A/N: Hello, lovelies! So here's a revamped version of Say You'll Remember Me from my original profile (sofaritsalright). I lost the email for that account and after spending weeks trying to get back in, I gave up. Now I'm here, trying to rewrite this story because I loved it so, but I didn't know how to go about it. I hope you all aren't mad at me for doing this. I know it'll seem a little familiar, but hopefully you'll like it.
By morning, you'll be gone.
Those were the words Zoe constantly repeated in her head as she packed for her short stay in New York. In one bag, she had her overnight necessities. In the other, she had every little thing that reminded her of her ex-boyfriend. It was a pitiful task, one that she couldn't necessarily explain, but it had to be done. Wade Kinsella had to be erased from her memory in order for her to move on with her life. All that week, she had been wondering what life would be after the procedure. How would living across the way from him work? Would she recognize him at all? Would she just think that he's a new tenant on Lavon's property? She didn't know any of the answers, but dwelling was not the point in all of that. The point was that she needed to get him as far away from her as possible. That's why she's grateful for that little Internet ad that took her to Lacuna, Inc. Nothing was better than that ad. It sounded fake at first, especially for a doctor, but it she was willing to try absolutely anything just to give herself a fresh start.
On Monday morning, it seemed as if Zoe had definitely forgotten about her past lover. Lavon was rather shocked at finding her with a new pep in her step. He had to admit that even he was skeptical, but it worked and seeing his best friend happy again was something that filled him with joy.
She sits at his kitchen counter, devouring a pastry as per usual while reading the New Yorker. So far, Lavon was keeping a close eye on her; ready to help her out whenever Wade inevitably came around. He was rather nervous about it to say the least, but he had spent the past few days preparing to excuse Zoe's odd behavior. So far, none of the excuses seemed to fit well, so instead, he kept a little slip of paper hidden in his back pocket, waiting to take it out and hand it to Wade whenever the time was right.
It wasn't that Lavon condoned her behavior; in fact, he found it quite childish. He understood the hurt and pain that she was going through as he had gone through the same before, but he didn't understand why she'd do it. Pain was a part of life. And hell, this was going to cause Wade a lot of pain. That's something he knew for sure. They were both his best friends and he couldn't exactly choose a side between the two, but he went on with Zoe's decision, knowing nothing could change her mind.
AnnaBeth's head perked up from her morning coffee as soon as she saw the bartender winding in from out the window. She looked at Lavon with wide, terrified eyes and used her head to gesture towards the door, but remained silent in order not to be too obvious to Zoe.
"Morning," Wade greeted everyone as soon as he opened the door. He watched three sets of eyes land on him. Lavon and AnnaBeth had an odd, sympathetic meaning behind them while Zoe just seemed curious, looking at him like she'd never seen another human being before. "Okay," Wade comments, looking at the three of them, "I'll take that as my queue to leave."
Zoe grows more curious the more she looks at him and eventually turns to Lavon with a pleasant smile. "New tenant?"
"Uh," Lavon's jaw drops, trying to think of something quick, but can't.
"Not new," AnnaBeth shrugs, "I mean, yes, he's new, but he grew up here." The redhead looks at her boyfriend with panic written all over her face. At least she was trying, while Lavon sat there running a blank.
Wade grabs a donut quickly and starts walking backwards towards the door. "Y'all are going through great efforts to keep me away, aren't you?" It wasn't that he was completely hurt by the situation. He knew what he did, but the last thing he was expecting was this odd behavior. If it was meant to keep him away then so be it.
"Let me walk you out," Lavon says, standing up from his stool and walking past the other man to open the door.
Once they were a few paces away from the house and all the windows, Lavon placed a hand on Wades shoulder to pull him back. He reaches into his pocket, taking out a small yellow note and handing it to the other man.
Dear Mr. Hayes
Zoe Hart has had Wade Kinsella erased from her memory. Please never mention their relationship again.
Thank you.
-Lacuna, Inc.
All Wade can do is laugh at the poorly written note and roll his eyes at his friend. "Whatever you say, Mr. Mayor."
"Wade," Lavon sighs, "this isn't a joke. Zoe had a procedure don—"
"I'm pretty sure memory erasing procedures don't exist," Wade said as he cut Lavon off.
"They do." Lavon told him sternly. "Wade, she doesn't remember a single thing about you. To her, you're just another face. A new tenant, to say the least."
"You two are really bad at playing pranks," he scoffs.
It was then that Lavon placed his hands on Wades shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Wade, this isn't a joke."
At that moment, Wade felt as if he was about to fall over from the weight of his past mistakes crushing down on him. The world seemed to spin a lot faster than before, making his sights become blurred and his throat feel closed. Zoe Hart has had Wade Kinsella erased from her memory. Her brain had been Windexed as if he never meant a thing to her and he couldn't actually believe that it was happening. Zoe Hart didn't remember him at all.
