Chapter One

Nostalgia

Memories… Hmm, not something I'm too fond of nowadays. Not too fond of thinking about these memories either. Suppose it's nothing I can control; nostalgia reels its ugly head like the bitch it is. I guess this room just brings back all these memories. Thank God I'm always busy with the job. Because of it I'm hardly ever home. But the boss put me on vacation, said I work too hard. There's a reason for that but I can't complain.

There was a time in my life where I was completely elated and didn't have a worry in the world. I guess those vital things we lost are gone forever. You can't grow your ear back once something's taken a bite out of it. Can't get your heart back when someone had that part of you. It's gone forever. I used to be talkative… Couldn't shut me up… Now getting me to talk is a pain in the ass. I talk when necessary.

Hell, I can't believe I've been living in a shitty apartment for ten years. I coulda had a house by now. What the hell am I talking about? I don't stay in one place long enough to even care. My thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, "Yo!", the dropping of keys in the bowl by the door, the slipping off of shoes. Reno's usual striptease while he makes his way up the hallway to the kitchen. The refrigerator opens and the distinct sound of a beer bottle opening.

"Get me one, will you?" He's already pulled his hair out of the confines of the band and is left in a shirt and boxers. Just like me. The refrigerator opens again and he's bringing the bottle over to me. I sit up so he has somewhere to sit as well and open my beer to take the first good swig of the import we love.

"I know what's eating you." I'm not in the mood for a philosophical lecture but I sit there anyway. I let him have his glory. Good ol' Reno. "I miss her too ya know. This place seems empty without her. Those were the good days, when you thought nothing could ever hurt you. Ah, naivety." I pulled my mouth to the side as my head rested on the back of the couch. "Gotta let her go sometime. And I know it's hard, but it's gotta be done. She wouldn't want you moping and whining all over the place. She loved you happy."

She…

Been a while I suppose. Back when I was young and high on life. I worked for Shinra as a guard at the local prison. I had worked my way up from the lovely position of a janitor for about 6 years now. That was ten years ago. Think I was walking to work, yelling at Reno to get his ass out of bed because he'd be fired over the phone with a bagel in the other hand. I'd just hung up with him when someone ran into me. She fell flat on her rear, and no sooner had the shock settled she was scrambling for her phone and running off. I picked up my phone and took a bite from the bagel as I began to walk again. "She's in a hurry." I had laughed to myself as I continued to walk. I pressed the button on the side of my phone to put it on silent. I noticed a change in settings. Curiosity, I opened the phone. It wasn't mine. After a sharp 180 I tried to call for the girl that had run into me, but she was nowhere to be seen.

During lunch I called Reno to tell him about my phone switch up. "So that's why you sounded like a girl and hung up on me! And here I thought you had a secret life!" The sarcasm died off with a few awkward laughs and then he cleared his throat, "You're gonna have'ta get it back!"

"I know Reno," my voice was tight and held slight resignation in it. It'd be so awkward to have to call my phone from her phone so I could exchange phones with her.

But I went home to Reno chanting, "Call her!" over and over again.

We were in the middle of dinner and I was tired of a mouthful of rice saying, "I still say you should call her, like, right now!"

"Dammit Reno!" I took her phone and dialed my number.

It rang a few times, "Hello?" I heard a soft voice ask.

"Hi!" I said into the receiver. "I think we accidentally have each others phones. I was wondering if perhaps tomorrow you would want to meet up somewhere in order to switch them back?" There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Who is this?" The tiny voice asked.

"Oh, sorry! My name is Rude. We sort of ran into each other this morning and switched phones." I explained again. I had to keep from smiling at the dimwitted response.

"Oh, yes, that's why the weird man called me? Okay. Uhm, where do we meet up?"

"How about Horizons? You know, in Sector three? Tomorrow morning at around 10." More silence. This person seemed really awkward and sweet.

"That's fine I suppose. I'll have to leave early," the last part I only barely made out. Reno's snigger was annoying. "I'll see you then, goodbye Rude!" and then the line disconnected. I closed her phone and shook my head.

"Sounds like a date Rude!" Reno laughed. I felt my face go up about ten shades.

"I—I… I'm just getting my phone back! I know nothing about the girl other than she's sort of awkward and has a very innocent voice. And she can run…"

"Hair color?"

"Dirty blon—Why does that matter?" Reno laughed again.

"Ah, buddy… This can only end badly." Knowing what I know now, those words were the immediate downfall. But his smug smile calmed my nerves for the moment. And, like the idiot I was, I let Reno persuade me to go get shitfaced that night.