Page 17

Chapter Thirteen

B rogan walks in, arms crossed and worry etched into every line of her face.

"Hey, Cal," she says as the door clicks behind her. "How’re you feeling?"

I shift upright, muscles aching, but not nearly as much as my mind. "Better," I mutter. "Stronger, I guess."

She walks closer, settling into the chair beside my bed. "That’s good. Everyone’s been asking about you."

I nod absently, gaze drifting toward the closed door. "Why does she keep coming here?"

Her expression falters for just a second. "I..I don't know."

"She kissed me," I say, still trying to piece it together. "Out of nowhere. I didn’t know what the hell was happening."

I pause, waiting for her to say something—anything.

"But I felt something," I continue. "It wasn’t just confusion. It was like…I don’t know. Like something snapped awake inside me. When I blinked, I saw her. Not here in this room but at one of my games. She was in the stands, watching me, and I think I was happy to see her."

Brogan shifts in her seat, her mouth pulling into a tight line. "It could be your memory trying to come back in pieces."

I lean forward, pulse quickening. "So you think I’m remembering something?"

She hesitates. "Maybe."

"Do you know what it means?" I press. "Why she was at my game? What happened between us?"

She looks down, fiddling with the zipper on her hoodie. "I think maybe it means you should give it time. Rushing it won’t help."

"That’s not what I asked," I bite out, my frustration getting the better of me. "You know something so just tell me."

She lifts her head, expression torn. "I know you and Avery were getting close. Closer than I expected, and I didn’t say anything before because..."

Her words trail off and it grates on my nerves. "Because what, Brogan? Just tell me, damnit."

"Because I wasn’t sure it was a good idea," she admits. "She’s my best friend, Cal. But whatever was happening with you two, it was intense and fast. I just don't want either of you to get hurt."

I stare at her, stunned. "So what? You just thought if I never remembered, it would be easier for everyone?"

She shrugs. "I thought maybe a clean slate would hurt less than reopening old wounds."

A bitter taste creeps up my throat. "Whose wounds, Brogan? Yours, or ours?"

She doesn’t answer.

I turn my face away, heart pounding. If the only thing I remember about Avery is a kiss strong enough to ignite a flash of who we were, then maybe I was never meant to forget that part of myself anyways.

"Just take it day by day," she says. "There is no need to rush anything. Your memories will return when the time is right."

"What memories, Brogan? What are you not telling me?" My voice hardens. "You and Avery are best friends. You have to know something."

"I didn’t," she says quickly. "You two were so secretive about everything. Whatever happened between you and Avery, it wasn’t something you talked with anyone about."

I grind my teeth. "So you’re telling me I had something going on with her and no one noticed?"

"I didn’t say that," she mutters. "But, yeah. It kind of snuck up on you both, I think. Avery mentioned something right before the crash. Said things were shifting between you two and she didn’t know what it meant, but she wanted to find out."

That strikes something in my chest. "And then I crashed."

She nods. "And everything reset."

I drop my head back against the pillow. "Fucking great."

Brogan stands and smooths her sweatshirt. "Look, I wish I had more to tell you. But whatever you two were, it was quiet and just between the two of you."

I don’t say anything because I'm not sure what to say. There is so much history with Avery, so much buried pain that I can’t imagine how we even began working forward from that. Was it just us hate-fucking? Because her lips on mine gave me an instant hard-on.

Could it have been more and there was a reason we were staying quiet? What does she know about me? Does she know about the Ice Lords?

Brogan leans over and kisses my forehead, but I can't even look at her.

"I’ve gotta head out," she says. "It’s my last week of cheer practice, and Coach will have my head if I miss."

I nod, eyes drifting to the window.

"I’ll come back tomorrow. We can talk about it more then, okay?"

"Sure," I say, even though nothing feels settled.

Once the door shuts, I push myself up higher in bed. My body aches in ways I didn’t even know were possible. It’s not the sharp pain like I had right after the crash; it’s deeper now, like I’ve been hollowed out and slowly stitched back together with pieces that don’t fit.

There are blackouts—empty spaces that echo. And Avery is the biggest one of all.

I can still feel that damn kiss. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but the moment her lips touched mine, something cracked open. It was a rush of heat through my chest, and her name echoing through me.

I saw her at my game . And I liked what I saw. I wasn't angry or plotting her demise; I was genuinely happy.

She was in the arena, wearing one of my hoodies like it belonged to her more than it did to me. Her eyes lit up every time I hit the ice. I fucking felt her there. There's no way in hell it was just a dream.

I can’t explain it, but something about her lives inside me, beyond the amnesia and damage. It's like that kiss tried to remind me of what my mind forgot.

And that’s the scariest part because I remember hating her. I remember thinking she was beautiful, dangerous chaos who stormed into my life and shattered it without warning.

I remember promising myself I wouldn’t let her in again, but I must have. I must have healed those parts of myself that despised her so much. And fuck, maybe she’s the one who helped me pick up the pieces. Maybe she’s the one who made me feel whole again.

Brogan’s voice echoes in my head. "It was intense and fast."

Sounds about right.

If I let myself believe this and I follow that flicker of memory, I don’t know what I’ll find. All I know is, I can't just forget again. Not with that kiss still burning on my lips, and certainly not with my heart fighting to remember a relationship my brain forgot.