“Am I missing something?” Jack asks as he holds a sobbing Jacob against his chest. “What was all that?”
I bite down on my lip, desperate to tell him Zara isn’t his girlfriend and that I’m head over heels in love with him. I sneak a glance at Emma and Phil, who look as torn as I do. All three of us are saved from answering when a knock sounds on the door, and the doctor from yesterday walks in.
“Jack, how are you feeling? You’re looking a lot better this morning,” the doctor says, picking up his chart from the end of the bed.
“We’ll wait outside while you speak to the doctor,” Emma says.
“Want me to take him?” I ask Jack, holding my arms out to a still sobbing Jacob.
“Will he be all right?” Jack asks, and I nod.
“He’ll be fine.” Jacob lets me take him from Jack, his arms going around my neck and hugging me tightly. Jack reaches for my free hand, his fingers brushing mine. A zip of electricity shoots up my arm, and I know he feels it too when he pulls back his hand, his eyes flying up to mine.
“Thank you,” he whispers, and I smile as I follow Emma and Phil out of the room.
Walking down the corridor, we find Zara at the vending machines. “What was that back there?” she spits, her hands going to her hips.
“I could ask you the same question.” I turn and hand Jacob to Emma, not wanting him to hear my conversation. When they’ve walked away, I turn back to Zara. “What are you doing? You know you and Jack aren’t together. What are you going to do when he starts to remember?”
“There’s no guarantee that he will.”
“So, you’re happy to be in a relationship knowing that if Jack could remember, he wouldn’t want to be with you? That’s enough for you, is it?”
“I love him, Aria, and I’m going to fight for him.”
“Well, I love him too, and he loves me. You’re going to have a fight on your hands. Hewillremember, Zara, and he’s going to hate you even more than he did before the accident.” I turn and walk away before she can respond. My whole body is shaking, and when I turn a corner, out of her line of sight, I drop down to a crouched position, my hands covering my mouth.
I saw something in his eyes today, and I know the feelings he had for me are there, even if they’re hidden from view at the moment. I will fight for him. I love him too much to walk away. Anything else just isn’t an option.
Jack
It’s been the longest of days, and I’m finally being discharged. Mason is coming to pick us up, and I can’t wait to get out of this hospital room. Mum, Dad, Aria, and Jacob left a few hours ago, leaving me alone with Zara. Conversation has been difficult, and despite asking about the last three years, she’s struggled to answer a lot of my questions. I have no idea what our relationship is like, but being stuck in a room with her for hours has highlighted that we have very little in common. She doesn’t seem to know a lot about Jacob either, and I can’t stop thinking about how he reacted when she took him from Aria. Sighing, I shake away my thoughts and climb out of bed.
“Did I have my phone on me when I fell off the horse?” I ask, as I pull off the hospital gown and reach for the clothes I was wearing when I was brought in. She stands from the chair she’s been sitting in and walks around the bed, her eyes fixed on me. Her small hands reach out to touch me, her eyes dropping to my chest. She drags her hands up and over my shoulders, her fingers linking behind my head. I drop the clothes in my hands, my arms involuntarily going around her waist as I tug her against me.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, my eyes dropping to her lips.
“I can’t see you half naked without wanting to touch you,” she mutters before her lips crash against mine. Bringing one of my hands from her waist, I tangle it in her hair. She bites down on my bottom lip and I open up to her, her tongue stroking against mine. She moans into my mouth, but I struggle to concentrate on her; the same niggling feeling from when she kissed me yesterday bubbles to the surface.
“God, I’ve missed you,” she mumbles as I pull out of the kiss. My forehead crinkles in confusion.
“What do you mean? You’ve been with me the whole time I’ve been here?” She steps away from me and turns around, picking up the clothes I dropped when she kissed me.
“I just meant we hardly get any alone time anymore.” She holds my clothes out to me and I slowly take them from her.
“Are we happy, Zar?”
“What?” she asks, her eyes wide.
“Are we happy?”
“Of course we are.” She looks anywhere but at me, and an uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. Pulling on my shorts and shirt, I can’t help but think that I don’t believe her. I need to talk to my mum. I’m pulled from my thoughts by a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Zara calls out, and I lift my head as the door opens, seeing Mason in the doorway.
“Hey, how you feeling?” he asks as he walks in.
“Better. Ready to get out of here.” I cross the room and pull him into a one-armed hug. “I hear congratulations are in order.”