7th August 2021 (continued)

"I'll meet you at the party," Evie said, disappearing before anyone else had even moved.

I didn't even have time to answer before she was already gone.

"Time to party!" Jaxon shouted out, a chorus of cheers responding to him as we walked out of the cinema.

"So you and Evie looked cosy," Hazel hedged, batting her eyelashes at me.

Jaxon looked between us. "What did I miss?"

"They were holding hands," supplied Tori, making my mouth drop open.

"How the hell d'you see that?" It was pitch black, and Tori had been on my other side.

He shrugged. "I was watching."

"So was I," chimed in Hazel.

"Damn, I miss all the exciting things," Jaxon grumbled as we all climbed into Tori's car.

"It wasn't that exciting." I was quick to explain, but I could see Tori's raised eyebrow from the rearview mirror.

"It was something though, Sam. And you both looked pretty happy," Hazel said.

I clamped my mouth shut because the truth was; I was happy. In the cinema's darkness, it had felt like we were in our own bubble. Just me with the girl I had loved.

But now that I was back in the real world, the doubts had crept back in.

"What if it is all a coincidence, and she isn't the Evie we knew? What if this is a mistake?" I asked desperately.

The car was silent as my nerves returned to full force.

"I say we use tonight to find out if she is our Evie or not." Jaxon summed up.

"I agree. If she's not, then she's not, but what if she is Sam? Are you just going to let her leave?" Hazel asked, turning to look at my torn expression.

"I don't think I could cope if I lost her twice," I whispered.

Jaxon patted my back. "You won't. We're all with you on this."

"Jax is right. You're not alone in this, Sam," Tye agreed.

Tori's whistle saved me from saying anything, though I hoped my gratitude was visible on my face.

"This is one hell of a place," he said with appreciation.

We all crammed our heads against the window, Jaxon complaining about his lack of view because of me and Tye.

Tori drove through the gates, following the other cars up a winding double driveway. But it was the house at the end that we were all glued to.

Calling it a house was an injustice; it was an L.A. mansion with all the bells and whistles.

A parking valet stepped forward as we exited. He handed Tori a ticket and disappeared, taking the car with him.

We followed the flow of people round the side of the house. Someone had wrapped twenty foot white ribbons around the mature trees, which were also decorated with white fairy lights. Overhead were strings of lanterns going between the house and trees stretching right over the backyard, which was half the size of a football pitch.

They had built a stage in the far corner with a large dance floor whilst a huge buffet stood waiting on the patio. Waiting staff stood ready in their crisp shirts as they began offering drinks to the arriving guests.

And there she was, looking agitated, with her assistant Darcy beside her.

She'd changed out of the purple dress she'd been wearing into a pair of ripped black skinny jeans and a white crop top with a fringe down passed her waist. She looked beautiful to me.

When she spotted me, she smiled and motioned for us to come over.

"So what do you think?" She bit her lip, waiting.

"It's amazing," Hazel gushed, making Evie's smile widen.

"It's perfect," I reassured her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Darcy turned to Evie, who chuckled nervously, looking at the stage.

"I have to do this."

"Take back control," Darcy chanted.

"Take it all damn back," Evie replied as they fist bumped.

"You can do this." Darcy handed her a mic.

"Just make sure the band is ready." Evie gulped as she turned to the stage. "Now it's time for my first speech."

We followed her as Darcy disappeared, pulling a headset from her back pocket.

I turned to the others in confusion, but they had no words of reassurance. They didn't understand what was happening either.

Whispers broke out as Evie took to the stage.

I could see her wipe her sweaty hands against her jeans before raising the mic to her lips.

"Hi, everyone I'm Genny St Clair and I want to thank you sincerely for all the hard work you've put into making this film possible."

People were quick to cheer and phones flashed through the dimming light, everyone wanting to be the first to capture the reclusive author who had turned down appearing at the premier.

"What many people don't know is that I was in a very dark place when I wrote this book. These characters, this story, was my solace. It means so much to me to see it brought to life."

I could see people openly wondering what had happened to her, and I tried not to focus on them.

"It's why I wanted this to be my first public appearance. To thank the people who made it all possible. So cheers to you. Eat and drink as much as you'd like and have a good time. You all deserve it." She raised her glass to a chorus of cheers.

The stage was quickly taken over by a band that I was surprised to know, their music blasting out over the speakers as the waiting staff mingled between guests with trays of food.

"I hope that was okay." Evie reappeared next to me, hiding behind all of us, though I spotted people trying to find out where she'd gone.

"Cool band," Tye said, noting the familiar faces.

Evie's face brightened as she passed the mic back to a passing staff member.

"It's all local bands tonight and some dance troops. I thought it would be cool to showcase them since there's a lot of influential people here."

Jaxon eyed her up. "That's very generous of you."

Evie shrugged. "I like their music so it's a win win. They get some publicity and I get to listen to great music."

Darcy materialised at her side, making everyone jump except Evie, who seemed used to this behavior.

"Sorry Evie, but some people want to meet you and it may be better to just get it over with so they don't swamp you later." Darcy looked apologetic as she pulled Evie away from us.

My only solace was that Evie looked disappointed.

Throughout the night, our eyes met many times, but there were no opportunities for us to talk.

"I think the odds are in her favour. She's definitely Evie," Jaxon said, sipping on his beer.

"What makes you say that?" Tori asked, not giving away his own feelings.

"Dude, have you seen the bands? Most of them were the ones that played at Tye's beach benefit concert. Now what are the chances that of all the local bands she just happens to choose them." Jaxon crossed his arms, looking smug.

"And then there's the movie." Tye pointed out.

"True," Hazel agreed.

I looked between them with drawn eyebrows. "The movie?"

All heads turned to look at me with varying degrees of disbelief.

"You must have noticed?" Hazel questioned.

"Noticed what?"

"That the movie is practically based on you and Evie. No wonder you had such a hard time with the songs." Jaxon slapped his forehead as if it all made sense to him, though it made little to me.

"What are you guys talking about? The movie wasn't about me and Evie."

Hazel wobbled next to me. "Sam, the movie was about an artist and a songwriter, who met and changed each others lives before life tares them apart."

"Yeah man, does that not sound familiar?" joked Jaxon.

"B-but I'm a musician and Evie was a writer," I stuttered, not liking the comparisons they were drawing, mostly because I hadn't noticed them myself.

"True, but Aliash did play music," Hazel said, speaking about the male protagonist in the movie.

"That doesn't make it the same," I reasoned.

"But now the scenes on the beach make sense, that's where they met, where they say goodbye and where they find each other again. There's even that scene where they watch the stars and talk about the future. Can you honestly not see the similarities, Sam?"

"Or do you just not want to see them?" Tori finished for Hazel.

It was too much. All their attention on me was making my skin crawl. Maybe I didn't want to see it. Maybe I wasn't sure I wanted this Evie to be the girl I had known. Or maybe I did. I just wasn't sure.

"I need to clear my head."

I could see Hazel and Jaxon start after me, but Tori and Tye held them back. The image was hard on so many levels. But the hardest was wanting what my friends had. That person who understood and put up with me, no matter what.

I passed Tony talking with Evie's assistant, Darcy, and a few other faces I knew.

I had hoped the house would have been quieter, but it wasn't the peaceful place I had envisioned.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I sped down a corridor to the furthest room and threw open the door and closed it in a rush. I panted, my forehead rested against the door, enjoying the quiet.

"Needed to escape as well?"

I whirled around at the voice, my heart beat skipping as I saw Evie on the balcony.

She held up her hands. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Thought you knew I was here."

"No, I-I didn't. I can leave." I turned to go, cursing my luck.

Her laughter stopped me from opening the door. "It's okay, Sam. I think I can share my space with you."

I turned to assess her. "You sure?" I knew her problems and whilst I knew she'd done well tonight, there would also be a limit to what she could take.

She took a seat back on the balcony, effectively hidden from below by the plants. "For some reason, you don't bother me. I don't have to hide from you." She smiled up at me as I edged into the seat next to her.

"Does that happen? That people don't affect you?" I couldn't help but probe.

"No, you're kinda the first." She turned away, her hands reaching out to grab at the leaves. "I wish you could have known me before I was this stupid, scared girl all the time. I used to be fun," she murmured.

It broke my heart to see her talking about herself like that.

"You seem pretty great to me." I tried to cheer her up, and her smile made me feel like I could fly.

"Thanks, Sam."

We sat in comparable silence, the same way I remembered Evie and I had. It was that comfortable feeling when you know you don't need to make conversation.

But there was a question that was burning inside me.

"Would you tell me what happened?" I asked, gently.

Evie turned to look at me, her own eyes searching, for what I didn't know. I only hoped that whatever she found was what she was looking for.

She pulled the fringes on her top apart so that I could see the two large scars running across her stomach.

"I was attacked and stabbed in a mugging gone wrong over two years ago."

I stared at the scars not because they were ugly but because I'd seen them before, on the beach with Evie two years ago. They had been fresh then, not the faded pink colour they were now.

Evie let the fringes fall back into place. "I was in London. I was actually supposed to fly here, if you can believe that."

"To L.A.?" I swallowed, feeling like the world was shifting from beneath my feet.

"Yep," she said, popping her 'p'.

"What happened after you were attacked?" I needed to hear more. I needed to understand.

"Someone found me in the alley. I was rushed to hospital and put into an induced coma for over a week. Though I woke up less than two weeks later I had more than these scars as reminders."

I knew what she was referring to; her fear of going outside. It all made sense now.

"I know it might seem weird, but what date did this happen?"

She looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but answered anyway. "5th June 2019. It's not exactly something I'm going to forget."

5th June 2019. I had met Evie on 7th and she said she'd walked around Torrance for two days before she met me. The dates fit.

I sat back in my chair. "That's unbelievable."

"Believe me, I wish it had never happened. I have no idea what would have happened if I'd never entered that alley." Her voice wistful.

I turned to look at her, wondering the same. Would we have met if she'd never been attacked? Just two normal people on the beach who just fell for each other.

Was this why life had stepped in on my behalf? I was going to be robbed of my time with Evie, but fate had brought us together, regardless. But if that was the case, why didn't she remember me? Because I was convinced that this girl was Evie, my Evie.

"Want to get away from here?" I held my hand out to her.

She looked at it, biting down on her lip.

"Do you trust me?"

Her eyes bored into mine as she placed her hand in mine.

"I trust you."