A Beautiful Paradox (COMPLETE)

Chapter 4

Retrograde amnesia, the doctor had said. In Ming's case, Ming was unable to retrieve any memories from the past five years. The doctor reassured them that it could be just temporary and that Ming could start getting his memories back as time passes. Perhaps in a few days, perhaps in a few months. But they all knew that it also meant that those memories might never come back. Memories of his time in high school. Memories of his time in college. Memories of his time with Kit.

Kit felt numb. He wasn't really sure what to think or feel. Judging from the expressions on his friends' faces, maybe he should have been crying. Or maybe he actually cried. He couldn't remember much of what had happened that day. Kit saw Ming awake and Ming was talking and Ming was smiling and Ming was looking at him (for quite a while, he thought, but he was probably just imagining it) and to put it concisely, Ming was functioning. Sure, Ming had lost some of his memories and sure, he didn't remember Kit, but that was strangely alright. Kit just wanted to make sure that Ming was okay. And the minute he realized that, he finally gave in to all his pent-up exhaustion. After Beam gave him a ride and dropped him off, Kit went straight to his bed without a single thought and instantly fell asleep.

When he groggily opened his eyes the next day, Kit couldn't tell what time it was again. He seriously needed to open the blinds on those windows and get some kind of light into the room. But at the moment, Kit had no intention of doing anything whatsoever. He was completely burnt out from the past few days. So, he was still laying lifeless on the bed, trying to figure out whether he should just sleep some more, when his phone started to vibrate. Kit mindlessly reached out and picked up the call without checking the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Which apartment are you at?" the caller demanded.

Kit paused for a second.

"...Beam?"

"Of course it's Beam. Get your ass out of the bed and come open the door for me. I'm right outside the apartment."

Kit sighed. Seriously? At least Pha gave some sort of warning before he headed over. And if Pha was the most stubborn individual in the planet, Beam was definitely the most stubborn individual in the universe. Groaning, Kit unwillingly got out of his comfortable bed and staggered his way to the door.

"You really need a shower," Beam rudely declared, the moment he stepped inside the apartment and got a good look at Kit.

Okay, although Kit was a little bit offended by the sheer bluntness, he really couldn't disagree. He actually couldn't remember the last time he showered. So he let Beam shove him into the bathroom (and he honestly didn't have any energy to fight back). Before the door closed shut, Kit noticed that the bunch of grocery bags that Beam had brought inside were currently piled on the kitchen counter-top. Oh shit.

"Please don't tell me you're going to cook something. My brother's going to kill me if you burn down his apartment."

"Shut up."

***