Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
ELIZABETH
“Definitely that one,” Meredith says, sitting cross-legged on my bed.
“You sure?”
“You could wear a sack over your head, and Ryder would still think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. That man looks at you like you are water, and he’s been stuck in the desert for ten years.”
Being the only female I know, I begged her after class this morning to come over and help me get ready for my date with Ryder. I’m nervous as hell. Anxious. A little scared. Because for me, this feels like I’m actually going on my very first date.
“I think you may have him mixed up with me,” I reply, slipping on the pink silk floral wrap-around dress.
“Oh, I’m not leaving you out. I was about to say that you eye-fuck that poor boy so hard I’m surprised he’s able to walk a straight line.”
I burst out laughing. “That’s an interesting visual.”
Meredith taps her finger against her bottom lip. “I hope I don’t overstep by asking what the big deal is.”
I tie the sash in a bow around my waist, decide I don’t like it, and re-tie it so it hangs slightly skewed.
“Context?” I ask.
“You and Ryder. Why keep it a secret?”
I could lie or make up an excuse, but I don’t want our friendship to be marred by falsehoods. I trust her.
“The guy I used to date is Ryder’s best friend. He’s here at CU, and they also live together.”
Her eyebrows hike enormously high. “Shit. Really? Damn, girl. Say no more.”
I pick up the quartz heart necklace Jayson gave me before immediately putting it back down. “What about you and Trevor? Anything going on there?”
Meredith drags her hand through her short hair, making it stand up on end in a stylish way. “Trevor is fine as hell. I think there’s something there. I’m going to test the waters at the party tomorrow. If me throwing myself at him doesn’t work, I’ll have my answer. Why does he call you Wildcat?”
I sit down on the corner of the bed, and Meredith starts playing with my hair.
“Remember when he told you that we met at the beach? He figured out I was at CU and started calling me Wildcat.”
“Makes sense.” She gathers my hair and lifts it. “I love the pink. Want me to style it?”
My hair is a thick mass of chaos that takes forever to dry and straighten. I usually just throw it into a ponytail.
“If you think you can tame this mess, go for it.”
After rummaging through my vanity drawers in the bathroom, she settles behind me on the bed and gets to work. “I want a nickname. Something cool like Wildcat.”
“I’ll ask Trevor to give you one.”
She smacks my shoulder lightly with my hairbrush. “Don’t you dare! I already make a fool out of myself whenever I’m around him. You think I talk a lot now. That man has gotten it double-time the past two times he’s walked me back to my dorm. He makes me nervous.”
“I keep telling Ryder that I think Trevor likes you.”
Meredith releases a hefty pfft as she intricately twists a few strands of my hair. “You’ll be witness to my embarrassment at the party tomorrow night.”
“I think I’m going to skip it.”
She purses her lips and shakes her head, not liking something she just did with my hair. “I need more bobby pins.” Clambering off the bed, she says from the bathroom, “Expect me to text bomb you with commentary and freakouts if he laughs in my face.”
“Trust me. He’s into you.”
I grab my journal from the nightstand and jot down the notes to a song that keeps playing on repeat in my brain.
“So what’s your story, morning glory?” Meredith asks when she comes back.
I mark my place in the journal with the attached ribbon and set it aside. “Not much to tell. Literally.”
“There’s a story there. I mean, you and Ryder grew up together. It must be so cool to be with a guy you’ve known since you were a little girl. Friends to lovers. That’s stuff you only read about in romance novels.”
“Like I said, there’s literally nothing to tell. Besides, Ryder and I just started dating.”
I debate on how much I should tell her about my amnesia. Some stuff is just too painful to talk about, even now. But I want to have a friend, another girl who I can confide in. Perhaps it’s a part of me that subconsciously misses my sister that’s prompting me to open up to Meredith.
“I have amnesia.”
Meredith blows out a raspberry. “Yeah, right. Nice try.”
Our eyes meet in the mirror over my dresser, and she must see the sad truth plastered across my face.
“Wait. You’re serious? You really don’t remember anything?”
I funnel my anxiety by tearing out loose threads on my comforter. “It’s a long story, and one that I’m not comfortable talking about, but I was in a coma for two months. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything.”
Meredith’s eyes widen in disbelief as my confession sinks in. She opens her mouth to respond, but no sound comes out—only a sharp exhale, like the air has been knocked out of her.
“Holy shit, Elizabeth! Like, holy shit! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. Next time, tell me to mind my own damn business.” Her brow knits together. “So, Ryder is a guy you grew up with, and your ex is his best friend, but you don’t remember either of them, like, at all?”
“I’ve had flashes of memories of Ryder, but I don’t really remember him, if that makes sense. But I can feel the connection. When we ran into each other at the student center before classes started, he was so happy to see me. Me? I bolted. Like up and ran away from him as fast as I could. They were able to track me down later that day.”
Meredith pins a strand of my hair and wraps another piece around it. “Ryder and your ex?”
“It was Ryder, Jayson, who is my ex, his twin brother, Julien, and Julien’s boyfriend, Elijah.”
“And you just happened to run into all of them here at CU? That’s some really heavy destiny shit, girl.” She loops a section of hair and bobby pins it in place.
“It’s weird. They tell me all these stories and show me all these pictures, and it’s like listening to people talk about a complete stranger. I feel the connection, though. With all of them. But there’s something different with Ryder. Stronger. It’s hard to explain.”
“You can’t help who you fall in love with.”
My head snaps up, and our eyes meet in the mirror. “I never said I was in love.”
Meredith loosens a tangle with the hairbrush. “You don’t have to say it, Elizabeth. It’s written all over your face every time you look at him. And I promise I won’t say anything.” She sticks one last pin in my hair. “Okay. Done. What do you think?”
I don’t know how she did it so easily when it takes me hours to accomplish the same thing, but the gorgeous, messy updo is stunning.
“I love it. Thank you. And thank you for listening. It’s nice having a girl to talk to.”
Meredith bends down and gives me a squeeze. “Even if you don’t remember who you are, I think you’re a really cool girl, Elizabeth. Now, let’s find some shoes to go with this rocking dress.”