Amnesia

Chapter 8

Penny opts to let her hair air dry as opposed to juggling a blow dryer with one hand. Finding the towel Avi had used on her hair tossed on the ground, she picks it up and ruffles out more of the moisture. She folds the towel, setting it on the counter before poking around in the cabinets.

"Oh!" she exclaims, cheeks burning as she spots the pack of birth control. "Well, then. That's not happening any time soon," she mutters, her gaze avoiding the little package. Eyes landing on the red toothbrush, she grabs for it excitedly and quickly spots the toothpaste.

While she brushes her teeth, biting back her groan at the burn of mint against her tongue, Penny continues her rummage through the cabinets, making mental notes of the items on the shelves. Avi's razor, shaving cream and cologne are nestled with her various lip balms, lotions and tweezers. We've been living together a long time. This is all...comfortable together.

Holding the toothbrush in her mouth, Penny reaches out and grabs the cologne, the sharp pain of recognition jolting through her brain as the warm, spicy yet woodsy scent wafts to her nose.

Thwump.

She closes her eyes briefly at the pain and resumes brushing her teeth, trying to ignore the lingering sense of comfort swirling through her chest. He smelled like that when you first met him. Remember that? His hand was warm and he smelled like that. Penny catches her gaze in the mirror, glowering at her reflection and trying desperately to grasp at the wispy fragments of memory. They seem to float just beyond her reach and frustrated, she spits into the sink, rinsing her mouth of toothpaste.

Walking into the bedroom, Penny ensures the door is closed before dropping the towel to the floor. She shivers as the cool air hits her skin and feels exposed in the large room. On the dresser, Penny finds a few framed pictures of her and Avi, a pang of longing settling in her heart at the carefree Avi staring back at her. In one, he's smiling broadly as Penny loops her arms around his shoulders from the side, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Penny clears her throat and drops her gaze from the picture, pulling open the drawers in search of clothes. Shimmying on a pair of panties, she briefly considers putting a bra before deciding it's too much work. Avi will just have to get over it. She finds a suitable pair of shorts and a purple t-shirt with a dragon on the front.

Making a detour back into the bathroom to drop off the towel, Penny reenters the living room to find Avi stretched out on the couch, his feet thrown onto the ottoman in front of him. Looking over at her, Avi pauses in his channel surfing and smiles, nodding towards her outfit. "I knew you stole that shirt," he says, grinning up at her.

Penny tugs at the hem, looking down at the decal on the front and then back at Avi, frowning slightly. "It was on my side. Do you want it back?"

"No, it suits you," he comments, turning back towards the TV, "It matches your eye."

Penny narrows her eyes and glares at him, trying to suppress her smile as he laughs, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Sure, laugh it up, jerk. You match me, too," she says, gesturing at his eye.

Avi reaches up and touches just above his left eye. "I suppose you're right." His smile falls and he clicks over to another channel. Penny shuffles her feet and tugs at the hem of the shirt, twisting it nervously in her fingers.

She glances around the living room and dining room, her eyes stopping at a large framed photograph above the table. Penny feels that familiar prickle of recognition dance in her brain and she moves closer to take it in. Her eyes trace the sloping curves of the mountains in the background, painted in beautiful slate blues and muted purples and the sharp, black silhouette of the trees in the foreground.  But her eye is drawn most to the vibrant orange and yellow of the rising sun rising through the trees, splashing the sky with pink, orange and yellow.