“You have no idea the irony of this at all, do you?”He chuckles again, but it’s not humorous.In fact, it’s full of disdain.
“No one wishes I did more than you.”I volley back, frustration bleeding into my tone as I toss the room key onto a side table.
His brow arches, the same side of his mouth frowning as he glances in my direction.“Where do you want to do this?”
“Table?”I suggest, pulling out one of the chairs before falling into it.He drags out the chair opposite me, settling himself across from me.
“Do you want anything?”I blurt out, realizing this could be a lengthy conversation.
“Just answers sweetheart.”His response curt, all patience evaporated.
I stare across at him a moment.Wishing – wanting so badly that doing so would trigger something.Anything.But all I see, all I ever see, are his eyes.They haunt me daily, and now at least I know why.
I slide my purse off my shoulder and pull my phone out.I open my photo app, scroll a few minutes until I find what I’m looking for, and then turn the picture so he can see it.“Is this you?Us?”
His face is utterly still.His attention completely transfixed on the image I have displayed.I’ve looked at this picture over a thousand times.It’s obviously me in the picture.My face is clear, my cheek pressed up against another.But the other person’s face is hooded.Shadowed in a way that the only thing I can really see are the eyes; liquid, warm, and whiskey brown in color.
When his gaze finally shifts away, it’s not to look at me, but past me, a haunted look on his face.“That was from the last time the band played in Vegas.You walked with me to the stage.We stopped on the way, and I took this selfie so you could prove to your friend that you had been hanging out with me.”
“Except, you can’t really see your face.”I state quietly.“Even when we tried to use filter adjustments to try and lighten it.”
“Are you telling me that you don’t remember hanging out with me?Going to that concert with me?The day we spent together, the night after?”He fists his hands together on the table, his knuckles turning white.“Because I kind of thought our time together was pretty fucking special.”
“Luc?”I sigh heavily.“Is that what I called you?Is it okay if I call you that?”
“That’s my fucking name, darling.”He snaps.
“I don’t remember any of that.”I take a deep breath and then words just spill out of me.“I was hit by a car the morning of October 13th, 2023.I was walking across Las Vegas Boulevard, and was hit by someone who ran the red light.I was in a coma for three weeks.It took me two weeks after that to even be able to talk again.When I could speak again, and tried to put the pieces together of what had happened, it was discovered that I had no memory of the accident.”
I blow out another breath, noting the shock on his face, knowing it’s only going to get worse from here.“As time went on, we realized I also had no memory of the three weeks prior to the accident.Nothing.It’s completely gone.No matter what we try to do, nothing triggers my memories from that time.The only clues I have of what I had done, or where I had gone, were pictures on my phone, people I worked with and friends I had hung out with during that time.”
I hold my phone up, the picture of us still open.“This picture, it’s dated the night before my accident.So, I knew I was with someone.Doing something.But with who, and what, and where, I had no idea.”I stare across the table at him.“Until now.Until you.”
“Fucking hell.”He exclaims, a hand scraping the hat off his head, his hair somehow still looking incredible.“You really don’t remember.”He shakes his head in disbelief.“All this time I thought…” His voice trails off, his hat a crumbled mess between his fingers as he stares down at it.
“We slept together then?”I probe, even though just a short time ago he had pretty clearly stated we fucked, but I needed him to say it now that he had more information from me.
His eyes dart up to mine.“Yeah.”He frowns.Begins again.“Yes.Six times.If you want exact numbers.Over thirty-six hours.That’s how much time we were together.”
I feel my face heat at the number he just told me.Six times?Either I’d lost my mind or found religion between the sheets.And with a rock star?That didn’t sound like me at all.
“I know what you’re thinking.”His gaze boring into me as I stare across at him.“It wasn’t like that.”His fingers unclench from his hat and slide across the table to rest over mine.“It was special.”
“How did I end up with you?Did you stay at this hotel?Is that how we met?Why didn’t we exchange numbers?How could you not know my full name?”I toss questions at him faster than he can respond, but I’ve waited so long for these answers.
His fingers squeeze mine before he releases them and pulls them back to his side of the table.“You know that offer of something earlier?I could really use a drink.”
I scoot back so fast my chair almost topples over.I’m nervous.Even more so now that I know who this man is.“Sure, of course.What do you want?”
“A bottle of tequila would be fan-fucking-tastic right now, but seeing how I have to be on stage later, how about some beer?”
“I can do that.”I scurry over to the phone on a table next to the couch, and dial room service.I place an order for the beer flight we have on the menu.It has eight different bottle variations, four of each kind.I have to assume something in the mix will be what he likes.I tell them to rush the order and to place it on the house account.
When I turn around, I’m startled to find Luc just a few feet behind me, arms crossed over his chest, staring at me.
“What?”I wonder out loud why he’s looking at me like he is.
“It’s weird.”He cocks his head analyzing me further.“Seeing you like this.Feeling like it was just yesterday.Remembering every single detail of you.The time we spent together.”
