On Tuesday's Reina had counseling. For the first month she wanted to go by herself but yesterday, after we got home from grocery shopping, she asked me to go with her. Today was a big day for me. Mostly because she asked for me to go, but more so because I wanted to see if she had improved any over the past two months.

The office looked normal. It had dark brown walls that were oddly somewhat depressing, and as we sat to wait to be called in, all you could hear was the gentle bubbling from the fish tank in the corner. This was much different from the rehab center, and in a way that comforted me. I hated counseling in rehab. It's kind of ironic how she's going to counseling for me now, though.

The door opens and out walks a woman who looks to be in her mid-thirties. She has short brown hair, with black framed glasses settled on the bridge of her nose. "Reina." She smiles, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "Come in, it's great to see you."

We both stand up and it seems like I don't even have to introduce myself to her because her eyes get the look that everyone else's does. It's that look of pity. The I'm so sorry your girlfriend doesn't remember you look.

The office room is really small. There's just enough room for her desk and two chairs for Reina and I to sit in. Suddenly I'm nervous, and I'm not sure why. I shouldn't be nervous because this session is for Reina.

I sit quietly for most of the session as they talk about her and how she's doing. Reina discusses her internship and about how everyone was very understanding of the circumstance. They offered to retrain her, and she's flourishing there. The day she came home with that smile on her face was the first time I've smiled in weeks. I'm so proud of her and all of the accomplishments she's making.

"Justin?" The counselor repeats, causing me to snap my head up. "How are you handling things?"

Reina looks over at me and I just stare at her to try and somehow find an answer. I honestly don't know how I'm handling things. Scott and Casey went home three weeks ago and now the house is mainly filled with silence. How am I handling my girlfriend wanting to sleep alone? Good, I guess. How am I handling the awkward silences when we try to eat a meal together? Good, I guess. How am I handling her slowly fall out of my grasp? Good, I guess.

"Good, I guess." I reply, clearing my throat.

The counselor gives me that look again, cocking her head to the side a little. "Clarify good." She says. "What do you mean?"

"I've been handling it as well as I can." I say honestly. "There's not an easy way to handle this situation." Then, I look at Reina and she looks so sad. I don't want to talk about the problems we're having at home because I don't want her to feel responsible for any of it. This session is supposed to be for Reina, not me.

"Well I think it's imperative you know that you aren't alone in this situation either. I would be happy to accommodate you and let you come in for a couple of sessions on your own if you'd like. Reina seems to think that you might need some advice on how to cope."

I narrow my eyes at her before I let out a sigh. "I don't need advice on how to cope. I just need my girlfriend back. Simple as that."

"But I might not get my memory back." Reina whispers. "You talk to me every night about memories. You tell me every night about what I'm missing out on. I don't remember anything. It's been two months, Justin. I'm tired of hearing about things that I can't remember. I'm sorry that I can't remember, but I can't."

I sit there in shock, unable to say a word. I feel like she's thought this for quite some time now. Is that why there are awkward silences between the meals? Is that why we're unable to sleep in the same room together? Because she's tired of hearing about us?

"My apologies." I scoff. "Didn't realize you were done with us."

"That's not what I'm saying!" She whined, throwing her hands up in annoyance. "I'm done with the old us, Justin. Because I don't remember the old us! I'm willing to start new, and to try and give this another chance. But I can't keep doing this if all I'm going to hear about are the memories that I will never know of."

The counselor was scribbling away on her stupid notebook, and it was pissing me off. We don't need to have some stupid counselor write about everything that's going on in our lives. We don't need help. She needs to remember so that I don't have painful memories every single night of my life. Does she think this is easy? Does she think I talk about our memories to bring her pain? I talk about our memories because it's my way of trying to deal with everything. It's my way of remembering the memories that she completely forgets. It's my way of trying to survive right now. I've held in so much fucking pain over the past two months since she's been back home and she has no idea.

"Maybe we should take a break." The counselor says. That's when I notice that I'm crying. Fuck.

"Justin." Reina pleads, putting her hand onto my knee. "We're getting better, okay? We're getting closer. Two months ago I never would have invited you here. But I'm doing this because I'm trying to explain how I feel. I can't do that when we're alone. Doctor Warren is just trying to help me."

I'm not sure if it was because of the flashbacks of us, or the flashbacks of rehab, but my mind was getting clouded with bad memories. My heart was aching, my body felt like it was on fire from how hot it was, and all I wanted to do was get the hell out of here.

"Well message received." I seethe through gritted teeth, pulling open the door. "Loud and clear."

-----

I waited outside in the car until her session was done. Scott and Casey wanted to meet up for lunch at a restaurant I've never heard of. I didn't pay attention to the name of it. All I could think about was the stupid session as I shoved my face full of nachos. Reina and I haven't said a word to each other since the session, but that seems to be a common thing for us lately these days.

"Casey, can you come to the bathroom with me?" Reina asks, slimming out her dress after she slides out of the booth. She looks beautiful today, as always. Her hair is braided to one side and her dress is this flowy mini with flowers plastered all over it. I wish I don't notice her beauty every chance I get, but I do unfortunately. They were probably going to talk shit about me, I'm not stupid, but at this point I don't even care.

"What's up?" Scott asks, staring at me in confusion. "You guys haven't talked to each other all lunch."

I wipe nacho cheese off my face and shrug my shoulders, putting my hand back onto the plate for another chip. "Dunno," I say, shoving my mouth full again, "I guess she's tired of trying to remember. Wants to forget."

"Stop being like that..." He trails off. "Don't become emotionless. Are you alright, man? You aren't gonna-"

"I'm not going to cut myself." I finish for him. "That's not going to make matters better. I'm already losing her, but having a bunch of scars on my wrists certainly will push her out the door, wouldn't it? Maybe I should do that."

"Justin." Scott sighs. "Stop." He claps me on the back with one hand to try and comfort me but I shake it off. Nothing can help at this point. "She'll remember man."

I toss my napkin down onto the table. "In order for someone to get their memory back they kind of have to want it back. Or try to get it back. She's giving up. That girl over there? I don't even know who she is anymore."

Scott clears his throat, the both of us giving into the silence before we go back to eating.

------

CASEY

"Reina, why are you crying?" I ask, pulling her into my arms for an embrace. She pulls back, trying to catch her breath, as I run my thumb along her cheeks to catch the tears. "What's the matter?"

"Everything." She whimpers, leaning back against the bathroom wall. "Everything is the matter. I don't know what to do here. I feel like I can't walk away because everyone tells me he's so in love with me. I don't want to hurt anyone Casey. I want to do what's best for me, but that means having to hurt him."

"Reina, think positively." I reply. "Maybe your memory will come back. Then-"

"It's not going to come back!" She shrieks, her voice echoing off of the walls. "I'm living with a stranger. I barely know him. All I know is the things we've done. He hasn't tried once to get to know me because apparently, he knows everything there is to know about me. But I don't know him. He doesn't want to start over or even remotely try to win me back. What he wants is me to miraculously regain my memory. I'm sick and tired of people telling me that I'll get it back because all I feel is pressure. Every single goddamn day in that house I feel pressured to make him happy. I feel pressured to remember and I fucking can't!"

I catch her limp body into my arms, allowing her to soak my shirt with her tears. She looks so tired. It's almost as if she's been up all night. "Reina," I soothe, pushing her hair behind her ear to see her face, "I understand, okay? I do. You know that you can always come to me with whatever you're thinking. Nobody is forcing you to stay there with him, or be in that house. You don't want to be there? Don't be. Our door is always open to you. I don't want to see you this stressed out, love. You need to relax."

"I just can't put up with the pressure." She sniffles, her crying beginning to cease. "He doesn't want me if I can't remember. I feel like I'm not good enough for him all the time there. I don't wanna be there anymore. I don't know who that is in there!"

"Then don't." I say, grabbing some paper towels from the dispenser. "We'll both figure out a way for you to tell him, and you can spend the next month or two with Scott and I to try and figure everything out. Sound good?"
"Mhm," She sniffles more, wiping snot from underneath her nose. She looks awful, but even at her worst she looks better than anyone I know. "Thank you Casey. I'm sorry for crying. Everything's just been really getting to me lately."

I take the paper towels from her and throw them into the trash can before I open up the door. "No need to apologize, You're my best friend. Now let's go finish lunch, okay?"

A/N:

Oh man.... this story is getting so intense! Thank you guys for continuing to read. I am so in love with writing and it really helps to read your comments. I'm grateful for all of the love that you've shown me! I started off as a fifteen year old girl who posted a story, (with TERRIBLE grammar at the time), and now I have 80,000+ followers on twitter and 17,000 on Wattpad? Do you understand how many people that is? Like what? lmao. Not to mention being in Seventeen magazine... Cosmopolitan magazine... I mean SHIT. Like, fuck. Could NOT have done this without any of you. So thank you for letting me do what I love to do! I will always reply and try to talk to you as much as I can. You guys are amazing. 

I'm also considering making the sequel a paperback book as well. I know a lot of you guys purchased Just Friends (part one) as a paperback so I'm probably going to make this story a paperback version as well for you guys :) 

Please comment and let me know what you thought!

Twitter: @ believeeexoxo

Instagram: @ drxwsdeanna