Meeting Rochelle

ROXANNE 

I lifted a brow in slight surprise. So Kylian was his younger brother. Mm. Crazy. 

"What have you done, Kylian?" Josh ignored the greeting, expression tightened in anger and what seemed like a betrayal.

"What exactly did I do?" Kylian's tone was casual, almost boring. 

People were yet to pay attention to what was happening, but I knew, in settings like this, it was only a matter of time. 

Josh cast a look my way but quickly averted it as though he couldn't lock eyes with me. He faced his brother again, "you know what you did. Take her back where you brought her from."

My chest tightened, an emotion swayed me slightly, not from the pain of unrequited love, but from that of betrayal and burning hatred. 

"Fuck you, Josh." I cussed, my voice rising a bit.

Few pairs of eyes turned out way. 

Kylian didn't mind the attention, but Josh adjusted himself and cleared his throat, waving and trying to curve his lips as though everything was fine. 

Feeling tears prick the back of my eyes and burning the back of my throat, I swerved on my heels to leave. 

Kylian's arm came about my waist before I could. Firm enough to stop me from leaving, whilst also offering just about the right degree of comfort. 

I lowered my eyes to battle tears. 

I felt a figure approach us. I raised my eyes and Vanessa's eyes widened in shock, but comported herself because she had a public image to protect. 

But the anger didn't leave the depth of her blues, it darkened them. Her gaze trailed to Kylian, noting his arm about my waist with a slight, angry furrow. 

Kylian was no longer paying attention to this couple before us. His eyes searched.

I looked at Josh who seemed confused, angry with jealousy that was small, but there. Why was he jealous? It wasn't as though he had any feelings for me. 

"If you have nothing more to say, bro, my date and I have to wish you a good evening." Kylian withdrew his arm from my waist, but not totally.

He placed a hand on the small of my back, "let's go."

He led us towards a group of women discussing amongst themselves across the other side of the of the spacious event hall.

For curiosity sake, I threw a look over my shoulder to see Vanessa and Josh having a quiet, yet intense conversation. Almost as if they were arguing with Josh looking like the defeated loser. 

"Hello, ladies."

I shifted my attention back to the people Kylian wanted us to meet. 

I saw one familiar face, quite surprised. "Rochelle?"

She came to hold my hand, looking as beautiful as ever, a gentle smile playing on her lips, "why didn't you tell me?"

My brows furrowed, I slipped Kylian a glance who acted like he wasn't listening in. He was currently basking in the affection these ladies were showing him, showering them in sweet, soft praises that had them giggling like high school teenagers.

He was in his element, comfortably so.

I looked back to Rochelle, still a bit puzzled, "tell you what?"

She leaned in to whisper, "that you lost your memory and can't remember a thing."

I opened mouth, closed. Opened again and closed it back. Then I heaved a sigh, telling myself it wasn't worth it. 

Was this the reason he had wanted me to come to this event? 

"Well, I don't remember you. Plus, you were like a stranger that first day so..." I shrugged, then added, "I've been trying to reach you to no avail."

"I apologize. I actually lost my phone the next day on my way to the airport. I didn't even know I'd see you again since that number is gone. I'm sorry," her smile grew, "now I can understand why you acted all strange that night. Your boyfriend actually made it possible for me to come here. He contacted me."

"What? He did?" Another glance at Kylian who was still flirting with the ladies, not paying any attention to us, "how?"

"I was shocked myself, but he said you have questions for me." 

"Oh." 

I looked at him again, he finally turned and offered me a subtle wink before paying attention to his flock of beautiful women.

That was quite thoughtful of him. It might look like a small act, but this was him trying to help me figure out pieces of my past. It meant a lot to me. 

The debt just kept piling.

"Yes, so what do you want to ask?" She asked, at the same time her eyes strayed over my shoulder, behind me. Her brows quirked, dark brown eyes widened a bit in recognition. "You came with her?" Her smile had dimmed.

I followed her gaze, and saw it led to Vanessa who now had her arm hooked around Josh, enjoying the attention people paid her, "Uhm, no. You know her?"

"Of course. Wait, does she know you're here?" She asked. 

"Yes," befuddlement was fogging my brain, "how do you know her?"

Rochelle looked at me like she couldn't properly understand me. As though she finally remembered, she nodded, "we all attended the same school, Roxanne. Me, you and Vanessa."

Surprise and disbelief rocked my insides.

"But didn't she tell you that already?" Rochelle's perfectly carved brows knotted her puzzlement.

"W-why?" My chest was hammering against my chest now, "is...is she supposed to tell me that? Were we enemies back in high school?"

Rochelle let out a small chuckle, then shook her beautifully styled head of thick, dark Afro hair, "no, Roxanne. Vanessa was never your enemy back in high school. In fact, your relationship with her was the envy of the school. The only time you guys disagreed was when she'd pick on me and bully me."

"Oh my." Vanessa and I were that tight in school? Yet she was treating me this bad? "Do you think that we, maybe, fell out at some point?"

Maybe that could explain why she hated me this much. Why she was so shocked when she saw me that the first night she returned. 

"No." Rochelle said, "you guys were as close as you could be after graduation. You both planned to attend the same university abroad. Wait, are you both not currently on talking terms?"

I shook my head, but didn't talk further on that. 

"Oh, that's wild. Was she jealous you got accepted into your dream university before her?"

I blinked, my chest heavy, "I...I got accepted to go to university?"

"Yes, that was the rumor we heard back then. And that's the only reason I can think of for someone like Vanessa to get angry at you. She's always competitive...even with her own twin sister." She revealed with a kind of long-standing bitterness aimed at Vanessa.

My mouth fell open, I clutched my chest, "t-twin sister?"

"Yes. She's your fraternal twin."

The glass of champagne I'd been nursing since I stepped into this event with Kylian slipped from my hand, shattering to the floor.