Five Years
374 Words
Chapter 6 — Five Years.
The sound of Noah’s footsteps in the hallway made Aisha’s heart race. She quickly closed the laptop but didn’t move away from it. Her hands were still trembling when he entered the waiting room.
The moment he saw her expression, he stopped. Something in his face changed immediately. Not surprise. Not confusion.
Recognition.
Like a moment he had already lived before.
“You found it,” he said quietly.
Aisha felt anger, fear, and sadness collide inside her chest.
“You were going to tell me I lose my memory?” she asked.
Her voice cracked despite her effort to stay calm. Noah didn’t answer right away. He slowly sat down across from her.
“I was hoping,” he said softly, “we’d have a little more time first.”
“How long?” she demanded.
Silence filled the waiting room.
The ticking clock on the wall suddenly felt unbearably loud. Finally he spoke.
“Five years.”
The number hit her like a physical blow.
“Five…?” Her voice barely worked. “That’s not possible.”
Noah looked down at his hands.
“We met here,” he said gently. “In this exact waiting room.”
Her chest tightened.
“That part I saw in the video.”
“No,” he said.
“You saw one of the times.”
Her stomach dropped.
“What does that mean?”
He took a slow breath.
“You’ve forgotten me before.”
The room felt smaller.
“How many times?” she whispered.
Noah tried to smile, but it broke halfway.
“I stopped counting.”
Tears blurred Aisha’s vision.
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was.”
He opened the laptop again and turned the screen toward her.
More videos.
Different seasons.
Different clothes.
Different versions of them laughing together.
In one clip they were arguing about pizza toppings.
In another she was teaching him a dance move in the empty waiting room.
In another they were sitting outside watching rain.
Every video showed something unmistakable.
Love.
Real.
Deep.
Comfortable love.
Aisha covered her mouth.
“I don’t remember any of this.”
Noah nodded slowly.
“I know.”
(To be continued)
- Writer
