Unraveled

Chapter 11

The air inside the Gilded Plate was warm and thick with familiar scents of truffle oil and roasted meats, but Caleb felt detached from the comfort around him. The hum of conversation and clatter of dishes barely registered as he walked in, his mind consumed by the persistent doubt that had taken root since Aubrey left his apartment the night before.

Moving through the bustling restaurant, his hands shook in his pockets. Every familiar face, every sound, felt like a taunt, urging him to cling to memories of happier times. But as he spotted Mia and Sam laughing together while setting tables, he felt a pang of uncertainty. Was this still his home, or had it become something unrecognizable? The uncertainty gnawed at him, making him question every corner of his former sanctuary.

Caleb headed straight to the back, slipping past Marco's watchful gaze and the chatter of the kitchen staff. His head spun with questions and fragments of memories he couldn't quite piece together. But one thing was clear—he needed to understand his past, to rebuild the life that had unraveled since his return.

"Hey, Caleb," Mia greeted, wiping down a table. Her smile was warm but faltered slightly as she took in the tension in his face. "You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Just... thinking."

Sam, a few feet away stacking chairs, looked up and grinned. "Thinking about what? You're not quitting on us, are you? Marco would flip."

"Nah," Caleb muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Just trying to make sense of... everything."

Mia tilted her head, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "Everything? Like what?"

Caleb hesitated, mind racing. How could he explain the fractured memories and the disorienting sense that nothing felt real? "Just wondering about my life, you know? Filling in a few blanks."

Sam shot him a puzzled look. "Blanks?"

"Yeah," Caleb replied, keeping his tone casual. "Do you guys remember much about me before I... went off the radar? Trying to piece things together."

Mia and Sam exchanged glances, a flash of surprise or confusion passing between them. Mia was the first to speak.

"Well, you've always been kind of quiet," she said, offering a small smile. "Close to some of us, but you mostly kept to yourself before everything happened."

"Yeah," Sam added, frowning slightly. "Except for Aubrey, I guess. That's sort of new."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. "New?"

Sam shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "Yeah, he'd only been working here a few days before you... disappeared. It's just funny how close you two got afterward."

The mention of Aubrey's short employment stirred a wave of unease in Caleb. He'd assumed they shared a long, familiar history, yet it turned out Aubrey had barely started at the Gilded Plate before Caleb's disappearance. The cracks in his memory widened, bringing doubts about their relationship he hadn't considered before. Had their connection been a facade?

Before he could process it, Mia shifted the conversation. "But honestly, the thing that stood out more was your girlfriend. Or... ex, I guess. Lila?"

Caleb's heart skipped a beat, his mouth suddenly dry. "Lila?"

"Yeah," Mia nodded. "Hard to forget, with all the drama she brought. You two were pretty intense. Lots of arguments, lots of making up. It was... something."

Sam smirked. "Dude, I remember the time she threw a fit here, screaming at you in front of everyone. Marco almost lost it."

Caleb swallowed, trying to process this new information. He'd had flashes of Lila in his dreams, but the idea of their relationship being so chaotic felt distant, unreal. "When was the last time you saw her?"