"Names have power." ~Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief

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Laughing filled the air as Lachlan turned red.

"Oh my god Mitch!" Lachlan said as he hid his face in his hands. "Not that again!"

"Oh come on Lachy you know it was funny!" Vik chuckled as he looked up at his taller significant other.

"Shut up Vik." Lachlan muttered as the laughing died down.

"Anyway..." Chestnut eyes said, his mouth twisted in a small frown. "We should get going. Someone help him up please and let's get a move on."

"Why don't you help him huh?" Sky  said to Chestnut eyes. "He is your boyfriend after all."

"Boyfriend?" I asked in confusion, looking into those chestnut eyes which held tears of sorrow and guilt.

"Yeah." The male with the flower crown answered. "Jerome asked you out about a year before you got taken in the middle of the night. No one knew until before...."

His talking was cut off as my mind went back to what he just said.

"His name..." I thought to myself. "His name is Jerome. It's so familiar. I know that name."

And like a brick thrown against someone's head, my head began to hurt like hell. I let out a small cry as I gripped my head tight and screwed my eyes shut. Memories began to fill my head at an overwhelming pace.

Him calling out my name is the last thing I hear before everything goes black yet again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello?" I spoke out into the darkness that surrounded me completely. "Hello is anyone there?"

Laughter filled the empty silence as light appeared to the side. I covered my eyes and turned to look at the light. My eyes widened as I dropped my arm and watched as two people sat across from each other at a table surrounded by other customers; both laughing at something. I moved closer, and the scene became clearer. It was me with that man... Jerome.

"Oh my gosh Jerome that was awful!" I hear myself say as I continued to laugh.

"You're still laughing though." Jerome said with a cheeky smirk. "That must mean you find my bad joke still funny!"

"Oh shut up!" I say and gently punch his shoulder across the table.

He just laughs and takes a sip of his water, his smile never leaving his face. He looked really handsome right there. His hair was slicked to the side with gel, he wore a nice black tux, his beard was clean and shaved nicely, and his smile showed off his brilliant white teeth. 

Now I see why I couldn't get him out of my head; even without all my memories.

"Anyway..." I began, my smile dropping a tiny bit. "This is really nice and all Jerome, but why did you bring me here? Isn't this someplace you wanted to take your girlfriend?"

Jerome sighs as the waiter brings out a bill and sets it down beside Jerome before walking off.

"Mitch listen," He begins, putting some money with the check before clasping his hands together and leaning forward onto the table. "The thing is, me and Jasmine (fake girlfriend name) broke up a week ago."

"Oh..." I muttered. "Oh Jerome I'm so sorry."

"I-it's okay." He said with a shaky breath escaping his lips. "We just thought it would be for the best if we split since she was needed back home to help her mother cope with her's father's passing."

I watch as we both frown deeply.

"And I had already planned on taking her here tonight," Jerome continued. "But since we parted and she moved back home to be there for her mom I couldn't just give up the seats for tonight so I thought-"

I watch as myself cuts him off with a hand. Tears are threatening to spill from my eyes but I keep them hidden from Jerome's view. Jerome watches in confusion as I stand from my chair and grab my tux coat.

"Thought you would take your best friend just so you wouldn't have to embarrass yourself about boasting about taking your girlfriend to a super fancy restaurant that takes months in advance to get a seat for..." I hear myself mutter quietly. "Yeah I get it now. I'm just here to be a filler."

"What? No!" Jerome nearly shouted as he got up. "Mitch it's not like that!"

"Thanks for a nice evening Jerome..." I whisper as I hurry and walk out the door to avoid him seeing the tears beginning to fall down my face. 

The scene fades and I realize my cheeks are wet. I'm crying.

"What..." I'm cut off as another light appears to my left; causing me to turn and look at a new scene.

It's night, and I'm standing underneath a streetlight in a light rain. I'm wearing the same tux from earlier, although now drenched from the rain. My tears are still running down my cheeks; mixing with the cool summer rain. Cars pass by me almost every second as I wait for the crossing light to say I could cross the slick street.

"Mitch!" I hear his voice exclaim and I watch as he appears in his own scene of light. His clothes are soaked like mine, and his beautiful chestnut eyes are frantically searching for me.

"I don't want to hear it Jerome..." I spoke quietly, catching his attention and causing him to run towards me.

"Mitch trust me! It wasn't like that." Jerome reasoned as he stopped right in front of me; his slightly taller body blocking me from the street behind him.

"Then what is it about Jerome?" I asked softly. "Why are you playing with my heartstrings?"

"Mitch..." Jerome whispered as he pushed my chin up with two fingers. "Mitch I'm not trying to play with your heartstrings. And her father's passing was only one reason we broke up."

"What do you mean?" 

I watched as we stood there for a small moment, just staring into each other's eyes. My caramel ones into his chestnut ones.

"We actually broke up a week after we learned of her father's cancer; which was 8 months ago. We had already been planning on ending it a month before. I told Jasmine I was watching someone else, someone who I thought I wouldn't be able to get. She asked who and I answered. She was actually delighted to learn who I loved. She told me she would do all she could to get me closer to that person."

"Well..." I sniffled. "Why aren't you with her right now? I can walk myself home you know..."

"I know." Jerome chuckled softly. "But it's not a her Mitch. It's a he. And he, just happens to be my best friend."

My eyes widen as he leans down and puts his lips against mine and kisses me passionately. I watch as my eyes slowly close and I kiss back; our lips moving in sync, fitting together like to puzzle pieces that were meant to be.

After a minute, we pull away. Jerome smiles as he rests his forehead against mine and softly caresses my cheek with his thumb.

"Mitch Hughes," He begins quietly. "I love you from the deepest part of my heart. Will you please become my boyfriend so we can really be Merome?"

"Yes." I whisper almost inaudibly.

A small smile graces my lips as I watch us stand there in the drizzling rain, our bodies pressed together and our hearts finally content. The scene fades away slowly, and I'm left to myself in the pitch darkness to contemplate what I just saw.

"Was that a memory?" I spoke to no one in particular. "Was what I saw real?"

"Yes." A voice echoed through around me as a person appeared in front of me. His head was bald, he had a dark brown beard and dark eyes. He wore plain brown clothes, but I knew he was more important than he seemed. "All you saw, all you see in your mind, is real."

"Lord Notch..." I quietly spoke.

"Yes my child." He spoke as we walked to me. "Now tell me. Do you want to know more about your past?"

"Of course I do." I answered quickly. "Nothing makes sense to me, and the looks on Jerome's face make we want to remember. I want to remember more about him, and what happened the night I was taken."

Notch nods and waves his hand in a certain direction, causing a light to appear.

"In time you will learn all that you have forgotten." Notch told me. "But for now, walk towards that light. It will show you what happened the night you were taken, and all that happened to you and your friends."

"Go, and learn what you seek."