Page 5 of Before I Lost You

“Maybe this is fate, Conrad.” Emerson’s smirk turns into a grin. “You get your dream guy after all. The literal man of your dreams.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” I state firmly. “Don’t feed me that bullshit.”

“Then how do you explain this?” he asks me, and I purse my lips.

“I can’t really explain the unexplainable.”

“Exactly.” He shrugs, grinning. “It’s definitely fate.”

“I thoughtIwas crazy,” I huff. “I should’ve known you’d be worse.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Em laughs. “I just want you to be happy.”

“How am I even going to find him?” I sigh. “He’s long gone by now, and I don’t even know his name.”

“We’ll find him,” Emerson says, sounding way more confident than I feel. “You’ll see.”

“I don’t know…”

“You’re meant to be.” He gets up from the chair and sits next to me instead, then squeezes my shoulder. “I know it.”

“How?” I frown.

“I’ve never seen you like this before.” He smiles softly. “You look head over heels in love, and you’ve never even properly met him. I know once you do, you’ll be obsessed.”

“I don’t want to be obsessed,” I groan.

“I think it’s a little late for that, bud.” My head drops back against the couch at his words, and I close my eyes. “Guest room is ready for you when you’re ready for bed. Towels are in the linen closet if you need a shower.”

“Are you going to bed?” I ask him.

“Yeah, gotta get my beauty sleep for my date tomorrow.”

I laugh, appreciating the break from the heavy talk. “Alright, good night.”

“Night.” He grins. “Will you be here in the morning?”

“Yeah, I think I want to go back to that exhibit. Maybe give them my information.”

“Oh, you got it bad, don’t you?”

“Shut up,” I groan again. “I’m not down bad for him. Haven’t even met him.”

“Sure, sure.” He chuckles. “See you in the morning.”

Emerson gets up from the armchair and walks away, his footsteps getting fainter the closer he gets to his room, and then the door clicks shut. I stay in place for a long, long time, unsure how to proceed. I need to get some sleep, but at the same time, I’m scared to dream of him again. What if I see his face this time? What if they’re the same person? How do you explain that?

I’m not sure I’m ready for answers.

Chapter 3

JUST OUT OF REACH

Emerson and I had breakfast at a restaurant near the gallery this morning, waiting for it to open. I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I’m nervous. Will he be there? Will they actually accept my information to give over to him? All this uncertainty is making my skin crawl. I want to see him. I need to lay eyes on him again. I have this itch I can’t scratch, and it’s driving me insane.

I look at the glass door again, debating if I really want to do this. Am I making a fool of myself if I go in there and do this? Will they think I’m weird? Most importantly, willhethink I’m crossing a line? At this point, I’d do anything to get his attention. I just don’t know how to go about it without looking like a creep, though I do have one idea. Hopefully, it works.

Em places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes once, saying, “You got this, Con. I believe in you.”