Yvonne didn't know the first thing about restoring someone's lost memory. Alex was trying to do it with photographs and videos of their time as friends. Louis was trying to do it by getting Christopher to read various medical textbooks. Ken Stokes was trying to get Christopher to play dusty old board games, thinking it would have some kind of emotional resonance.
Yvonne had a different idea. She watched Christopher fiddle with a clunky video game controller.
At least he knows what it is, Yvonne thought, thankful.
"How does it feel?" she asked.
They were in the living room. Ken Stokes had installed several gaming consoles, hoping to help Yvonne expand on his board game theory. Yvonne wasn't quite so sure that memory worked like that, but she was willing to try anything.
He gestured with the controller, smiling.
"It feels familiar," he said. He sounded relieved. "I'm pretty sure I've played video games before."
"Great!" she said, grabbing a random game from the pile Ken had collected. "Do you know this one?"
Christopher scrutinized the cover. "It looks familiar."
"That's good!" Yvonne took out the game and slid it into the disk drive. "Familiarity is good! Do you think you might know how to play?" She looked at him, hopeful.
The console booted up, and intense video game music started to play. Yvonne sat next to Christopher as he went through the various character creation options, but never settled on one. After about five minutes, he gave up and set the controller on the coffee table.
Yvonne's heart sank. She had failed.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"It occurred to me," Christopher said, looking at the controller. "Even if this video game is familiar, have I ever actually played it?"
"I don't know," Yvonne said, shrugging. "You and I never really spent much time alone together."
"And yet we're friends?" he asked skeptically.
"We always hang out in a group," she told him, leaning back on the sofa. "Louis is the one you spent most of your time with. You helped us figure out what was on the thumb drive."
Christopher stared at her blankly.
Oh, right, she thought. No memory. Doesn't know about Riley.
"There's a guy who hates us," she explained. "Name of Riley Naysmith. Real piece of work. Hates everybody. One of his goons approached us, gave us a thumb drive, and it contained all the secrets of his dastardly deeds. Making sense so far?"
Christopher shook his head. "Not really, no."
Yvonne slumped back on the sofa as Christopher finished creating his character, then he pressed "Begin", and the game started. It was a first-person shooter, one that Yvonne thought a man would like.
She watched as Christopher played the game. Even if he had never played it before, he was having fun. There were moments where it looked like he was thinking, and moments where it looked like he was letting muscle memory take over.
I've never seen him so absorbed by something, she thought. Or so relaxed.
For a man who was still trying to remember who he was, Christopher was remarkably at ease. His shoulders weren't so tense, his eyes were brighter, and he was smiling a lot more. He actually laughed with joy when he beat a level. Yvonne cheered with him as the next level loaded. They leapt off the sofa and high fived, then they hugged.
A small shock of electricity ran through Yvonne as Christopher hugged her. She felt warm, and safe, in his arms. When she pulled away, she felt like a part of her disappeared right along with him. He was looking at her with a big, broad smile, and he was laughing like a giddy teenager.
"Did you see that?" Christopher was practically shouting. "Oh wow, that was amazing. I don't think I've played that one before, but oh my god I loved every minute of it!"
"I'm so glad you did!" Yvonne said. "Oh, you looked so happy playing. It was amazing watching you learn, or relearn, it."
Christopher was trembling with excitement. "That was amazing," he said, his voice softening. "Thank you."
He hugged her again, and when Yvonne went to break the hug, he resisted. She looked up at him and saw something sweet in his eyes.
"You're the first person to try something fun," he said sheepishly. He pulled away and ran a hand through his hair. "Not that the board games aren't fun, but between reading med school books, looking at old photos, and playing a board game meant for kids in the 1950s…" he gestured toward the console. "This gave me such an adrenaline rush. Even if I don't have my memory back, this was exactly what the doctor ordered."
Yvonne chuckled. Christopher raised an eyebrow.
"What's funny?" he asked.
"Louis mentioned you're a doctor, right?" she asked. "General Manager of Baltimore General Hospital?"
Christopher leaned in, flashing a mischievous grin. "The medical books gave it away," he whispered. They fell into a fit of giggles, falling back onto the sofa.
Yvonne stared at the ceiling as Christopher rested his head on her shoulder. His hair brushed up against the bare skin of her neck, sending pleasant sensations through her.
"Thank you," he said.
"You've thanked me enough," she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "No need to do it anymore."
Christopher shifted and wrapped his arms around her waist. Yvonne began to feel warm. She stroked his hair. Christopher closed his eyes and took a deep inhale.
"I mean," he said, "thank you for talking some sense into me back down in the bunker."
That surprised Yvonne. "You're welcome?" she said.
"I mean it," he said, looking up at her. "I'd probably still be down there, trapped in darkness." He shuddered. "Not up here, playing video games. Without someone who's nice."
He pulled away from her, and Yvonne stopped stroking his hair.
"I'm glad you're here, Christopher," she said. And she absolutely meant it.
They regarded each other for a while, not saying anything. Yvonne had never realized how cute Christopher was, nor how soulful his eyes were. Suddenly, Christopher leaned in for a kiss.
"Whoa!" she said, pushing herself off the sofa. She clutched her chest as her heart began to race.
"I'm sorry!" Christopher said, jumping up behind her. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean-"
"No," she said, cutting him off. "Just, let's just pretend that didn't happen, okay?"
"It's not you," she said quickly. "I mean, well, kind of. I mean, you've lost your memory. I'd be taking advantage of you!"
It was the truth, or as close to it as she was willing to admit. Although she found herself wanting to kiss Christopher, she felt wrong about it, given everything that happened with Alex and Debbie.
"Of course," Christopher said, spreading his hands. "I mean, I'm your patient, right? Roles reversed and all that. There's also the Alex thing-"
"What Alex thing?" Yvonne asked, feeling defensive. Her heart stopped racing, and she glared at him.
"I see the way he looks at you," Christopher explained. "There's also, well-."
"I swear to god," Yvonne snapped, pushing her fingers through her hair. "If you bring up that damn show-"
"Am I interrupting something?" Alex's voice came out of nowhere. Yvonne spun around. Alex stood in the doorway, watching them intently.
"Nope," Yvonne said quickly. "Nothing."
"Nothing at all!" Christopher agreed. He grabbed the controller and flopped on the sofa, continuing with the next level of the video game.
Alex watched him for a few moments, then he turned back to Yvonne.
"Can we talk for a sec?" he asked.
Before she could answer, he grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her upstairs. Even though she was slightly frightened of Alex in that moment, she couldn't help but marvel at the amazing job Ken Stokes had done on the stairs. They were so much more open than the previous stairs had been.
Alex pulled her up the stairs and into his bedroom. Once he closed the door, he turned to her, smiling oddly.
"What was all that?" he asked.
"Just trying to get his memories back," she said. "Ken gave me an idea. Not everyone plays board games, but guys Christopher's age tend to like video games. Figured it was worth a shot."
Alex nodded. "Smart."
Something in his tone told her that he was unhappy with something. She has seen Debbie come out of her bedroom, toting her bags behind her. Although she suspected that they had broken up, she didn't want to give voice to that suspicion. Much better to just let it lie, and when Alex was ready, he would tell her himself.
Still, the silence was awful. She had never known Alex to be so silent, or so brooding. Suddenly, he turned his head toward her.
"Debbie broke up with me," he said. His voice was tense with tears.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I know how much she meant to you."
Alex nodded sadly. "She did. You mean a lot to me, too, you know."
Yvonne tensed. She didn't like where she thought this was going. Alex advanced toward her, his head lowered, and his eyes half-closed.
"You've always been there for me," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You've always had my back, you've-"
He didn't finish the thought, just went in directly for a kiss. Yvonne pushed him away and wriggled out of his embrace. She lumbered back a few feet and stared at him.
"Alex!" she said, breathing heavily. "I'm not interested. After everything that's happened, I don't want to be your rebound chick."
Alex stared at her, dumbfounded. Yvonne felt a little like that, too. A few days ago, she would have killed to have this opportunity. Now, here she was, rejecting Alex Ambrose.
What's happening to me? She thought, a little scared.
"But on the show-" Alex started, but she interrupted.
"Forget the show!" she shouted. She turned around to face the wall and took three deep breaths. Then, she turned to him and said, "Alex, the show doesn't mean anything. You're hurting because Debbie is gone, and you want some company." Her voice began to tremble. "I'm here for you as a friend, and nothing more."
Alex retreated and nodded his understanding.
"Thank you," she said, then sighed with relief. "Besides, Alex. I think there's someone else."
Alex snapped his head up. Someone else, but who?