“Tony!” I called, opening the door and turning down the hall, heading for the kitchen, only to nearly crash into him as I turned the corner. He caught me, his hands gripping the tops of my arms to steady me.

“Yeah?” he asked with a small laugh.

“I, uh, what should I wear?” I asked him, trying not to frown when he took his hands off me and stepped back.

“What you’re wearing now is fine,” he answered with a shrug.

“Really?” I asked skeptically, looking down at the outfit I was wearing. I had on a pair of jean shorts and I was still wearing his hoodie that was too big but felt just right.

“Yup,” he said and then gave me a smile when he noticed me staring at him with my eyebrow raised. “You were never much for fancy nights on the town. The last time I tried to take you out to a nice dinner you made fun of me the whole night and threw bread crumbs at me.” he tried to look mad but his grin soon broke free.

I laughed. “Oh, okay I’m almost ready then, just let me do my hair and makeup.” He scrunched his face at me but nodded. “What?” I asked, wondering why he was looking at me like that.

He shrugged and then sighed. “Nothing. I just don’t think you need to wear any make up, you’re already beautiful.”

His comment left me momentarily speechless before I composed myself – though I couldn’t control the blush that crept up on my cheeks. “Shut up, you’re a boy.” I grumbled before I turned back around and headed for the bedroom again.

“Hey! Wear your black chucks, you always said they made you feel sexy!” Tony called out with a laugh.

“Was I joking?” I giggled back.

“I was never really sure.” He answered with another laugh and I couldn’t help but grin.

---

“Are you serious right now?” I questioned with a laugh as Tony pulled up to the drive thru of a burger joint.

He chuckled. “I told you you weren’t much for fancy restaurants.”

I just laughed again as he pulled up to the speaker and ordered two cheeseburgers with fries and two chocolate milkshakes. As we pulled up to the window to pick up our order I noticed him sneak a few glances at me, a smile always present on his face. I wasn’t sure why but just those few glances caused my cheeks to inflame in a crimson blush and I had to look out the window, biting my lip against the butterflies that enveloped my stomach. The cashier handed us our food and Tony handed me the bag while he placed the milkshakes in the cup holders. I went to open the bag of food until Tony reached across the console and grabbed my hand, causing both my heart and movements to stop.

“Don’t touch it!” he ordered with a grin.

“What?” I practically whined. “I can’t even have a fry?”

“Nope, we have to get to our spot first.” He answered with a small laugh.

I sighed dramatically but folded the bag back up and he pulled his hand away, resting it on the clutch. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the main road and I watched as his hand would once again occasionally begin to drift closer to my knee before he would catch himself and hold the clutch tighter. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and reached over and grabbed his hand before I placed it on my knee. I noticed his lips twitch in a smile before I glanced back out the window, enjoying the feeling that him holding my knee brought me.

A few minutes later we pulled up to a very familiar looking park and I couldn’t help but grin. Tony pulled along the curb and parked the car, shutting it off and I already had my door open and was stepping out onto the grass. He chuckled at my eagerness and grabbed the milkshakes before he met me at the front of the car and we started walking up to Sunny Creek in silence. I was still smiling but I couldn’t contain it, I just felt so connected to this park and I remembered that this was where I remembered I had met Tony the last time I was here and it made me both excited and nervous that there was a chance I could remember more.

The dusk was just settling in, the setting sun casting an orange glow in the sky and the park was thankfully empty. I started heading toward the playground, climbing up the steps and making my way toward the slide.

“Where are you going?” Tony asked and I turned around to see him looking at me, still standing on the ground.

“Don’t we usually eat by the slide entrance?” I asked a bit confused.

He grinned then, making me even more confused. “Yeah, but I never told you that.” He said and then started his way up the steps to follow me and I suddenly realized what he meant – I had remembered.

I smiled and turned back around and continued to climb up to the top, stopping just outside the entrance to the slide and I sat down. I suddenly realized something else as I waited for Tony to join me; I had come here that night after my fight with my mother, when I had called him to come and talk to me and I had come up here and sat right here while I waited for him. I was remembering things I didn’t even know I remembered, as confusing as that sounds. Tony took a seat across from me, both of us leaning against the safety bars behind us, opposite the other with the slide entrance to the side of us and Tony used that as a makeshift table, setting our two shakes down.

“So,” I said, opening the bag and immediately plopping a fry in my mouth. “What are you planning on eating?” I joked, clutching the bag to my chest.

“Very funny,” Tony said, giving me a stern look and holding his hand out toward me.

I just raised my eyebrows and smirked, grabbing another fry out of the bag and holding it out to him. He gave me a look and rolled his eyes as he reached up to take it from me. Before he could though I snatched my hand away and shoved the fry in my mouth. His jaw dropped in mock shock and he pouted his lips out.

“You know, I’m not afraid to come over there and get my food from you,” he said then, a warning tone in his voice but a smile on his lips.

“Oooh, I’m so scared,” I teased, widening my eyes.

He smirked. “I’ll tickle you.”

I froze, pausing mid chew and squinted my eyes at him. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would,” he confirmed.

We stared at the other and I momentarily got lost in his beautiful brown eyes before I jolted back when he suddenly lunged toward me.

“Okay, okay!” I shouted quickly, holding the bag out. “You win!” I said with a laugh and he leaned back with a satisfied grin as he took the bag from my hand.

“I’m actually a little surprised you held out that long. Normally you would have caved as soon as I said the word tickle.” He said with a teasing voice as he began to pull the food out and handed me my burger.

“Why do I get the feeling you used to torture me with tickling?” I asked playfully, unwrapping my burger from the paper wrapping.

He grinned. “Because I did. I could practically get you to do anything if I threatened to tickle you. I still will, just a warning.” He said with a laugh.

“Oh great,” I muttered and rolled my eyes, making him laugh again.

We were quiet for a few moments as we started to eat, the orange glow now being replaced with a blanket of dark blue and I glanced over at the man across from me to see him already staring at me, a small smile on his lips despite the fact that his mouth was full of food. I shook my head with a small chuckle and looked out at the park below us, picturing a little boy and girl running around the park, not a care in the world. It took me a few moments to realize that I wasn’t just picturing it, I was actually remembering the way Tony and I used to come here every day after school and play until the sunset and we had to go home. I smiled and looked back over at Tony.

“So did we always make it a habit of going on dates at the park?” I asked him, leaning a little further back and crossing my legs in front of me.

He smiled warmly, a hint of nostalgia lingering in his eyes. “Sometimes. Only when we really needed a break, an escape from all the responsibilities of being adults now. You always liked to come here and just run around, pretending to be a kid again. I loved watching you, the way your eyes would just light up as soon as we pulled up to the curb. I saw it again tonight, that same sparkle. You remember it, don’t you?”

I smiled, my cheeks warming slightly. “A little. I just feel comfortable here, I feel comfortable here with you. I feel like I belong here, like I know that I’m where I’m supposed to be.” I explained quietly.

We were quiet for a few more minutes and I finally looked over at him to see him staring at me, that same small smile on his lips.

“Why do you keep staring at me like that?” I asked with an awkward chuckle, I was starting to feel a little self-conscious, especially with that confession I just made.

His smile got bigger and he shrugged. “I’m just appreciating the view.”

I looked away, biting my lip and of course blushing like mad.

“You’ve been wearing your hair down a lot lately,” he noted.

I looked back over at him, furrowing my eyebrows. “Am I not allowed to do that?” I asked with a confused chuckle.

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just wondering, I mean, you always hated the way your bangs would fall in your face like that,” he explained, motioning to the fringe that was side swept across my forehead, which in all honesty was starting to annoy me, especially being out here in this wind.

I just shrugged and pursed my lips before I sighed. “It helps cover up this nasty bruise.” I said quietly, pushing my hair up slightly so he could see the aftermath that my accident had caused.

“Shit,” he mumbled, pushing his food aside and scooting closer to me. “I didn’t even think about that.” He said sadly. “Does it hurt?”

I gave him a small smile and shook my head. “Not really, just when I forget about it and go to push my hair out and I accidently hit it. I’m just worried that it’s going to leave a nasty scar.”

He came even closer to me, sliding across the space between until his knees touched my own. He was looking at me with somber eyes and I knew he realized in that moment that this bruise, this bump and gash on my forehead was the cause of what made me lose my memories. He reached his hand up hesitantly and paused before he looked down at me, checking to make sure it was okay and when I nodded my head slowly he continued to reach out until his fingers gently caressed my forehead – though avoiding the bump, instead traveling around it – before his hand slid down and stopped at my cheek, his warm palm sending a comforting warmth to my windblown face.

He started to lean down, and I felt his breath on my forehead. “I’ll still think you’re beautiful.” He whispered before leaning down all the way and placing one of the gentlest kisses I had ever felt on my forehead, right where it hurt the most and I closed my eyes.

I tugged down the sleeves of my worn hoodie as I turned the corner of the street and I immediately smiled when I saw Tony standing at the end of his driveway. I picked up my pace, practically speed walking toward him and when he heard my footsteps he glanced up and grinned. I all but crashed into him as I wrapped my arms around him, burrowing my face in his chest. He stumbled back, surprised by my action before he caught himself and steadied us, wrapping his arms around me in return.

“Rori, is everything okay? You sounded weird on the phone.”

“I’m fine,” I said with a sigh and pulled away. “I just needed to get out of the house for a little bit,” I explained and took a step back, making sure to keep my right cheek out of his view.

“Want to go to the park?” he asked and I nodded.

We turned and started walking the familiar route, having walked it a million times now that we were old enough that Tony’s mom trusted us to go for walks alone. My mom never really asked about what I did when I was at Tony’s house so she didn’t really know being as I didn’t see any point in telling her. I was twelve and Tony just turned thirteen a few months ago – technically he was a teenager. Walking around the neighborhood at night wasn’t that big of a deal, we always seemed to end up at the park anyway. It was our escape, our place to just go and forget our problems, if only for a little while.

“What happened this time?” Tony asked quietly.

I sighed and shrugged. “The usual. Dad came home drunk and Mom was pissed. They’ve been arguing the past few hours; I just couldn’t listen to them anymore.”

Tony sighed softly beside me and placed his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his side and I smiled as I leaned into him. It was a little harder to walk like this but neither of us really cared. I knew Tony hated this, he hated that my parents fought all the time because he knew how it affected me. I was just glad that he cared enough to always answer my phone calls. I could tell when he had answered the phone earlier that he had been asleep, his voice holding that raspy tone he always had when he just woke up. He denied it of course, like he always did, and I would let it go because I was just happy that I had a friend like him.

We got to the park and the both of us headed for the playground, going to our usual spot – the slide entrance – because it was the only place that had enough space where we could both sit comfortably and it was high enough that it shielded us from any passing cars because technically, we weren’t supposed to be here after dark. Tony let me go first like he always did and I walked up steps before I turned and took a seat, sighing as I leaned back into the cool metal bars behind me.

I watched as Tony did the same, facing me from the opposite side. Neither one of us said anything, we didn’t have to. That was one of the things I liked most about Tony, he didn’t have to give me any comforting words or advice, he just had to be there with me. I never felt safer, or more at home than I did when I was with Tony. There was a crash off in the distance and I turned my head slightly, looking toward the noise to see one of the neighbors pulling their garbage cans to the end of the driveway. I looked back to see Tony staring intently at me, his eyebrows furrowing as he leaned forward and that was when I remembered my cheek. I quickly ducked my head down, trying to obscure his view.

“Rori, what happened to your face?” he questioned, beginning to scoot closer to me.

“Nothing,” I mumbled, bringing my hand up to place it over my cheek.

“Don’t lie to me Rori,” he said sternly and his knees touched mine as he stopped in front of me, reaching his hand out to grip my wrist and even though I fought against him, he pulled my hand away from my face, exposing my darkened skin.

“Jesus Christ Rori!” he gasped, his eyes wide. “What the hell happened?”

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I muttered, pulling my hand out of his grasp and leaning away from him.

“Rori, what happened?” he repeated, his hand now reaching up to grip my chin so he could both look at me and examine my cheek.

“It was an accident,” I replied softly.

His eyes widened, realizing what I meant with that. “Rori, just because he’s drunk doesn’t mean it was an accident.”

“No really, it was!” I argued, pulling out of his grasp again. “Dad was drunk, mom finally gave up arguing with him and he was passing out on the couch so I tried to help him get to bed. It was an accident, he started falling and it just…happened. He didn’t mean to, he was just drunk.”

Tony sighed, a hint of anger in his eyes. “You would tell me if he hit you, wouldn’t you?” he asked then, pleading in his eyes.

“Dad doesn’t hit me Tone!” I said loudly, angry that he would assume that. “It was just an accident.” I muttered angrily, crossing my arms across my chest.

Tony sighed again. “I’m sorry Rori, I just, I worry about you.” He said quietly.

I sighed too. “I know, but I’m fine Tony, really. I’m just worried that it’s going to leave a nasty scar or something.” I muttered out, pouting my lips at him.

He gave me a small smile before he reached up and grabbed my chin again, gently turning my head as he leaned down, his breath beginning to hit my face.

“I’ll still think you’re beautiful,” he whispered before he placed a feather-light kiss on my cheek, right where it stung.

I closed my eyes and as a swarm of unexpected butterflies erupted in my stomach as his lips ghosted across my skin, I realized that I was starting to fall in love with my best friend.

“Rori?”

Tony’s soft voice pulled me back from my memory and I opened my eyes to see him still leaning over toward me, his face inches away from mine. I wasn’t sure what came over me in that moment, maybe it was because for once, the feelings that I had felt in my flashback seemed to linger a little bit longer than usual – though not staying completely – but I leaned closer to him, closing what little distance had been left between us as I pressed my lips to his.

And in that moment, as his lips moved against mine, I realized I was starting to remember what it felt like to love Tony Perry. It was small, just a little glimmer of emotion but it was there and I was going to hold on to it for dear life.

Notes

omg this chapter seriously took me like a day and a half to write and I'm really happy with how it turned out so hopefully you guys enjoyed it too :)