A Life a Day keeps Love Away

A Life a Day Keeps Love Away

Contains text abrieviations: gf - girlfriend, wdym - what do you mean, ik - I know, smth - something, btw - by the way, idk - i don't know.

___

The cacophony of noises blared in crescendo—cars honking, birds chirping, the distant hum of a coffee grinder from the café downstairs. But a monotone buzz beside me dropped all the clamour outside to a distant mumble. I reached for my phone, the screen glowing with a single notification.

Her: Good morning.

An unfamiliar contact. No name, just a string of emojis: a sunflower, a heart, a crescent moon. I stared at the message, my mind blank. I searched my memory, sifted through fragments—was it a crowded room, or under a dim streetlight? A name, a laugh, a fleeting glance? Nothing came.

Me: Who are you?

The reply was almost immediate.

Her: I’m your gf.

I blinked at the screen. Well, what an odd way to begin your day.

Me: Are you a catfish?

Her: No!!

Me: Then you have the wrong guy.

Her: Check your notes.

Me: ??

Me: Wdym?

Her: The notes app. Check it.

I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the screen. The notes app? I rarely used it, except for the occasional grocery list or random thought I didn’t want to forget. But something about her insistence made me tap the icon. The app opened, and my breath caught.

Notes 

Entries: 78 

Last Edited: Aug 17^th, 2024 

I scrolled through the entries, each one dated and meticulously detailed. The most recent one, edited yesterday. My heart pounded as I began to read.

***

Aug 17^th, 2024

We were at the park today. She brought with her a picnic basket—sandwiches, napkins, and a thermos of tea. I spilled tea on my shirt, she laughed, and I laughed too, even though I didn’t know why.

She said it’s because I always do that.

She knows things about me, things I don’t remember.

She says it’s okay, that we’ll make new memories every day. 

Her name is Emilia. She has curly brown hair and a smile that makes me feel like I’ve known her forever. She says we’ve been together for almost 3 months. I don’t remember any of it. 

***

I stared at the words, my chest tightening. This couldn’t be real. It had to be some elaborate prank. But the details were too specific, too personal. I scrolled further back, my fingers trembling.

 ***

July 30^th, 2024

We went to the beach today. She wore a yellow sundress with a straw hat that sat snuggly atop her head. She kept trying to get me to go in the water.

I didn’t want to, but she grabbed my hand and pulled me in.

The water was cold, but her hand was warm.

She said we’ve done this before, that I always hesitate but end up loving it.

I don’t remember, but I believe her. 

June 22^nd, 2024

She told me today that I forget things. Every morning, I wake up and I don’t remember her.

She said it’s okay, that she’ll remind me every day if she has to.

I don’t know why she puts up with this.

***

The entries went on and on, each one a snapshot of a life I couldn’t recall. Dates, conversations—all of it foreign to me. My head spun. Was this some kind of illness? A curse? Why couldn’t I remember?

My phone buzzed again.

Emilia: Did you check it?

Me: Yeah. 

Emilia: Do you believe me now? 

I didn’t know how to respond. Part of me wanted to delete the app, to pretend this never happened. But another part, a small, desperate part, wanted to believe her. 

Me: I don’t remember any of this. 

Emilia: Ik

Emilia: but its fine, we can replace them with new ones.

Emilia: Wanna do smth today??

Me: sure

Me: there’s this café i know

Emilia: the one by the corner that just opened?

Me: oh

Me: yeah that one.

The café was a haven, tucked into a corner of the bustling city street, with an ever-present hum of conversation. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee danced between my nose as I sat by the window, my hands wrapped around a steaming mug, watching as the world outside spun in a blur of autumn colours and hurried footsteps. The glass – streaked with condensation – allowed only blurry images past and every so often, I’d catch a glimpse of golden leaves swirling in the wind before settling on the pavement.

The bell above the door chimed. She stepped inside, after spotting me immediately, her face broke into a smile as she unwound her scarf and slid into the seat across from me. “Sorry I’m late,” she said, her breath still visible in the air.

I grinned, and pushed a second mug toward her. “No worries. I took the liberty of ordering for you, hot coffee.”

She cupped her hands around the mug. “Thanks so much. It’s freezing out there.” She took a sip, her eyes closing in appreciation. “Perfect.”

Outside, the world spun, continuing its autumnal dance. Gusts of wind sent flurries of leaves skittering across the sidewalk, pedestrians wandered past, turning their collars up against the chill. Inside, though, lava lamps illuminated with soft glows, as if casting a sense of warmth.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. “So, tell me something I don’t know about you, Emilia,” I said.

She thought for a moment, tapping her fingers against her mug. “Hmm. There’s not much you don’t know. Ok. I haven’t told you this yet, I used to collect rocks when I was a kid also. Like, every time we went on a trip, I’d come back with a pocket full of them.”

My eyes glistened, “Oh my goodness! I did tha-“ though before I could finish, she laughed, the sound soft and melodic. “Yes, you told me already. It’s adorable.”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot,” was all I could answer with.

“They’re still in a box somewhere in my parents’ garage though,” I admitted. “I keep telling myself I’ll do something with them, but… well,” I stared inside my cup, unsure of how I could explain to her.

“but life gets in the way,” she added.

“yeah, it does.” I answered.

She nodded, her gaze drifting to the window. “I love this time of year,” she said quietly. “Everything feels so… fleeting, you know? Like you want to hold onto it, but you can’t, so you just have to enjoy it while it’s here.”

I followed her gaze, watching as another leaf spiralled down to join the rest. “Yeah,” I said. “It is.”

We sat like that for a while, sipping our coffee and talking about nothing and everything—favourite books, childhood memories, dreams we hadn’t quite chased yet. The café grew busier, the muffled conversations rising and falling around us, insulated by the warmth and the fogged-up windows.

As the afternoon faded into evening, the streetlights outside flickered on, casting a golden glow over the sidewalk. The café began to empty, and as the noise dropped to a gentle murmur, we left the café, stepping out into the crisp evening air. The streets were quieter now, the crowds thinning as the city settled into the calm of night.

Me: Today was fun

Amelia: Yeah it was

Me: btw you looked kinda sad

Me: what were you thinking abt?

Amelia: just how nice it was

Amelia: idk

Amelia: it felt like time slowed down for a little while

Me: Yeah it did

Me: btw it’s getting rlly late

Me: I’ll talk to you tmr Amy

Amy: yeah, I’ll remind you tomorrow again.

___

The world outside was a symphony of chaos—traffic blaring horns, birds singing in disjointed melodies, and the faint, rhythmic whir of a coffee grinder drifting up from the café below. But the sharp, buzz of my phone cut through the noise, reducing it all to a faint, indistinct hum.

Her: Heyy good morning

Me: who’s this??

Her: your girlfriend Amelia duhh

Me: I don’t have time for nonsense

Her: just check your notes

Me: Yeah whatever

 ***

Notes:

Sep 12^th, 2024

Entries: 104 

I left her on delivered. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. My mind a mess, my heart a storm, yet my memory remains useless. Every morning, her message would wake me up. Every morning, I’d check the notes app, reading about a life I couldn’t remember. And some days, I’d meet her, trying to piece together fragments of a relationship that felt both familiar and foreign. 

Who’s life am I living?

 ***

___

The mountain was engulfed in silence, apart from the soft crunch of snow beneath our feet and the occasional gust of wind through the pines. The world was hushed, wrapped in a thick blanket of white. Above us, the sky reached out endlessly, a wide curvature of indigo, studded with stars. Snowflakes drifted downward, slow and delicate, catching the faint glow of the moon.

We arrived beside a cliff where the snow was intact, a blank canvas of white stretching out to meet us. We laid in silence, side by side, a sea of darkness mirrored above.

We stayed there for seemingly hours, snowflakes drifting all around us. The world, an infinite, timeless, masterpiece.

 ***

Dec 21^st, 2024

Entries: 204 

Today we went to the mountains. We laid in the snow, sinking slowly watching an infinite chasm gleaming above us. I hope this moment could stay with me forever.

 ***

___

The cycle continued. Morning reminders, checking the notes app, forgotten dates and unsaved texts. Each day was a blank slate, each night a reset. Though I could feel something changing, in the way she looked at me, in the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes anymore. 

One night, after another date I wouldn’t remember, I took up my phone and began to type.

Me: Why do you stay?

Emilia: wdym?

Me: I mean like, I don’t remember you, neither do I remember us.

Me: Every day is the same for me, but like for you it must be exhausting.

Emily: It’s alright I love you.

Lilly: I just have to make you fall in love with me everyday.

***

Feb 13^th, 2025

Entries: 258 

She deserves better.

 ***

___

Her: Good morning. 

Me: Who are you?

Her: your girlfriend lol

 Her: check your notes

***

Feb 14^th, 2025

Entries: 1 

Move on.

Me: there’s nothing there

Me: it just says “move on”

Her: WHAT

Me: I’m blocking you.

Her: NO WAIT

Her: I love you (delivered)

***

The cacophony of noises blared in crescendo—cars honking, birds chirping, the distant hum of a coffee grinder from the café downstairs. But the monotone buzz beside me was silent.

___