Chapter 7

Ashley POV

Clark seemed like he was about to say something else but I had already gone inside. Sitting on the edge of one of the two infirmary beds with his booted feet firmly planted on the floor and his back to the door. There was a lonely man wearing a large T-shirt and baggy blue jeans. A layer of bandages was wrapped around his head, his right arm was splinted with a brace, and I could see small scratches and bruises all over his body that had mostly been patched up. A few spots of red blood stained his white T-shirt. Other than that, Jayden Ronan Keller looked just fine.

As soon as I entered, he instantly turned around. The look of suspicion on his face turned into a face full of familiarity - and excitement.

"Ashley!" he called out and all of a sudden stood up and made a motion to come over to me before stopping. His eyes flicked to something behind me and his face seemed to stiffen.

It was Clark Walter walking right towards me. I quickly gathered myself and cleared my throat. "I think I should handle this myself," I told him. "If you would like, can you please just wait outside...?"

He nodded once before quickly leaving, closing the door behind him. However, I could still see the sadness in the man's eyes.

"It took you long enough!"

Jayden continued walking towards me, wincing slightly when he had to lean on his left leg. But then he smiled again. Towards me.

"Sorry, it was like I was looking at a paint dry," I said automatically, my brain and tongue already used to reply quickly when dealing with him. I could hardly even believe my eyes. This damn Jayden Keller is happy to see me?

"That seems like a healthy thing to do."

"I heard you got hit," I said, ignoring him as I tried to take control of the situation. He has amnesia, remember. I should always keep that in mind. He had probably lost his memory for at least the past five years while with his Boy Band group. That explains why he only remembers me since our relationship predates dinosaurs.

But when was the last time in my life when we were both happy to see each other like this? Hell, I could not even remember.

"Yeah, an accident," he said as he stopped in front of me. "Or is that what they say."

Being this close, I could see the dirt that still lingered under his ears, and he also smelled of alcohol, the city, and disinfectant. I tried my best not to look so worried, striking a casual pose with my arms crossed over my chest. But inside my heart, my emotions and thoughts were in turmoil.

"You look fine for someone who just got hit by a car," I admitted after staring at him up and down conspicuously. "Barely a scratch."

"That is what I wanted to tell them," he whispered, bringing his body closer to mine. It almost made me flinch back at the lack of distance between us. It felt like we were still linked as if I could feel the spark between us. "I don't trust any of them. I mean, I know my arm needs bandaging and I need to rest. I could feel it, physically. But there were about six people who surrounded me recently, people I have never seen in my entire life, who all really cared. They told me that everything would be okay, that they could help me heal, and that they were glad I was not dead. But all I could think was: 'How long have they been sitting there, watching me'?"

"What's so bad about that?" I asked with a frown. "Even if you don't know them, doesn't it feel good to wake up and find people waiting for you?"

"No," he answered quietly, looking away. "Not if I don't know them and they keep telling me how much of what I do."

There it goes fear. I could read it in his voice. In the way that he talked, I could feel his anxiety, as if his unease was seeping through me. Even without his memories, he could still express his discomfort very clearly. 

"Then, I guess it is my turn to try to convince you," I said cautiously. "You have amnesia, Jayden, which is why you have no memories of them. But for years, you spent almost every day with those six guys, practicing, performing, and living together in the dorms. They were your group mates. The seven of you were members of the boy band known as BHB, one of the biggest and most popular boy bands in the world. You stood together on stage in a packed stadium a few hours ago. Are you sure you don't recognize them in the slightest?"

"No, I did not. All I know is you." He replied, his gaze locked on mine.

My breath caught in the back of my throat and my face grew beet red. It was an unexpected response you could say.

Jayden seemed to be waiting for me to reply, but I could not find my voice. With a frustrated sigh, he backed away from me and sat down while burying his face on the edge of the same infirmary bed he was sitting on when I entered. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and resting his head in his palms. Meanwhile, I remained standing, as if completely paralyzed.

"You are all I can think about," he murmured after a long pause, then grimaced. "Back then I thought I was upset with you and there was something very, very important I wanted to tell you. I... I was going to see you, but that is all I can remember. The rest is too vague. It hurts just thinking about what I had for breakfast - I can't even imagine being friends with them, let alone performing with them a few hours ago. I'm just so confused and paranoid and -"

His voice broke, and he stopped talking. Frankly, my heart ached to see him like that. He did not react when I approached, or even when I sat down next to him. He just buried his face into his hands. I was tempted to reach out and touch him, comfort him, but before I even raised my hand, I was instantly reminded of the look in his eyes as he stared at his girlfriend. I remembered how he easily moved to let her kiss his cheek. Lea too felt pain, despair, and heartbreak. But I tried to shut down those emotions.

This was wrong. Everything went terribly wrong.