Hearing Kyle's confession, my jaw drops.

Am I hearing things right?

After everything that he has gone through, he still wants us to be together?

As I stare at him in absolute shock, he's not done with what he wants to say. "Forget what I've said yesterday or the past week," he says. "Each time I saw you, I was so mad and wanted to hurt you with my words. But now, I realize I was in the wrong. My actions were childish of me and I admit it. Now that I think about it, you're the one who's having this the hardest. I thought I lost you, but you've lost everything; your memories, your sense of identity, and your mother."

He stares off into the distance, watching the seagulls soar freely through the air in a discernible pattern. "I wasn't there when you got hurt," he whispers.

I can no longer stand to see him like this. The more he says, the more my heart aches. I now know that he cares for me far more than I realize.

Why did I ever let go of his hands?

"Hey." I reach for the back of his hand and give him a light squeeze. "Kyle, it's okay. I'm okay."

He glances at me wordlessly, but his eyes betray him. They waver with emotions and his face crumbles. For once, he looks tired. "I can't stay away from you, Riley," he admits at last. "I feel as if I'm going crazy."

"I've moved schools and avoided the places where we often hang out in the past," he sighs. "But these efforts of mine are proving to be pointless. I still think of you every day, and seeing you back here again isn't helping me."

My breath hitches in my throat, overwhelmed by his honesty and attachment to me. He flips his hand around and catches mine, interlacing our fingers.

"Even if I've to be a greedy person," he murmurs, "I don't want to lose you again, Riley."

I swallow hard and try to suppress my emerging tears. He says he wants us to be together, but something else is bothering me.

"Don't you have a girlfriend? Carly?"

A frown immediately sets in on his face. "She's not," he replies shortly before pausing. "Is that what she told you?"

Taking my silence as a confirmation that it's true, he shakes his head in annoyance. "Don't listen to her. She's just talking crap."

I nod before drawing in a shuddering breath. "Kyle," I try to speak calmly. "The person you love isn't here anymore. I'm no longer the same. If you want to be with me again, you might just end up hurting yourself."

He stares at me for a long time, his emerald eyes piercing through me. "Do you know what's one reason I fell for you? It's because you always put other people's feelings before yours. And it's precisely what you're doing right now. You're being considerate of my feelings first."

By now, my body is trembling uncontrollably, and tears are threatening to spill from my eyes. It's surprising how much he notices and understands me more than anybody else can. His love for me—or rather, the old Riley—is amazing, but it's downright terrifying because it means he knows he has more to lose. I've already broken his heart once and there's a likelihood that I might do it again for the second time without knowing.

My vision blurs as I look at him with an aching heart.

"Kyle..."

I watch as his hand reaches out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You may think you've forgotten everyone, Riley, but I honestly don't think you've completely forgotten yourself."

I'm stunned. "How can you be so sure of that?"

He pauses for a brief second before answering, his voice confident.

"I just know."

I feel his fingers move to my right cheek, tracing along my jawline. A part of me wants to take his hand, to say yes to his crazy proposition, but another part of me holds me back. Fear spirals through me when I imagine how things might turn out at the end of the road. If we don't work out.

I shake my head slowly. "I'm scared, Kyle. What if things might end up going wrong? I don't want you to get hurt again."

The ends of his mouth curls into a bittersweet smile. "I won't. Even if I do, liking someone is my choice. And with you, I'll take my chances."

My heart rate picks up at his answer. I glance down at our still clasped hands, my voice sounding small and uncertain. "You know everything about me, but I know very little about you."

"It doesn't matter. We have the time on our hands to take things slow, don't we?"

When he sees me hesitating, he releases my hand but doesn't look away from me. "You don't have to give me an answer now, Riley," he says quietly. "I'll wait. If I could wait for a year, then a few days or weeks wouldn't make much of a difference. But during that time, please don't remember the past."

***

After our long talk, he drives me home in silence. My mind feels heavy as I enter the house and shut the door behind me, barely aware of the smell of cooked tomatoes that greet me. Sure enough, Aunt Abbie emerges from the kitchen a couple of seconds later, dressed in her apron.

Her eyes are as wide as saucers. "Was that Kyle I just saw through the window giving you a ride home?!"

Giving her a bashful nod, she remains confused. Her brows knit together to form a frown. "Does he know about what happened to you? Including your amnesia?"

"Yeah, I told him. I had to."

"Oh." She falls into a long silence, clearly having many questions about us. "So, what's happening between the both of you now?"

"I don't know. We're still trying to figure that part out."

She flashes a look of understanding in my way and drops the subject. "Are you hungry, Riley? I made bolognese pasta for dinner."

I'm not that famished, but my mind changes because of the delectable smell wafting into my nose. "Thanks," I smile at her, "I'll have some."

We enter the kitchen, and she plates some food for me. After she hands it over to me, she gets onto a call with Uncle Dave. I take a quick bite of the pasta and listen to her telling him to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home after work. Hearing them converse, I can't help but wonder how they have gotten together. They seem just like any other couple; they have their fair share of arguments but they are still very much in love with each other.

Once she ends her call, I blurt out the first question on my mind.

"Aunt Abbie, what does it mean to love somebody?"

Surprised, my aunt turns to me, wearing a thoughtful expression. "It's when you put someone's happiness before yours," she answers slowly. "You miss them all the time. Without asking for a return, you care for them. You value them for who they are."

I mull over her words, barely noticing the knowing smile she's giving me. "It's Kyle, isn't it? You're curious about your relationship with him?"

Before I can reply, she's already eager to share with me the details. "I swear that you guys are literally the cutest pair. You were both inseparable, but I can hardly blame you because he's such a sweet, thoughtful boy. I wonder how much he has grown now?"

I don't answer her. From what she tells me, I realize Kyle might not have always been this unfriendly and distant towards people throughout his life. After our breakup, his behavior has changed for the worst, hence his temper. And yet, it is only today did I finally glimpse the real him and listen to his honest feelings underneath his whole facade.

After his proposition, I can't decide what to do. What exactly are my feelings towards him?

A/N: I may or may not have overdid it in this chapter, but I'm going to post this anyway. I hope you guys are enjoying this book! 😂