What The Heart Remembers - The Heart #2 (Sample)

Chapter 4 - Part 1

Adonis

I had wished for this moment for the last three months, ever since she had woken up and looked at me with the love missing from her eyes. Her big eyes pleaded with mine as she gripped my arm. It was like I was her lifeline and she wasn't letting go.

For a moment I weighed up the pros and cons as I stared intently into her eyes. I didn't want to do anything that would harm her recovery but I couldn't continue to lie to her. I could see the torment in her eyes.

"I'll tell you everything," I relented and she gave me a relieved smile before her eyes went to where her hand still gripped my arm and she released me.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she stepped back. She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I don't know what's going on with me."

I wanted to put my arms around her and hug her tightly while telling her everything would be okay but I didn't want to confuse her.

First I needed to tell her the truth. Even though I knew she'd loved me once I was still nervous at how she would react to hearing me reveal how close we had been. Gently by a hold on her arm I led her to her bed and she sat down. I stepped back trying to formulate how I could tell her about us without it being too much of a shock.

Silence settled between us.

"You're not changing your mind?" she asked, looking at me with concern.

I shook my head still not convinced that this was the right thing to do. Once I told her everything there was taking it back.

"Then spit it out," she demanded.

"Something else happened in the time you forgot," I began to explain, still trying to find the right words but coming up blank.

"What? Tell me," she insisted, her anger gone but there was a nervousness in her actions.

I sat down beside her on the bed and took her hands into mine. To me they fit perfectly in mine, like they'd been made for mine. I let out a deep breath before I looked up to her, holding her gaze.

"You don't remember me." There I'd said it.

"I remember who you are. You're my brother's best friend and I've known you all my life. I haven't forgotten who you are," she scoffed but my serious expression made her still.

"I was more than that." It felt like I was ripping open my chest and baring the vulnerability of my heart to her without any protection. For all I knew she could reject me. There was no guarantee that we would be able to get back to what we had.

"What do you mean?" she asked, with a tremor in her voice.

"I wasn't just Alex's best friend," I began to say and I watched her swallow nervously. "I'm the guy who fell for you."

There I'd said it and I waited for her reaction. She seemed shocked, her mouth opened slightly.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

I nodded.

After a few moments she pulled her hands from mine and stood up. Pacing back and forth I watched while she tried to take in what I said. The she stopped to face me. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she stared at me. It was like she was trying to figure out what to ask next.

"How...did...when?" she asked, her thoughts clearly all over the place.

I wasn't sure where to start so I decided to start where it had all began.

"You remember when Tommy and his friends were teasing you?" I asked.

She nodded.

"From that day I started to feel differently about you. You weren't just my best friend's little sister."