"Hi, I'm Daniel" I say.
"Hi, I'm June."
"June..." I breathe. "June."
All at once the memories came rushing, pouring. Back up to the surface of my mind. My goddy mind which had failed me for so long.
"June, I-I remember you now... everything!" Her face brightened for a second, but then became apprehensive and a little scared. June. June was the person who had been missing. That hole in my brain that I just couldn't fill had housed my memories of June. But now it was full again. With that small trigger, the occurrence of the meeting we had once speculated on together.
"Day?" June asked tentatively.
"It's, uh, it's Daniel now" I stammer.
"Daniel. I like it that way" she replies.
"June, why...why didn't you tell me...about us? We, we were in love... weren't we?" I had all of my memories of her back (at least I think I did) but that could never make up for the ten years I had spent without her. Tears had begun to fall from June's beautiful, beautiful eyes. Streaming down like rivers of her sadness.
"Day, I mean Daniel, I wanted to tell you, believe me, I did!" she said softly. "But as you lay there dying I made a promise that I would do or sacrifice anything to save you." She sighed and managed to compose herself. "Daniel, when you finally woke up from your coma I knew that my request had been answered and that your memory loss, of me, was the sacrifice I had to make in return. I knew that it was painful for you to love me because of-of, well of everything I did to you when I still thought you had killed Metias. Especially my involvement in-"
"My mother's murder?" I finished.
"Yeah, that" she said nervously. "I didn't want you to have to live with that anymore. I could see how much it hurt for you to love me... how I reminded you of your mother's death every time you laid eyes on me. I knew that letting you live on without those memories was the right thing to do."
It had been incredible sacrifice June had made for me and I was speechless. How hard it must have been for her to give me up like that, when she loved me so much, and I loved her. Or at least had.
June moved to a nearby bench and sat down. I sat down next to her.
"June, wow." What could I say that could possibly convey my gratitude for her? "June, I-I... thank you, that was... really great of you." I waved at Eden to continue on to Tess's place. He raised his eyebrows at me but then turned and left. I turned back to June. Would she accept what I had to say? "June, I forgive you. For everything. You had a good reason for doing what you did. I mean, your brother had just been killed and you thought that I was the one who had done it. Anyone would have reacted the way you did. I held you accountable for my mother's death and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry for that. Besides, I'm over it now" I finished. June seemed to be mildly comforted by these words, however she still seemed a little upset.
"Look, Daniel... I thank you for forgiving me, you don't know how much that means to me, but I should have thought things through and not trusted Jameson." June flushed with anger. "That evil woman" she muttered. "I should have looked at the clues and figured out that you weren't to blame for Metias's death from the start. I am the one who should be sorry." I sighed. How was I supposed to make her feel better about this whole thing when she kept resisting the fact that she was not at fault? My affection for her had slowly been trickling back over the past few minutes and right now my desire for her was stronger than ever.
"June it's in the past now. I'm no longer affected by it and neither should you be. Okay?" I hesitated. "June... I... what I really want... is for our love..." I nearly choked on the word "to-to come back" I ended in a whisper. My hand drifted towards hers. June's eyes had filled with tears again.
"Oh Daniel... me too." June sighed. "More than anything."
We leaned into each others lips at the same time, meeting half-way. And as we kissed I felt as if I was seventeen again, and that the love we had once shared had always been within us, just waiting to blossom once more.