Strings Attached (Sequel)

Prologue

Prologue

December 25th

Huaze Lei

Slowly walking into the room, I closed the door behind me allowing myself to give myself privacy with Faye. After having a conversation with Mr.Calinao, I went into shock at the words of his unexpected news. At first red flags were going through my mind. My head spun slightly at the statement repeated in my head for a few minutes outside her room. I was terrified at Mr.Calinao's words and thought he would be angry with me. Pulling the curtain back slightly and walking pass, Faye came into sight and my heart swells as I slowly approach her bedside.

Looking towards her arm cast and her head wrapped from surgery made me feel guilty for all of her injuries from the accident. If I had not left her alone at the cabin and had driven us both back to the house, this incident could have been prevented. I shouldn't have walked into town and caught a cab back to Fayes house in the state we were both in. Taking a seat beside her bed, I let out a shaky breath seeing her like this. My eyes tearing and my heart ached seeing her like this wasn't what I had wanted after breaking up with her.

Why would Ximen tell me he loved his best friend?

Faye stirred slightly from the bed and opened her eyes looking at the ceiling at first. Breaking into tear's, Faye turned towards me and her eyes widened. Too speechless to talk, I tried my best to calm down. Attempting to stop my sniffles after failing after a few minutes, Faye continued to remain quiet.

"H-Hauze Lei?" Faye questioned and I refocused on her. I reached for her hand and gently took it.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," I started. "Do... you remember what happened?" Mr.Calinao, was telling me she couldn't remember anything from the incident. He or the specialists weren't sure how much of her memories she remembered and wanted to come in here to talk to her. They wanted me to speak with her since... the news.

"My dad... told me I was in a car incident. I don't know where I was driving to or where I was." This doesn't sound good.

"Do you remember what you did for your birthday?" I questioned. My tone remained light knowing I had to for both of our sakes. She pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

"I-I have a question..." she spoke nervously and glanced towards our hands before looking at me. I hummed for her to go on. "Wh-why are you here visiting me in the hospital and holding my hand? I-I'd think you'd be back in Shanghai." My mind swirling with lots of red flags knowing something was very off with Faye.

"Do you not remember?"

"Remember what?" She asked lightly. From Faye's expression, she genuinely had no idea of recent events. Mr.Calinao said there was that possibility. It would take some time to return to her full capacity.

"What is the last memory you have with me?" I asked curious how far back she remembers. She pondered for a moment before I saw her refocusing on me.

"Our last day of orchestra together."

"Before we had our senior midterms?"

"Senior midterms?" She questioned with a frown. It was my turn to frown thinking of what she was thinking of. "The last day of school of our freshman year. You were my stand partner then."

This wasn't sitting well with me. She doesn't remember the entire fall semester meaning she had no memory of coming to Shanghai or knowing I was close friends with Ximen. This meant she had no idea we ever dated and every memory we shared was missing from her mind. She doesn't know how much she means to me and my world.

"I-I need to get your father," I said lightly ready to let go of her hand. I stood and felt a tug to my hand forcing me to face her.

"W-wait. Please stay here with me," she pleaded lightly. If her memories of me were from freshman year, then she currently had a crush on me knowing she was in shock to see me. There must be a lot of confusion going through her. "There's five and a half months missing from my memory. I-I know I was supposed to be going to Shanghai and attend MingDe University for the fall semester with my closest friend."

"You don't remember anything from the fall semester?" I confirmed with her.

"No. It's... a blank. It feels like a big gap." I sighed painfully, feeling my heart constricting. How do I tell her the news if she doesn't remember our relationship? I don't exactly have a choice.

"Ah... Faye," I said tightly. I had to remember to be patient with her. It was the only thing I could do and let her decide what she wanted. "There was a lot that happened during our fall semester."

"We must have been in the same orchestra then?" I nod. "And my partner for the senior recital..."

"Me," I answered. I took a seat back in my chair as I explained our first encounter. "I'm your partner for our senior recital." I reached for my phone and scrolled to the start of the school year. I handed my phone over to her and she let go of my hand to take a look. The photos started with her performance. "You had a spectacular performance in front of the music department on your first day."

The next few photos were from the next day when I had breakfast with her. I decided for now to not share her traumatizing moments and give her the happiest moments. I told her about meeting to spend the day discussing and looking for music to do for our recital.

The next set of photos led to photos with the group with Jing. I carefully watched as she stared at the first photo with Jing, Meizuo, Daoming Si, Ximen, and I. She was the one who took this photo outside the restaurant. Her eyes seemed to linger between Doaming Si and Ximen.

"You know Ximen?"

"Ximen's one of my closest friends. I learned on the first day of classes you were Ximen's secret best friend. I learned from Ximen that he kept you hidden."

"Oh," she spoke slightly as she continued to look at those sets of photos. "Y-you must be close with Doaming Si then..." From her tone I knew she was thinking of the past.

"I know about your past with him..." she looked towards me with an expression of concern. "I figured out early on Ximen introduced Ah Si to you and things didn't turn out the way any of us would have expected. When Ximen found out he ended up with a broken wrist and a bruised face." She continued to look through the photos.

There were some pictures from Sanya and I did not say too much from that trip when Ximen had found out about Faye liking me, but was with me for a very brief period of time. She continued until she saw the next set of photos that led to us in Paris. I smiled as she looked at some of our rehearsal videos I captured and pictures we took together. The foreign expression on her face indicated she doesn't remember anything. The next photo was a photo of Faye and I with the Eiffel Tower behind us. I was kissing Faye in this picture and I looked at Faye to see her staring at our picture trying to figure out what's happening.

"Earlier that day after the morning rehearsal, I asked you to be my girlfriend. We were officially a couple in this picture." She looked towards me and I noticed her cheeks blushed as she realized I knew she had a crush on me. "Our relationship had quite a lot of ups and downs in the span of our semester," I spoke lightly.

"Are we not together now?" She asked lightly and she continued to look through the rest of the photos from throughout the semester. I kept quiet as she continued looking at the many pictures I've taken with her or the times with her friends she made in the science department. I told her that Gu Weiyi and her senior Yu Yin were working on research together. She continued to look at more rehearsal videos and moments before reaching the moment we were at celebrating the end of the semester with her friends and right before leaving for the airport, she closed out of the photos and locked the screen to see us cuddling.

"There were more photos." She was looking down at her hand and sighed.

"Why does it feel like our last conversation ended up as a heartbreak?" She asked quietly. My mouth parts lightly. "Why does it feel a little difficult to breathe when I look at you?" Her body senses and reacts to me even though she can't remember.

"I... made a mistake."

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First thoughts?

Welcome to book 2! I'm excited to share this story with all of you. I've started this story back in August and have written quite a bit since then! I hope all of you are ready for all the things to occur in this story 🥺👀🙈

Samantha 🤍

Next update: December 18th, 2021