Chapter 1
That Same Night
My dreams are filled with Liz. Her memories returned, and I got my girlfriend back.
She came back to me. I couldn’t kiss her fast enough or carry her to my bedroom quickly enough.
We didn’t talk. No words were spoken. We couldn’t stop.
We had months to make up for. I had wished so hard for this day to come, and it finally did.
Now, as I slowly wake, I stretch the stiffness out of my body.
I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. Before I dozed off, I had my arms wrapped around the love of my life.
Liz is my soulmate. She’s my forever. The last several months have been torture.
Until she landed on my doorstep tonight, Liz didn’t remember who I was.
She had no memory of what we were to one another.
I had to watch as she formed new bonds with Julien, Ry, and for some bizarre and unlikely reason, with Fallon—but not with me.
Liz was wary of me and nothing I did made things better between us.
I had to stand by, helpless, while she fell in love with my best friend.
Honestly, as much as hated her and Ry together, I really didn’t have a right to bitch and complain about it.
I did much worse to Ry not too long ago when he told me and Jules that he loved her and wanted to ask her out.
That was right before I panicked and went behind his back and stole her away from him.
How did we get to this place with one another?
It’s something I refuse to dwell on at the moment because my Liz is back.
I don’t know how long I’ve been in my semi-conscious stupor between sleep and wakefulness, but I’m suddenly brought bolt upright by the buzz of the doorbell.
Liz and I must have fallen asleep after we made love.
The last thing I remember is having her cuddled in my arms. It was the most wonderous feeling in the world.
The distinct sound of the front door opening has my heartbeat slamming against my ribcage. I hope to God it’s Julien and my parents arriving home.
“Jay, Jules?” Ryder calls out.
Wait. What? Why is Ry here? We all have keys to each other’s houses, so it’s normal for any of us to suddenly drop in without warning at any time of the day or night. I used to do it all the time at Liz’s house. Jules and I let ourselves in to Ryder’s house almost every morning
I look over at my bedside clock and it reads eleven-thirty.
Julien and my parents should be getting home soon.
Their last text before Liz showed up said they would be arriving around midnight.
Julien’s game was in Charlotte which is a couple of hours from here.
Crap. Liz. If Ryder finds us in bed together—
I roll over to wake her up, but she’s not there.
“Jules, Jay. Anybody home?” Ryder calls out again. Picking up my phone, I notice that Ryder and Daniel have tried to call me several times.
My bedroom door is cracked open. I’m sure I locked it when I brought Liz up here. My eyes dart around the bedroom. Where is she? I rush to pull on some sweatpants and a shirt, hoping to find Liz before Ryder sees her.
“Where is everybody?” The sound of Ryder’s voice is closer as he walks up the stairs and down the hallway.
I fully open my bedroom door and poke my head out. “What?”
“Jesus, you scared the crap out of me,” he says.
“Being woken up unexpectantly at almost midnight isn’t much better,” I reply.
“Sorry. All the lights are on downstairs, so I assumed you guys were still up. I let myself in. Have you heard from Elizabeth?”
I peek down the hallway, half expecting to see her. I step out of my room and close the door behind me
“Why?”
“I dropped by her house earlier. Daniel said he thought she was in her room. She wasn’t. We’ve tried calling her. She’s not answering her phone. I’ve called Fallon, Meredith, Celeste, and the rest of the gang. No one’s heard from her. Julien, Elijah, and your parents aren’t answering their phones.”
“They were at Julien’s game, remember? They must be outside cell service if they're not answering.”
“I totally forgot about the game,” he murmurs, distractedly. “Jay, where could she be?
We go downstairs and I walk around the house, looking for Liz. Ryder follows me, wondering what I’m doing. Where is she? Did she sneak out
“Jay, I’m worried. Daniel is freaking out. It's not like her to disappear without telling someone where she's going.”
“Ry, she’s fine,” I assure him.
I don’t exactly remember what time she arrived on my doorstep. Liz was here with me until about an hour ago. Well, I think she was. I have no clue when she left. Why would she just leave without waking me up first?
“How can you be so sure? Weren’t you the one who pointed out what could happen to her if she had another memory blackout? She could be hurt!” he argues at me. “Her location tracking is turned off. Why would it be off? She promised to keep it on so Daniel could find her in an emergency.
That’s a good question. Where the hell are you, Liz? It’s then that I see a piece of paper with my name on it sitting on top of the counter island. The paper is folded like a tent, and my name is written in large block letters. Ryder sees the note at the same time I do, but he gets to it first.
His face morphs from concern to furious anger. I rip the paper from his hand.
“Jayson, I’m so sorry. What we did should never have happened.
Please forgive me. – Elizabeth”
“What did you do, Jay?” Ry’s voice is hard and threatening. I think he already knows.
“Liz’s memory returned,” is all I get to say before Ryder punches me in the face.