Do You Remember Me?

Julia waited outside for her uncle to finish his conversation with Alex so she could enter.

She had initially wanted to join him, but the Hunter had refused. Left with no means to argue her case, she resigned herself and continued to wait outside.

A little over fifteen minutes later, her uncle came out of the room, and Julia quickly rushed to him, eagerly asking how it went. 

Zol looked at her niece blankly. He had never seen her show this much interest in a person before, much less a guy. 'I heard he is the one she had been keeping tabs on as well.'

Naturally, he was aware of the little incident involving Julia getting lost when she was young, during her visit to Earth. 

At the time, she wouldn't keep quiet about the boy she made friends with. "Very well, he's all yours," Zol said, making way for her niece to go see the wonder boy.

As he watched her enter, he sighed, musing to himself, 'She's already at the point, huh? That boy better not disappoint.' 

.....

Julia slowly opened the door and peeked inside. The boy she had been hoping to see looked too distracted to notice her presence. She took a deep, long breath before entering and closing the door.

Initially disappointed by the lack of attention, Julia decided to think of how to make a long-lasting impression. It's been many years, after all.

'Do I call him by his name or do I just draw his attention?' Although she considered how to make her impression, Alex was nearly done with whatever he was berating himself about. 

Seeing how her time was running out, she decided to go with the flow. 'Okay, Julia. It's going to be fine, and he probably doesn't even remember me.'

The thought made her sad, but it was essentially her fault for not staying in touch with him. 'Here I go…'

"Em… hello…" She softly called out.

...…

Alex was frozen speechless when he turned to see who called out to him. Before him was a girl about his age. A girl with silvery white hair and dark eyes.

The smile she wore brought out her charm and cuteness. Coupled with her attire, she was the embodiment of grace and style.

Realising he had been staring for too long, Alex cleared his throat before replying,

"Hello…"

'Dammit! What if she thinks I'm being a creep?' he rebuked himself once again. 'Now, what do I say? I mean, I'm not one who came in here, so maybe she will take the initiative?'

Yes, he had no experience dealing with girls. The girls he dealt with on a daily basis were either his sister or the girls in his class. 

And if he was being honest, it amounted to just the bare minimum. He hadn't had a crush on a girl before, and even if a girl did, he was clueless as to what to look out for.

"My name is Julia Knight," she said, moving closer to him. Her heart was already racing, and as she approached, she extended her hand for a handshake.

'I see… So, she is related to Hunter Zol. That explains why she's here, but it doesn't explain why I feel like I've met her before.' He silently thought to himself while responding with a smile on his face.

"My name is Alexander Gray, but you can call me Alex." He introduced himself, bringing his hand to meet hers in a firm handshake.

'Wow, her hands are really soft, and she smells nice too,' whilst he was lost in his thoughts about Julia, the Knight princess was also in the same predicament.

'He's better looking than the pictures I've seen of him.' The more she stared, the more her heart raced.

While they were lost in their own thoughts, their handshake continued for longer than necessary. Immediately noticing their blunder, the two quickly broke contact and stepped back.

However, it was already too late; the awkward atmosphere surrounding them had grown thicker. 

Alex looked away while Julia had a slight blush on her face. In an attempt to dispel the awkwardness, Julia cleared her throat to regain her composure.

"I don't know if you remember, but we've met before, when I was young." She calmly said, subtly observing his reaction.

'I knew it! Wait, when we were younger?' Alex furrowed his brows, pondering when he might have met such a girl in his younger days, yet he remained at a loss.

"I see… Can you be more specific? I can't recall exactly when." As he said this, he felt bad for not being able to remember. 

'Great, go ahead and disappoint the lady.' He reprimanded himself.

"Oh… Yes, of course," she responded a bit dejectedly. Though she had expected as much, it still stung her that he forgot. 

"Eleven years ago, I got lost roaming around a park on the outskirts of Central City, back on Earth. You met me then and kept me company till I was found."

Alex searched his mind for that particular memory. 'Eleven years ago, I was four years old. I don't remember much from back then, but I recall we used to visit the park on special occasions like sis's birthday when she wanted to celebrate her day outside.'

As he went through his memory, he finally recalled a time when he came across a little girl around his age, crying and looking confused.

He subtly glanced at her and compared her to the girl in his memories, and while her hair was different, their faces matched.

"Wait, were you the one crying with snot all over your face, calling out for James?" He stated vividly.

Julia frowned slightly and said, "You didn't have to include the last bit, did you?"

Alex instantly realised where he had gone wrong and chuckled. "Yeah… Sorry. In any case, I'm glad we're meeting again after so many years."

He stretched his hands for another handshake, to which Julia reciprocated with a bright smile.

"Likewise, Alexander, likewise."

'Damn, she's pretty.' He silently thought to himself, all the while still shaking hands.