Something You Forgot
787 Words
Beverly didn’t move for a few seconds.
Her phone was on the floor.
Daniel was standing in front of her.
The shop felt too small.
Too quiet.
Finally, she spoke.
“You said I called you back,” Beverly said slowly. “What does that mean?”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
He looked around the shop like he was checking something.
Then he sighed.
“You’re starting to remember again,” he said.
“I don’t remember anything,” Beverly replied quickly.
Daniel looked at her.
His eyes were tired.
Like someone who had carried a secret for too long.
“That’s the problem,” he said softly.
Beverly bent down and picked up her phone.
Her hands were shaking.
“Start from the beginning,” she said. “No games.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
Then he walked a little closer, but stopped near the counter.
“You didn’t meet me for the first time in that shop,” he said.
Beverly frowned.
“Where then?”
Daniel hesitated.
Then he said,
“Three years ago.”
Beverly went silent.
“I don’t remember you.”
“I know,” Daniel replied.
“Then how do you remember me?”
Daniel looked down for a moment.
“You forgot me on purpose.”
That hit differently.
Beverly’s chest tightened.
“What are you talking about?”
Daniel continued.
“We were together.”
Beverly laughed once, but it wasn’t real.
“No. I would remember that.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You wouldn’t.”
Silence.
Outside, the sky darkened slightly, even though no rain had started.
Beverly stepped back.
“Stop saying things like that.”
Daniel didn’t stop.
“You were in your final year in university,” he said. “You used to sketch tattoos on paper because you didn’t have a shop yet.”
Beverly stared at him.
Her heart slowed.
“I used to come watch you draw,” Daniel continued.
“You’re lying,” Beverly said quickly.
Daniel shook his head.
“I’m not.”
Beverly’s voice dropped.
“How do you know all this?”
Daniel looked at her.
Then said quietly,
“Because I was there.”
Silence again.
Beverly shook her head.
“No. No. That’s not possible.”
Daniel took a breath.
“Something happened,” he said. “You don’t remember me because you chose not to.”
Beverly felt her legs weaken slightly.
“What happened?” she asked.
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
He looked at the floor.
Then at her.
“You got hurt,” he said.
Beverly froze.
“What do you mean?”
Daniel’s voice became lower.
“You lost someone close to you. After that, everything between us started falling apart.”
Beverly’s eyes searched his face.
“I don’t believe you.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“I know.”
Then he stepped closer.
Not too close.
Just enough for her to hear him properly.
“But there’s something worse,” he said.
Beverly swallowed.
“What?”
Daniel looked at her for a long moment.
Then said,
“You didn’t just forget me.”
“You removed me.”
Beverly blinked.
“What does that even mean?”
Daniel answered quietly.
“You paid someone to erase every memory of me from your life.”
The words stayed in the air.
Heavy.
Beverly shook her head immediately.
“No. That’s not true.”
Daniel didn’t argue.
He just watched her.
Waiting.
Outside, a drop of rain hit the window.
Then another.
Beverly noticed it too.
Her eyes flicked toward the glass.
“It’s not raining,” she said softly.
Daniel looked at the window.
“It is now,” he replied.
Beverly turned back to him.
Her voice broke slightly.
“If I really knew you… why would I do that?”
Daniel’s expression changed.
For the first time, he looked sad.
“Because something happened to me,” he said quietly. “And you thought forgetting me would fix it.”
Beverly felt her throat tighten.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
The rain outside became heavier.
Slow.
Steady.
Familiar.
Then Daniel said the final thing that changed everything.
“I died.”
Beverly shook her head immediately.
“No.”
Daniel stepped back slightly.
“I did,” he repeated. “But not fully.”
Beverly’s phone slipped from her hand again.
She didn’t even notice.
The rain outside was now loud.
Too loud for a sky that had been clear minutes ago.
Daniel looked at her one last time.
And said quietly,
“And every time it rains… you bring me back.”
Then the shop lights flickered.
And Daniel disappeared.
- Writer
