You did.”
“I wasn’t being rude.”
“I know.”
He looked relieved.
“I was… overwhelmed.”
The honesty in his voice caught her off guard.
“By me?”
He hesitated.
“You remind me of someone.”
Her heart tightened.
“Someone important?”
“The most important.”
Something about the way he answered made her chest ache.
She couldn’t explain it.
She only knew that she wanted to know more.
“Would you…” Adrian began carefully, “…have dinner with me sometime?”
Elena blinked.
She should have said no.
Every sensible thought in her mind told her to refuse.
He was still practically a stranger.
And yet…
The dream.
The promise.
Those impossible grey eyes.
Against every instinct she had, she smiled.
“I’ll think about it.”
Adrian laughed softly.
“I suppose that’s better than a no.”
“It is.”
For the first time in many years, hope found its way back into his heart.
He left the café with a lighter step than he’d entered.
Neither of them noticed the woman sitting in the far corner.
Hidden behind a newspaper.
Watching.
Waiting.
The moment Adrian disappeared outside, she lowered the paper.
Her lips curled into a cold smile.
“So…”
She whispered.
“You finally found her.”
She reached for her phone and dialled a number she hadn’t called in years.
“He knows where she is.”
A pause.
Then she added quietly,
“We need to move before she remembers everything.”
The call ended.
Outside, dark clouds rolled over the city once again.
Some promises survive time.
Others awaken enemies who were never truly gone.
:::
- Writer
