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Rebecca snuggled into the soft blanket as she lay on Aunt Wills’s couch. With the headache she had after leaving the hospital, she didn’t dare argue with Aunt Wills when she insisted Rebecca rest while she made dinner. At least the couch was comfortable. Yet, as comfortable as it was, Rebecca still felt… out of place.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me being here?” Rebecca called out. Thankfully, the home was an open-concept design, and Aunt Wills was only a few feet away in the kitchen.

Willamena shook her spatula at Rebecca. “Don’t make me come over there. You are my family, Becca. My home will always be open to you.”

“But what if you have a… friend over? You gave up your life to take care of me before. You shouldn’t have to do it again.”

Willamena moved the food off the burner, switching it off before going to Rebecca. She sat on the edge of the couch and tugged Rebecca’s ponytail. “Now you listen to me, young lady. I didn’t give up my life. After Gwennie died, you were my life. I wanted to take care of you then, and I want to now. If you’re not ready to go home yet, this will be your home for as long as you need it to be.”

Home, Rebecca thought. She tried to remember it… and Cass. That’s all she’d been doing since meeting Cass. There was something about the woman that made Rebecca feel… well, she felt a lot of things around Cass. But the one thing that stood out the most was a deep connection.

“It will come back, right? My memory.” Rebecca desperately wanted to remember Cass but couldn’t understand that desperation.

“I believe so. If you rest and take care of yourself, it could be back sooner rather than later.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes at her aunt. “Are you trying to manipulate me?”

Willamena’s eyes widened with feigned innocence. “Moi? Never.” She patted Rebecca’s shoulder. “Now, relax while I finish dinner. I’ve already fixed up your room for you, so if you get too tired, you can go up and take a nap.”

Rebecca nodded. “Thank you, Aunt Wills, but I’ll be fine here. I can even help you cook if you want.” Despite wanting to be rebellious, Rebecca yawned.

Willamena laughed. “You’re a brilliant woman, Rebecca, but cooking isn’t really your strong suit. Leave the cooking to me. I know you hate being idle, but maybe you can use this as a chance to learn how to slow down.”

Rebecca frowned. “In my mind, all I’ve been doing is waiting for a chance to do something more with my life. Will you tell me what I’ve been up to these past few years?” She said few as though she wasn’t missing two decades of her memory.

Willamena pursed her lips. “I’m hesitant to say too much before we’ve given your memories a chance to return. I don’t want to influence those memories. Does that make sense?”

Not really, Rebecca thought, but didn’t want to argue with her aunt. “I guess so. I suppose I could be patient.”

Willamena snickered. “We’ll see how long that lasts,” she winked when Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her. “Okay! Back to dinner. I hope you’re hungry.” Rebecca nodded. “Good. How does pesto fettuccini with chicken sound?”

Rebecca’s stomach growled. “Apparently, that sounds perfect,” she smiled. “Thank you, Aunt Wills.”

“You’re welcome, sweet girl.” Willamena touched Rebecca’s cheek. “Can you wait to take your pain meds with your food?”

“Yeah, I’m okay for now. Maybe some hot tea?”

“You got it.”

As happy as Willamena was to have her niece here, she felt horrible for Cass. When she had called Cass earlier to explain that Rebecca wouldn’t be coming home right away, Willamena could hear the pain in Cass’s voice when she said she understood. The faster Rebecca’s memory came back, the better. Not because Willamena wanted her space but because Cass needed Rebecca as much as Rebecca needed Cass. Until then, Willamena would do her best to take care of Rebecca as well as keep Cass from spiraling into a depression.

“This should be interesting,” Willamena whispered to herself.

Cass’s heart pounded in her ears. She’d been standing on Aunt Wills’s front porch for three minutes, trying to will herself to ring the doorbell.

“You have a legitimate reason to be here,” she told herself. Cass squared her shoulders and rang the bell, trying not to fidget as she waited for Aunt Wills to answer. But when the door opened, it wasn’t Aunt Wills.

“Hey, Ba… Becca.” Cass couldn’t stop staring. Rebecca wore baggy sweats and an oversized sweatshirt, her hair up in a ponytail, and her fresh face completely makeup-free. She looked incredibly beautiful, and it took every bit of strength Cass had not to reach out and scoop Rebecca up and kiss her.

“Cass! Hi,” Rebecca blushed slightly, knowing she looked like a total slob at the moment. God, was she ever going to look good when Cass saw her?

Cass did her best to hide her disappointment at Rebecca calling her Cass. All those years of hating being called Cassidy changed when Rebecca said it. Now, she longed to hear it again.

“I’m sorry to just, um, show up like this. I thought that…” Geez, was she a freakin’ teenager? Get the fucking words out, Cass! Cass cleared her dry throat and tried again. “I understand you’re not ready to come… that, um, you’re more comfortable staying here right now. So, um, I thought you might like a few of your things. Some essentials, you know?”

Rebecca looked down at the bag that Cass held. As cordial as Cass was, Rebecca couldn’t help but notice Cass’s hand shaking or the hitch in her voice when she spoke. Hurting this woman — no matter how unintentional — made Rebecca want to cry.

“T-thank you. You’re very sweet.”