May thought she had misheard. "L-Lover?"
He nodded, exuding happiness. If he were a puppy, she would surely see his tail wagging in bliss.
She had to admit, he was a handsome man. Setting aside what days of worry had done to him, there should be plenty of young ladies head over heels for him. Yet, May didn't feel he was her type. How could she have become entangled with him? There was a certain sense of familiarity looking at him, which she couldn't deny, and yet there were no butterflies in her stomach, no hearts in her eyes. Had the amnesia wiped everything out?
And what did he mean by "lover" anyway? Wasn't this term highly suggestive? It sounded as if they were in a forbidden relationship. As if she were a married woman who kept another man on the side. Or worse, he was the one with a wife and only took her as a plaything?!
Even if she couldn't remember anything, she shouldn't have been a person to follow such a script!
May's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of it all. The man—she realized she didn't even know his name—seemed to sense her confusion and discomfort. His smile faltered slightly.
"I can't remember anything about... us," she said apprehensively.
"That's okay, sweetheart. No hurry. We can take things slow. I've been patient for a few years; I can wait even longer."
She perked up. "What do you mean by that?"
"We've been best friends since we were children, our families closely acquainted. I fell in love with you first. It took you quite a while to notice my feelings, which, to be fair, I was trying hard to hide." He giggled at himself. "And then it took you another while to reciprocate my feelings and get used to the fact that I changed from being your best friend to being your lover."
May was deep in thought after listening to his words.
Them being friends for such a long time explained why she had this sense of familiarity looking at him. It also explained this feeling of apprehension when she tried to envision them both in a romantic relationship. Maybe it was all still too fresh, so it was hard to accept now that she had lost her memories?
But there was one point that bugged her. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Why are you calling us lovers then? Shouldn't we rather be girlfriend and boyfriend?"
"That..." he searched for words, visibly flustered at her question. "Explaining it would take some time, but don't worry, it's nothing illicit, if that's what you were thinking. We're in a pure relationship!"
"Then explain it to me," she demanded. "I have nothing but time right now. Who knows, maybe I might remember something listening to you talk."
He sighed, obviously not comfortable with this conversation.
"Let's start simple. What's your name?" May helped him ease up.
"Carter. I'm Carter."
"Nice to meet you, Carter," she stretched out her hand, which he gratefully grasped.
This amount of touch was something May was comfortable with, so she decided to go with it and, at the same time, test her reaction to him. Surprisingly, she wasn't averse to his touch. His palm was warm, his grip neither too weak nor too strong. Just right.
When she felt his thumb carefully glide over the back of her hand, she withdrew it. She felt a pang of guilt when she saw him press his lips together, yearnfully looking at the retreating hand.
"Tell me more. How exactly did we get together?" she tried to divert his attention and move the conversation along.
"As I mentioned, our two families are quite close, so we basically grew up together. We were inseparable and got into all sorts of mischief. I first noticed my feelings when I started getting jealous of other boys showing interest in you. That must have been when we were around fourteen or fifteen. Since then, I've been trying to win your heart, slowly but surely. We've had our fair share of obstacles, but—"
"Like what?" May interjected.
"Well... like—"
Knock knock.
A polite knock on the door interrupted his words.
Immediately Carter's face darkened, as if a storm was brewing. "Think of the devil and he will appear," he muttered to himself.
The door slid open and another handsome man appeared. His type was totally different from Carter. Where Carter was sunshine, this man was moonlight. He had a cool vibe, his nearly black hair and pale countenance contrasting sharply with Carter's golden warmth. His eyes, a piercing steel gray, seemed to penetrate the very soul. He moved with fluid grace, each step deliberate and purposeful as he entered the room.
"Ah, cousin," Carter greeted with a biting tone, his usual warmth noticeably absent. "I'm surprised you managed to tear yourself away from your office."
The man cast a brief glance at Carter, offering only a curt nod to acknowledge his presence while completely disregarding his remark. His attention then shifted to May.
"You are...?" she threw an inquisitive look at Carter only to be pulled back to the man when he answered in a languid voice:
"Hello May. It's good to see you awake. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ian, Ian White. And I am your fiancé."