Page 70 of Don’t Forget Me

“What’s with you? Are you mute?” she asked, making me travel back to the moment I had asked her a similar question the first day we met. Now that she had asked me that, I realized how much of a jerk I must’ve been. She had every right to hate me back then.

“Just thinking,” I replied, shaking my head.

I was captivated by her. Her curly hair had fallen into a wavy mess of chestnut brown. Her eyeliner had smudged. The jacket around her frame had been drenched, and her shoes squeaked with each of her footsteps.

Maya had left some clothes here. I prayed they were about the same build, so that Lysandra could be comfortable during her stay here.

“Look, if it’s too weird for me to be here, it’s okay. I can call a cab,” she began.

“No, no. You don’t have heating at home, there’s no way I’m letting you sleep cold tonight. I-I was just thinking about how I could find clothes for you. I think my sister left a few pieces the last time she was here.”

God, I sounded like a blabbering fool.

“Sister?” she questioned.

It hadn’t been much of a secret that I had a sister, but it was something I kept private. Especially after the scandals between her and Zack. I didn’t wish to involve Maya in my work or my love life, in fact, since Zack had been a close companion in the arduous process of the film.

“Yes. She came over last week and left her mess everywhere,” I said mindlessly.

“You never told me, and when I went to dinner with your parents, they didn’t mention her either.” She seemed almost offended.

I motioned for her to follow me, but she looked down at the water that was pooling under her. The rug beneath had grown dark from absorbing the rain water. Alfred could clean it tomorrow morning. Right now, what mattered most was getting Lysandra into warm clothes.

“It’s complicated. Now, come on. I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping for the night. There’s a shower and everything.”

As she walked deeper into the foyer, her stare remained on the crystal chandeliers hanging from above. She was scrutinizing every corner of my place.

We walked silently through the hallways into the guest bedroom. Only the sound of our socks engulfed in rain could be heard, as well as the droplets falling onto the windows of my apartment.

I opened the door. “Here. There are clothes in this drawer. And don’t ask me how I know this, but there is a closed bag of brand-new underwear as well.”

Lysandra’s gaze questioned me. I sighed and replied, “My lovely sister forgot to pack the correct amount of underwear and had a lady emergency. I was the one who had to buy those for her, but she left before I returned home.”

An unforgettable day. Maya was my best friend, but aside from Lysandra, she was also one of my greatest heartaches. She left without saying goodbye. She decided to go on another trip around the world without so much as a farewell. It always pained me to see how she only came home to me whenever she needed economic support and left as soon as she’d acquired it.

Lysandra examined me, and I think she understood the true meaning behind my excuse.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know how I can repay you for this.”

“It’s what friends are for,” I said.

And there we remained. We were silent. The wind whirled outside as the storm grew stronger. She had her arms crossed, as if that could be her armor. My fingers fidgeted with the stitching of my shirt, open and anxious for her.

I wished for her comfort, yet I broke the silence between us. “I’ll leave a basket for you outside your door, and I can put your clothes in the washer.”

“Thank you.”

She stepped into the guest room and closed the door behind her. I strode back to my room and followed the same process, changing into warm nightwear and grabbing a plastic basket for my clothes and hers.

As I was about to drop the basket at her door, she opened the door.

“Sorry,” we both replied.

I held up the basket for her. She plopped her clothes on top of mine without making a sound. I hated this silence. It was so awkward.

“I’ll be back,” I muttered.

Swiftly, I went to my laundry section and put our clothes in the washing machine. I’d have to stay awake long enough to move them to the dryer.