A pair of brown eyes stared down at me. My chest heaved up and down. it was the last face I wanted or expected to see, especially after a flashback like that. It couldn't be him, could it? No way. No fucking way. Please, let this be just a coincidence. 

I wasn't sure how he found me or what he was doing there. Maybe it was random but the fact that I didn't think so highly of him anymore made the situation even more confusing. I couldn't find it in me to give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. I was all about second chances but considering everything that happened in the last few weeks, I simply didn't have it in me. 

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked with a frown on his face as his eyes scrutinized me. 

I grumbled and sat up, on the sand, scooting back to put more distance between us. 

"I'm fine," I replied. Short and stern. 

I reached for my shirt on the ground and pushed my arms into the sleeves before buttoning it up.

Tyler was sitting on the sand a few feet away, his gaze still on me and I had to admit, I didn't like it. My mind instantly went to Zach and how I knew he would look away if he was in this same situation with me. I remembered how he covered me up when he found me passed out in the shower. Surely, if Tyler found me that day, I would wake up still naked. 

The vibes both of the males exuded could not be more different. And yet the result ended up the same, no? They were both full of shit. But for some reason, the grudge I held against Zach was far greater. 

"What do you want?" I snapped at Tyler as I got up and pulled my jeans back up to my waist. I didn't care that my underwear was still damp from the waves, I just wanted to get the fuck out of there. 

His dark eyes followed my movements and his eyebrows raised in question. 

"Wow, you don't have to be such a bitch, you know? I was just jogging past here," he defended himself and raised to his feet as well. 

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, talk to me about being a bitch." 

He snickered. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

I shrugged my shoulders as I pushed one foot inside my sneaker. "Just that you're just as full of shit as everyone else." 

Tyler blinked and scoffed at me, wiping his sweaty forehead with his wristband. "Yeah, you're the one to talk ..." His voice came out as a mumble and I had to focus for a moment to actually understand him. 

"What does that mean, Tyler?" I asked, audibly done with whatever the fuck this was. And with him in general, might I add. That one date surely was a mistake. Why did I have to spill my coffee that day? Stupid, stupid, stupid ... 

His palms rested on his hips, eyes darting right at me. "That you're not as cute and innocent as you keep pretending to me, Via. You've done a  lot of fucked up shit and I'm sorry you don't fucking remember it but the rest of us do."

I held my breath for a moment before releasing it in a form of a sigh. 

"You know what, Zach and the rest of them keep finding excuses for you. But I think this is just something you fake when you don't want to face all the shit you did. I think you remember me. I think you remember all of us and it's easier for you to fake all this bullshit than to own up to it," he continued. 

I stared at him in disbelief for a couple of seconds, maybe more until my heart started pounding. What?  

"Why the fuck would I fake something like this? Did you or did you not just find me passed out?" I hissed back but not as sternly as I hoped I would. 

"As if that tells me anything, Via. People pass out. Do you want to go to the hospital?" he asked but there was a mocking undertone to his voice. 

I scrunched up my nose and took an additional step back. "What do you want from me?" 

A chuckle left his lips and he looked as if he was about to say something and changed his mind half a heartbeat before his voice sounded again. "I don't know if this is bullshit or not. If it is, you're a hell of an actress. But how about you own up to your own crap when those memories do 'return'," he replied, his index and middle fingers creating air quotes with the last word. 

"Why don't you just fucking tell me, huh? You were so fucking eager to that night in The Red," I provoked him, hoping that if I pissed him off enough he would actually spill anything. Anything. 

And he laughed. He fucking laughed. 

My blood boiled. "What's so fucking funny?" 

His laughter died down and I could've sworn his features softened for just a moment there. A twinkle passed his irises when he looked at me and for the first time, I not only heard that I've met him before but I also felt it. I've seen those eyes before. 

Also, what the fuck was up with me remembering eyes? Was it true what they say? That eyes are the window to the soul? Sounded cheesy but they might be onto something there. Except that these eyes didn't bring me calm. The longer I looked at them, the more I felt pressure against my chest. 

"It's so easy to get you riled up," he commented and flashed me a grin. "I'm the only one who's being remotely honest with you, Via. Don't you get that? Your sister has been lying to you from the start. Trina. Don't even get me started on Zach." 

"Leave him out of this," I hissed through gritted teeth, unable to take the sound of his name. It hurt. It fucking hurt. 

Tyler's grin faded then but I still felt so small under his heavy gaze. Was I really this desperate for answers? 

"You were mine," he stated, coldly so. 

What? WHAT?!  I stared at him as if he just grew a second head and instinctively wrapped my arms around my torso in an attempt to shield myself from him. 

"What do you mean, I was yours?" Please, let this be some kind of joke. 

He paused and took a moment to really take my expression in. I didn't even know what face I was making but judging by his own expression, I visually wasn't very pleased with his answer. 

"You were always meant to be mine, Via. You just ... You get confused sometimes." Was he looking for excuses for me? To justify my apparent abandoning? "You get confused and you think you want him but that's okay. It's okay. I'll forgive you. You'll come around. You always do." 

Was there really a chance that all of my memories, all of the flashbacks were Tyler? Was he that faceless man? I didn't even know up until that point, how much I silently wished it was Zach. Even if I hated him ... I somehow still hoped it would be him. 

"Wait ... " I held my hand up to make him pause. "These flashbacks I'm getting ... They're you?" I questioned, simply refusing to believe that was the case. 

A hint of a smile formed on his lips and simultaneously, tears burned my eyes. 

"But you ..." 

He took a step forward and this time I kept still. "You'll remember what you really feel about me, Via." His words sounded like a promise and yet, I could fathom ever feeling anything like that for Tyler. It just couldn't be real. 

"No ... " 

He let out a chuckle laced with a sigh. "Don't tell me you were hoping it was Zach." 

"I ... " I couldn't even speak. While I had no solid reason to believe him, his words had a certain weight to them — a weight I couldn't ignore. 

"You're such a fool," he said and shook his head. "When you'll be ready to have an actual conversation, you know where to find me." 

As he jogged away, the air around me felt heavier. I formed a bubble with no oxygen around me as I sank down on the sand again, clutching my chest for a few seconds before an actual sob escaped me. 

***

The night had already fallen by the time I managed to drag myself back to my apartment. The moment I stepped through the front door, I could already hear giggling from the kitchen. Scarlet emerged through the archway and stopped in her tracks the moment she laid her eyes on me. 

"Hi!" she greeted me, a squeal following the short word. Was she always this perky? 

"Hey," I replied, trying to form at least a small smile. She was the only one who now genuinely seemed to just be caught in this crossfire. 

Maya's head popped from around the corner, now two pairs of sky blue eyes staring at me. 

"There you are!" my sister said, followed by an apologetic smile. 

"Yeah, my phone died again." I tossed my bag on the couch. I couldn't be bothered to put all of my things in their respective place. The phone thing was a complete lie and I knew Maya knew it as well. 

"You should really get a new one then," she said, showing how displeased she was with the tone of her voice. 

I glanced at her and let a shrug roll off my shoulders. "Yeah." 

"We just made dinner. Are you hungry?" Scar chimed in, sensing the tension that began to build in the apartment. 

My gaze shifted to my sister who was staring at her girlfriend-not-girlfriend. Scar gave her a confused, innocent look before she waved her hand at me. 

"Come on, it'll be fun," the blonde insisted. 

I took a deep breath and ultimately nodded my head, approaching the two women and together we walked into the kitchen and dining area. Frankly, I was used to just eating on the couch, no matter how much it pissed off Maya, it felt weird seeing how the dining table was made. A light pink table cloth, a candle-holder on top with two plates. Oh. Oh. I interrupted a date. 

"You know what? I'm not really that hungry," I quickly made up an excuse and lifted my hand to rub the back of my neck. "And I just remembered ..." I walked backward out of the kitchen. " ... I have that thing that I forgot about." 

Maya kept her intense gaze on me while Scar seemed a little disappointed. 

"Can't it wait? I'll set another plate, there's plenty of food ..." she said, her innocent baby blues watching me, the tips of her index fingers touching. 

"I ... I mean ..." 

Maya cleared her throat. "Just come sit, Via." 

I wanted to protest again but at this point, it felt like I ruined their plans either way. If I left, I'd somehow hurt Scar's feelings and if I didn't, Maya would be annoyed. Well, tough fucking luck, sister dearest. 

I took a seat in my usual place and crossed my legs. I felt like a child in a restaurant with her parents, unsure what to do because I was expected to behave in a way I didn't understand. 

Scar and Maya moved about in the kitchen and brought the food to the table. It did smell good and I wasn't entirely sure how hungry I was until I took in the smell of roasted chicken. 

"Dig in," Scar said with a kind smile on her lips. 

I returned the smile and filled up my plate, though it wasn't as full as it normally was. I might be tiny but I was a huge food lover. 

For the first few minutes, we all ate in silence. It seemed like Maya was trying to figure out a topic that wouldn't instantly provoke a fight between us. My temper was quite bad lately, I had to admit that. I wasn't even completely sure how I managed to sit there and act like everything was okay for as long as I did. While Scar was oblivious to everything, Maya's secretive glances in my direction let me know that she was counting down the seconds until I'd blow up again. 

"What did you do today?" the blonde broke the silence with her cheerful voice. 

I looked up from my plate and chewed slowly. Upon swallowing, I answered. "I went down to the beach after work." 

"Alone?" Maya instantly inquired. 

"Yeah, Maya. Alone," I replied, putting extra emphasis on the last word. 

"Did you go swimming? Work keeps me so busy, I hardly have the time to breathe, much less go to the beach," Scar continued the conversation, perhaps choosing to ignore the tension between myself and my older sister. 

"I wanted to but I ended up just sitting in the shallow water. Then I passed out again." I didn't lift my gaze up this time. I didn't have to, I still heard Maya's fork hit the plate as she dropped it. 

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Are you okay?" 

I smirked. "I'm fine. I see them coming now." 

Scar was the one who was staring at Maya now. "Maybe we should get her to do a CT scan. This is not okay," she said and Maya inhaled sharply. 

"She said she's fine, Scar," Maya protested. 

While Scarlet didn't seem pleased with her response, she did press any further. But she did reroute her gaze in my direction as if she wanted to tell me something but couldn't. 

"So, is this ..." I gestured between the women. "... an official thing now?" 

Maya choked on her bite while Scar's cheeks were covered in a bright pink shade. I had to chuckle at that. 

"I'm gonna take that as you two haven't had that conversation yet. Well, maybe you will now," I replied, acting completely nonchalant as I threw a french fry into my mouth and flashed them a grin. 

They exchanged looks and sort of hoping the Earth would open and swallow them both.

Despite everything, I was still happy for my sister. And it was a conscious decision to not tell her about my run-in with Tyler that day. I really needed to figure all of this out on my own. The new information about me supposedly loving him at some point seemed so abnormal and I wasn't ready for a miracle to happen and Maya actually telling me it was the truth. 

***

I volunteered to do the dishes since both of them cooked. My hands were still under the bubbly water, scrubbing the last pot when I heard footsteps behind me. 

Scar walked up to me and peeked through the archway once more before fully approaching me. Was she checking where Maya was? What the hell? 

"Okay, listen," she said in a hushed voice. 

I frowned and pulled my hands from under the water and wiped them with a paper towel as I turned around. "Is something wrong?" 

She shook her head. "Just listen," she repeated, quieter. "You're not anemic. Well, a little bit but that was scripted in the hospital. Before they sent me in your room, they gave me a different file to read from." 

I held my breath. "And?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice low but it was suddenly hard. 

"I can try and help you get the real file but ... It might take a while. But this, you, it's just too weird." 

My pearly whites nipped on my lower lip, a small nod accompanying my train of thoughts. I couldn't express how grateful I was. 

"I don't know what they're hiding or what's really going on but ... You deserve to know. I just wish I'd have more information to give you." 

I gave her a smile. An actual genuine smile. My arms wrapped around her neck and I pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Scar." 

She returned the embrace and I heard a smile in her voice. "You're welcome. Just please, don't tell Maya? I really don't wanna mess this up." 

Pulling back, I nodded. "I'm not gonna tell anyone. I just need to know what the fuck is going on."