BELONGS TO ME

Chapter 44

Dual pov

Camila

Rushing down the stairs, I jog out front, quickly slipping into my mom's car.

"Sorry." I wipe the rain from my forehead and buckle up. "Hailee had me pinned up on a pedestal longer than expected, trying to get my dress to fit right."

"When is this dance?" She pulls onto the street.

"Mom." I laugh. "It's not high school. "It's not like prom. It's basically an end of season award ceremony."

"That is set for formal wear and in a rented-out hall from what I heard."

"True." I smile, looking at her. "Anyway, yeah. It's next Wednesday."

"Hm," my mom muses, her eyes shifting toward me.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Mom..." I turn in my seat, eyeing her.

"Nothing, sweetie." She pats my leg. "It's just soon, is all, and school begins the following week, right?"

"Yep. The twenty-seventh is the first day back. Shawn is taking me to see my dorm a couple days before. It's so weird that I have no idea what it looks like, but I lived there for an entire semester."

We pull into the parking lot of the hospital for my follow-up with the behavioral neurologist. Parking in front of the building, she turns to me. "You've been spending a lot of time with Shawn."

Heat works its way up my neck, and I shrug.

She tips her head, a tenderness in her gaze. "How's that going?"

"It's going." A low chuckle leaves me. "We're having fun. Making up for what I assume was lost time. He's constantly asking me to go with him places, even if it's just down the beach. At first, it made me anxious, but now it's, I don't know..." I trail off, a small swirl stirring in my stomach.

"Exciting?" she whispers.

A smile curves my lips, and I look to her, the creases around her eyes deepening, but she smiles through what troubles her, her hand coming out to touch my cheek.

"It's strange, it's like he's the same Shawn, but not. Only, I can't figure out what's changed about him, but I feel it, you know? Something's different." It's frustrating, at times, how the invisible fog won't clear, but constantly stressing over it makes it hard to function, let alone breathe, so I try and keep busy so I don't have to think past the moment.

I don't tell her that.

"Mija Have you wondered if maybe it's not him who has changed?" My mom smiles softly. "That maybe it's you who's different?"

"I—" I shake my head. "I'm not different. I lost my memories, but I'm still me, and besides, they're coming back any time. Tonight maybe. Maybe after this appointment."

My pulse spikes, and I dig my fingertips into the cheap leather of the armrest.

"I didn't mean your accident changed you." She grabs my hand, unease in her tone. "Camila, sweetie, you came into your own at Pheonix High, and sure it might have only been a semester, but that first taste of change was good to you."

"And soon, I'll remember all of it." I nod, squeezing her hand. "I should go in before I'm late. I know they said no one is allowed in the room, but are you sure you don't want to come up to the waiting room?"

"That's okay, Hija" she rasps. "I'll grab a coffee down the road and come back, read while I wait for you. I'll be right here when you get out."

Nodding, I slip from the car.