“That’s what happens when you live together, sweetheart.”
I nod, taking another sip of coffee. “I just wish I knew anything about you.”
“Baby,” he whispers, setting his cup down to turn to me and cup my cheek in his large hand. “You do know things about me and you’re going to start remembering more. Just be patient.”
“I don’t like being patient,” I mumble and he throws his head back with a laugh. Peeking up at him, I fight back a smile as the sound of his laughter washes over me. Maybe I don’t remember him and maybe I don’t remember anything about our life together but I can’t deny that there is something here.
“See, I learned that little tidbit on the very first night we met. I asked for your number, you gave it to me and told me that you had no patience. You said if I tried doing that stupid thing where I made you wait three days before I called you, you’d block my number and never speak to me again.”
I hide my face behind my coffee cup as I fight back a smile. “God, I sound like a terror.”
“No, baby. It was incredibly sexy. So sexy, in fact, that I could barely wait until the next morning to call,” he answers, his eyes sparkling as he turns toward me on his barstool and pulls me closer. “I think I started falling in love with you that first night.”
“I wish I could remember.”
He brushes his thumb over my cheek. “You will. Oh, and before I forget, I got you something.”
“You did?” I ask. He nods as he turns back toward the counter and grabs a phone.
“It’s not anything big but your phone was destroyed in the crash and I thought you’d like to be in touch with the real world again.”
He hands it to me and I stare down at it for a second, searching for a way to turn it on but nothing happens. I glance up at Gavin as he grins.
“Swipe up on the screen.”
I do as he says and a lock screen pops up on the phone, prompting me for my password. I look to him again.
“Your birthday.”
Nodding, I enter the code and smile when the phone unlocks, revealing a gorgeous photo of the view out of my bedroom windows at night. Scanning the home screen, I notice the eighteen unread texts and fifty missed calls before my gaze lands on the one hundred and fifty-three unread emails.
“Oi,” I whisper as I set it down on the counter. Gavin chuckles as he stands up from his barstool.
“I guess that’s what happens when the boss bails out on work for three weeks.”
I nod, eyeing my phone. “Guess so. Maybe I should get back to work.”
“Absolutely not,” he growls, stepping up next to me and wrapping his arms around me. “You need to rest and recover. Nico is handling business while you’re away so I don’t want you worrying about a thing.”
“Yes, sir,” I mumble, feeling relieved that I don’t need to focus on running a business I don’t know anything about. He leans down and presses his lips to the top of my head before taking a step back.
“I have to run into work for a little over half the day but then I’ll be back here with you.”
“Okay… um, what exactly do you do?”
He grins as he slips his phone into his pocket. “Investment banking. It’s very exciting.”
“Sounds like it.” I lean back on the barstool and take a sip of my coffee. His gaze drops to my lips for a second before he checks his watch and sighs.
“I’ve got to get going. You want me to bring anything home for dinner?”
Meeting his gaze, I shake my head. “Whatever you want is fine with me.”
“Okay.” He leans in and plants another kiss on my head. “I’ll see you later, baby. I love you.”
I watch him leave before turning back to the counter and sighing as I set my coffee cup down. My phone stares back at me for a second before I scoop it up and unlock it. I have no idea what I’m looking for but there has to be something that can help me remember on here. A couple dozen apps litter the screen and I scan over them before choosing the easiest option.
Facebook.
My hand shakes as I tap the button and the newsfeed loads on the screen in front of me. I suck in a breath as I begin scrolling through the statuses, my heart pounding in my chest. After everything, I need something familiar, something that brings me a little piece of comfort because I don’t know how much longer I can go feeling like I’m alone, living in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language. Fish out of water doesn’t even begin to describe this turmoil rolling through me each moment I spend in this apartment, trying desperately to grasp a memory from my past. There are a few people that I recognize from high school and college but for the most part, it’s just another sea of endless faces and my heart sinks.
Shaking my head, I pull up my own profile and begin scrolling through it. At the very least, I have to find something of myself that I recognize, right? My page is filled with photos of Gavin and me, dressed to the nines and out on the town. I look really happy in the photos so there is that but I don’t see very many photos with girlfriends or any of just me. I’m always with him. Do I not have friends here in Miami? No, that can’t be right. There were so many people in my newsfeed that I didn’t recognize. Surely some of them are friends of mine. Right? I go back to the newsfeed and scroll down, discovering name after name of people I’ve never met but none of them seem to really know me. Are they business acquaintances? I guess it’s possible… Nico did say the company is doing very well but it’s still overwhelming to see how much of my life has been wiped away. It’s only been five years since I moved to Miami but it feels like my life is in the process of being ripped in half. Which side do I belong on, though?
I toss the phone across the countertop with a sigh, watching as it skids to the edge before standing up and grabbing my empty coffee cup. Rounding the island, I grab my phone and slip the cup into the sink before walking back to my room. The sun is out in full force now, shining through the glass and heating my skin as I pass the windows and sit down on the edge of the bed. What do I do now? I could spend some time going through the house again, looking for anything that might help me reclaim my memories but if what I saw last night is any indication, I won’t find much. I’ve never been big on watching TV, not that I’ve even seen one since I’ve been here but like the rest of everything else, it’s probably hidden in plain sight.
Sighing, I scan the bedroom again before standing up and pulling my box of photos out from under the bed. After I find a comfy spot in the middle of the bed, I open the box and toss the lid next to me. The first photo is one of Mercedes and me on our first Halloween in our apartment. She was determined to throw the most kickass party ever and we went all out. She even hired professional costume designers to turn us into authentic flapper girls. Running my finger over the photo, I remember how much fun we had that night and smile. The next photo is our second Thanksgiving together. Mercedes tried to cook a big dinner for all our friends and ended up burning the turkey. Her pouty, tear stained face in the photo makes me laugh as I set it down on the bed and pick up the next one. It’s a photo I don’t recognize of the two of us in our apartment, surrounded by boxes. I study it for a second and gasp. This must have been the day I moved or the night before so it was right after I went to that little country bar with Mercedes but I don’t remember it at all.