"Lili, can I hold your hands?"
I opened my eyes to look at him. With my still blurry vision, I saw a glimmer of hope in your deep blue eyes. I felt a tug in my heart as if declining could shatter that piece of chance you were holding.
I nod. Your lips formed a smile I thought I had seen before. I extended my left hand out of the pocket of my olive green parka. In an urgent yet careful motion, you held my hand. I could see how your face lit up as you wrapped each of your fingers on mine.
At that moment I felt it, a familiar feeling embraced my heart. A warmth I knew I felt before. I stared back to the window and focused my attention to the rain falling hard on the rough concrete road.
We were inside the bus headed to nowhere. I barely know you except your name, "Adrian". I only met you not too long, four hours and thirty minutes ago to be exact, at the bookstore down street. I was browsing the second shelf in the Fiction section when you came. You called my name and when I turned around you have your hands wrapped around my body. You were even crying while whispering, "Lili, I found you. I finally found you again."
I must be out of my mind at that time since I went out of the bookstore with you leaving the only copy of Jane Austen's book behind. You were not holding my hands. But, you led the way to the bus stop without a need to drag me. I was actually following your every footstep as if deep down my heart and soul I knew you.
"Are you scared of me?" you asked with such a low voice that it could almost be a whisper or a murmur, perhaps.
I did not turn around to look at you. I was afraid of what would I possibly see in your eyes again. I am not scared of you. I already assessed that even before I stepped my feet inside the bus. It was the things that I would discover to wherever you were taking me. So, instead of answering I gave you back a question.
"How long?"
I am not sure of what I am referring with my question. How long are you looking for me? How long would it take for us to reach our destination? How long have I...forgotten you? You tightened your hands around mine as if I would run with what you would say.
"Long enough that I almost lost myself. Lili, I don't want to say everything. I wanted you to see for yourself?" your voice trembled.
"Where?" I asked an unspecific question again.
But, you know what to answer as if you knew me that well to read what was on my mind.
"To our house. We built it five years ago near the coast just like you'd always wanted."
A house. We have a house? You and I built a house.
I am slowly taking deep breaths to ease the pounding pain in my brain. I leaned closer to the window away from you. I let my hand loose out of yours. I fished out my medicine from my tote bag and took two tablets.
"I'm sorry, Lili. I should-"
"Just stop talking for a moment, please." I snapped at you.
I let the medicine swallowed me in the darkness to ease the pain. It was like my brain was being cut open and thousands of things crushed right out of it. I bit my lips to stop from screaming until I fall asleep.
Three hour and twenty-seven minutes, you woke me up. The first thing I heard after you calling my name was the sound of the waves. I opened my eyes and found myself five-feet away from the crashing waves at the shoreline.
"I brought you here since I could not wake you up in the bus." you explained.
But, I could not care for explanations. I watched the waves rolled and waved in the sea with the shade of blue just like your eyes. I felt calm, after being alone for the past five years. I looked around and saw a two-story house painted with white and blue.
"Is that the house?" I asked you.
You smiled at me and said,"Yes, it is our house."
You opened the door and let me in. I walked inside the house and my feet made their way to the rooms as if they knew it very well. I stopped at the fire place when I saw my face in a wedding gown in the picture frame hanging just above a miniature light house above the fire furnace. I was not alone in that photo. You were with me.
"Adrian..." I called your name for the first time again after I lost all my memories, "I'm sorry."
You wrapped around me just before I broke down and cried. I understand now why you said you found me. I remembered you, my Adrian.