Chapter 5 Best Friends Are Forever

"See you, Monday, Ran."

Noreen said as Rana closed the door of the shop.

"Have a great weekend, Noreen," said Rana looking briefly at her and raising her hand in a wave. "Bye."

Noreen turned her back and walked on.

Rana locked the door with her key and hid it back inside the inside pocket of her bag. She closed her shop at five when it's Saturday.

She walked in the opposite direction Noreen took and headed along the streets deciding to buy cakes as she passed by a patisserie shop to give herself and Julienne a sweet treat.

It was Saturday after all after a long working weekday. She knew that Julienne would feel elated seeing it. That woman loves cakes more than her. It's her behemoth addiction.

What amazed Rana about Julienne was despite her best friend amassing a large quantity of sugar in her system she didn't get fat easily. Julienne has a beautiful curvy body which Rana envied while she could only be either slender if not so skinny.

She passed a meat shop and bought roasted meats and barbecue and continued her path until she walked down the subway station and took the Tube back home. It was a quiet ride for her as usual while her ears were plugged listening to the latest Taylor Swift song Willow.

The train reached West 46th Street and opened its doors. She rose from her seat and went out. She walked out of the subway and ascended the stairs.

The street was dotted with cars. A black car was driving fast so fast as Rana stepped out on the sidewalk. She was caught shocked by the sudden gust of wind that hit her. She felt like her breathing would be knocked out of her chest. Kids, she thought with a shake of her head. She bet it was a teenager who was driving it. Teenagers these days could be so unruly and wild and feel like they're a boss when they're behind the wheels.

Rana steadied her breathing and continued walking. It took ten minutes to walk to her apartment. Then, she stopped by the building of her apartment. It was a mixed red and white-colored apartment with seven floors.

She shared the apartment with her best friend Julienne Rosewood. They had been living in the condominium apartment since they were twenty-two. They lived on the top floor, the seventh floor.

She walked up the stairs to the entrance of the building and walked to the elevator and pressed seven. She waited until the door sounded and opened.

A guy with chocolate skin wearing blue long sleeves, black slacks, and a pair of black shoes greeted her.

"Hey, Ran. What's up?" he asked in a bright voice. "Just got home?"

Rana looked at him. She nodded and did a double-take look at the man.

"Jack?! You're dressed," said Rana surprised and trying to sound not too nosy but curiosity winning her added. "You have any special occasion you're going to, Jack?"

Jack Sparsefield is her next-door neighbor who lives across her apartment. The guy works in a sports shop so he's usually always seen dressed in casual clothes. Always in his T-shirts, jeans and sports shoes.

Jack smiled and winked at her showing her a red felt box.

"I'm asking Jillian tonight. Bid me luck."

Rana rewarded him with a big smile.

"Good luck, Jack."

She said before the elevator closed.

She walked straight to their apartment. And stopped by the red door and opened it. It was locked.

Rana opened her bag and took out her keys. She unlocked the red door and went inside.

There's a trick to the color of their door. It appeared red from the outside but it's painted black inside.

Rana closed the door and called Julienne.

"Jules! I'm back." She said in loud voice.

No one answered her.

"Where are you? Are you in?"

She looked around the room. The walls of their apartment were painted white. And contrary to the antique and vintage room that Rana housed in her shop and Julienne working in the museum, their apartment is mostly modern except a quarter where they threw in their vintage and antique ideas.

She went to the black dining table that occupied half of the floor while the other side of the room was arranged with a long orange couch and a white sofa covered in a fluffy dirty white carpet with a TV on the wall. She put the box of cakes and plastic bags of meat on the table and pulled a black chair and sat on it looking out in the big glass window.

Dusk was yet to come with the sun only to set. The light from the horizon was a mix of bright orange and yellow. The sky was dusky blue and the clouds were almost pink.

She looked around again but heard no movement from the other room.

"Maybe she's sleeping."

She thought. Rana checked her phone. Julienne always texted her when she's going somewhere. There was no message from her.

She rose from the chair and knocked on her room.

"Jules! I'm back. I have cakes. They're waiting to be devoured by you."

Rana said waiting for Julienne to open her door. When no answer came from inside the room, she rotated the knob opening it checking for Julienne inside only to find an empty bed. The bedsheet, blanket, and pillows were replaced in floral bright red colors compared to the white and yellow mix Julienne was sleeping on earlier. She closed the door and went back to the dining area putting the cake box in the fridge and pulled a chair to wait for her.

"Where are you?" She texted.

No reply came so Rana decided that she'll just wait for her to text back. Looking out into the window, the bright orange and yellow colors of the soon setting sun reminded her of the afternoon Rana met Julienne.

Rana met her when she was eighteen years old. Her memory was a blank slate she remembered when she met her. She was sitting on the hospital bed she recalled the day she saw Julienne in her room.

Rana was looking past the narrow opening of the dark green curtains. She could see the trace of green trees and the bright blue sky. Only a small beam of sunlight peered through the shaded curtains. She's been awake for a while. A nurse came in earlier to check on her. Her head felt a little heavy. She could feel a dull pain at the back of her head.

She raised her right arm and saw it was veined to dextrose.

A shadow to her door caught her peripheral vision and she saw a young girl of her age with blond hair standing by the doorway.

"You can come in," Rana invited.

Julienne was looking at her with a shy smile on her face. She walked towards her.

Then her shy smile broke into a big grin.

"I'm glad you're awake now."

She said in a bright voice.

"Who are you?" Rana asked.

"I'm Julienne Rosewood. I'm eighteen like you," she said. "And…I'm…I'm your best friend."

"You don't sound confident about that."

Julienne released a nervous laugh.

"I'm your best friend."

She said with confidence. Rana looked at her with a strange face.

"I don't know you," she said bluntly.

"Do you know your name?"

Rana thought for a second, then for a while. Then, it struck her. She doesn't remember her name. She looked back at the girl called Julienne.

"I'm…." she trailed thinking how she was called but strangely she didn't remember how she was called. Everything felt blank in her mind. Blank and shadows. "I'm…"

Rana looked up at Julienne.

"Don't you know your name?" Julienne asked awkwardly peering through her. She walked to her side.

Rana looked at her, irritably.

"Maybe you know my name."

Julienne only looked at her.

"You don't know my name."

Julienne shook her head.

"But you just called yourself my best friend. Why don't you know my name?"

Julienne released a sigh.

"Dad said you might have amnesia. We found you by The Lake and you've been in the hospital for a month now. And you just woke up this morning."

She explained.

"Did someone come to visit me?"

Julienne looked at her with sympathy and shook her head.

Rana observed her silence and suddenly felt sad and sorry for herself. So, she has been in the hospital for a month now and no one came to see her.

She released a tragic sigh.

"Guess, no one loves me enough to see me while I'm sick."

She said with a flat face and shifted her sights to the windows again.

Julienne walked to the glass window and drew the curtains to the side. The bright afternoon sun burst into the room flooding the shadowed room into the light.

"Better?"

Rana nodded.

"When do I leave the hospital?" she asked.

"Dad said you can leave tomorrow once you're found okay," Julienne answered.

"Okay," Rana replied looking outside.

Biting her lips, Julienne asked her.

"Do you know where you live?"

Rana turned her gaze back at Julienne.

Dread filled her. Not only did she not know her name. She also didn't know where she live.

She looked at Julienne with a blank face.

"You can live with us," Julienne said easing awkwardness between them. "Dad said since no one came to visit you while you were sick and assuming your parents must be dead…"

"My parents are dead…?" asked Rana feeling incredulous.

"Wait. Stop. Hold it," Julienne said in a rush. "Only assuming they are…"

Julienne trailed and looked at her carefully.

"Okay…" Rana said releasing a very long sigh.

"Well, anyway. Dad said you can stay and live with us. We're trying to find your parents."

"Thank you."

Julienne put her hands in her pocket.

"Sure."

"So, anyway…." Rana started. "I don't know my name." She said looking at her. "And you said you're my best friend."

She added her gaze flickering at Julienne's face.

"How would you like to call me, Julienne?"

Julienne thought for a second.

"You can call me anything you like. You're my best friend, right? Call me a name?"

Rana said babbling and teasing her.

"Yes, you're right. We're best friends." Julienne agreed easily. "Best friends are forever. So, as your best friend, I'm calling you—"

Julienne looked into the room and found something sticking out of the wall hidden by the door.

"Sweep. Let me call you Sweep."

Rana looked at her darkly, frowning. Julienne burst out laughing.

"You said anything. It doesn't sound bad."

"What if I call you Broom?"

Julienne creased her head.

"Hang on. Just give me a second. Let me think."

"I'll give you a minute to think about it.

Rana said looking at Julienne then shifting her gaze back outside.

"Time's up."

She said once she's done counting until sixty.

"Rana."

Julienne said after a while.

"Rana."

Rana said echoing the name.

"Yeah. Doesn't that sound cool?"

Rana thought for a second.

"Sure."

"So, Rana, what's your last name?" Julienne asked her again.  A smile was playing on her lips.

Rana looked at her blankly once more.

"Let's figure it together."

Julienne said with a serene smile.

The two newfound best friends thought what last name Rana should have. They tried to figure it for the next half hour while laughter and snappy comments were exchanged between the two girls. After almost an hour, they agreed on what to call Rana.

Julienne looked at her with a big smile while the bright afternoon sun shone on her golden locks reminding Rana of the golden hairs of corns when they're ripened.

"We'll call you, Rana Fielders."