Page 209 of One of Those Amnesia Stories

Please don’t push me away.

Please let me have this.

Minutes passed.

Or hours.

I couldn’t tell.

Her breathing slowed. Her body softened, her weight settling against me, her fingers curling against my shirt.

She was sleeping.

I let myself breathe.

My arms, finally, finally, wrapped around her. I pulled her closer, just a fraction, just enough to feel her heartbeat against my chest, her breath against my neck.

A smile stretched across my face.

I wasn’t going to sleep a wink.

How could I?

She was here. She was in my arms, warm and real and staying. I was going to lie awake for every second of it, memorize the weight of her, the rhythm of her breathing, the impossible fact that she had chosen to stay.

I would sleep tomorrow.

Or the day after.

Or never.

It didn’t matter.

She was here.

And I wasn’t letting go.

Chapter 34

Henry stood by the door, his face shifting from neutral to alarmed in the time it took to recognize me.

I smiled. “Henry, right? I’m Alessia Quinn. You were injured at one of my events.” I lifted the bouquet in my hand, presenting it like an offering. “I wanted to come by, meet you, make sure you were recovering well.”

His eyes darted from my face to the flowers and back. “Thank you.” He accepted the bouquet, then stepped aside and opened the door wider.

“Would you like to come in?” he asked hesitantly.

“Of course.” I stepped forward, slipped past him, and entered the apartment.

The apartment was small. A narrow kitchen tucked into the corner, counters cluttered with instant noodle packets. A couch that had seen better days. No photographs on the walls. No sign of anyone else living here.

I turned to him, smile still in place. “I wanted to apologize. You got hurt at my event, and I want to make sure you’re properly compensated. I just have a few questions.”

He set the bouquet aside, ran a hand through his hair. “This won’t take long, right?”

“Not at all. I’ll be quick.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”