Charity Night (english)

30

Two months have now passed and I haven't heard from Lucas since he left my apartment. The amnesia is still there, but I'm now convinced that it's for the best. My body seems to want to tell me something. The new job at another agency in London doesn't start for a few days and I'm happy that the newfound free time means I can spend more time with my family. I'm currently helping my parents renovate the small hut that is next to the main house, as my mother would like to entertain guests again from time to time. She didn't say what motivated her to do this, but my father spilled the beans a bit. Apparently this Zachery was here and we had to share my old childhood room.

I'm sitting at the front of the cliffs with my sister and we're just relaxing in the sun when a shadow falls over us. Sophie's face tells me that there is someone she wasn't expecting, as her brow furrows and her eyes narrow slightly. "What do you want here?" she asks, which makes me turn around too. There's a man standing there who I've never seen before, but who looks familiar to me.

I just want to talk to Charlotte for a moment, so stay out of it!" the dark-haired man snaps at Sophie and then turns to me. "Do you have a moment?" I look between the two uncertainly. "Ahem, yes!?" I get up and follow him a few meters across the meadow. "How are you?" he asks, now much more nervous than he was just in front of my sister. "Pretty good, I guess... May I ask who you are? How do we know each other?" His eyes widen slightly and he turns to the sea. "So it's true then. You've lost your memory!?" I nod slowly and we stand next to each other in silence for a while.

"I'm Zachery Hyde. We worked together at Hyde Inc.." I immediately stiffen. The stories from Sophie and Nadine over the last few weeks have been enough to make me realize that I no longer want to have anything to do with this person. "I've heard of them, but I don't know what we would have to say to each other." I answer coolly and take the first steps back towards the house.

But he rushes after me and holds onto my arm. "Wait! Please listen to me first." "No. Now listen to me. It took me a long time to regain my composure after the fall. My girlfriend and my sister told me what happened before and I don't want to get any more involved in this drama than I already was. They played a really bad game and pushed me into such a deep hole that I had to give up my career, which, mind you, meant everything to me. I ended up in the hospital and suffered retrograde amnesia. You have forfeited the right to speak to me! I want them gone! They've already done enough damage."

Sophie strides over to us and looks at him invitingly. "You heard what she said. It's time for them to go again." "Okay, I'll go, but I want to say one more thing. I'm sorry for how it all turned out and I realize how it must seem. Sometimes things are not what they seem." There he goes, leaving me confused. As if how I feel about my lost memory wasn't enough.

It's been two days now and I'm sitting on the train on the way to London to prepare for my new job and I'm already getting to know a few of my new colleagues this evening. I'm looking forward to the new beginning, but I'm also afraid of it. The agency is young and hip and so different from my old job. The offices are in a townhouse in Kensington and there are so-called entertainment rooms where you can take short breaks. There are table football tables and old pinball machines there. There is also a great kitchen where you can take anything from the refrigerators. But the highlight is the roof terrace, where there are loungers and even a barbecue. Nina, the young woman who showed me around and explained everything, even said that there was an after work party up there once a week. It actually sounds absolutely great, but it also unsettles me because I only know the strict concept of Hyde Inc.

When I get to my apartment, I quickly get ready for the evening in a pub near my new job to meet up with Nina and a few others. I'm a little nervous because I don't know anyone other than her, but it will definitely help me because when I start on Monday it won't just be unfamiliar faces that come to me.

Shortly before 6 p.m. I stand in front of The Builders Arms armed with an umbrella and wait for Nina, who wanted to meet me here, and shortly after my arrival the young woman with short black hair comes around the corner and waves to me excitedly. "Hi, I hope you don't wait long!? The rain today is really terrible. Come on, let's go inside. The others should be here by now." She introduces me to everyone and I'm offered something to drink. The fear I had before this meeting was completely unfounded. Everyone is super nice and wants to know a lot about me. Above all, they are interested in why I went from such a well-known agency to a smaller one, but I can't tell them the truth. At least not yet.

The evening is fun and after the third cider I loosen up and joke with Patrick, a colleague who is actually from Germany and has been living and working in London for a little over two years now. He tells me about his partner and that they are thinking about going to the coast in the summer, asks me for tips and I promise to make him a short list and put him in touch with my mother. I'm so engrossed in the conversation that I don't even notice that we're being watched and I flinch when a large hand places itself on my shoulder.

Lucas is standing behind me and his friendly eyes remind me of the time in the hospital when we were still friends. This week Hyde has a few surprises in store for me. "Charlotte, Hi!" the warmth in his voice is the opposite of what I last heard from him. "Lucas, what are you doing here?" I ask, visibly irritated. "I could ask you the same thing. I come here often because I live very close by. And what brings you here?" "I'm here with colleagues and we're celebrating my debut a bit. This is Patrick." I introduce my counterpart to him. He looks back and forth between me and Lucas, completely dumbfounded. "You know Mr. Hyde personally?" he then asks me in a whisper, but not quietly enough that he can't hear. "Charlotte and I have crossed paths several times and maintain a friendly relationship." Lucas grins and winks at me. He doesn't seem to be completely sober anymore because his behavior doesn't match our last encounter.

I apologize briefly to Patrick and pull Lucas by the arm out of the pub and onto the street. "Is everything okay with you? You haven't contacted me in weeks and haven't answered any of my calls and now you're standing in front of me like nothing ever happened." I don't try to hide my confusion and just want to clarify things. There have been enough mysteries and confusions in the past. Not anymore!

"I just realized that I don't care what you walked. It's none of my business and why should I be angry with you? I didn't get in touch because I was really annoyed at the beginning and at some point it was too late and I didn't know what to say. When my brother told me a few days ago that he was with you on the coast and you didn't want to talk to him, I even decided to write to you. I just didn't know how to start. And now you're standing here in front of me. It's like a hint of fate that keeps us meeting each other again and again." He speaks quickly and slurred, but I understand everything that's important. Fate... is that really it?

"Let's talk on the phone or meet up one day and we'll talk in peace." I suggest to him because I don't want him to say things when drunk that he would never say when sober. He nods, takes me in his arms and goes back into the pub. I follow him and go back to Nina, Patrick and the others. There is still a lot of alcohol flowing and since I haven't touched a drop since my accident, it becomes noticeable quite quickly. We celebrate and laugh and have a wonderful evening. I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun in my new job and get along well with everyone.

When I wake up the next morning, my head is buzzing and I feel my stomach tighten. To avoid throwing up in my bed, I slowly sit up and open my eyes. But I'm not lying in my bed and this is definitely not my apartment. Confused, I look around and see dark hair standing out on the light pillow on the other side of the bed. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This is not good. Surely I haven't ended up in bed with someone from the office again? That would be hell.

The man next to me starts to move and leisurely turns to me. I look in horror at the beautiful face and amber eyes that are so familiar to me. The corresponding lips part and Lucas smiles at me. "Good morning, my beautiful one." He whispers in a breathy voice.

How could that happen?