“Do you remember the night we met? I think I might have told you, but I don’t remember, but the reason I approached you was that I didn’t want Jordan to have you,” Memphis told Tex, as if this whole situation was completely normal.
Tex gaped at the bed. The thing sort of had a form, but not really, and while it seemed Memphis voice came from it, it didn’t mean that it was Memphis. “Jordan? What do you mean?” He recalled something about Jordan and that night, but he couldn’t think right now because even if it wasn’t actually Memphis speaking to him, it was his voice. Tex couldn’t stop himself from asking while he tried to decide if he should scream and run for his life to admit himself into the nearest psych ward, or if he should rejoice because his lover had finally come back to him.
“We played pool to decide who would approach you that night. I lost, and when he went to the bathroom to piss out the five beers he drank, I made my move. It was a toss-up if we would remain friends, or if he would punch me in the nuts and never speak to me again.”
“No guy would ever punch another one in the sack.” Tex still wasn’t sure, although, that did sound like something Memphis would say, and definitely something Jordan would threaten if he was pissed off.
Memphis chuckled. “You do remember Jordan, right?”
Rolling his eyes, Tex shook his head. “Yes, I saw him a few weeks ago at your sister’s for dinner,” he snapped. He didn’t understand why he was suddenly irritated, but it washed over him like a wave in the ocean, not drowning him, but gliding over him as it made its way to shore. And once it hit, Tex couldn’t stop the outrage and pain that followed. “I remember a lot of things. I remember what it was like to see your body lying on the ground, blood pouring out of you. I remember what it was like when I saw them dropping a casket with that same body into the ground. I remember how everyone cried and told me that they were sorry for my loss. I also remember those same people telling me that one day, I would get over you and move on, but I’m still waiting for that fucking day. I remember what it’s like sleeping in bed alone, to not have your arms around me, to not hear your snoring, and to not argue with you about stupid shit. I remember it all.”
“Tex…” Memphis couldn’t speak. His lover had suffered, and he didn’t know how to fix it or make it better. No amount of kissing or coaxing would do it because Memphis couldn’t come back. God! He wished it was as easy as someone snapping their fingers, resetting time. Then, he would be alive, and they could be happy together like they were supposed to be all this time.
Maria Vickers currently lives in St. Louis, MO with her pug, Spencer Tracy. She has always had a passion for writing and after she became disabled in 2010, she decided to use writing as her escape. She believes that life is about what you make of it. You have to live it to the fullest no matter the circumstances.
From a young age, she has always loved books and even dreamed of being an author when she was younger. Growing up in the Navy, she used to weave tales for her siblings and her friends about anything and everything. And when she wasn’t creating her own stories, she had a book in her hand. They transported her to another world. She hopes that with her books, her readers have the same experience and that they can relate to her characters.
Getting sick changed her life forever, but it also opened doors for her that she thought would always be out of reach.
