Alex stood outside of the living room, watching Christopher as he played a video game.
With a clenched jaw, Alex's whole body tensed. I can't believe this, he thought. Christopher's been one of my best friends for years. How could he steal Yvonne from me?
Alex's eyes narrowed. I have to figure out a way to pull them away from each other.
Christopher sunk into the new couch, courtesy of Ken Stokes. He hummed as he fiddled with the controller.
The peaceful moment was interrupted by Alex bursting into the living room.
"Hey, Christopher," Alex said with a fake smile adhered to his face. "How's the game treating you?"
With a shrug of his shoulders, Christopher held up the controller. "It's kind of familiar. Hopefully, some stuff will come back to me."
Alex strolled toward the couch. "Oh, yeah. I'm sure it will." He plopped down next to his friend. "I saw you talking to Yvonne earlier."
After pausing the game, Christopher turned toward Alex. The corners of his lips slightly curved upward at the thought of Yvonne. "Yeah, we were having a nice time."
Alex patted Christopher on the back. "I bet you did. You know, I'm surprised it was going so well, all things considered."
Unsure of what Alex was referring to, Christopher raised his eyebrow. "What things?"
For a moment, Alex paused. "Oh, it's probably nothing, but you and Yvonne used to hate each other."
Alex bit his lip. Did I seriously just lie to my friend who lost his memory? He thought. I did. This is bad.
Christopher lightly rubbed his chin, considering the information Alex had presented to him. "Seriously? She just said we weren't close."
Turning away, Alex couldn't look Christopher in the eyes as he lied to him. "Well, she never knew. We didn't tell her, but you hated her. You couldn't stand anything about her."
An uneasy feeling crept up in Christopher's stomach. His smile disappeared. He looked down at the controller as if he were remembering the time he had with Yvonne. "Wow, that's horrible. She's really sweet."
Alex knew he was digging himself into a deeper hole, but he couldn't find the means to stop himself. "Yeah, of course, but the two of you were the exact opposite. You would complain every time she was around."
Christopher was at a loss for words. He unpaused the game and went back to playing.
Alex watched his friend with a pained expression. He sighed to himself. Okay, Alex. That's it. You don't have to say anything else. Just leave well enough alone.
But he didn't leave well enough alone. "It's funny. You even told me that you hated the way she breathed."
Christopher raised an uncertain eyebrow. "Seriously? That's a terrible thing to say. Sounds like I was a bad person before I lost my memories."
Alex's body went rigid with tension. "I mean, you weren't a bad person. I guess you and Yvonne were just bad together if that makes sense. It wasn't you. It was two of you. You both made an awful pair."
As Christopher died in the game, he let out a heavy sigh.
There was an unnatural stillness between the two. Alex felt like he had to be the one to fill the void. "When I started dating Yvonne, you told me I could do much better, and that she was ugly."
Alex's face flushed. So much for leaving well enough alone, he thought.
Christopher's jaw went slack as he stared at Alex with dull eyes. "Did I really say that?"
As Alex nodded, his shoulders hunched over. "Uh, yes."
Christopher dropped his head into his hands. "That's horrible."
Alex was ashamed of himself. He knew he was in the wrong, but he was in too deep. "Yeah, and I mean, she and I are pretty much a thing now."
Mortified, Christopher glanced up at Alex. "I don't think anything like that about Yvonne. I think she's a wonderful person. You're lucky to have her."
Alex knew that he actually had no one. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, yeah. You're right. So, just, keep your distance from Yvonne. It's for the best."
Christopher raised an unsure eyebrow in Alex's direction. "Um, okay. Sure."
Alex put his arm around Christopher. "I know you two are getting along now, but you never know when that hatred is going to creep back in. You might just be talking to her one day, and bam! You think she's a horrendous swamp witch."
Christopher's mouth dropped. "A horrendous swamp witch?"
Alex swallowed the lump in his throat. "They were your words, not mine."
As Christopher's game restarted, he didn't move a muscle. He just stared down at the floor. "I can't believe I said that."
Alex patted his friend on the back. "Good talk. I hope this helped jog your memory."
As Alex stood up, Christopher looked him up and down. "It didn't. But, hopefully with time."
Alex smiled at Christopher. "Exactly." He motioned toward the TV. "Well, I'll leave you to it."
Christopher's gaze followed Alex out of the room. He didn't trust a word that Alex said. Something about the whole conversation felt off. The only person who comforted Christopher since he lost his memory was Yvonne. That had to mean something.
He didn't need to take Alex's word for it. He decided he would come to his own conclusions.
When Christopher picked the controller back up, Yvonne entered the room. She held the mug in her hands. "I got you a tea. I thought maybe you'd enjoy it."
Christopher sat up and reached his hand out. "Oh, thank you."
After handing him the tea, Yvonne took a seat beside him. "Are you feeling any better?"
He blew on the hot beverage to cool it down. "I suppose so. Alex came down here to tell me that the two of you were an item."
Confused, Yvonne furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"
Christopher nodded as he took a sip of his drink.
With a roll of her eyes, Yvonne scoffed. "Typical. We are not an item. Maybe once, but not anymore. Not after everything that happened."
Christopher's eyes softened as he glanced at the woman. "Too bad I can't remember everything that happened."
At first, Yvonne was annoyed with Christopher's questions. She pursed her lips. "Well, maybe that's for the best. The last few months have been absolutely horrible."
Yvonne watched Christopher as regret filled his eyes. She felt guilty for snapping at him. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, she thought. But what else was I supposed to do?
She already told him she didn't want to talk about it. But then, she remembered the spark she felt. He was asking about her because he wanted to get to know her. That thought excited Yvonne. She decided to relent.
"We dated in college. He was the first and only person I had ever fallen in love with. We stayed together for a few years, and when things started to get more serious, I left," Yvonne admitted.
Christopher set his tea on his lap. He gave Yvonne his full, undivided attention. "Why did you leave?"
Yvonne twirled her hand in the air as if she were trying to materialize the reasons why. "Alex and I were from the same world. Our families' both had prominent businesses in Baltimore. I knew what life was going to be like if I stayed with him. I would have to dedicate myself to everything he was doing. I didn't want that."
Christopher put his arm behind Yvonne. "That's understandable."
Yvonne leaned back, brushing against his arm. "My dad built his business from the ground up. I didn't want it to go under. I knew it was my responsibility to take care of it, and I couldn't take care of that and everything Alex had going on."
Kindly, Christopher interrupted her. "What kind of business does your father have?"
"It's a button business," Yvonne replied. "He made buttons. Everyone called him the Button Boy of Baltimore."
Christopher smiled, noticing how Yvonne's eyes lit up as she spoke about her father. "And you run his business now?"
She nodded. "Yes, but it's been difficult. I don't have the same touch he did. It was like he was born to do buttons. I feel like I'm fumbling, constantly trying to run things as he did. All of this drama recently hasn't made things any easier."
Wistfully, she stared into the distance. "Anyway, it was hard, though. I loved Alex so much. We got along so well. But, then he met Debbie, and everything changed. Nothing against Debbie, she's great, maybe sometimes a little too great. It's just… he got everything he ever wanted, and what did I get? A button business that's in shambles and an empty spot in the bed next to me. When Alex kept giving me mixed signals, I felt as if I were a starving person being fed bread crumbs. I clung to whatever I got."
The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for Christopher. "Alex even flirted with you when he was with Debbie, didn't he?"
Yvonne cringed, remembering everything she had done in the weeks prior. "Well, I mean, it's complicated. I took my clothes off in his living room, and then I accused Debbie of murder. I may or may not have stalked her."
While lifting a quizzical eyebrow, Christopher glanced at Yvonne. "You stalked her… and accused her of murder?"
She crossed her arms. "It was a rough night, okay? I was almost murdered. Cut me some slack. I do think, deep down, I just wanted Alex back at any cost, and Debbie didn't deserve that."
Christopher slid his arm down onto Yvonne's shoulder. "You didn't deserve it either, Yvonne. You deserve to be someone's first and only choice."
Yvonne's cheeks turned bright red. Christopher never made her feel like this before. What was so different now? She attempted to tuck her unruly hair behind her ears. "Oh, well, yeah. I guess I never thought about what I, um, deserve."
Christopher smiled at her. His eyes were warm and shiny. "You should. You know what you want in life. You want to run your family's business and uphold their legacy. What else do you want?"
She jerked her head to the side. "Well, I guess I just want someone who likes me for me."
Christopher's smile twisted into a playful smirk as he watched Yvonne's cheeks turn red. "For a beautiful, ambitious woman like you, that should be easy to find."
Yvonne nervously chuckled. "Well, I guess it's not as easy as you would assume. It's actually been quite difficult."
The room fell silent, apart from the sound of Yvonne's shaky breath.
"Well, what about you? What do you want, Christopher?" Yvonne asked.