Back to you

Elucidate

"Couldn't sleep?"

I shook my head in response.

"Thank you for leaving a note. I got worried when I woke up and you weren't there." She said softly.

"C'mere." I held out my arms for her to melt into them.

"I used to watch the stars every night wondering if the girl from my picture was too." I stated wistfully.

"What was it like?"

"Amnesia?"

"Mhmm."

"Infuriating. Confusing. I also felt hopeless and very, very lost. I didn't even know my own name. There was a point where I thought about just giving up and starting over."

"What changed your mind?" She asked weakly.

"You. I would look at that picture and my heart would ache to be near you. It knew it belonged to you even when I couldn't remember." Her cheeks tinted red at my words.

"You never told me how exactly you got your memory back."

"There was this cliff, overlooking a lake, surrounded by trees that I would go and sit on when I needed peace. I started hearing voices one night, got a small flashback of me escaping, then passed out. I woke up before dawn and went to that cliff. I got another flashback, this time of our first date, the moment we jumped, I did too. When I hit the water I remembered everything."

It was silent for a few minutes before I asked the question I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer to. "What was it like for you?"

"When you didn't come home that night I didn't know what to do..." Her eyes were drowning in unshed tears. "I drove to the store and saw your phone, wallet, keys and grocery bag set inside the back of your car. My first instinct was to call the cops, but I knew not just anyone could've taken you. I figured this had to do with your father and I knew you'd want to handle it. You always told me involving cops was too risky. I get that now. Either they catch you... or they only catch a few bad guys, which would put a target on both our backs for those who would want revenge. The whole situation would get a lot more messy if I intervened, so I was left to go home and wait. I could tell you I was okay, but then I would be lying. I spent a majority of the time on your side of the bed, wearing your acdc shirt and crying. The minority I spent with Tay or my parents. Speaking of which, what are we going to tell them?"

"As far as anyone knows we're all on a camping trip."

"What about Dallas?"

"She's better off with her grandparents. Dad made sure no one could link them together and when I turned 18 I cut all legal ties that had been made between us and made sure our connection is marked unknown. She's out of danger for the time being. Carter and Sadie however are not. They could be used as leverage against me, so Rob is flying them here." By now the sun had begun to rise.

"The others should be waking up soon. I'll get started on breakfast."

"I'm going to the basement. Be up in an hour."

. . .

"What were you doing down there?" Devon asked me.

"Target practice."

He gave me a mischievous grin, no doubt because of the double meaning of my words. "But you don't have a dick?"

"Oh contraire. I have many dicks in a vast variety of sizes, shapes and colors."

"I meant a real dick idiot." He laughed.

"I know. It's a shame really."

"Why?"