Pocket Full of Lies

7-Memories have gone, nature hasn't

"There is no one else in this world that knows Mr. Rehaan better than you, not even him himself."

I internally face palmed hearing those words. In a way, what she said was true, just not in the context she was thinking.

I just smiled at her, crying bitterly inside. What was I supposed to do now? Tell them the truth and directly go to jail from here. Or let them believe the lie till Rehaan got his memories back.

I took a small glimpse at Rehaan's face and instantly knew that I was doomed no matter what choice I made. His memories were gone, his nature didn't.

He was already looking at everyone suspiciously, not even trusting the doctors. Forget the police, Rehaan would be the first one to suspect me if the truth came out right now. Even if the police gave me a benefit of doubt, Rehaan wouldn't.

However, if I continued the lie, he was going to think I took advantage of his situation. The moment he got back his memories, I was going to jail for impersonation or something even worse. I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with some more drastic accusations.

And the worst case scenario, if his memories never came back.

Or would it be the best case scenario?

Realizing that my thoughts were taking a dark turn, I quickly shook myself out of it. Unfortunately, that action wasn't done mentally like I had imagined. They all stared at me like I was losing it.

"Look what you guys did," an elderly nurse said, shaking her head in disappointment as she scolded the doctor and the other nurse. "Poor girl is freaking out. No matter how much she loves him, she is too young to take the responsibility of being his caretaker."

The doctor muttered a small sorry but the younger nurse decided to look at me instead. Her eyes screaming at me to say no, that I wasn't going to run away from the responsibilities. The responsibilities that weren't even mine.

'But she doesn't know that,' screamed my conscience.

Feeling pressured, I just shook my head, letting them think whatever they wanted to make out of it. And the positive response told me that I gave the right reaction.

The claps and squeals that surrounded the room made me wonder whether the nurse knew us personally.

The nurse skipped towards me, her eyes sparkling bright as she took hold of both of my hands in hers, "You made the right decision. It is definitely going to be a rough ride, but your love for him will overcome all the obstacles."

And this was how I met a hopeless romantic for the first time in my life.

★★★★★

"Am I rich?"

This was the first question Rehaan asked once we were left alone. Not about my name, not about his family, not about his relationship with me, but about his wealth. That too while looking at me with judgmental eyes.

Told ya, memories have gone but nature hasn't.

I really wanted to throw the chair I was sitting on, on his face. Although that guy didn't deserve an explanation, I still answered him, but not before glaring at him from my seat.

"You are rich enough for you to hire some nurses and multiple caretakers to take care of you. But not rich enough for me to waste my life taking care of you just for receiving your wealth."

"Were you offended by my question? I was just being curious," He asked, trying to look innocent. Key word being- Try.

"Don't bother trying. Instead of being innocent and cute, you look constipated."

It didn't take a second for him to drop his act. He cleared his throat to get rid of the embarrassment and his eyes went back to look at his hands.

I gave him some time to recover, but when I saw that he was still avoiding me, I kind of felt bad for him.

Heaving a sigh, I informed him, "It's nothing new. You never knew how to express. It was always a poker face or an expression that screamed 'How can someone be so stupid?' So no need to feel embarrassed."

I heard a small chuckle, before he lifted his face up to look at me sheepishly, "That bad?"

"That bad," I affirmed, chuckling as well.

"Damn! Umm...," he trailed off, looking lost.

"Muskaan," I filled in.

"Muskaan." He tried wording it out under his breath, nodding his head while doing so, before actually addressing me, "Muskaan, I umm...thanks for helping me out and being there for me...but..."

"Why does it feel like a goodbye?" I raised my eyebrows, while my chin rested under my palm.

He looked like he was caught stealing a cookie. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, gulping along the way, before finally managing to speak.

"I am really sorry. I am not saying that you need to leave me. But I totally understand if you want to. There's no pressure."

"Umm...what?" To say I was flabbergasted was an understatement.

Is he asking to break up? Will it look bad if I agree to leave right away?

While I was wondering what to say internally, Rehaan continued with his apology, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"I can't even begin to understand what you must be going through right now. How much you must have suffered. I can just apologize for the trouble."

He is just apologizing, not breaking up. Damn! Got my hopes up for nothing.

"I...I am really sorry, Muskaan. I can't reciprocate what you are feeling. I really can't remember you at all, nor do I feel anything for you right now."

How will you remember any feelings when they were never there in the first place?

"It is because of amnesia. I am sure you will soon remember me," I answered, trying to sound confident but my confidence was soon draining as he continued to look at me with questioning eyes.

"Not remembering you is not the problem. But shouldn't I at least feel something while looking at you? Love, care, safety, warmth, anything, something..."

I coughed as soon as the words left his mouth. "That's just in movies. It doesn't really happen in real life. If you forget...you forget...end of the story." I shrugged, hoping that my nervousness wasn't transparent.

"Probably."

Instead of relaxing when he agreed, my guard went up even more. Because his poker face was back. His guilt for not remembering me, his apologetic face, it just disappeared, making me wonder whether it was a fragment of my imagination.

He said nothing after the end of that conversation. The more silent he was, the more fidgety I got. At this point, he felt scarier than the police officers. The guy was too observant for his own good. Not only the words, but I also had to look out for my body language.

Muskaan, you better prepare yourself. He cannot catch you in your lie. One slip up and it will be the end of your life.