Angie was a complete moron. On the spot, she'd thought that telling him he had a girlfriend was brilliant. That way, she'd effectively killed any chance Geaneyi might have ever had to woo him. But she'd also planted a ghost between her and Tom, and she'd only become aware of that when she'd seen him tense, seen the conflict in his eyes. He was still drawn to her, and she'd just built a big fat wall between them.

But telling him the truth now felt like an even worse idea. Tom hated lies and he'd just started trusting her a little. So the only solution she could see was to jumpstart his memory. If he remembered everything, all of this would go away.

So, the next morning, she woke up confidently, a plan already formed in her mind. They first went to the hospital to see if Billy had made any improvements. The swelling was receding every day and the doctor was confident that they'd be able to take him off the meds very soon.

Angie was ecstatic. So much that she didn't even mind when Tom stayed behind to talk to Geaneyi. She had work to do anyway. For the next couple of hours, she searched the streets for the items she needed to put her plan in motion and finally met Tom in a park near the motel. Park was a generous word since it was more a patch of grass, a few benches and some trees, but at that point, she'd take whatever she could get.

Tom showed up just as she'd finished stuffing batteries into an old boom box. She could hardly believe it, but she'd actually managed to procure a song on tape that wasn't from two decades ago. All it took was some internet, an old microphone and someone with a tape recorder. She found everything she needed startlingly quick. She also found a skateboard for a knockout price and got that, too.

Tom glanced from her, to the boom box, to the skateboard, one eyebrow raised in question. "What's all this?"

"I'm going to try and kick-start your memory."

"And how would ancient memorabilia help?" he asked warily.

She put one foot on the skateboard and pushed it towards him. "Get on. I'm sure you still know how to ride it like a maniac."

Tom looked at her skeptically but placed one foot on the board. He used the other to push himself forward. He didn't look as secure as he used to, but since he hadn't fallen yet, she had hope. And indeed, the more he moved, the more he seemed to gain confidence. He bent his knees and pushed harder, gaining speed. Angie watched him zooming away, crisscrossing between the trees, turning abruptly. When he finally made his way back to her, there was a huge grin on his face.

"That was awesome. I actually missed it, even if I didn't know I could do it. What else could I do?"

His enthusiasm brought a smile to her face. "You could walk on your hands."

"Really?" He jumped off the skateboard and glanced at the pavement as if it were a dangerous monster ready to devour him.

It took a few moments before he finally shrugged and lowered himself on his hands. Once he pushed his legs up, he overbalanced and fell over. He let out a strangled yelp as he hit the ground. Angie sucked air through her teeth, but fought the impulse to rush over and fawn over him.

"You okay?" she asked instead.

"Yeah. I got a little scared and put too much force into it."

"Maybe you should try on the grass," she mumbled, but Tom was already balancing on his hands.

His body swayed, but the fact that he wasn't falling yet gave him enough confidence to experiment with the position of his legs. When he finally found a safe spot, he took a few hesitant steps. He stayed upright.

"There you go!" she said with a laugh.

It was amazing how happy this little bit of the old Tom made her feel. What was even more amazing was how happy he looked while clumsily walking around.

"This is so cool." He dropped back on his feet and grinned at her. "It's like my body knows how to do all this amazing stuff and I had no idea."

"You did use to say that a skill is something no one can take from you."

He pondered on her statement while she brought up the boom box and set it on a nearby bench. This was the part of the experiment that scared her most. The skateboard and balance gave her hope that it might work, but just like those hadn't triggered anything, this could be a dud, too. But she still hoped.

"What's that for?" Tom asked.

"I want to show you another cool thing that your body can do." Please work, please God, let this work.

With a shaking hand, she pressed the play button. The beat of Work from Home, a song they'd dance to for a competition, filled the humid air. Tom showed no sign of recognition, just tilted his head. Sweat coated Angie's hands and she wiped them on her jeans.

"It sounds familiar," he finally said. "But what exactly am I supposed to...?" He trailed off.

She'd hoped he'd just remember the song, but she apparently had to do it the hard way. So she strode next to him and starting jutting her hips to the beat. "Come on, you know this."

"What?" he asked absently, staring at her moving butt.

She almost felt like laughing, but actually had to concentrate because it had been over a year since she'd last danced to this. Good thing they'd practiced so much, she could still do it in her sleep. Tom just watched her and she started feeling as awkward as when he'd been appraising her moves to see if she was good enough to win a dancing competition.

Just as it was becoming excruciating to dance a sensual dance by herself in public, Tom took a step towards her and started moving in sync. A breath of relief escaped her and dancing was suddenly fun again. He still remembered how to do it. Every step, every flourish, it came natural. And when they turned to face each other, her already racing heart jumped into her throat. The focus on his face, the way he looked at her... He remembered. Just to make sure, she yanked his sunglasses off.

He didn't falter. He just gazed right at her, his eyes slightly narrowed, the confidence and warmth she loved in them. She'd done it. She couldn't believe it worked. So when he put his hands on her hips as part of their routine, she stepped a little closer than she should. He didn't pull back, just held on to her tighter. When the song ended, leaving her panting and pressed against him, she couldn't be happier.

He was panting too, his eyes never leaving hers, so full of daring and mischief. His arms tightened around her waist and her head spun out of control, the happiness getting her drunk more effectively than any spirit in the world. She could hear his heart beating, could finally bask in the heat coming from him, hold him tight.

Tom bent towards her, fire burning in his eyes, and she knew it before it happened. One of his hands cupped the back of her head, his other arm tightened around her waist, and his mouth came crashing down on hers.

Her entire body relaxed, molded into his as she shut her eyes and kissed him back, loving his heat, his taste, his passion. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She thought she'd never get to do this again, to feel him alive, run her fingers through his hair, kiss him like there was no tomorrow.

He pulled back from her, his eyes unfocused, and for a moment, a chill ran through Angie. But when he drew a deep breath and kissed her again, she didn't care. She had him back, and the weight of the world was no longer on her shoulders. They could do this. Figure it out, join the others, finish their mission, finally be happy.

Tom suddenly let her go, and nudged her back. "No," he whispered.

Angie shut her eyes tightly and opened them again, hoping the fear and disgust in his eyes would disappear. They didn't. He just stepped further away from her, one hand on his head, pulling at his hair, the other clutching his chest.

"How could you let me do this?" he said, disgust lacing his tone.

"What?"

"How could you do this? She's your friend."

What the hell was he... oh. Oh. "You didn't get your memory back?"

"What? No." He now sounded hysterical as he gripped his head with both hands. "If only it were that easy. But that's not the problem." He lowered his hands and glared at them. His chin trembled as if her were about to start crying.

This had gone too far. She couldn't let him torture himself. "It's okay, Tom."

"No, it's not!" He took another step away from her for good measure. "I don't know who I was before, but I don't want to be this. This is not natural, not normal. I'm supposed to be in love with someone else. Why am I not feeling it? Why am I..." His eyes rested on her, begging for an answer, for anything that would absolve him of being a cheater.

"What exactly are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Something I shouldn't, obviously. This thing I have for you; it shouldn't be there."

Hope bubbled inside her and she couldn't suppress a smile. Despite everything, Tom still loved her. "Yes, it should." Deep breath. "Because I'm your girlfriend."

He froze, his entire frame eerily still. "Excuse me?"

She just nodded, a knot in her throat. Her fingers twitched, because the look in his eyes was giving her the creeps. There was no more despair, no more guilt, no heat. Only the disgust remained.

"So all this time, since we met, you lied to me?"

Oh, shit. "No. Everything I told you was the truth."

"Except this little detail that you conveniently forgot until I happened to kiss you."

"Look, I couldn't tell you. You had no idea who I was."

"I still have no idea who you are!"

She flinched, tears filling her eyes. Everything was going downhill with the speed of light. She knew she should explain, apologize, ask him to believe her, but she couldn't. Every ounce of energy inside her was gone, leaving her nothing but a drained shell. She was sick of justifying herself, of feeling guilty and inappropriate.

"Why did you lie to me?" Tom whispered. "Do you have any idea how much I tortured myself? Hated myself?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered back. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"I just..." He looked away, chewing on his lip again, his face set in a frown. "I don't know what to think, what to believe."

"I'm not lying."

He looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. "I can't know that. I mean, I obviously had something for you or I wouldn't now, but... I'm not sure if we were together or not or if we broke up. I do remember some things, but the timeline is a little iffy."

"You can tell me and I can arrange them for you."

He shook his head. "I don't trust you." He noticed her flinch because his expression softened. "I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't have lied to me. I... I need to think." And he whipped around, hands deep in his pockets, and walked away from her.

Angie dropped on the bench, clutching her head in her hands, letting the tears fall. He was right. Of course she shouldn't have lied to him. But he could never understand what it was like being her, always having to suffer and fight for everything. He was black and white. He either cultivated or cut off. There was no grey area with him. And she'd known that. But right now, she was in the grey and it was torture.

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I decided to post the last part of the chapter faster. Since I'm trying to NaNo a little, updates might come more often so yay!

So... someone is in trouble. What do you think will happen now? Poor Angie doesn't stop screwing up as much as she tries. Oh well...

Next time it's time for the merry gang to reappear 😊

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