Chapter 3
Jason's studio apartment resembled a rich man's Pinterest feed - pristine, modern architecture painted shades of grey and umber, lit by an array of crystal down-lights, clad with rustic decor that held true to his masculine presence. He sat at the center of it all, sipping on a bourbon and staring off into space... why was she there...
The events wouldn't leave him, never mind the question of their legitimacy - how much of it had been real? At what point did reality shift into a dream? Was she even there in the first place? -
The sharp PING of a message notification sprung Jason from his blank wondering. He reached over the wooden coffee table in front of him and picked up his phone - the screen seemed fuzzy, almost as if a surreal haze was obscuring Jason's focus - he strained his eyes on the message-he didn't recognize the number, but the profile image was all he needed - it was Vanessa.
-"Hey, hope you didn't forget" The message read.
It was followed by another PING, this time an image.
Jason felt a rush of blood taking over him as he looked at the picture - Vanessa's naked body, tempting and bare, laid out for him to admire- It had hardly changed in all the years she'd been away. He couldn't shake himself from the sight - couldn't fight the urge of arousal. In a trance, he unbuttoned his trousers and reached in. The world swirled apart and retracted into a single point - a single photograph. The moment spirals away from time, to a memory, the back-seat of a car, two bodies writhing within each other, the rising tempo of breathing out a climax -and then shattering.
A whimpered moan escaped Jason as he came. Just as quickly as he had been compelled into the act, so it had left him. He spent a few seconds in awe of what had transpired, then a strange tickling disrupted him. He lifted the guilty hand to his face, only to be disgusted by what he saw - several maggots, all squirming over his knuckles and between his fingers.
The after-glow of orgasm quickly swapped itself for terror as Jason shot up from his seat, dropping his phone in the process. He brushed vigorously at his groin, but suddenly there was nothing .
Jason stared down at himself, inspecting... He was clean... What the fuck was going on?
Just then his phone began to ring. He reached down and grabbed it from the floor - the screen was quite drastically cracked, but he could still make out the 'answer' icon.
-"Hello?" he prompted, answering the call.
-"Hey Jay, I need you to do something for me"
It was Vanessa.
-"Meet me at 41 Handover Pass, just outside the city - tomorrow, 4:45 p.m."
-"Wait, why ar-"
The phone died before he could finish, leaving a black, cracked reflection of his face, perplexed and without answers.
Thank you for reading Part 3 of The Reminder - A short story about lust, death, and the unfinished stories of passed lives.
Please like, share and follow if you enjoyed the read, and look out for the next installment in a few days, be sure to read Part 1 if you're new to story. :)