tears in the rain | the weeknd

eight

1 week later

Abel

My eyes slowly open when I feel someone gripping firmly onto my hand.

The room's dark, but I can make out a female figure sitting on the chair beside the hospital bed from the little ray of light that is coming out from the behind the curtain.

The side of her face is pressed against the bed and her eyes are closed.

Her soft hand is in mine and she moves her head a little, causing her hair to brush against the skin of my hand.

This girl has been coming here for the last week - I always wake up to find her sleeping beside me, looking peaceful.

Her name is . . .

I huff in frustration when I can't remember her name. I know it starts off with an A, but I haven't got a clue what it is.

Anna? Amber? Anastasia?

Cursing to myself, I silently watch her as she sleeps, trying hard to place who she is.

The doctor has been coming to see me every morning, trying to help me regain my memories.

So far, I've been able to remember a few things, but they mostly are forgotten in a couple of minutes and then remembered again after a couple of hours.

A cough escapes my mouth, causing the girl to shift around now.

I suck in my breath as I watch her head twist to the side, hoping she doesn't wake up anytime soon.

I want to see if I can remember her name at least.

The first night I woke up to find her beside me, we had a conversation - I can't remember what about, but all I remember is I asked her name and she told me what it was.

The girl groans now and shifts around even more, her soft hand brushing against my own, causing it to tickle.

Her eyes flutter open now and she notices me watching her. I just blink at her as I watch her get up and stretch a little.

Leaning over to grab her phone, she looks at it, rubbing her eyes. "You're up early today," she comments in a sleepy voice. "It's six o'clock."

I just stare blankly at her, still attempting to place a name to the girl sitting beside me. "What's your name again?" I ask, feeling frustrated with myself.

The girl smiles sadly at me. "Aria," she tells me with a little sigh. She rubs her temples.

"I'm sorry I don't remember you," I say in a quiet voice.

Aria looks at me, studying my face. "It's not your fault," she tells me, her voice breaking. She gets up. "I'll be right back."

I watch as she disappears into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her.

Aria, I think over and over again, trying to cement the name into my brain.

"Her name's Aria," I murmur to myself, playing with my fingers.

After a couple of minutes, I get up and walk over to the bathroom, frowning. "Aria?" I say softly, knocking on the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I hear her say, voice wobbling. She sniffs loudly.

Putting my hand on the cold metal knob, I think about if I should go in and check on her or not.

I push the door open and find Aria crouched on the floor, her head buried in her knees. She looks up and quickly rubs at her eyes when she notices me.

Aria gets up and sniffs, forcing a shaky smile on her face. "Sorry I took so long," she says, looking everywhere except at me.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned at the unfamiliar yet familiar girl in front of me.

Aria nods. "Yeah," she says.

I'm about to say something when the room door opens and in steps the doctor.

"How are you feeling today, Mr Tesfaye?" she asks.

"Good," I say before wandering back over to the bed.

Aria follows me, closing the bathroom door behind her and then sitting down at the chair beside the bed.

"Do you know who this is?" the doctor asks, motioning towards Aria with a wave of her hand.

"Aria," I reply, looking at the girl beside me, who smiles.

"And who is she to you?" the doctor questions, testing me.

I stare at her blankly before turning to look at Aria, who is gnawing on the inside of her cheek. "Um . . ." I start to say before trailing off. "I don't know."

All I know is that she's stayed with me for the past week, so she must be someone important in my life.

The doctor continues to ask me more questions and carries out exercises that help me remember a couple of memories - none of them include Aria, though, which aggravates me.

"When can I go home?" I ask the doctor, even though I don't know where 'home' is.

She smiles at me. "You're being discharged today," she tells me and I nod, feeling a tug at relief, since I won't have to be holed up in this room for any longer.

"Is he ready for that?" Aria asks from beside me, her face and voice full of concern.

"Well, we can see how he does for a couple of days and if he doesn't seem like he's doing well, we can bring him back here," the doctor tells Aria.

Being me back here? I really don't want that - I feel claustrophobic in this room.

It'll actually be nice to walk around freely without anyone having to accompany me.

"Okay," Aria nods. She turns to look at me briefly before looking back at the doctor who starts speaking again.

"Mr Tesfaye?" the doctor says, causing my eyes to tear away from Aria's face. "Would you prefer to go home with your mother or with Aria?"

I look at my hands, trying to decide who I want to stay with - my mother? Or this unfamiliar yet familiar girl?

The two women stay silent as they wait for me to make my decision.

The sound of the clock ticking becomes louder, making me feel more tense as I continue debating with myself about who I should stay with.

I look up at them after a long time. "I want to go home with Aria."