The Past Comes Forward

Luke

It's been years since I've seen Matt. Things were never the same after that day. How could it be? Ah, we still hung around together, connected by a shared secret and sorrow but the strings connecting us were never as tight. We were sworn but we were scared, suspicious of the hold we each had over the other. Who would break first? It was like a high stakes poker game, all the time. Believe me, there were times I wanted to tell, when the nightmares struck and my mum asked "What is it, Luke?" but whenever I was tempted, I remembered the bruises on Mark's arm.

"Nothing," I'd say.

It wasn't nothing.

It was loss, Laney gone. Guilt. About her mum. Sometimes, it's hard to keep its lid on.

Getting that message has made me feel weird. Part of me is excited to see him again; part of me is dreading it. Fuck. Who's doing this? Why bring this all up again?

She appears to me now, all the time. Laney. At night. Glimpses of her, sun through her hair; her laugh; the warmth of her gaze. This is fucking me up. I need to keep it together, meeting Matt.

The Red Lion. 8pm. Tonight.

*

Bethan

I hold the photo in my hand. Three boys.

I focus in on them but there's not a lot to go on. It's taken from behind. My head is fuzzy with grief and my thoughts are coming to me like they're pushing through marshmallows. Has this been posted through the wrong door? I turn the envelope over, looking for clues. Nothing.

Three boys...wait.

There were three. Back then. What were their names? I can't think. Come on, brain.

I wonder if Dave remembers? He won't like me calling him but who else is there? I'll have to pick a time when the new wife's not around.

Somebody's trying to tell me something. I asked for a sign, Laney love. Is this you giving me one?

*

Matt

I get myself a pint, steady my nerves. I don't know why I'm nervous about seeing Luke. Bringing back the past, I suppose.

"Hi Matt."

And there, I am, right back in it.

***

366 words

More suspense.

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