Cursed By Rebirth? – Installment 3

Cursed by Rebirth?

By

D.M. KURTZ

Installment 3: A Sip & A Flash

Such a sweet aroma… Dark and tantalizing, and it went down so smooth and brought about a serenity that served to block out the chattering of patrons seated at the surrounding tables.

“Oh. My. God.” Jason closed his eyes after he’d taken a sip from the steaming cup in his right hand.

“Right? Best thing in the world,” Amanda gave him a coy smile from across the table, and Jason chuckled.

“I had my doubts,” he told her.

“But I was right,” she pressed, and Jason shook his head.

“I didn’t say that,” he argued playfully. From the crinkle in Amanda’s eyes to the sly tone in her voice, he found that the flirtatious banter brought an intriguing sort of euphoria.

“But I was right,” she repeated the sentiment, and he sighed in mock defeat.

“Fine, fine. You were right.”

Why does this feel so strange? He should be completely committed to the conversation with the beautiful woman across from him, and yet there was some part of him that held back. The last thing that he wanted was for Amanda to realize his reservations, so he raised the cup to his lips to hide his face and took another sip.

– “You call THIS coffee?! *Glass shatters, woman screams* –

Jason flinched, blinked and gasped all at once as the vision flashed through his mind, bringing with it a searing sort of self-loathing.

“Hey, what is it?” Amanda was looking at him with brow furrowed in concern. The sensation brought by the fleeting images was suddenly replaced by an electric flash of heat down his spine when her hand touched his arm from across the table.

 “It-it’s nothing,” he stammered, but she huffed.

“Please, I’ve spent more time with you than anyone else in this place since you arrived, and not once have I seen you look like you did just then.”

“How did I look?” Jason asked.

“Frightened,” she replied softly. “Or… unsettled, at least.”

The tall man swallowed hard and struggled for a moment with indecision before he grabbed the cup with both hands and stared down at the dark liquid.

“I… saw something,” he told her. “Felt something…”

“What did you feel?” Her voice was still soft, and he wasn’t sure if she was referring to his reaction to the vision or the fact that her hand was still on his arm. He also wasn’t certain if he was supposed to address the latter. Proper etiquette with such things was an item that still very much eluded him.

 “I… think I hated myself.” He frowned at the declaration.

What does that even mean?

“Why?” Amanda pressed further, and though Jason had always before admired her tenacity, he somehow found it at the moment to be quite irritating.

“It doesn’t matter,” he told her roughly as he pulled his arm away. Amanda blinked, and for the briefest of moments he could see plainly the hurt that flashed across her fair face. He cursed internally and reached for her hand and, to his surprise, she took it.

“I… I’m sorry,” he remarked, and her smile returned, though it didn’t seem as sincere as before.

“No need,” she said. “I shouldn’t have pressed.”

“It isn’t that,” Jason shook his head. “I, ah…” He paused and looked away. “Maybe it’s for the best that I don’t remember who I am.” He muttered the remark under his breath, but Amanda clearly heard him, because she squeezed his hand.

“Why would you think that?” she asked, and after a few moments of quiet indecision Jason turned to meet her soft eyes.

“Logical deduction,” he replied. “I’ve been alone at this hospital for almost a month. No one is looking for me. And sometimes I have these… flashes. Memories, I think. They’re never pleasant, and I… I always have that same feeling after.”

“Self-loathing,” she mused, and he smirked.

“In a nutshell,” he agreed, and for the first time since he’d met her, Amanda remained silent. The pair sat and drank their coffee with fingers intertwined while customers came and went without pausing to give either of them a glance.

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Copyright © 2018 D.M. Kurtz

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