Chapter 5: Heartbreak
Jamal adjusted the strap of his backpack on his shoulder as he walked into a Hotel shortly after he arrived in Blue York.
He made sure the Hotel wasn't too far away from the university since he was sure Dawn wouldn't be living so far away from school.
He hardly noticed the luxury around him as his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of meeting Dawn.
He checked with a brief exchange of words, the hotel receptionist's polite smile lost on him. The bellboy offered to help with his backpack, but Jamal politely declined, wanting the solitude as he made his way to his room.
The moment he walked into the modern, spacious room, he dropped his bag by the bed and his phone on the nightstand before sinking onto the plush mattress with a heavy sigh.
For years, he'd clung to the memories of her— the shy smile she'd give him when they FaceTimed, the way her laugh had sounded like music to his ears. He had stayed away from other girls and saved himself emotionally and physically, hoping their reunion would be worth the wait.
Now he couldn't wait to see her. To tell her how much he had missed her and all that had happened in the last fifteen years. He couldn't wait to show her the pictures of Lucy's wedding and those of his mother's wedding. He couldn't wait to tell her all about Lucy's triplets and his two younger sisters.
Meeting her here was going to be a fresh start, a chance to see Dawn again and pick up the pieces of the friendship they once had and develop it into something more.
But one thing bothered him. What if she didn't remember him? What if she had forgotten all about him and their friendship? What was he going to do then?