SHEA
The air was rather cold and humid as I made my way towards my apartment. Exhaling slowly, I inserted my key into the keyhole and twisted it twice, the resounding click echoing through my apartment as the door creaked open. I walked in, shutting the door behind me. I took off my coat and hung it on the coat rack.
Absent-mindedly, I walked into my room, rubbing my tired eyes. My exhaustion seeped deep into my bones even as I made myself comfortable on my bed and closed my eyes, wincing when the dull throbbing in my head spiked up.
My mind drifted and I started to think about the blue eyed girl. Her name was Devon. She was beautiful just like in my dreams. A certain thought came to me and I found myself feeling confused. If Devon was the girl in my dreams and she was real....it meant that Theo could be real. That brought me back to the dream I had earlier.
Theo had died and I was starting to wonder if I had anything to do with him. My dreams were so confusing and it was hard to decipher the true fact about it all. Overcome with exhaustion, I sank into slumber.
..
"I had a dream last night. A nasty one"
"Okay?" I said, still not understanding where he was going with the conversation. "It was like a battle field. Your uncle, Taerus was there. You were both involved in a heated brawl. But then, he stabbed you in the chest with a sword made of dragon blade"I lowered my cup, staring at him blankly. "I don't know how it happened but you killed him. There's just one problem, you-"
"Died" I completed the statement for him and he nodded. "How many times did you have that dream?" I asked.He sighed. "I lied. Last night wasn't the only time I dreamt of it. I've dreamt this same dream thrice. I never finish the dream. After you die, I see my sister sitting in a coffee shop. She looks a few years older. She sees someone and the shock on her face is hard to miss. I never get to see who she's looking at"
"Your point?"
"It might mean that you'll come back even after your death"
"I've cheated death so many times. Do you honestly believe that I'm going to get away with this one more time?" Melvin's gaze met mine.
"Yes, I think so"
..
I opened my eyes, staring at the plain ceilings. It was dark outside already. So, I stood up and walked towards the window. As I stared at the dark sky, flashes of images was what I saw with my mind's eye. Still, I couldn't make sense of any of it. Who am I? What was my true name? Could it be that I'm actually the 'Theo' from my dreams. Still, it didn't make any sense. He had golden eyes and waist-length hair. I can't be him. But why have I been dreaming of him? Am I in any way related to him? What happened to me? I didn't know the answer to those questions. Each time I thought about it, I felt like I was suffocating.
The first few months after I'd been discharged from the hospital was hell. I had suffered from insomnia and severe panic attacks. I just felt like I was incomplete. I caught sight of my reflection on the window. For a second there, I noticed something. The face staring back at me from the window was my face but the eyes were Theo's. I blinked and just like that, it was my own pair of dull green eyes that was staring back at me. 'I must be going mad' I thought.
At that point, I felt like the walls were closing in on me and I was suffocating. I needed a drink. With my heart pounding hard, I drove off into the night. I parked my car outside a bar and walked in. Once I'd grabbed a drink, I took a seat by the counter. That way, I could see those coming in and leaving.
I was halfway through my fourth drink when I saw her. Startling blue eyes, brown tresses hanging down her back and over her shoulder. Devon.
Her smile faded as soon as she saw me. I swallowed hard, placing my drink down. I didn't know why. But, I felt so drawn to her. There was just something about her that sparked fire in my veins. Something about her heated my blood. She turned and started to leave the bar. But, I went after her. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" She spat, her eyes burning with fury.
"I-I can't" I'm drawn to her like moth to a flame. "What the fuck?! Get out of my way, you psycho"
"Hear me out. I don't know why you hate me, Devon. I just want to be friends with you" I said.
No, scratch that. I wanted to be more than friends with her but I didn't want to tell her.....yet.
"You're drunk. I'm not interested" she said and I started to panic. I had to make her not hate me.
"Why do you hate me?" I asked, gazing into her beautiful eyes.
******
DEVON
"Why do you hate me?" He asked, vulnerability evident in his voice. I turned away from him, biting my lower lip to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. I could almost imagine Theo saying that to me. Why did I hate Shea? He reminded me of the person I could no longer have.
"Devon, I wasn't lying to you earlier when I told you that I felt like I know you. I don't know who you were to me, but I know that I once knew you. I've had amnesia for the past three years. You have no idea what it feels like. You have no idea how much I yearn to feel like a normal person again. Sometimes it becomes so overwhelming and I- I feel like I'm lost" he said, lowering his gaze. He looked so sad, it broke my heart.
How was it possible that he'd lost his memory three years ago.... the year I'd lost Theo? Could he actually be my Theo? Could it be that fate had brought him back to me? "I don't want you to hate me, please. I don't know why but I know that I need you" he said, letting out a shaky breath.
"You're very drunk" I said, moving backwards.
"I am. I'm drunk.... I can't lie about that. I also can't lie about the fact that I'm telling the truth" he slurred.
'Shit, he's wasted' I thought.
"Okay, you should go home and sleep it off" I said. His eyes widened and he suddenly embraced me, holding me close to himself.
"I'm going mad.... I must be going mad.... You won't leave my head, you won't leave my dreams. Now, I won't let you go because I-I need you! This ache.... it's buried deep within me and I-"I stiffened when he began to sob in my arms.
I slowly brought my hands around him. He felt warm and strong. He felt familiar. For a moment, I wondered if he was actually my Theo.
By the time he stopped sobbing, he could barely walk on his own.
"Great, just great. Hand me your car keys" I said.
"In the pocket of my jacket" he mumbled. I sighed and slipped my hand into his pocket. I took out the keys and led him towards the car. I had to drive him to my house because he was totally out of it. He stumbled out of the car and followed me into my house. He looked so tired and cute. He reminded me of a very sleepy Theo. Did I just say cute? Ignore that. He laid down on the couch after taking off his jacket.
"Thank you, Dev" he rasped with his eyes closed.I forced out a smile and went to my room to bawl my eyes.
*******
The next morning, he awoke with a nasty hangover. He couldn't sit up without his head spinning. I felt sorry for him. He groaned when he finally sat up. Cradling his head in his hands, he said, "I'm never getting drunk again". Then, he huffed in frustration and got to his feet.
"Thank you for bringing me to your house" he said and I shrugged.
"You were practically bawling your eyes out on me. It was kind of hard to leave you there" I said and his cheeks turned pink.
"We started off on the wrong foot--can we start over?" He asked.I sighed. "Fine"
He grinned, his dimples popping out. "I'm Shea" he said, holding out a hand.
"Nice to meet you, Shea. I'm Devon" I said, forcing out a smile.
"Do you mind hanging out with me at Starbucks later today?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going to be occupied with something else" I said.
He smiled.
"Okay, I'll see you some other time then?"
"Sure"
We exchanged phone contacts because I couldn't refuse him. I was determined not to pick his calls if he does call me. He left my apartment with a smile on his face. I'd managed to get rid of him again but, I was starting to have second thoughts. What if I was right about him being Theo? But then, what if I was wrong?
My phone rang and I picked the call. It was Karla."Morning, Dev" she said.
"Morning, Karla. How are you?" I asked, plopping down on the couch.
"I'm fantastic. How's Liam?" She asked.
"He's fine"
"Are you still having the nightmares?" She asked.
"Karla, they stopped for a while, you know. It started again yesterday" I said.
"When was the last time you had real fun?" She asked.
"I don't know...."
"Dev, sometimes I really want to strangle you because of how naive you are. Theo wouldn't want to see you so unhappy. He doesn't want you to drown in your misery. Liam is a really nice guy. I understand that it's hard to move on but it's necessary"I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"I know..."
"You know what? Today, we're going out. Just you and me. We're going to have a nice time together" she said.I groaned. "But Karla-"
"No buts, young lady. I'm coming over to pick you in an hour. So, get ready. I'll see you later, bye" the line went dead. Karla can be such a mom sometimes. She had gotten bossy over the past few years and I was still having a hard time dealing with her bossiness. An hour later, I was in Karla's black Audi and she refused to tell me where we were going.
"It's a surprise. You're going to like it" she said
"Whatever you say, captain" I said, leaning back on my seat. She chuckled and switched on the stereo, Nicki Minaj's voice booming from the stereo.
....
It turns out that she'd gotten us tickets to attend a live concert. I must admit, it helped lighten me up a bit. We did a bit of shopping thereafter. Then we both took our time to go to a beauty spa. It was worth it though, I went home with a smile on my face. I settled down in front of my TV with a bowl of popcorn beside me as I watched 'The hunger games'. My phone buzzed and I picked it up. A new message from my boyfriend popped up on the screen.
'Wanna hang out later at my club?'
I quickly typed a reply and hit 'send'.
'Sure, I'm in'
His reply came almost immediately.
'Great, I'll see you by 6pm. I'll pick you up' 'Okay'
'Okay'
Just as I turned to focus on the TV, my phone buzzed again. I groaned and picked it up. It was definitely not a message from Liam. It was a message from the devil himself, Shea.
'Devon, do you believe in the supernatural?'
I nearly choked on my popcorns when I read the message. I hesitated before typing a reply. 'Yeah I guess'
His reply popped up on the screen of my phone, shortly. 'Call me crazy but I've been seeing things. Things that I don't understand'
I desperately wanted to ignore his messages but I couldn't.
'What have you been seeing?'
'I have strange dreams. I've been dreaming about you. Can I ask you something?'
My heart started to beat faster.
'What is it?'
Two minutes passed but he still didn't send a reply. I rolled my eyes and dropped my phone. Five minutes later, my phone buzzed again and I realized that I wasn't prepared for his reply.
'Did you know anyone with the name Theodore?'