Swim Away (Mermaid)

Chapter Forty

Noah looked around the room and stopped to look at everything.

"You've never been here before," I said.

I watched as his dark gray eyes landed back on me. Those eyes were staring at a stranger, and knowing that pained my heart. I held back the tears that were trying to escape.

"And it's like you've never been to my place, or even met me." I whispered to myself. I looked between my hands, wondering whether having him back like this was better. Could I bring him back? Could I make him remember, or was he stuck in that state?

He watched me, not knowing what to do with anything.

"I-I- Noah- I-" I brought my hand forward without realizing, and I watched as he pulled back. "Sorry- I-" I turned away and wiped my eyes. "You haven't seen me before?" I asked more to myself than to him. I never turned to look at him.

"No," he answered.

I glanced over at him and saw him staring at me, narrowing his eyes. Then, he shook his head. I covered my eyes, because they were becoming watery. I tried to rub the tears away. I couldn't let it come out or show.

"Um," I wiped my nose with my sleeve, "is there anything you remember? Maybe, last memory you had? Something?" Maybe, there could be a way to help if he could recall any moment of his life.

He looked deep in thought, and slowly, his eyes lightened a little more. "I remember moving near the beach with my mom. I don't get how I ended up here, or how I have a girlfriend already?"

"I- you-" I couldn't find the words to say anything. What could I tell him? He had no recollection of me, or anything that happened after he moved here. I shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that he would remember me and everything would've been okay.

Too good to be true, after all.

"It seems you hit your head and passed out. Good thing she found you when she did." Asher said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah, I-" I couldn't do this. "Please you have to remember." I held back my tears, which made my voice sound squeaky.

Asher came and grabbed my arm, "a word."

I didn't fight back as he dragged me out of the room. I fell back against the wall, when he let go of me. I covered my face, while the tears began to fall. "Please," I breathed out.

I didn't know what to do anymore. I had Noah, but he didn't remember me. He didn't know me.

"Lara, you need to give him a story now. We can't dump things on him. He doesn't remember anything. Take it slowly," Asher instructed.

"I can't do this, Asher! I- I've lost him," I sobbed. "I can't look at his eyes, they stare at me like I'm meaningless. I'm no one to him." And he was everything to me.

"You haven't tried. Give him something to work with. Take him places you guys have been to, or remind him of special moments." Asher grabbed one of my wrists to pull away from my face. "You can do this. You've been strong through everything else."

"No. No!" I pulled away from his arm and grabbed his shirt tightly. I pulled, "I can't take it anymore! What if- what if he doesn't remember, and I'll only be hurting myself more by remembering the things I could never have again!" I held on tighter. "What if, this was an effect from the spell. He'll never get his memories back. It's all a trick! I have him, but I don't have him!" I pulled his shirt so close, I began to cry on it. "Please, make it stop."