Lacking Visibility

*Jon's POV*

'Your table is ready. Please follow me." The waiter walked away with a menu in hand.

Jon was seated behind a couple with a young girl maybe around the ages of four or five. She seemed extremely hyper; she wasn't able to sit still, constantly getting yelled at by her mother.

The young girl's name was Hayley, he noticed, due to the pleads from her mother.

Hayley. The name repeated in his head. Where had he heard it before? Well, yea he had about three girls in one of his classes in college all named Hayley, but it wasn't like that. He wasn’t one to remember names very well, so it must have had some importance.

And then it clicked.

It was Riley's favorite name. And now that he realized it, the girl sort-of resembled Riley. Her hazelnut colored hair, her smile. Even her tiny fingers were lanky like Riley's...

”Hi, my name is Helen. I will be your server tonight. What will you be drinking tonight? Or will you be expecting another guest?" She said, as she noticed that he was alone in his booth. Smiling too overjoyed for any waiter to be, she waited for him to answer, but only found him staring at the woman in the booth in front of him.

"Uhhh, sir?" Jon snapped out of his gaze and had only just realized the waiter was talking to him. She happily repeated her introduction and took his drink order.

She. Is. Here. he thought to himself. Right in front of me. She is right there. Right there! What are you gonna do? It's not like she'll recognize you. Or will she? Whose kid is that? Is that the father? SO help me God, if he touched her.. gah! But will she remember me? I hope so.. but not at the same time... his mind raced. A million questions popped into his head.

I can't lose her this time. Not again. Not ever again...

*Riley's POV*

'Hayley! Calm down, will you!?" she yelled across the table. She wasn't sure if Hayley had gotten into the cookie jar, or what, but something had her going.

They all had ordered already. William was getting the restaurants famous bacon burger, Hayley was ordered the chicken fingers off the Kid's Menu, and Riley was having a grilled chicken Caesar salad.

She always tried to eat something healthy. She was told that before she had always wanted to stay in shape, so she tried to stick to her old ways. She was told many things about herself, but could never remember them, no matter how hard she tried to.

She often thought about how different she was now than how she was before the accident. She asked every question she could about herself; trying to live up to the expectations of all her friends and family.

There was one question that was never answered. 'Who was the father of Hayley?'

She hadn't known she was pregnant prior to the accident, or if she had, then she hadn't told anyone. She had thought of it to be the man, who's name her family didn't know, who had been the passenger in the car with her.

Her friends didn't recognize him, and just thought of him as some hitchhiker she picked up. No one knew his name, who he was. No one saved a picture of him. Nothing. he never sued them for the accident that left him with a broken arm.

He payed some of the damage cost to the car and he was off.

Someone coughing rather harshly behind her caught her attention. She turned around and it was the man she had noticed earlier.

"Are you okay?" She asked. The man stared at her with big eyes. His mouth hung slightly open.

"Umm.. yea. I think so..." he said bashfully. His eyes became normal size again, and adverted their direction.

Riley's curiosity got the better of her. "I don't know why, but you seem quite familiar to me. Do I know you from somewhere?"

If possible, the man's eyes got bigger. "Uh, no. I don't think so..."

Jon cursed at himself for denying it.

He decided that it was better to keep her out of his life and him out of her's. After all, he was the one who left. Well, willingly at least...