“The T-shirt.”
I burst out laughing. “How could I forget the T-shirt!”
I can’t wait to get it made. I know exactly what I want the front of the shirt to say and I’m going to make sure it’s the gaudiest color of pink. And he’ll have to wear it all day on campus.
Julien groans again. “Don’t remind me.” He buries his face on my damp shoulder so I pat the top of his head with a “poor baby.”
“I never did ask but why didn’t Elijah come with us? Didn’t you say that you usually torture him every morning?”
“He understands that I want to spend time with you.”
I look at my fitness watch and notice the time. “We need to get back. Ryder and Jayson are meeting us for breakfast at seven.”
Yes, that is another thing I reluctantly agreed to – having breakfast with them a few times a week. They told me it was one of the things we did our senior year. When Julien arrived to get me this morning for our run, he dropped off a bag at my place so he could shower there and not have to rush back home. It made sense since they were all coming over to my place for breakfast anyway.
I reach over and tug his hand. “I think I’m going to need you to help me up. My legs don’t want to work.”
Julien doesn’t even use his arms to lift himself up off the ground. In one lithe move, he stands up using only his legs. I gawk at his strength. He may be lean, but his leg muscles are impressive. He bends down and lifts me like I weigh no more than a feather. My laughter dies suddenly when I’m standing and we are face to face, his silver eyes smoldering with an emotion I don’t recognize. Julien touches my face, taking his time to gently pick away individual strands of hair that are stuck to my cheek with sweat. He loops them behind my ears.
“Julien?” One slow second passes. Two. Three. Then the spell is broken.
“Come on,” he tells me as he takes my hand and laces our fingers. We walk hand-in-hand together back to my apartment. It’s about half-past six and a halo of sunlight spears the horizon as dawn breaks.
“Think I can convince you to come running with me again?”
“Do I get more rewards?”
“That can be negotiated. I’ll have to take bad karaoke off the table for our next run.”
I feign shock at his words. “What? But you have such a lovely singing voice.” He really doesn’t, but I had such a great time doing our duet together at Belly’s. “Did I use to do that a lot?”
Our linked hands are swinging between us like we’re two four-year-old best friends skipping down the sidewalk. “Yeah. You used to sing and play for us all the time. You were phenomenal. Truly talented. Your dad —” He stops abruptly. “Shit, Liz. I’m sorry.”
We’ve avoided all conversation of my parents and sister so far. It’s like a silent agreement between all four of us that we steer clear of that topic of conversation. I know it bothers them more than it does me because I don’t remember my family at all. They do, however.
“Julien, it’s fine. I’m fine. You can say whatever you want to say.” He side-eyes me like he’s trying to figure out if I’m telling him the truth.
Hesitantly, he begins again. “Your dad taught you how to play. The guitar, the piano, the drums. He was really good himself. Always traveling with his band to do shows. You took after him – his talent, I mean, not the traveling part.”
“That was one thing I was bewildered about with the amnesia. I couldn’t figure out how I knew how to play so many different musical instruments but not remember how I learned to do so, or who taught me. Perhaps I should reconsider my plans to go into oncology and switch to neurology instead. The brain is a complex, mysterious thing.”
Now it’s his turn to look shocked. “That’s what you want to do? Go into medicine? Like medical school and residency?”
“What? Why the weird look? Was I a slacker or something in school?”
According to the high school transcript Daniel and Drew were sent, I had all A’s and took mostly AP courses and did community college over the summer.
“No, it’s not…just, well, wow, Liz. I had no idea you were interested in that. Honestly, that’s really awesome. You would make a fantastic doctor. I’m actually planning on doing sports medicine. I can’t believe I haven’t asked you what courses you’ll be taking this year. We may be in one or two together since both require about the same general electives.”
“I don’t have any AP credits unfortunately, since, you know, the coma and all prevented me from taking the exams. I have to take basic history and English lit, but my advisor placed me in Calc III and organic chemistry.”
“I’m in organic chem this year. Which professor?”
“Um, Dr. Palloti I think? Palta? It begins with a ‘pa’.”
“Dr. Parmalta. That’s the class I’m in. Cool. Instant study buddy.”
We smile at each other as we ascend the stairs to the floor my apartment is located on. It’s a three-level apartment complex and I’m on the top floor. As we climb the final set of stairs to floor three, Jayson and Ryder are sitting on the top step waiting, coffees and paper bags in their hands. Jayson levels a look at my hand in Julien’s and Julien drops it like it’s electrified.
