Forget Me Not

Chapter Fifteen

"I didn't think you'd actually call me again." Korn couldn't keep the joy out of his voice when he picked up the call from an unknown number.

"Sorry?"

One word was enough to bring everything he was feeling screeching to a halt. "Knock...?"

"I didn't realize you were waiting for my call."

He hadn't been. In fact, Korn had done his best to put the conversation between him and Cho out of his mind. It was better not to expect anything when the chances of disappointment were so high.

"Korn? Are you still there?"

"Yes...of course. Hi."

"Hi."

Korn was silent. He didn't know what to say after the false start. He wasn't about to explain that his enthusiastic greeting had been for someone else. He hadn't heard from Mew after the two voice messages he left on his phone and he thought the other man was finally getting in touch to explain himself.

Getting a call from Knock definitely put a spin on things.

"How have you been?" Knock asked.

"Good. You?"

"Yeah...I've been...everything is fine. I was wondering if I can come and see you."

"In Chang Mai?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"No. It's just...it's a long way to come, isn't it?"

Silence. Did he even want to guess what it meant?

"I was hoping...would you want to...talk."

It was all Korn had ever wanted but now that it was a possibility, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Knock had to say. It still didn't mean he wouldn't. "Of course."

"Oh...okay. That's good."

"When do you want to come over?"

"I'm here now.
He was? "You are?"

"Yeah...I was hoping..." He trailed off leaving the sentence having and taking with it Korn's ability to breathe. "Can I come over?"

Korn wanted to say no.
He wanted to say yes.

He wanted to do everything he could to make sure Knock got whatever he needed but he also knew he wasn't immune. He couldn't just throw his home open to Knock and not be affected by it. It had been more than a year. He wasn't the same person he had been. But there was so much they had never said. Perhaps he wasn't ready to let Knock in but he would let him come.

"Sure. I'll be here all day."

"Good. See you later."

He shouldn't have said that. He should have pinned down a specific time. Instead, he had opened himself up to spend the entire day waiting on Knock with no way to know when he'd show up. He'd be bouncing off the walls.

He didn't even have to think about it. Putting on a ratty pair of jeans and a t-shirt with stains whose origins were obscure even to him, Korn grabbed his toolbox and headed downstairs. He hadn't planned on working on Anna's bike. But he'd already cleaned his house and done his laundry in a burst of nervous energy after listening to Mew's message a few times.

Hearing him admit he missed Korn was completely out of character. The noise in the background had not been reassuring but at the same time, Mew had been out (probably with friends) and he'd still thought to call Korn.

Now he was dealing with Knock and it felt like he'd stepped into an alternative universe and nothing he knew held anymore.

Getting everything out of storage, he started working on the wiring for the scooter. He had a diagram showing how all the components would fit and how the wires had to be threaded to prevent any hazards. It was a simple design but it still occupied him enough. He'd hurt himself four times already. Not easy to do when he wasn't using any sharp tools. But Korn was distracted.