II. He's supposed to be the one and not his favorite artist.

Jamal gets into the car with Gabriella on his right and Patricia comes in from nowhere, startled at first by the girl in the front seat.

Jamal stares at the rare view of his sister in disorientation.

“Gabriella?”

“Hey . . .” Gabriella greets.

“When did you return?” Jamal questions.

“W-when did she come?”

He sighs and she chooses to answers his question first. “Just now. I really needed to attend this program. Shawnee Shae will be there and I can't risk to miss it.”

“I know. At least you could have send me a text that you'd be coming. So I come to pick you up”

“Is that a big deal? I'm here now. I'm grown up bro. You don't have to worry about anything.”

“Look who's talking. You almost got kidnapped at the airport the last time”

Patricia rolls her eyes. “Please . . . that was in the past. Let's keep it that way forever”

Gabriella giggles as Jamal starts the car. Patricia brings her gaze to her once more.

Gabriella looks at the younger lady behind her and holds her lip into a thin line. She doesn't want to sound bizarre so she better shut her mouth.

Patricia is addled as to why she is in the same car with Jamal. Could it be that they have reconciled and he has not told her yet.

How come she wasn't even informed if ever that happened? Patricia has always loved Gabriella but for some strange reasons right now she seems super protective over her brother.

The only person she truly trusted to take care of her brother's heart was Myla. But she's not here anymore.

And deep down she hopes Myla appears from the sky and back into his life. Because personally she misses her. Also, she wants her brother happy.

She knows that since Myla's departure, Jamal has-been suffering.

Patricia just stares at Gabriella with so many questions fluttering in her mind.

Jamal dies down part of her silent curiosity when he says. “She can't remember who you are. She lost her memories of us”

He pointed out the word ‘us’ as some kind issue which doesn't escape Patricia's and Gabriella's understanding.

She shrinks on her seat feeling responsible for his emotional state. Mrs. Mehdi told her everything as soon as she left with her for dinner.

It hurts to know you can't remember the person you once loved. It feels like forgetting you lived in paradise.

She looks over at Jamal whose hands are over the steering. He looks calm from the outside but then she senses something troubling his mind.

Maybe she can start all over again. Start falling in love with him from freshman.

That's all she can offer since her past ended her in a miserable accident. Talking about that . . . what caused it?

She has never gotten an answer to that question. Each time she asks her parents they'd tell her to forget about her past. But she wants to know what happened to them in other to correct her present and future.

Patricia darts her eyes towards the young woman next to her brother, feeling remorseful.

At least she deserves that side of affection from her because it'd be better if she stayed this way. The old Gabriella is the devil's right hand. Besides Jamal still loved her that way and up till this moment Patricia doesn't get what's about her that her brother became in love with.

...

“You're late” Shawnee Shae reports.

Myla looks at him apologetically. “I'm so sorry. I-I just slept a little longer”

He shakes his head. “You don't have to say anything. I understand it's a huge thing for you to be here today. What's important now is you owning that stage and making those people believe in what you believe. You got this!”

She smiles. “Thanks. I'd give my all for it”

He tugs her into his arms, taking her off guard as she stiffens in his embrace, then relaxes as he finally pulls out.

She breaths in with eyes slightly open. He smells fresh bath and mint. That's enough to cool herself down as the walk out of the scene off set.

...

Jamal rounds his car to open the door for Gabriella and she smiles widely at his kind gesture.

“You look good” Gabriella compliments towards Jamal and he raises his brows surprised at first before responding. “Thanks. You too”

Patricia just squints her eyes towards the both them as they make their way in.

...

“So everyone I was talking sometime ago about a collaboration I made with a very beautiful Queen. She's a new artist and very adorable. I'm sure some of you have heard of her but I just wanted this to be a surprise.”

Jamal, Gabriella and Patricia had already taken their seats as the watch the stage of their favorite musician.

“But I won't call her out now. I'd go in with another music of mine then we'd give you all what we were cooking undercover.”

People cheer and he begins singing.

‘In this mile I walk then thousand more. 'Cause when I have you every other thing doesn't count anymore.’

Gabriella holds her forehead and groans under her breath. Jamal looks at her dementedly.

“Are you ok?”

She shakes her head. “I think I had a shock.”

He holds her hand as a manner of apology. “Should I take you home?”

“No. No. I choosed to come here so I'd stay. Well, I had a flash of memory come to me all at once. And then I realized I've lived this moment before. Like we sang this song together.”

Jamal shrugs. She's right. They always sang together. And this music was one of their best. He doesn't know if he should tell her more about what she's feeling now.

“Actually, this was our favorite song.” he let out.

She blinks her eyes. “Really?”

He looks ahead. “Yeah.”

She rest her hands on his and he stiffens. “I'm sorry I can't remember those tangible moments we spent together. But I want you to know that somewhere in my heart you're still in me.”

He gives her an unreadable expression but she knows what it means as she had once known him to the tip of her fingers.

Patricia just watches Shae on stage. Not minding what Jamal and Gabriella are doing or talking about.

Shawnee ends the music and everyone applauds.

...

Myla waits a few meters away for her name to be announced. Her Manager walks up behind her and she is startled as she holds her chest up breathing heavily.

“You scared me!”

Ms. Grayson smirks. “That's good ‘cause I don't want nothing else scaring you out there”

Myla smiles. “Nothing will scare me apart from myself. But thanks though. I'd surely remember this.”

...

“Please ladies and gentlemen . . . Welcome M y l a on stage!”

Patricia snaps her head towards her brother in awe. But he is too oblivious to know she is the one coming out.

She leaves her hidding place and the light shines on her. Everyone claps as she settles next to Shawnee Shae.

Jamal creases his eyebrows as he looks ahead of him. Shock is an understatement to what he feels presently. Myla again! He leans on his seat and stares at her completely sophisticated.

“Good night Everyone!” she shouts over the microphone and the crowd response.

“Good. I love the vipe over here. That beautiful night air outside and most of all . . . You guys. Thanks a lot for coming.”

The praise gets louder and slows down before she introduces the song she came up with Shae.

“I heard back stage when Shawnee announced the song we sang together. So we'd be performing this tonight. And . . . I have another gift for all of you. That'd be my new song.”

She whispers something to Shae and Jamal clenches his jaws over his seat. He's supposed to be the one on that stage and not his favorite artist.

His eyes move away from the stage skeptically. He can't stand seeing Myla being that close to such a man. He knows about so many ladies he sang with that ended up with him.

Shae smiles at her as she starts a verse of their song; (The song below is ‘Minefield’ by one of my favorite artist Faouzia and John Legend)

‘Now this might be a mistake. That I'm calling you this late. But these dreams I have of you ain't real enough’

He takes over.

‘Starting bring up the past. How the things you love don't last. Even though this isn't fair for both of us’

‘Ooh-ooh, maybe I'm just a fool. I still belong with you. Anywhere you, anywhere you are.

Ooh-ooh, these minefields that I walk through.

Ooh-ooh, what I risk to be close to you.

Ooh-ooh, these minefields keeping me from you.

Ooh-ooh, what I risk to be close to you.’

Jamal is heating up on his seat. Like how the hell did she arrive here? This is exactly what he was avoiding. He couldn't resist the sight of her co-working with young men like Shae.

Patricia chortles in silence while Gabriella frowns. She's ruminating about Jamal's sudden red complexion as she looks from the stage to him and back to . . . Myla who suddenly sees her looking.

She darts her gaze to the person next to Gabriella and . . . gulps in the middle of her singing. This doesn't misses Shae's earing as he brings his gaze to where hers is.

He says something louder than their singing tone which makes her come back to consciousness. She gives him a faint smile and he renders one in return.

But will she keep her eyes away for long? She can't. She redirects her vision one more time and Jamal's eyes locks with hers.

Her heart makes a weird sound and she feels that failure of earlier in the mal. Her senses registering that all what she felt where not dreams.

They were real! He's real!

To be continued...