Remember This (13 page)

“You can stop running if you want. We can just walk home.” I stop running, or jogging, or shuffling, whatever you want to call it, and slow to a walk. I notice that my face is dripping with sweat, I have dark splotches on my gray shirt under my arm pits and I am breathing really heavy. Attractive Lucy. Way to go.

“I haven’t run in a long time and I remember why now. I just don’t think it’s for me,” I say trying to catch my breath.

“I could tell by the way you left me over there. I already got five miles in for the day so I don’t need to run anymore today.” I forgot how much he ran because he had never asked me to go with him before. We walk back, slowly for my sake, and I make us some eggs and bacon for breakfast. I take a shower, get ready, and leave for work.

“Ow!” I wince as I round the corner by Erin’s desk.

“What’s wrong and where have you been?” she asks looking concerned.

“I went running this morning with Mason.”

“But you don’t run.” Her face is one of pure horror and shock.

“I know, and I won’t be doing it again.” I feel like I pulled every muscle in my legs and torso. I head into my office to set my stuff down and then I march right into Eli’s office without knocking. “What the hell was that?” I yell after the door has slammed shut.

“I see you got my flowers,” he says with a sly smile. “Thank you is a more appropriate response.”

“Listen, I told you that this couldn’t continue with us,” I snap.

“Don’t tell me you are working things out with Mason,” he says as if that is the last thing that would ever happen. Up until a few days ago, it was the last thing that would ever happen.

“Back off and leave me alone!” I scream and march out of his office. Erin gives me a scared look and I go into my office, slamming the door behind me. I go most of the day without encountering him again. After lunch, we pass each other and he just smiles at me and I refuse to meet his gaze. I fill Erin in on what has been going on as we walk to our cars. She has never liked Eli. She thinks he is a sleaze ball and I am starting to agree with her. I promise to give her every detail about my feelings for Mason tomorrow as I slide into my dark blue Range Rover. I wince a little, still sore from this morning’s excursions, and I rest my head on the steering wheel. My mood lifts significantly when I think about getting home and seeing him. Our kiss last night, even in its brevity, has left me wanting more. Much more.

When I walk into the house, I can tell Mason has been cooking. It smells wonderful. I think he always wanted to be a chef and open his own restaurant but his father had other plans for him.

“Hey, Luce!” he says when I walk into the kitchen. I love when he calls me Luce. He is stirring a pot on the stove.

“Hey. What are you making? It smells delicious.”

“Chicken enchiladas. I made the enchilada sauce from scratch. Come try it,” he says looking more excited than I have seen him in awhile. I walk over to the stove and he holds the wooden spoon up to my mouth. For whatever reason, this makes me all hot and bothered but I try and focus my attention on the spoon before I burn myself.

“That is so good.” I set my hand down skimming the boiling hot pot on the stove. “Ouch!” I scream in pain. Mason grabs my hand and pulls me over to the sink. He turns on the cold water and sticks my hand under the faucet. He is standing so close to me and I can smell his cologne.

“You know, I am learning that you are very accident prone,” he says as he smiles and shakes his head, still letting my hand sit under the cool water. I want to yell at him and tell him it is his fault I can’t think around him but I don’t want to reveal my weakness. Plus, that isn’t a very valid excuse for my grace. I just nod in response.

He releases me and gives me a wet paper towel and an ice pack. I sit at one of the bar stools holding the back of my hand and watching him cook.

“You have always been an amazing cook, you know,” I say watching him practically dance around the kitchen. He is so natural and at ease.

He grins from ear to ear. “Is that right? I just had a strong urge to come in here and cook. I have a good feeling being in here.” I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. Twenty minutes later he is pulling the enchiladas out of the oven. They are the best I have ever had and the guacamole and salsa he made is to die for.

“What’s for dessert?” I ask as we finish our meal.

“I didn’t cook anything but I did buy something. Go sit down on the couch and I will bring it to you. Leave the dishes. I’ve got those.” Wow. This is so unlike the Mason I used to know. I sit down on the couch and wait patiently while I hear him load the dishwasher.

“I made extra salsa and guacamole to take to the lake this weekend,” he says from the kitchen.

“Oh shit! I forgot about the family lake trip. How did you know about it?” I think I sound a little jumpy but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“Your mom called this afternoon. I told her we will be there.” I see Mason making his way to the living room carrying a carton of ice cream and one spoon. One spoon? Maybe he isn’t eating any, I think to myself. “So what do we usually do at the lake?” he says sitting down right next to me, making me tense slightly but welcoming the close proximity. He pops the lid off the carton and puts the spoon in. It looks like vanilla ice cream with chocolate and caramel swirls. I am distracted as he scoops a spoonful and plops it in his mouth. I swallow and try to respond.

“Well, my entire family goes to my Cousin Isaac’s lake house. They have a boat and-“ I have to stop mid sentence because he is holding the spoon with a mound of ice cream in front of my lips.
He is feeding me
, I think feeling my heart run wild. I would be lying if I told myself this wasn’t what I wanted him to do. I move towards the spoon, looking him right in the eye and open my mouth. He eases the spoon in and I clamp down. He smiles slowly and pulls the spoon out. This would be romantic if I didn’t just give myself a brain freeze. I try my hardest not to contort my face. The ice cream tastes delectable and I sit there for a second enjoying the coolness in my mouth. He chuckles at me.

“You were saying…” he says prompting me to swallow and continue my story.

“We go out on the boat and go tubing and water skiing. We have a barbeque for lunch and dinner and then we have a bonfire at night. It’s fun with the kids there. They run around and eat s’mores while the adults drink and reminisce. We all stay the night out there.” I pause slightly to enjoy him putting another spoonful in his mouth. He definitely notices me watching him so I continue with my story trying to sound as casual as possible. “There are bunk beds and air mattresses all over the cabin and we stumble our way in the dark and find a bed after the bonfire. Then of course there is breakfast the next day and then we all leave.”

“Hmmm,” he thinks and then feeds me another bite. “That sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t wait.” He eats another spoonful deep in thought.

“You look like you have a question,” I say and he turns his head from the ice cream to me. I stop breathing for a slight second. “I was just wondering if we will be sleeping together, on an air mattress or something, in the cabin. Not that it matters. It’s just something we haven’t done in a while from the sounds of it.”

His statement totally takes me off guard which sends my heart thudding and coaxes Henry out. “We won’t know until we get there that night. We have to wait and see which beds aren’t occupied when we go to get in them after the fire.”

Mason puts the ice cream down on the coffee table and scoots closer to me. He is so close I can feel his breath. “I know we haven’t slept together in awhile but I wouldn’t mind,” he says as he leans in. I can feel his cold lips along my jaw. He is making a trail of tiny kisses to my ear and then down my throat. I can hardly contain myself and I try not to squirm. I just want to pounce on him but I don’t want to ruin the moment. He pulls his head back slightly and then takes my face in his hands, looking me over for a second with a smile on his face. I can’t help but answer his smile as he closes in on me. My eyes flutter close. The kiss deepens and his hands move in my hair. Ok, I guess kissing isn’t something that you forget when you get amnesia. I will have to remember that. My insides start to swirl at his touch and he can probably hear my heart pounding. His lips are so soft and cool from the ice cream. I could do this all night. Oh crap! I just remembered that I have a date with Kara and Drey tonight. We are supposed to get drinks and catch up on everything. I haven’t talked to them since Mexico.

“What’s wrong?” Mason asks pulling back with a confused, but ravished look on his face.

“I just remembered I’m supposed to meet Kara and Drey. I need to be there in like fifteen minutes. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s fine. We can do this any time,” he says in the sexiest voice. It makes me not want to leave. He stands up and picks up the ice cream.

“You know, I can cancel. It’s no big deal.” I watch him walk back to the kitchen and open the freezer. He turns and gives me a big grin so hot it probably just melted the entire contents of the freezer.

“Go with your friends. We can talk when you get home.” He’s right. I can’t cancel. Besides, I need to tell them all about what just happened anyways. I pout a little as I go freshen up and then I tell him bye as I rush out the door.

“I know I haven’t been the biggest fan of Mason be he seems to have changed. I guess I’m ok with you guys getting back together. You should have cancelled tonight. You would have been getting laid right now.” Drey says after I tell her and Kara every detail about Mason. Kara gives her a disapproving look.

“Drey!” I try to sound appalled but I can’t help but think the same thing.

“I knew this would be good for you two,” Kara says as she sips on her blended daiquiri.

“I feel different around him,” I try to explain. “It’s like dating the Mason I first fell in love with but he’s not quite the same. Just a little different. It’s hard describe it.”

“So when do you think you will sleep with him?” Drey chimes in.

“That is a valid question,” Kara agrees a little reluctantly.

“I don’t know. We haven’t done anything besides kiss. I feel like it might just complicate things between us.”

“Oh, like it isn’t complicated enough now. You are re-falling in love with your husband that lives with you, that you used to hate, but has no memory of anything that happened in his life,” Drey says in a mocking tone. We all burst out laughing at the audacity and trueness of her statement. We don’t talk about Mason any more for the rest of the evening.

Kara tells us about Scott’s promotion and Drey complains about her lack of sexual activity lately. It feels good to catch up with the girls but I am anxious to get home. Mason will probably be in bed when I get back which makes me a little sad.

I am pleasantly surprised to see Mason lying on the couch watching The Office when I walk in the door. It is our favorite show that we used to watch together. I set my purse down, take my shoes off, head into my bedroom and change into my silky nightgown. I would normally wear sweatpants and a t-shirt to lounge around in but I feel like I need to look my best around Mason. I head out to the living room and sit down on the couch, keeping a couple of feet between us.

“I thought I heard you come in. I was afraid that you weren’t going to come out here and say goodnight.” His honest confession makes me blush.

“I love this episode,” I say referring to the “Beach Games” episode that just started.

“This show is so funny! Did I used to watch it?”

“We used to watch it together,” I smile shyly at him. I don’t know why I feel so shy all of a sudden but I do. He sits up on the couch so we are sitting so close that our legs touch. He puts his arm around my shoulder and then turns back towards the TV. We sit like this laughing at the hot dog eating contest that Michael makes everyone participate in. I feel so comfortable in his arms and I snuggle into his shoulder. I look up at him and he is smiling down at me. I turn back to the TV but I am tired all of a sudden. I lay there trying to watch the show but my eyelids finally shut.

“Hey,” Mason nudges me as the closing credits scroll across the screen. “You fell asleep.” I sit up trying to orientate myself.

“I’m sorry. Did I snore?” Oh gosh, that would be embarrassing.

He chuckles, “No, you didn’t.” He just stares at me for a minute like he is about to say something. I wait for him to talk first. “So, at the end of the episode, Pam walks across the hot coals and then tells Jim how she really feels.”

“I remember how it ends. It’s one of my favorite episodes,” I say rubbing my eyes.

“Well, it inspired me,” he says looking me right in the eye. I drop my hands from my face. I am no longer tired after the look he is giving me. His eyes are smoldering bright blue even in the dark room. “This has all been so weird. From what I have gathered, we didn’t get along before I lost my memory. It just seems like we get along so well now. None of it makes sense to me.” He pauses for a second, his eyes blazing into me. “But what I do know is that I have feelings for you.” I definitely stop breathing for a second and then regain my composure.

“We’re different now. Ever since the accident, you…I…” I trail off not knowing how to say what I need to. “It feels like it used to with us, before everything fell apart.”

He seems to think about my words for a minute before he responds. “Why did everything fall apart?”

“I guess I got busy with work and you were busy with your dad’s business. We just grew apart. And one day, we just hated each other.”

“It’s hard to believe that I could ever hate you,” he says reaching out and twisting his hands in my hair. “You’re so gorgeous, and funny, and sexy.” He leans in closer to me and I know from here on out, we aren’t talking anymore. I spring forward into his waiting arms and we kiss, only stopping to come up for air.

Mason leans into me forcing me to lie down as he lies on top of me, supporting himself on his elbows. We continue to kiss, our tongues moving to their own rhythm. I am very glad I chose my silk pajamas now. I feel like it is my first time being with Mason all over again. I honestly can’t believe that this man lying on top of me is the same man that I detested a few weeks ago. My mind is brought back to the now as I feel Mason pull away.
No!
I think.