Page 16

Fifteen

Enchanting Ride

A lexa ran without looking back and didn’t stop until she reached the solace of her car. The car gifted to her by Tristan Knight on her birthday—the boy who happened to be her boyfriend.

Her ex-boyfriend. The same ex whose name was all that she remembered.

Alexa wanted to call it crazy, but somehow she knew it wasn’t.

And that conversation she overheard? Jude’s cold words? She wanted to find out if it was true. And there was only one way to do it.

Alexa went back inside the hospital and asked a nurse to check on her mother, saying she had fainted again. The lady asked why she hadn’t simply alerted her by pressing the summoning button by the patient’s bed.

Alexa hadn’t even thought about it until now. If she had, when Jude asked her to get the doctor, would she have been able to prevent him from wiping her mother’s memory?

This thought renewed her determination. She apologized to the nurse and asked her to keep a cautious eye on her mother’s stepson before going back to her car.

When she reached back in Harmony Hills, Alexa opened Google Maps and looked up directions to Bircher’s Street. She followed them and found the hedge-walled pathway Dr. Knight had mentioned, leading to a beautiful residence.

The Knight Residence.

Sudden hesitancy marred her determination.

Did she really want to do this? Did she dare go up to that house and see if she could find Tristan Knight while pretending to stop by to see her former car at his dad’s offer?

It sounded ridiculous when she put it like that.

Alexa groaned and leaned her head against the headrest. Driving out of view of the house, she killed the engine.

Nothing made sense . How could Jude have taken away her memories? How on earth was that possible, and why would he even do that?

From what her mother said, Jude and Tristan Knight were second cousins. But Jude called him an abomination . Did he have some kind of grudge against Tristan?

The thought made her sit up straight.

Of course, he did. Jude was still convinced he was in love with Alexa. And Alexa, according to her mother, was in love with Jude’s cousin. Jude was jealous, and he had tried to separate them.

He did separate them.

Why? Just because he wanted to get back into her life?

No wonder he had shown up at her house that day right after she had presumably broken up with Tristan. Right after he had taken away her memory of Tristan, if seeing him doing the same to her mother explained anything.

But how was her question. How was he able to do this? It looked like some sort of witchcraft, but how would Jude have gotten in touch with a witch?

Everything but that was falling into place in her mind. Along with it, the realization that she was parked outside her boyfriend’s property was weighing down on her conscience. Only a few meters were separating them—if he was in the house now.

What if she went to see him? To find out what he looked like because she couldn’t conjure up a face for the Tristan in her mind?

To both of them, the other is a faceless ex they can’t recall if you asked for more details.

Alexa was out of her car the next moment. She wanted to see him. She wanted to put a face to the boy she was supposed to be madly in love with and see if seeing him would spark any memories—or any feelings at all.

She walked down the pathway leading up to the Knight Residence. Every step felt like she was walking toward the past she couldn’t remember. The closer she got, the cooler the atmosphere felt despite the summer heat—thanks to the cozy foliage surrounding the property.

The first thing her eyes caught when she stepped through the open gateway was an old-fashioned yellow Porsche. She dismissed the thought that Dr. Knight’s son had a craze for cars and walked up to the portico.

The door loomed before her. Alexa took a deep breath, gathered every ounce of courage, and rang the doorbell.

The door swung open faster than she would’ve expected. She felt the breath leave her lungs as if someone had punched the air out of her. She had never seen Dr. Knight’s son before, but somehow , she knew this was him.

Tristan Knight.

The name felt like a perfect fit for the boy standing before her. He was stunning—a sight that felt almost unreal, like a character ripped straight from the pages of a romance novel. His dark clothes only accentuated his sharp features, and he was young, probably a few years older than her.

She composed herself from gaping at him and managed to whisper, “Hi.”

He looked curious. “Can I help you?”

The sound of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Alexa swallowed. It was the kind of voice that could melt hearts—rich, smooth, and warm, the kind you fall in love with before seeing the person it belonged to.

Her nerves kicked in, and for a moment, she struggled to find her words. “I—uh, I’m Alexa Ford,” she stammered, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I’m not sure if you know—”

“Alexa Ford…” A hint of recognition lit his eyes. “Yeah, I know you. My dad bought your car.” He nodded toward the garage, his lips quirking in a small smile. “Would you like to come inside?”

She tried to speak but felt strangely overwhelmed—so unlike her around boys. There was something about Tristan Knight, something familiar yet unknown, that set her completely off balance. Was it because of their history, one that neither of them remembered, or was it simply because he was heartbreakingly beautiful?

She took a deep breath, and the words tumbled out before she could second-guess them. “I ran into your dad at the hospital and he told me you wouldn’t mind if I stopped by to see the car. Is that okay?”

She cringed inwardly, expecting him to ask her to repeat herself. But instead, Tristan’s lips twitched with amusement, a soft, almost teasing smile forming.

Alexa stared at him. It almost made him look familiar. Almost . As if from a dream.

“I don’t mind at all. Come on.” He side-stepped her with a fluid grace. “Dad mentioned that car meant a lot to you.”

Alexa moved to follow him but stopped in her tracks as she caught a faint whiff of his scent—vanilla mingled with coffee beans. It was intoxicating, and she inhaled, savoring it. Why did he have to smell so good on top of everything else?

Get a grip, Alexa, she scolded herself.

Tristan unlocked the garage, punched a code into the security, and pushed it open to reveal the car inside. The sight of it hit her with a wave of nostalgia. It was just as she remembered, maybe even better. Pristine and gleaming. The car was indeed in good hands.

He stepped aside silently to let her in.

Alexa’s legs carried her closer to her former car. She ran her fingers over the hood. Memories warred with each other, and emotions became a whirlwind inside her as she remembered her sixteenth birthday, when her dad surprised her with this car.

Alexa took a shuddering breath. She should hold herself together. What would Tristan think?

Besides, she was here to see him . Not her old car.

Alexa composed herself and turned to Tristan.

“It’s in great shape,” he said, nodding at the car. He was leaning against the door-frame with arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t drive it much, but I do take good care of it.”

“I can see that.”

Alexa ignored the way her heart stuttered and gave him a soft smile before turning back to the car. But even with her back to him, every cell in her body was hyper-aware of his presence. And his eyes on her.

She pretended to examine the car, and noticed, through the corner of her eye, a motorcycle on the other end of the spacious garage. She diverted her attention quickly.

“You haven’t changed a thing,” she remarked, turning back to him and gesturing to the car’s interior. “When Dr. Knight told me the car was for his son, I expected it to be transformed unrecognizably the next time I saw it.”

Tristan’s lips twitched, and he shrugged. “It was perfect for me the way it was, so I didn’t feel like changing anything.” Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Would you like to take it for a spin?”

Alexa’s eyes widened. “Oh, no. There’s no need—”

“I’ll go get the keys.” Tristan straightened and turned around, the smile still on his lips.

“No, no, no!” She ran out of the garage after him. “Seriously, you shouldn’t bother.”

He didn’t stop.

“Tristan, hey!”

He stopped and turned to her. “You know my name?” Before she could answer, he continued, shaking his head, “What a lame question; of course, my dad told you.”

“Yes, he did,” Alexa lied. “But really, I shouldn’t take—”

“I promise I don’t mind, not even a bit.”

Alexa averted her gaze, hesitating. The offer was too generous of him.

“Do you want me to drive?”

Her eyes snapped back to his electric-blue ones. Their gazes locked, and Alexa knew at once that she didn’t want this opportunity to slip through her fingers.

“If I’m not taking too much of your time…”

“Absolutely not.” Tristan smiled. “Besides, the weather is nice. I’ll be right back.”

With that, he disappeared into the house.

Alexa walked back into the garage, unable to help her smile. Goodness, he was a sweetheart.

Tristan returned in less than a minute with the car’s key in his hand and his hair looking messy in the right places. Alexa bit her lip to keep her smile from widening. He opened the passenger door for her, and she got inside.

When he got behind the wheel and shut the driver’s door, Alexa had the strangest feeling in the world. Strange and scary.

She felt way too comfortable.

Tristan maneuvered the car out of the garage, passing the yellow Porsche in the driveway, to the corridor-like pathway.

“Is that your car, too?” Alexa blurted out, out of curiosity.

“No, that’s our cook’s.” He chuckled softly. “I have no obsession with cars or, for that matter, vehicles. I already have a car and a motorcycle, and they’re more than enough for me.”

“Because you barely drive them?”

“Something like that.”

When they reached the end of the pathway, Tristan turned them to the right, his hand on the wheel unclenched and steering it effortlessly. Alexa’s heart quickened as she watched; there was something captivating about the way he drove with one hand.

Tristan drove them out of his neighborhood. Alexa tried to strike up a conversation with him, but her senses were too clouded by the proximity of his presence. If he had asked her for her name now, she would stutter in reply.

Did he feel it too? The tension hanging thick between them? The restless race of the heart? The wild butterflies? The tingle and the goosebumps on the skin, even though they weren’t touching?

“Where do you live?” Tristan asked after a moment, breaking the silence.

Alexa stopped herself from saying, “Uh?” and said, “Oh, you don’t have to drop me at my house. I came in my car, actually—it’s parked down your pathway.”

“Was it a dark violet sports car?”

Alexa nodded.

“I noticed. I like the color.”

If only they could both remember that he bought it for her.

“Thank you, I like it too.”

“So… you would only tell me where you live if I have to drop you off?”

Alexa turned to him at the sarcasm in his voice and saw the twitch of his lips. “Oh. That’s why you asked?” Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. “Sorry, I—”

“No, that’s all right—”

“Jacob Street, house number 10.”

Tristan looked at her, his electric-blue eyes boring into hers. “Thank you.”

Alexa breathed a little easier as he diverted his attention to the road. “If you’re planning on visiting me, bear in mind that we have a Rottweiler and a bulldog who don’t take kindly to strangers.”

Tristan’s eyes snapped to her. “Have they bitten anyone before?”

Alexa tried to keep a straight face, but the serious look on his face was too much. She burst out laughing.

“What?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“I was only joking,” she choked out. “But goodness, you should’ve seen your face. I don’t have a dog.”

“Really?”

“Not even a goldfish.”

He shook his head amusedly. “So, you just made that up to mess with me?”

“Pretty much,” she said, trying to calm down. “But in my defense, it was totally worth it. You should’ve seen how serious you got.”

He glanced at her. “That was not funny.” But his crooked grin said otherwise. “I was already picturing myself getting chased down your driveway.”

“Now that would’ve been a sight,” she teased. “But no worries, you’re safe from any imaginary dogs.”

“Too bad, because I would’ve loved to fight off a Rottweiler just to see you.”

This banter felt so good.

Alexa snorted. “Only you can make a Rottweiler sound like a dragon.”

“Which, then, would make you a princess.”

“And you a prince, too, I suppose? Or a knight, like your name?”

“I’d say, a prince in the disguise of a knight. One who actually needs saving. And the princess just happens to be the one he had been looking for.”

Alexa tilted her head and looked at him incredulously. “Are you flirting with me, mister?”

“Aren’t you?”

She gasped. “You’re unbelievable. Here I was, starting to think you were a sweet sort of boy.”

“You think I’m sweet?” He arched an eyebrow at her, looking amused and satisfied with himself. “Oh, I’m officially flattered.”

Alexa couldn’t resist shoving him off playfully, but he didn’t even budge. Goodness, he was strong.

She withdrew her hand to her lap and kept it there for the rest of the drive so she wouldn’t accidentally touch him again, now that she knew what he felt like.

Tristan Knight was enchanting. In all sorts of ways. How she managed to forget every struggle in her life in the mere minutes spent with him was beyond her comprehension.

All she wanted to do right now was belt out Taylor Swift’s Enchanted at the top of her lungs.

Why did it feel like she had done that before?

“What’s your favorite song?” Tristan asked after a beat, almost as though he heard her thoughts. He turned on the radio, and Bryan Adams’ Eighteen Till I Die started playing; a song her dad used to love.

It took her a moment to answer Tristan. “I have quite a few, but… if I had to pick, I’d go with A Thousand Years .”

Tristan turned to her. “It’s my favorite too.”

“Really?” But despite her question, Alexa didn’t feel that surprised. “That’s—that’s amazing.”

Tristan switched from Bryan Adams’ song to Christina Perri’s before Alexa could stop him. She wasn’t a Bryan Adams fan, and every time she heard a Bryan Adams song, it sent a nostalgic wave to her heart. But today, she’d have preferred any song over her favorite one.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as the familiar notes started playing, and she knew it had everything to do with the boy next to her. Did he feel this craziness too?

Her heart beat against her ribcage like it wanted to burst out of her chest. The lyrics spoke to her soul, and with it, every lingering doubt about the history she shared with him disappeared into thin air.

This song had meant something to them. It had been a significant melody of the love they used to share. They had used to say this song spoke of their love story.

Alexa sucked in a sharp breath. She could feel something shifting in her mind, slowly, like a dam’s shutter. Something was coming back to her.

Then, she knew it.

Tristan Knight was hers.

She mustered up the courage to glance at his face, but her eyes stopped on his hands. They gripped the wheel like his life depended on it, his knuckles paper-white. Alexa averted her gaze, her courage lost.

He felt it too.

What now? Should she tell him? Hint at something?

No, there was something else she needed to do first. She must go home and find her journal.

Alexa didn’t know where the thought had come from. For the last month, her journal had been missing. She had looked everywhere but never found it.

Strange, though. Because now, she knew where it was.

Alexa wanted to get her hands on it as soon as possible.

As the song neared its last notes, she spotted her car ahead and realized their spin had come to an end. As disappointed as she was, she was also thankful. If she had to spend another moment in Tristan’s presence with a war waging in her mind, she would burst.

Tristan pulled his car in front of hers, face to face, and killed the engine. The song that started next was cut off as well. He turned to her, and she to him.

Maybe she was imagining it, but Alexa thought she saw the same disappointment in his eyes.

“Thank you,” she said, forcing a small smile.

He returned it. “It was the least I could do. We could… you know, go for another spin if you like.”

He sounded cautious, like he was testing the waters. Alexa’s heart spluttered at the vulnerable look in his eyes; how he no longer looked as measured as he was at first. He gave her the impression of a morally gray character with a soft spot reserved only for his girl.

Alexa wanted to say yes . But as she glanced at her watch, she realized she didn’t have time for another spin and to head home for a shower before her shift began—even if she postponed reading her journal to the night.

“I would love to,” she said ruefully. “But my shift starts in half an hour.”

“Oh.” Understanding dawned in his eyes. He smiled. “I would rather not keep the town’s favorite barista waiting, then.”

She laughed, feeling light-hearted again. Tristan got out of the car and came around to her side. “I’m not the town’s favorite barista or anything like that,” she said when he opened the door.

Tristan winked. “Consider it a compliment.”

“You should come over for my cappuccino before you make any compliments.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, walking with her to her car. “Which café do you work at?”

“Caffeine Crave.”

“I’m going to be your favorite customer.”

Alexa laughed again, throwing her head back. “I don’t doubt that.” She whirled around to face him, only to find him staring at her with a soft smile.

“What?” she asked.

He merely shook his head. “Your laugh. I like it.”

“Stop flattering me, Tristan Knight.” She almost raised her hand to shove him again but curled it into a fist and thrust it back to her side.

“That was an honest compliment,” he said, defensively.

“Sure, only you can make flattering, flirting comments and claim them as honest compliments.”

Tristan rolled his eyes, and Alexa laughed again.

“And there she goes,” he said softly.

A hundred butterflies burst into existence in her stomach at the unmistakable adoration in his voice. Alexa reined in her laughter and smiled up at him. “It was nice meeting you, Tristan.”

“You too, Alexa.” He stuck out a hand, and she accepted it to shake. But he took her off guard by lifting it to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Will I see you again?”

Alexa blushed and bit her inner cheeks to keep from smiling broadly. “Yes.”

He dropped her hand and opened the door for her. “Just ring me if you want to go for another spin.”

Alexa released her smile and got behind the wheel. “I will.”

“And drive safe.” He shut the door and stepped back.

Alexa looked away from him unwillingly, took a deep breath, and started the engine. She watched him through the side-wing mirror as she drove away—hands planted in his pockets and staring after her car until she turned from the street.

Only then did she realize that she didn’t have his number—nor did she tell him she worked as a barista in the first place.

Alexa pulled the car to a side, took out her phone, and opened her contacts. She typed his name in the search bar.

There it was. Tristan. With a blue heart emoji next to it.

Her heart soared. For the first time, there was no hole in there.

She really needed to get her hands on that journal. Her life depended on it now. If Tristan Knight truly had made her a better person—according to her mother—if he made her happy, understood her, and was honest and such a gentleman…

Had she been the luckiest girl in the world before it was all taken from her?