Faded Echoes

CHAPTER 5

The morning air was crisp as I made my way to the café, the familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee welcoming me even before I stepped inside. It was part of my daily routine now, stopping here before heading to the office, but lately, it wasn’t just the caffeine that kept pulling me back.

It was her.

I opened the door, the chime echoing softly through the cozy space. And there she was, River, standing behind the counter with that warm, beautiful smile she always gave me. Every time I saw her, it hit me like a wave—a mix of happiness and something deeper, something more complicated.

“Morning, Alexis,” River greeted, her voice light and cheerful, as if we hadn’t just spent the entire night talking about personal things, lowering walls that had once seemed so impenetrable.

I returned the smile, though inside, my emotions churned in ways I wasn’t sure how to handle. “Morning, River,” I replied, trying to keep my tone casual, despite the flutter I felt in my chest every time she looked at me.

It had been like this for weeks now—seeing her every day, pretending that the connection between us was new, when in reality, it was anything. Before her accident, before the amnesia, we were together. She just didn’t remember. And even though I’d told myself that I would protect her, that I would keep my distance for her sake, it was getting harder.

River didn’t remember us, didn’t remember the love we shared before everything came crashing down, and that was probably for the best. But after last night, after she opened up and we talked about things beyond the surface, I could feel the walls between us slowly lowering, brick by brick. She was letting me in again, even if she didn’t realize it.

As I stood there, waiting for my coffee, I couldn’t help but watch her. The way she moved, the confidence in her posture, the way she seemed to glow even when she didn’t try. River had always had this effect on me—effortlessly beautiful, both inside and out. And while I was grateful to still have her in my life, even in this new version of our relationship, part of me ached for what we’d lost.

There was a time when she looked at me with more than just that friendly smile. There was a time when she’d reach for my hand without thinking, when we’d talk about everything—our plans, our fears, our future. But now... now I was just another person in her life, someone she was getting to know all over again. It was like living in the shadow of our past, while she had no idea how much of it I was still carrying.

And I couldn’t tell her. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

“Your usual,” River said, breaking me out of my thoughts as she handed me my coffee, her fingers brushing lightly against mine. It was such a small touch, but it sent a rush through me, a reminder of everything I was trying to hold back.

“Thanks,” I managed to say, my voice steadier than I felt.

Her smile was easy, carefree. “I had fun last night, by the way. It was nice getting to know you a little better.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest. “Yeah, it was. Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

River’s eyes lit up, and that smile of hers... it was enough to make my heart skip a beat. “I’d like that.”

As I turned to leave, coffee in hand, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of what was happening between us. I’d spent the past months pretending, keeping my distance, setting aside my feelings because I thought it would be easier for her to heal without the complications of our past. But now, being around her every day, it was getting harder to keep pretending that my feelings didn’t exist.

She was still the same River in so many ways, the same woman I fell in love with. But this version of her—this new, unburdened version—was different, too. And part of me was falling for her all over again.