Amnesiac

CHAPTER 1

Rafe's voice was soft in your ears as he told you to watch your step, and his hand on your arm kept you steady as he guided you inside the impressive house. You knew that it was meant to be comforting, but you told yourself that it would just take some getting used to. Despite what the doctors said, and what he himself had confirmed, he was still a stranger to you.

A beautiful stranger, but a stranger, nonetheless.

The entire ride to his house, you hadn't been able to stop staring at him. His sharp jawline, his long lashes, the pink of his lips and the way he worried the bottom one between his teeth. You reminded yourself that it was rude, but occasionally he would turn to glance at you, the sun reflecting off of his blue eyes as he drank you in.

Was it strange to say that the hospital had brought you more comfort?

Upon waking up, there hadn't been a single thing you could recall. Not even your own name. The sterile white walls were anxiety inducing at first, but the more you stared at them, the quicker it took you to realize where you were. You were in a hospital. You couldn't remember if you had ever been in a hospital before, attempts at trying to search your memories only bringing forth frustration.

You had looked down, taking note of the scrapes and bruises on your arm with a frown. It was easy to deduce that you'd been in some kind of accident, and that assumption made your heart rate spike. It was enough to send the monitor into a frenzy, and your eyes were wide when a nurse came running in. You were shocked to see her, and she looked shocked to see you awake.

Everything after that was a blur of physicians and tests, and a doctor who told you what you'd already guessed.

You'd been in an accident, a surfing accident to be more exact, and he hadn't been shocked when you confirmed that 'no', you didn't remember a thing. Not even your own name. He was happy to tell you it, and the sound of it did spark some familiarity within you, but it still tasted odd on your tongue. He told you that you'd gone down hard, a rough wave basically slamming you into the rocks.

He didn't need to voice it because the look in his eye and the tone in his voice said it all.

It was a miracle for you to be alive.

"Tell me," he had hummed, shining a light in your eyes. "What can you remember?"

Wracking your brain was almost painful, and the monitor had picked up on your increased heartbeat as your breathing started to grow heavy. You blinked, tears of frustration kissing your eyes before shaking your head.

"N-nothing," you had whispered.

The sound he made was one of disappointment, and you swallowed.

"I had expected that. Still, I'd hoped that...well..."

He'd trailed off, jotting some things down.

"There's a strong chance it's not permanent. Overtime, things may come back to you, some slower than others, and some not so much," he assured you.

You had absentmindedly nodded at that.

"When can I go home?"

It was such a strange question to ask.

You didn't even know where home was or who else was at home. Did you live alone? With your parents? Did you even have parents? Siblings? Lingering on it for too long made your head hurt, and you pressed your fingers to your temple.

"You'll need to sign some things first, like filling out your emergency contact for one..."

He had continued at your look of confusion.