Twice Loved

Chapter 5: Mason

I was really impressed with Noah. Not only had a lot of his bruising gone down in just the last week, but despite the pain he was in and the confusion he had to be feeling, he wasn't being an asshole to either myself or Liv. A lot of guys would be taking these kinds of wounds and need for assistance like a personal attack to their pride, but not Noah.

I began to loosen the wrappings around his knee, and started asking him questions to distract him from my movements. It was something we'd taken to doing, me quizzing him on things about himself during his dressing changes. I knew Olivia did it with him as well, so slowly we were all learning about the kinds of things he liked, hated, or was unsure about at the moment. He'd ask us questions sometimes too, so there was plenty of give and take in our exchanges. And while there was always a small undercurrent of attraction between the three of us, we didn't act on it. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that it wasn't quite the right time.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Yellow." He answered instantly, and I saw the surprised tilt to his mouth, his eyebrows raised slightly over the gauze covering his eyes.

"No hesitation there, that's a good sign."

"Yeah," he said with a small amount of wonder. "I also know that my favorite movie is Young Frankenstein."

A laugh burst out of me, my mouth a wide grin. "I love that one too. Werewolf," I started quoting.

He raised a hand and pointed into the distance. "There, wolf."

We both chuckled at the ridiculousness of the movie, and I took that moment of relaxation to begin straightening his leg slowly. His laughs broke off suddenly, the room going quiet as I guided the stretch. I'd almost gotten it completely straight when I heard him wince. Instantly, I relaxed the leg back into its original position.

"Good, Noah," I assured him. "We're going to do that a few more times. Keep talking."

"Okay," he grunted. "Uh... I can't remember what I do for a living, although I get the feeling it has to do with numbers somehow. Maybe property."

"What makes you think that?"

He paused in his answer, thinking it over. "Not sure."

"That's alright. Family? Friends?"

I let him think that answer over, beginning the fourth round of stretching for his leg. I was setting his leg back into the original position when he finally answered.

"Honestly, I don't think I have much of either. Even if I couldn't remember them, you'd think I would have at least a sense of someone waiting for me."

"And you don't have that?" I looked up at him, concern flooding me. Not for his memory, but for how sad he sounded.

"Nothing. I can't recall any family, or people that I'm close to." He slumped forward in what felt like defeat, and it nearly crushed me. Setting his leg back down, I stood and moved my hands to his shoulders. He automatically tilted his head back like he were looking up at me, and I wished I could take his bindings off so I could see his eyes.

"Noah, listen to me. This is going to be a difficult process. You're going to fucking hurt, you're going to be uncomfortable, and you're going to feel defeated, lost, and possibly alone. All of that is okay and normal, but just remember that I am here for you. Liv is here for you. No matter what else happens, you have us at least."

His mouth trembled for a second, and he pulled his bottom lip up between his teeth. The move was obviously one to stop the trembling, but I focused on the press of his teeth in his lip like it was my own. My eyes flit over his mostly naked form, seeing beneath the scrapes and bruises to the man beneath.