“No, I don’t, now let go of me!”
…What?
My knees buckle as my insides plummet to the floor.
Reid releases her shoulders, and she tugs at the fabric of her chemise, straightening it out. His gaze shifts to me, his face softening.
“No…” I stagger forward, grasping for Ellie’s hand. “No. No, no, no!” My hands shake as I pull her back to me. She startles as I cup her face in my palms, frantically searching her eyes for any sign of recognition.
“Ellie? Please tell me you know me.”
“Caeo? What’s wrong? I…”
A heavy breath slows my pounding heart. “You said you didn’t know me.”
“I did?” Her eyebrows compress, then her beautiful face contorts as confusion bursts into panic. “Arandur’s knickers, I did. I forgot you existed.” Her fingernails dig through my shirt as her grip tightens. “How? Why?”
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. Her touch calms the anxiety ricocheting inside me, and I breathe in her lavender scent. “I don’t know.”
Reid groans, sinking into an armchair as he rubs his face with his hand. I lead Ellie to the tea table, facing him.
“What’s going on?” I demand.
“Fuck if I know.”
“You figured it out, so tell us what you know.”
“You were there. I asked you about Ellie, and you said you didn’t know her. I brought you here to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.”
My focus turns back to Ellie as she chews her lip. It seems impossible that I could’ve forgotten her face. The warmth of her in my arms. I should be dreaming of her every night.
Reid’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You remember that conversation, don’t you?”
I search my memory, my brow furrowing.
“We were at The Duck?” he presses. “Less than a bell ago?”
An image of the tavern forms in my mind, and I grasp at the details. Reid and Emmrich were there… Some girls had asked me to the ball… I wanted to leave…
There. Reid had asked why I wasn’t waiting for Ellie.
But the memory’s already slipping.
“It’s there,” I say, “but it’s like something’s fighting me, pulling it away.”
Ellie nods. “That’s how I felt, too.”
“Well, that’s great.” Reid’s hands drop to his lap. “Not only do you not remember any of your time together, but you can barely recall anyone ever talking about her.”
I shake my head. “No, that’s not right. I remember every moment.” Every smile, every kiss, every touch. I brush my fingers along her skin as a lump forms in my throat.
“But then you forget when you’re not looking at her.” Reid presses his lips together. “That never seemed weird to you? It didn’t occur to you to wonder why you never thought about her when you were apart?”
“It did,” I mutter, “but it didn’t feel important.” Even now, it’s hard to hold on to the panic.
Ellie rubs her thumb against my arm. “How did this even happen? We haven’t been forgetting each other this whole time, have we?”
“You definitely talked to me about Caeo during our first class with Beckwith.” Reid snorts a laugh. “I remember that conversation.”
