Remind Me

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"You're cold," Owen says.

Hm, what gave it away? My shivering, my chattering teeth, my arms wrapped around myself in a meager attempt to keep myself warm, or my lack of appropriate nighttime beach clothes?

"Here," he says, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around me. He's only wearing a white T shirt now. But hey, it's in the boyfriend rule book to let your girlfriend stay warm before you, right?

"Thanks," I smile at him.

I left my shoes purposely. I love the feeling of sand between my toes. The breeze in my face blows my hair all over the place. It's sort of driving me crazy, so I frustratedly throw it into a ponytail.

It feels weird, walking by Owen and not holding his hand. My own is itching to. They're even swinging in the same pace. Hardly three inches away... No. We have to talk first.

"Owen," I sigh, looking up at him. "I want to forgive you. A lot. I just... I don't know, I guess. It feels wrong to let you push me around like that and to tell you it's alright hardly two days after finding this all out."

"I know what I did was wrong," Owen says. "And as many times as I say I'm sorry won't fix it. I did it, and I can't reverse it. You're right. I took advantage of your lost memory just like my parents wanted me to. I could've gone against them, but I didn't. And, well, I also didn't want it to blow up."

I nod, biting my lip. "I know you had to be careful. Thanks for worrying about me, but..."

"It's still wrong, I know. Excuses won't stop that. But I've already told you what I can. I want us to be able to get past this. I love you, Brinley. I made a mistake. I want you to forgive me. I want you more than anything," Owen says, stopping me. He stands there in front of me, eyes searching mine.

"I love you too, Owen. So much. I really do," I say. "But I put a lot of trust in you. You taught me my past... And now seeing that a good chunk was taken away from me... My trust feels a little iffy."

Owen places a hand on my cheek, and my eyes lift to his. "I love you. I know it will take time. I know it, but I'm willing to do anything to get you back."

"Owen-" I start, but I can't finish what I was about to say because his lips are on mine. His hand is on my cheek and I can feel my body heating up at the touch. I almost pull him closer, but then I remember what we were just talking about.

"Owen," I repeat, pulling away. He looks confused. "It doesn't seem weird to you, how fast I got over this huge discovery?"

"I'm not going to complain," Owen says.

"And that's the problem, I think," I frown, taking a step back. "You're used to me freaking out at you and then coming back anyways. So what says that you won't do this again, knowing I'll get over it so quickly?"

"I may not be the perfect guy," Owen says, "or anywhere near that, but I care a lot about you. I wouldn't do anything like this again. I'm too afraid to lose you. I'm scared enough as it is. I would never do anything like this again. I know some part of you believes me."

"I do believe you," I sigh, looking at my hands. "But last time I believed you about something..."

"I'm sorry," Owen frowns. "I screwed up big time. But I want to ask you for a second chance. Or a third. I'm not sure what number we're on."

I sigh again, so conflicted. I love him. A lot. I want to trust him so bad. I want to believe him when he says he's sorry and won't do this again. I know he had good reason to do what he did. But still. I have my doubts.

"We can go slowly," Owen starts, but I shake my head.

"I hate going slowly. I thought you'd know that. It's a yes or a no, and that's what I'm trying to figure out," I interject.