kissed my cheek before I even knew what was happening. "Hey, babykins."
"Hey," I scowled and sighed my words softly.
"Where are your parents?"
"I don't know actually. They haven't been here all day."
Adeline poked her head in the door. "Mason, sweetie, can I see you for a minute?" She smiled intimately.
I couldn't help the glance I threw at him. He and Adeline were involved. He had been about to tell me that I was a stupid kid and even more stupid for looking at him like I had a smidge of a chance with him. I just woke up from a coma! I shook my head at myself and marveled at my naïveté.
"They're getting your sister from the airport," Mason supplied and grabbed his MP3 player. He looked back at me and I could see irritation there. I wondered if it was directed at me. "They'll be here any minute," he said and gave Andrew a look, but he spoke to me. "Are you OK in here alone with him?"
"Hey!" Andrew complained.
I just nodded. He sighed and went out to Adeline, who waited and watched from the door. I wondered if the old me would be as embarrassed as I was right then.
As soon as the door was closed, Andrew was a completely different person. He grinned and leaned down to kiss my lips. I was so startled that I didn't stop him. His lips were soft, too soft, and he smelled like the cologne he was wearing. I pushed him back a little. Oh, no...the first kiss I could remember, stolen. "Oh, come on, babe. No one's in here to see."
"I don't-"
"You can cut the act, now," he said through a smirk. "It's just me."
"What act?"
"You told your parents you couldn’t remember anything so you didn't have to go to school? Genius, babe! Genius!"
"Andrew," I said slowly. "I'm not acting. I don't remember anything."
"How can that be?" He crossed his arms and looked down at me like I was a sullen child. "Babe, look. I know you've got the whole gimmick going, but this is ridiculous. You can trust me. Unless you're angry at me for something. Or scared."
"Andrew," I said slowly, "I don't know you. I don't remember anything about you or us or anyone else. I am not lying or playing around or trying to trick anyone. Someone ran me over with their car," he flinched, but I kept going, "and left me there to die. Why would I ever lie about something that was so close to taking my life away?" I felt my breath hitch. "No, scratch that, they actually did take my life away. The only life I knew. Now I'm stuck in a body I don't know with people around me I've never seen before."
I felt out of breath from my speech. I gripped my forehead in my fingers. I could feel my pulse beating under my fingertips. I felt strange.
He was stunned, I could tell, but he came forward and leaned down to see my eyes. "Are you OK, babe? You look green. Do I need to get your man-nurse?"
"No," I said in irritation. "He's not a man-nurse. Mason is my therapist and he's helping me so I can be normal again."
"You are normal," he said with a condescending laugh.
It hit me. This was the chance to send this guy that I no longer had the capacity to care for packing. "Andrew, I'm not normal. Do you understand the extent of my…damage?" I said bitterly.
"You…" he floundered. It made me angrier. "You don't remember anything. I get it-"
"You don't get anything!" I yelled. "I can't walk! I can barely feed myself. I can't hold my hand up for more than seconds at the time. I can't even go to the bathroom by myself, Andrew. I am not normal."
He grimaced and even glanced toward the bathroom, but I saw his resolve. There was something there in his face that I just knew wasn't going to be giving up anytime soon. To my surprise, he got down on his knees by my bed and held my hand gently. He looked me straight in the eye and muttered some of the sweetest words I would imagine had ever come from his mouth. "Emma, I know that I've been… I haven't been here. I haven't been what I should have been for you. When I heard what happened to you…" His words choked off as he held back a
"Hey," I scowled and sighed my words softly.
"Where are your parents?"
"I don't know actually. They haven't been here all day."
Adeline poked her head in the door. "Mason, sweetie, can I see you for a minute?" She smiled intimately.
I couldn't help the glance I threw at him. He and Adeline were involved. He had been about to tell me that I was a stupid kid and even more stupid for looking at him like I had a smidge of a chance with him. I just woke up from a coma! I shook my head at myself and marveled at my naïveté.
"They're getting your sister from the airport," Mason supplied and grabbed his MP3 player. He looked back at me and I could see irritation there. I wondered if it was directed at me. "They'll be here any minute," he said and gave Andrew a look, but he spoke to me. "Are you OK in here alone with him?"
"Hey!" Andrew complained.
I just nodded. He sighed and went out to Adeline, who waited and watched from the door. I wondered if the old me would be as embarrassed as I was right then.
As soon as the door was closed, Andrew was a completely different person. He grinned and leaned down to kiss my lips. I was so startled that I didn't stop him. His lips were soft, too soft, and he smelled like the cologne he was wearing. I pushed him back a little. Oh, no...the first kiss I could remember, stolen. "Oh, come on, babe. No one's in here to see."
"I don't-"
"You can cut the act, now," he said through a smirk. "It's just me."
"What act?"
"You told your parents you couldn’t remember anything so you didn't have to go to school? Genius, babe! Genius!"
"Andrew," I said slowly. "I'm not acting. I don't remember anything."
"How can that be?" He crossed his arms and looked down at me like I was a sullen child. "Babe, look. I know you've got the whole gimmick going, but this is ridiculous. You can trust me. Unless you're angry at me for something. Or scared."
"Andrew," I said slowly, "I don't know you. I don't remember anything about you or us or anyone else. I am not lying or playing around or trying to trick anyone. Someone ran me over with their car," he flinched, but I kept going, "and left me there to die. Why would I ever lie about something that was so close to taking my life away?" I felt my breath hitch. "No, scratch that, they actually did take my life away. The only life I knew. Now I'm stuck in a body I don't know with people around me I've never seen before."
I felt out of breath from my speech. I gripped my forehead in my fingers. I could feel my pulse beating under my fingertips. I felt strange.
He was stunned, I could tell, but he came forward and leaned down to see my eyes. "Are you OK, babe? You look green. Do I need to get your man-nurse?"
"No," I said in irritation. "He's not a man-nurse. Mason is my therapist and he's helping me so I can be normal again."
"You are normal," he said with a condescending laugh.
It hit me. This was the chance to send this guy that I no longer had the capacity to care for packing. "Andrew, I'm not normal. Do you understand the extent of my…damage?" I said bitterly.
"You…" he floundered. It made me angrier. "You don't remember anything. I get it-"
"You don't get anything!" I yelled. "I can't walk! I can barely feed myself. I can't hold my hand up for more than seconds at the time. I can't even go to the bathroom by myself, Andrew. I am not normal."
He grimaced and even glanced toward the bathroom, but I saw his resolve. There was something there in his face that I just knew wasn't going to be giving up anytime soon. To my surprise, he got down on his knees by my bed and held my hand gently. He looked me straight in the eye and muttered some of the sweetest words I would imagine had ever come from his mouth. "Emma, I know that I've been… I haven't been here. I haven't been what I should have been for you. When I heard what happened to you…" His words choked off as he held back a
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