“Thank you,” I replied after he situated my pillows.
“Is that good? You sure?” he asked, leaning back and looking into my face with those hooded, chocolate brown eyes.
I hesitated for a moment, not because I wasn’t certain, but because the piercing look in his eyes caught me off guard. He lifted a thick eyebrow at me in question, and I couldn’t help but notice how curly his eyelashes were.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Good,” he replied, licking those soft looking, bow-shaped lips of his.
He turned back to Waverleigh and scratched his jaw. The hair of his mustache, beard, and soul patch appeared to be just as curly as the hair on his head.
“You’ve got an earring,” I remarked while he was mid-conversation with Waverleigh.
He turned back to me and smiled, and it shot straight to my heart. “Yeah.”
“Did you just get it?”
“No. I don’t always wear it. Whenever I’m coming directly from the station, I never have it in. I don’t wear any jewelry when I’m on duty. Today, I was off, so I’m wearing it. Does it . . . does it bother you?” he asked.
“No. It looks nice.”
“Thank you.” My face grew warm under his scrutiny. He stared at me with a quizzical smile before he turned back to Waverleigh, who asked a question. But I did not miss the wink she shot me before he turned around to face her.
When they finished talking, I asked the question that had burrowed into an uncomfortable space deep inside of my brain. “Why did you choose me?”
“What?”
“To visit, support, and be here for. Why did you choose me, and why do you come every day?”
He looked somewhat uncomfortable as though he were hiding something, but then he finally answered. “You had no one else, and I couldn’t leave you all alone. Everyone needs someone by their side, whether they’re remaining in this life or being ushered to the next one. I wasn’t sure what you were going through, but I didn’t want you to suffer through it alone.”
“I’m sorry. Sometimes I just wonder if we knew each other before. Your face looks so familiar. But this damned dissociative amnesia I’ve been diagnosed with is driving me insane.”
“We didn’t know each other before your accident. I know that it can’t be easy, but your memories will continue to return. Just be patient with yourself, Sevyn.”
“I don’t know. It just feels like I know you already.”
“I’ve talked to you a lot since you’ve been here. Do you remember anything that I’ve said? Maybe that’s why I’m familiar to you. I feel like we know each other too.”
I smiled, but I replied, “No. I don’t recall anything you might have said.”
“It’ll come.”
“Do you have a big family?”
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
“I feel like maybe I heard you, but I didn’t retain those memories. I mean, the sound of your voice is familiar and comforting. But I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything you said.”
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s like being asleep. You aren’t aware of anything that happened around you while you were. Nothing to apologize for.” He shrugged and smiled reassuringly at me.
“I remember someone playing music though.”
Waverleigh grinned and clapped her hands, and Deuce smiled.
“Do you remember what it was?”
“My favorite singers: Solemn, Novi Joelle, and Chris Perry.”
