Friends?

"Did James also read that file?", Zoa asked.

"No, he didn't.", Asher responded without giving it any thought.

"So, where is that file?", Zoa asked again.

"I returned it to James.", Asher replied.

"Good! I hope he keeps it safe now. Does someone else besides you also know about that report?", Zoa asked.

"No, James and I only know about it. You can trust him."

"I know that he is trustworthy. He is Dr. Ethan's son. But you are not trustworthy at all.", Zoa complained.

"Yes, he is Dr. Ethan's so… Wait a minute. I have not told you about James. How do you know this?", Asher finally realized that He had not mentioned anyone's name.

"I had met him at Grandpa's funeral. He had beautiful blondes like his mother. He is also a doctor. So, it was obvious that you must know him as well.", Zoa replied.

"Hmm.. So, that's the reason. You have a good memory."

"I know. Can I read that report as well?", Zoa asked.

"Yes, you can. But James is on a foreign trip. I'm here in his place as well. Originally, he was the one who was sent here but he had an urgent trip and I had to come here in his place."

"What else was written in the report?"

"It was mentioned that you have no memories of your father and childhood. Your brain doesn't want to recall those memories as well. You have an adaptable and resilient nature. That's why it was easy for you to move on."

"I see. Was anything else mentioned in the report? Anything related to the incident that had caused me this amnesia? Anything specific?", Zoa asked again.

"Actually, there were a few missing pages in your report. That's why I'm not sure. I sent you that picture to help you recall those memories. I thought that it would be a good initiative to help you recall your lost memories."

"Hmm…"

"Believe me. I had never any intention to harm you or see you in this state.", Asher explained to her.

"Hey, why do you want me to recall those memories? You know I had tried to do this before, and I couldn't sleep for two weeks without sleeping pills. I had dreams of faceless people calling my names.", Zoa told him.

"I gave up on remembering those memories. I can create new memories. Who cares whether I had good or bad memories? As long as I'm alive. I can always create new memories. Is this necessary for me to remember those lost memories which would give me pain?", Zoa added.

Asher had realized that Zoa was right. It was Asher's desire for Zoa to remember him. He had yearned for her for many years, and He wanted her to feel the same. But Zoa had already given up on everything unlike him and had moved on.

Asher had no choice but to move on as well and start a new beginning. Asher and Zoa both were sitting on their knees. Asher extended his hand and said,

"It's Doctor Asher. You can call me anything you prefer. Would you like to be my friend?"

Zoa was thinking about something else. She was taken aback by this sudden proposal. "Wait, wait... What are you doing?", Zoa asked.

"Asking your hand for friendship. You had told me to forget about everything and start a new journey.", Asher responded.

"Yes, I did tell you this indirectly. But are you sure that you want to be my friend again? You know. I can have amnesia again and can forget about you again as well. I can hurt you again. Are you ok with this?", Zoa asked.

"Don't worry about this. I would never let you forget me again.", Asher smiled confidently.

"Are you sure? You will be ok. You know that I have no memories of our childhood. And I'm not the same person. You had your crush on me in your childhood. I have changed a lot.", Zoa told him.

"I know. But I'm ready to get hurt again. It's my decision.", Asher tried to convince her.

"Are you sure again? You won't send assassins to kill me. You won't ask for shares in my money. You won't blackmail me. You will bear my craziness. You will always…" Asher moved closer to her.

"You will always listen to me.", Zoa completed her sentence.

"Firstly, my hand is going to fall. Secondly, I have asked for friendship. I'll be your friend not husband. So, why would ask for shares in your property? I've no reason to blackmail you. I'm already earning well. I'm also as crazy as you. Lastly, I don't have any spare money to hire the assassins. I can do this by myself."

Asher extended his hand toward Zoa. She embarrassingly shook his hand. Zoa felt a warm and gentle hand wrapping her around a cold hand. Zoa always had cold hands, but the cold temperature outside had made her hands even colder.

"Friends, now?", Asher asked.

"Yes, Friends.", Zoa replied embarrassingly. "I had never asked so many questions to my one-night stands and my buddies. Why did I ask him so many questions? Was I expecting something else? Get your mind straight.", Zoa thought.

"I wanted to be more than a friend. But someone had told me that you need to start slowly.", Asher smiled and complained at the same time.

Zoa didn't respond to his nonsense.

"Zoa, how did you know that I was your childhood friend and I had a crush on you?", Asher asked.

"Was It not obvious? You told me about your childhood and told me about your nickname. Elephant is my favorite animal as well. There was no reason for you to send me bouquets on my every birthday for the last ten years, just because of some lame reason like our company had awarded you some scholarship."

"Also, there was no reason for you to read my report and send me this picture. There was only one possibility in my mind before that you were a stalker. Then I remembered how you had helped me by jumping off the cliff. Now, I'm sure that you are not a bad person.", Zoa explained to him.

"Then what do you think about me?", Asher asked.

"I think that you are a dimwit and an idiot with an IQ below ten. You had no reason to save me at all. No doubt we could have been friends in our childhood but that was something twenty years ago. Move on.", Zoa kept babbling.

"It's my life and I don't need any reason to save you. It would have been best if you had remembered about your past rather than joining those random clues.", Asher told her with a painful smile.

Asher was aware that now Zoa was not the same person he had liked before. But he didn't care about this. "I don't care how much you change. You will still be my favorite. My only best friend!"