Page 65 of Mistaken Intention

I couldn’t refuse… not a plea like that. So I sat beside him, our hands locked, our eyes fixed, until he drifted off to sleep again.

“Are you okay?” Drew’s words jolt me back to reality and I stare across the breakfast table at him.

“Of course. I was just… um…”

“You were thinking about yesterday, weren’t you?” he says, shaking his head without a trace of pain. “I wish you’d stop beating yourself up over it.”

“How did you know I was?” I ask.

“Because I know you.”

“You can’t say that.”

He smiles. “Yes, I can. As far as I’m concerned, my life only started a few days ago, when I woke up in the hospital. You’ve been the one constant for me since then, and even if you haven’t told me very much about yourself, I still feel like I know you better than I know anyone else.”

He’s obviously noticed how reticent I’ve been to part with any details about my private life. What he doesn’t know is why. What he can’t hope to understand is that our lives are already intertwined. Or how. And I can’t tell him that. I wish I could, but I can’t.

“I should have been here,” I say instead.

“I wish you had been.” He smiles. “But failing that, I should have been resting, not wandering around the house, trying to remember things.”

“Oh? So you’ve worked that out, have you?”

“If you mean, have I finally heard what you’ve been saying, and realized it’s better for me to let my memories come back naturally, then the answer is, yes. At least, I’m gonna try. I can’t guarantee I won’t still ask questions, because it’s hard not to, when everything is such a mystery.”

“That’s understandable.”

“I just don’t want another repeat of yesterday.”

“It was painful, wasn’t it?” I ask.

“Yes, and it felt like a setback, too. But it’s more than that.” He takes a deep breath. “You were scared, Josie. I could see it in your eyes, and I didn’t like being responsible for that.”

He saw through me so easily? “I—I…”

He holds up his hand, and I stop talking. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

That’s good, because I’m not sure I can without giving myself away.

He picks up his cup, swallowing down the last of his coffee. “Shall we go for a walk? I could use some fresh air.”

“We could… or you could maybe have a swim, if you like.” That way we won’t have to talk, and there won’t be a repeat of yesterday’s embarrassing situation.

“A swim? Am I up to that?”

“As long as you don’t push yourself too hard.”

“How do we know I can swim?” he says, tilting his head.

“We don’t. But I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“What? Throw me in and see if I drown?”

“No. I was thinking more about taking you over there and letting you try it out for yourself.”

He looks out the window, in the vague direction of the pool. “You’ll come with me?”

“Of course. I just said…”

---