“It’s okay, my love. How do you feel? Is it your head?”
I nod, my stomach churning. “Don’t be mad, okay?”
He kisses my temple and tightens his grip on me. “I promise I won’t be.”
“I think I’ve done this before… the paper cranes, I remember folding them. I only saw a flash of a memory, but I remember the feeling vividly. I was filled with love, hope, and nerves. I wanted to give them to someone I loved so much that it hurt. I’ve tried so hard, but no matter what I did, I could never remember anything, so why now? What is it about these paper cranes?”
Silas buries his hand in my hair and holds me tightly. “It must be because you loved that person so much that fractions of your memories with them shone through the locks on your mind.”
I pull away to look at him, but there’s no jealousy in his expression. If anything, there’s just intrigue and a hint of a smile. “You’re not upset.”
Silas looks away and shakes his head. “I’ve got you in my arms, right now and every single night to come. There’s nothing for me to be upset about. You’re entitled to a past, Alanna.”
“What if someday I remember that I had a boyfriend I loved more than anything, and I leave you for him?”
Silas chuckles and runs his hand through my hair. “Then you’ll still find yourself back in my arms, Alanna. There’s no escaping us.”
I narrow my eyes at him, annoyed he’s not even remotely jealous. It broke my heart when I heard him whisperRay, and here he is, not caring a single bit that the thoughtful gift I gave him isn’t truly his at all.
“You’re awfully confident. I wouldn’t be, if I were you. If a single memory can make me feel that much love, what would happen if I run into him? I’d probably remember him instantly and fall into his arms, and we’d live happily ever after.”
Silas bursts out laughing. “If only, huh?” he mutters, and I push against his chest, glaring at him as I climb off his lap.
“Don’t think I won’t do it, Silas! Just you wait until I meet the love of my life. You’ll regret your indifference!”
He just smirks at me and runs a hand through his hair. I hate that he looks so goddamned sexy sitting there like that, his legs spread, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up so the veins on his forearms are on display.
“Wait,” he says. “I thought I was the love of your life?”
I grit my teeth and turn to walk away. “I never said I loved you!”
“Oh, but you did. You said it with the thousand paper cranes, with the way you look at me, and the way you kiss me.”
I huff and storm off, Silas’s laughter ringing through the house. “Hey!” he shouts. “I thought I was the one that was supposed to be mad? Weren’t you leaving me for your former lover?”
I roll my eyes as I walk into the bedroom, slamming the door closed. He’s right. Why am I the one that’s so mad?
ChapterSixty-Five
Alanna
Silas parks the car in his designated spot at the office and turns toward me. “Still mad?”
I glare at him and shake my head. “Nope.”
“You sound mad.”
“Why would I be mad?”
“If I’m understanding it correctly, you’re mad because you’re going to leave me for your first love and you two are going to live happily ever after.”
I side-eye him and get out of the car. Silas chuckles, and his laughter just grates on me. He’s so incredibly annoying. It’s maddening enough that he isn’t jealous in the slightest, but now he’s mocking me, too. “Just wait till it happens,” I mutter under my breath. “You won’t be laughing then.”
“What’s that?”
“Nothing!”
I walk toward the elevator that leads up to the office, and Silas runs after me. “Alanna,” he says, and I pause as I turn back to him, pouting.