Chapter 9: memories, right, wrong, guilt.

She's not sure if she has ever been this conscious about how she looks. She had picked out the dress and accessories long back, but she still takes three hours to dress up, paint her nails, do her hair, apply flawless make-up.

Her mother snaps a picture soon- it's the first time she's going out on a date, and that too looking so beautiful- this would be considered a historic event if she was a famous person.

He picks her up, and is so stunned by her beauty that he is speechless. His eyes never leave hers, and they hold hands. He plays with her hair throughout the first half of the movie, staring at her, not paying any attention to the movie, and she has grown just so damn impatient, that during the second half, she just grabs his face and pulls him down for a kiss.

He gasps, taken by surprise, but quickly kisses back. It's messy, and clumsy, just like first kisses always are, and nothing like she dreamt it would be, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

When they pull back to breath, he's still grinning like a goofball. She doesn't take him to the sub-station that day- she just can't, can't, can't take the chance, can't ruin anything right now.

("I am really sorry mom." "It's okay Alex… maybe some other day?")

It's been one month now, and she is starting to feel a little uneasy, the kind of feeling you get before something terrible is about to happen, and she decides it's because this was the time when she lost him in their last life.

That doesn't mean that she's not enjoying every moment with him, though. She has just one word for it all- bliss.

He grabs her hand and pulls her to an empty space near the lake. "I need to tell you something." He speaks, fidgeting.

And she knows it's either "we should break up" or "I think I love you", and she's not sure if she really wants to hear it.

"What? That sin A plus B is sin A Cos B + nobody cares about a stupid formula?" she mocks.

He glares at her. "Remember that one day I was ignoring you and I didn't tell you why?"

She nods. How can she ever forget that?

"Well", he swallows, looking away. "That was because it wasn't me… I had sent my clone to school that day… and he didn't know you, so…"

He waits for her reaction, and she blinks, blinks, blinks. "Yup, you've been reading way too many comic books, geek." She concludes, smacking his arm.

"No, no, no!" he protests immediately. "I am serious. It was my clone… well, not exactly a clone.. Technically, it's a duplicate… but what I am trying to tell you is…" he breaths in deeply. "I am wizard Alex."

Of course her eyes widen at the shocking revelation, because she was so not expecting this! She pauses to think back, and it just all seems to fit perfectly. So that was why she thought he was popping in the first day she met him near the library!

"Alex!" he's freaking out visibly.

Once again, she resists the urge to mess with him further. "Okay…. That's… good, Justin." (And maybe she misses her magic a little bit, but whatever.)

He sighs in relief, and sits down on a bench, pulling her with him. "There's more…."

"Yeah…?" she's actually scared now.

"Wizards can't marry mortals." She does know that already. "So…" he pauses to scan her face once. "If I say I am ready to give up my powers to marry you, would you go steady with me?"

And wow, he is talking about marriage at the age of sixteen (isn't that when boys still play videogames?) and using million year old words like 'go steady', yet, instead of teasing him relentlessly, she can feel tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh Justin!" and she's hugging him, because she's not sure if she is capable of doing anything right now, and she just feels like she might pass out if she is not close enough to him.

He smiles, huffing in relief. "I know it's too soon to say this, but…. I love you Alex."

She gasps. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe you actually said it! I love you too Justin…. I love you, so, so much!"

And they are kissing again, and really, he is everything she ever wanted (to be).

("I am jealous of how smart, and how kind, and how nice you are…")

She's nervous, scared, terrified- you can use all the adjectives and all their synonyms but it will still not describe how scared she is. She's taking Justin to the sub-station, and while on one hand she has hope that maybe, maybe, maybe he'll remember, on the other hand she's also scared of his reactions if he does, and then of course she is worried about their parents 'oh my baby boy!' antics. (Honestly? She doesn't really blame them. And she isn't annoyed either. Just… scared. Okay?)

He walks in, looks around, freezes in his track. His eyes are different now, gleaming with something foreign yet familiar, and she is almost, almost sure that he remembers.

And then he's up the stairs, straight into his old apartment, straight into his old room.

When she reaches him and sees the tears in his eyes, she just knows- knows he remembers.

Okay...

"We missed you so much!" their parents hug attack him too.

"I missed you too." His voice is tear-filled, nostalgic, and there's something else in his eyes when he looks at her, something she's not sure she likes….

"Why didn't you tell me I am your brother?" he's yelling at her when they are all alone. Wow.

She winces. "Justin, calm down. I couldn't tell you, okay? I mean, think about it! I would have sounded crazy! You wouldn't have believed me!"

"Yes I would have!" he yells back. "I believe every word you said…. Why wouldn't I believe this Alex?"

She's finally feeling like she's losing him. "Justin…" the tears leave her face. "I am sorry."

He sighs, wraps her in a hug, and she clings on to him in fear of his next words. "This is wrong Alex…. and you knew it."

"I can't help it!" she cries. "I love you! I always have, I always will…. Besides, you are not my brother anymore. And mom, dad, Max are cool with this too…"

"Hmm?" he raises an eyebrow.

"Well, not exactly cool…" she admits. "But at least they don't mind or something… Please don't end this, Justin, please!"

He thinks, thinks, thinks, feeling her heart beat against his chest, her breath tickle his neck, and for once, he listens to his heart. "I love you too Alex… I always have…longer than you think."

(A/N: done. I know it's rushed, but I REALLY need to get back to being just a nerd, and I hate updating rarely because I know how anxious it makes you feel… so... Just epilogue left. Review?)