"Everything's deleted," you say out loud in awe, Chris taking the phone from you in disbelief.

"What?" he enters and exits various apps, looks in the settings, et cetera, but finds nothing. Everything has disappeared. Your only lifeline to the past you can't remember.

You stare at the phone in disbelief, chest tight, knees weak. You're trembling.

"Are you okay?" Chris asks gently, his own voice wavering. "You look like you're gonna pass out."

You look up at him, swallowing hard. "Yeah... I..."

You find a deluge of tears waiting to rush from your eyes and you shut them tight, your body tensing as you force them to stay where they are. You breathe, telling yourself you aren't going to cry. You can't cry. You can't...

"Hey," you hear. Chris's gentle voice reaches you and your mask cracks slightly as you feel his arms wrap around your shoulders. He pulls you in and you open your eyes in shock, heart pounding inside your chest. "It's okay. You'll get your memories back without that stuff. Karika got hers back, so you don't need to worry."

Your breath is shaky but you refuse to budge. If you loosen even one muscle, you might explode. Overwhelmed, you stay rigid. You will not cry.

"Cora." Chris pulls away and places his fingers under your chin, forcing you to look at him. His hazel eyes reach deep into yours and you feel your walls start to crumble. "It's okay to cry."

You shake your head, your chin coming loose.

"I can't cry." Your voice is trembling. "I can't—"

You clasp your mouth with your hand, holding in the sob, but it escapes through the cracks in your fingers and the first fat tear falls from your lashes. At it, Chris pulls you into his arms once more, the phone still in his possession. He sets it on the counter next to you two and continues to pull you close until you relax and clutch his shirt. A few more sobs sneak out and you can't fight the helplessness clawing at your insides. Your best shot at remembering who you are is now gone.

You finally sigh, leaning into your new friend. He strokes your hair gently, keeping silent. It's comforting, the quietness of him.

"What if I never get my memories back?" You whisper to no one, shocked at how open you've become within the past few hours with this boy, this man.

Chris's hand stops mid-stroke and you feel him thinking for a moment before he pulls back, his face so close to yours. It makes your heart flutter, making the weight of the moment lighten slightly.

"You will," he says definitely, staring into your eyes. "I have no doubt you will."

You take a deep breath in and look away, his thumb brushing away a stray tear off your cheek. The way he's staring at you... it almost makes you forget you're in the middle of a strange predicament. Almost. You nearly wish you could curl up here forever, letting him hold you until you feel like you can walk on your own again. You Know and the information on the phone felt like the crutches for your broken memories, but now that they've vanished... you're freefalling with no parachute.

You lean into his hand and pull yourself close again, hearing him breathe in slightly in shock. You can't vocalize it, but... you don't want him to let you go just yet. He feels like something strong to lean against, something that can help you walk through this foggy maze you've stepped into. Just for now... Hold on to me.

Without a word, it's like he understands. For a while, the two of you stand there, embracing until the shadows grow long through the windows and the sun disappears. You finally pull away, wiping your eyes, and take a step back.

"I'm sorry," you croak, taking in a deep breath and letting it out, some of the weight dissipating.

"Don't be," he says gently, his face gentle. All day, he's been joyous and funny, but... it seems as if there's a quiet side to him. "There's so much that's happened to you... I would have broken down long before you did."

You force a small smile.

"Thank you for being here for me," you say, heart clenching at your openness. Your nerves creep up. You can't even look at him. "I'm sure you had better things to do than to comfort a stranger."

Out of the corner of your eye, you see him shake his head, a gentle smile spreading across his face. You turn to look up at him. Your heart jumps as you realize how close he is again. The green flecks in his eyes stand out in the dim lighting coming from the kitchen.

"I'd much rather be here."

You're suddenly so aware of his hand still in your hair and you can hear your heartbeat in your ears. Chris grits his teeth and backs away, closing his eyes and shaking his head. His hand releases you and he takes a step back, scratching his neck like he has so many times today, his face flushed in the dim lighting. You stand watching him. Was he going to kiss you? Did you want him to?

"Uh..." He says with a nervous half-smile, not able to meet your eyes. "The, uh... Pop-Tarts are done. Do—do you want yours?"

He retreats into the kitchen and you place a hand on your chest to slow your jackhammering heart, telling it to shut up.

"S-sure," you stutter. What if he had kissed you? You barely know him... and yet...

"Here," he says, handing you one of the rectangular sugar-pastry things, and you take it. It's barely warm now. Chris takes a bite out of his and smiles.

Considering he's into you and all.

Karika's words make your muscles stiffen for a moment.

You look down at your crumbling Pop-Tart as a twinge of sadness rushes through you.

"What if... I regain my memory and it turns out I wasn't like this at all? What if I was in a lot of trouble, like, with some bad people? Will you...?" You stop yourself short of asking the question, feeling embarrassed. You just met him. The group. And yet...

Chris suddenly looks at you with wide eyes. It takes him a second to register what you're saying as his face relaxes.

"That's okay, then," he shrugs, taking a small bite of the food in his hand. "Because I'm getting to know you like this. And... I won't let anything bad happen to you." He meets your eyes, not shying away from your gaze. "Promise."

Your heart swells at his words and you nod, unable to hide the small smile playing at the corners of your mouth. Maybe...

"Oh," he says suddenly, darting into the kitchen for a moment before reappearing. "Here's the book. It's my most recent."

You smile, taking it from him, grateful for the distraction. "It looks so cool! Did you do the cover too?"

Finally taking a bite of your Pop-Tart, you glance up at him and he's beaming.

"Yeah. I'm super proud of that, too." He pauses, looking as if he wants to tell you something else, but seems to decide against it. "Alright. Well. Now that it's super dark, I think it's time to take you back to Karika's. She hides the key under a rock in her front yard, so you'll be able to get in."

"Good point," you smile. "If we stay any longer, I might fall asleep here."

He chuckles nervously, scratching the back of his neck. He sure does that a lot... Am I making him nervous?

"Karika would kill me," he says, leading you out the door and locking it behind him. You finish off your Pop-Tart and dust your fingers off onto the concrete below. The town looks really creepy at night, but it's probably because you don't recall being here and you aren't used to it. If this was, say, a town you grew up in or something, you were sure you'd feel more comfortable walking around at night.

You shudder, a chill rushing through your body. It's colder than it was this morning, and you don't have a jacket.

"Are you cold?" Chris asks suddenly, disturbing the silence. But you aren't complaining.

"A little," you admit, and he opens his bag, rummaging through random things you see in there, mostly pens and papers. He produces his jacket, somehow not spilling the contents in the bag all over the sidewalk and opens it up, placing it around your shoulders. Your body immediately heats, but it isn't from the jacket. You can feel his warm breath on the back of your neck briefly before he steps away.

"Here. Keep it for the night. I don't really get that cold."

You eye him, noticing the fog coming from his mouth as he speaks and the goosebumps on his arms. He is cold.

"Are you sure?" you ask dubiously. He grins and wraps his fingers around the back of his neck, his elbow in the air as he nods.

"Yeah, I'm good. We're almost there, anyway."

"You look cold," you argue gently, fingers around the opening of the jacket, ready to give it back at his command.

He shakes his head and stuffs his hands in his pockets. "I'm good. Don't worry about me."

You pout slightly. "Don't be stupid." Without thinking, you grab his arm and wrap around it, pulling yourself close to him to keep him warm too. He jumps a little, stiffening, and your heart kick drums in your chest, your face heating. After a split second of you asking yourself why you did that, you start to let go.

"Sorry," you mutter, but he grabs your hand, stopping you in your retreat.

"No," he says gently. "That's okay. You're really warm. Maybe... Maybe I am a little cold."

Slowly, you return to being wrapped around his arm, the sound of your pumping heart taking up the airways. The two of you begin to walk in a nervous silence.

But... Admittedly... Being like this...

It makes you happy.

Chris suddenly stops and turns toward a house, breathing out. "Well... this is it."

You look up to see a large building with several doors leading into apartments. He walks up to the building with you hanging onto him still and stops at the second door on the left, number 703, and you let go as he reaches under a rock and produces a spare key, handing it to you with a big smile.

"This is her door. Her dad left her his home but she never stays there. She says there are too many memories there so she prefers the apartments. Apartments," he says with a sigh, "that her dad used to own."

Your jaw drops a little in shock. "Wow. Her family really is wealthy."

He nods. "Yeah. Filthy rich. Owns half the town."

You nod, not really wanting to go inside. Were you ready to be alone with your thoughts?

"Are you okay?"

You snap your eyes around to look at him, not sure how honest you want to be with him this time. He's been so kind and generous... How long do you plan to take advantage of it?

You glance at the door, your hands clinging to each other, the cold nipping at them gently. You aren't ready to be alone with your mind just yet, you can feel it. And what if those guys from this morning, the guys you escaped from... what if they find you here and no one is with you? What then?

"Hey." Chris pulls at your hands and pries them from each other gently, holding them with his. "If you'd feel better I stayed here with you until Karika got home, I'd be happy to. We can go inside or we can stay out here—it's totally up to whatever you're comfortable with."

You stare up at him, grateful and feeling selfish.

"You don't have to... You've been so nice to me all day and you're probably freezing now—"

"Nah," he interrupts with a small laugh. "You kept me warm all the way here. Besides, I—I like spending time with you." He ducks his head slightly, his curly hair falling onto his forehead and shifting slightly in the wind. "I know we just met this morning, but... something about you makes me want to keep you by my side."

His words are muttered gently, and you can feel the utter honesty within them. They make your heart flutter and you don't know how to react to that. It's true that... that you feel the same way to a degree. You don't want him to leave. But is it because you want to feel protected, or is it something else? Is it okay to like someone after a day of getting to know them?

You exhale.

"I don't want to keep you, but..."

His eyes light up at your words as you continue.

"I think I escaped this morning from someone who kidnapped me. I don't know if they're still after me or if they're looking for me or... I don't know." You bite your lip, unable to look at Chris as he tightens his hold on your fingers. "In all honesty, I'm scared someone's going to come get me. I think I'm in some kind of trouble, but I can't remember what it is, and I think this You Know guy has something to do with it. I'm... I'm scared."

You finally meet his eyes and his face has turned to something determined, nodding at your words.

"I'd be happy to stay until Karika got home," he offers. "Do you want to stay outside, or do you want to go in?" His face reddens and he looks away, letting go of your hands to carry out his nervous tick. You smile. His poor neck. "I'm not, like, going to try anything or anything if you're worried about that! We can watch a movie or something until she returns or you can just go to sleep and I'll stay in the living room—there's a lock on the door if you're worried I'm not being honest or anything. It's—it's up to you."

He smiles sheepishly at you and you can't fight the smile.

"I think I'd like to watch a movie. I mean, I am tired, but I... don't think I'm ready to try to fall asleep with my thoughts."

He nods with a grin. "Okay. Cool. I have the perfect movie. You might have seen it, but you probably don't remember it, so that's fine," he begins to ramble as you unlock the door and step inside. He switches on the light and your eyes take in the most lavish furniture you've ever seen. She really is loaded.

The mounted flat screen sits above a big fireplace, and, unphased, Chris walks right up to it and grabs the remote, turning it on. You take a seat on the sofa, the scent of him on his jacket billowing around you and taking you off guard. You feel nervous, which, in your mind, is way better than fear of the unknown, which is too much to handle right now. He plops down next to you, talking about the movie he wanted to search for, not able to find it and getting comically irritated for a moment. He laughs it off and settles for another movie, a romantic comedy that has you both laughing until your stomachs hurt.

You find yourself watching him more than the movie as his laugh fills the room.

Karika doesn't come home after the movie finishes and you choose another movie. It isn't as funny as the first, and a bit more romantic than it seemed on the cover. At one point, you find yourself growing tired and you lean your head on Chris's shoulder. His warmth lulls you into a sleep and you're soon dreaming.

You're woken up by the front door opening, morning light seeping through the window. You sit up, your face flushing red as you realize you fell asleep on Chris, and he fell asleep on the couch too, holding you close. He looks so peaceful, so handsome...

"Looks like you two kept it PG last night," a voice says, making you jump. Karika walks through, dark bags under her eyes. Is she just coming back?

You rub the sleep from your eyes, Chris groaning quietly as he shifts, his eyes fluttering open. They shoot open the next moment and he sits upright fast, looking from you to Karika and back. Karika stands in the doorway with a smirk, her unruly hair in a bun on the top of her head.

"Chris, ever the gentleman," she says with a chuckle.

"S-sorry," he stutters, running his fingers through his hair. "We were watching movies and I think we passed out."

"I have two bedrooms, you know," she says, setting her stuff down by the door and making her way toward the hallway. "You could have slept anywhere else but the couch."

Yours and Chris's faces grow red at her statement and he stands up.

"That's—this—we—"

"Save it," Karika says, peeking around the corner. "Your love life isn't my business, Chris, and you know that. I just like hearing the juicy details." She sticks out her tongue with a low ha before you hear a door shut and lock.

"She's going to sleep all day," Chris says, turning to you. "Um... Sorry I fell asleep here with you. I didn't mean—I was supposed to leave if you did, but I think—I think I just kind of passed out, I'm sorry."

You smile, your heart in your throat. "It's okay. Thank you for staying with me."

He smiles, easing up a little. "I don't mind it. Um... I guess I'll get going, then. Karika will take good care of you." His eyes grow serious as he takes the image of you in, making your breath hitch. "Don't worry about whatever happened yesterday morning. If someone is after you, I'll keep you safe. You can trust me."

Speechless, you clutch your chest to will your heart to slow down, and nod. "Thank you."

He shakes his head. "Don't thank me," he laughs. "It's purely selfish."

With a wave, he grabs his bag and opens the door, shutting it behind him before you can ask him to clarify.

Purely selfish?

You clutch your clothes, realizing you're still wearing his jacket, his scent lingering with you. There's a pressing on your heart as you imagine him walking away from the apartment.

"Do you miss him already?"

You startle at Karika's voice as she leans against the protruding corner of the room that leads to the hallway, staring at the door just like you had been. A faint, sad smile tugs at her lips and she sighs deeply.

"Chris is a good guy. One of the best." She pauses. "I hope he's your happy ending, Cora. If not... you'll have a long journey ahead of you."

With that, she disappears back into her room, leaving you alone and afraid to face the questions plaguing your mind.

You take a deep breath and lay back on the couch, longing to go back to sleep, but the thoughts keep you awake.

It's going to be a long day.