My Life with Amnesia

Chapter 14

Linda never woke up that night. No, she slept peacefully as I carried her home and laid her to bed. I strugged until I wrapped the bandages around my waist but no one ever noticed how I walked. When I woke up the next morning, Linda was upset because I didn't wake her up or let her sleep beside me. I took a quick shower and replaced the bandages before I hid them under a set of clothes. When I tried to walk normally, my stomach sent terrible pain through me. I decided to try to ignore the pain as much as possible and move on. I stepped out of the bathroom and Linda was standing there.

"Good morning," she greeted. "Are you ready to fly back to Japan?"

"I thought you said you wanted a few days to see all of your friends?" I asked.

"I texted the others and they're all too busy to come see me so I decided to go back today."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay. I'll start packing then."

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Before I knew it, I was at the airport, reliving the same scene prior to my memory loss. I was saying goodbye to my parents, to the few people who had time to see us off, and I even had the same suitcases. But there was something different: Jared was caught and arrested on suspicion of murder, the fellow runners in my dreams were absent, and, most importantly, I wasn't alone. Linda stood beside me, holding my hand and fighting the tears she held as she said goodbye to Heather and Luna. We said our goodbyes and boarded the plane slowly, making Linda seem like a glass vase that would break at the mere breathing of a mouse.

"Linda, are you okay?" I looked at her but she just buried her face in her hands.

"I'm... I'm fine... Just... I just..."

I pulled her into a hug. "If you want to stay, I'm not going to stop you."

"But... I want to be with you."

"I can stay here, if you want me to."

She looked flustered. "You aren't comfortable here. I want to be with you while you're happy. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable and always worry about people you should know..."

"Linda, I don't even know what I like to eat for breakfast. How would I know whether or not I like it here."

"But-"

I leaned forward and kissed her. Her body loosened up and she kissed back. I pulled away and rested my forehead on hers. "I'll go wherever you want to go, no matter what. After all, I love you. I love you for the things you have done for the sake of regaining my memory, for the fun we had since our first encounter, and for being there when I needed you. You gave up on your friends once to find me. I'm not about to force you to do it again."

Tears began to form in her eyes and she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me again. "Thank you."

"Go where you want to. I'll do as you say."

She looked down. "You go on ahead. I'll stay here."

My heart sank but I kept a soft smile on my face. "If that is what you want."

"I love you, but I don't want to be an anchor for you. I love you enough to let you go until I'm ready to see you again. Can you accept that?"

I nodded. "Of course I can. I'll wait for you even if it means I wait until my dying breath."

She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote on it before handing it to me. "This is my phone number. Once you get a phone, call me."

I put the paper in my pocket and hugged her. "I will."