Embers

XVIII

"Hey, hot-stuff," I whisper, leaning in to place a quick kiss on Connor's cheek. He stirs slightly, readjusting himself in the plain bed before falling back to sleep. I slide into the bed next to him, stroking his hair as he sleeps. He'll be up in an hour or two, completely unaware of his surroundings or where he was last night.

I don't see any point in lying to him, so I'll just tell him the truth.

I sigh and lean back in the bed, barely big enough to fit Connor, let alone the both of us. I lay my head on his chest as I turn on the television, swiping until it reaches the news.

"A mutant face-off in D.C? More about last night's crazy event after the break." With that the news turns off to be replaced with an annoyingly catchy ad. I sit up again as Connor wakes up, wiping the sleep from his face.

"Hello?" he slurs, wiping his face.

"Hi?"

"Where are we?"

I pause, wondering where the future might lead if I lie to him. We can forget about Kendra, about the Commander. We can move on, be better people. We can be together without the fear of killing one another looming over our shoulders.

But if I tell him the truth, we can learn from our past mistakes. We can help others, so they don't end up like Kendra.

"We're in a hospital. You got hurt in a fight." I guess I'll just have to meet the future halfway.

Slowly, he sits up, squinting against the bright white hospital lights. I smile as he turns to me, the smile fading quickly as my chest tightens.

"You don't remember me, do you?" I ask, holding back a mixture of emotions. He opens his mouth to respond, the closes it his eyes turning somber.

"I—um remember small things about you," he whispers, swallowing hard.

"I remember talking to you in the snow, but not what the conversation was about. I remember vaguely about going to a casino."

I nod my head along with his words, a pit in my heart growing deeper and deeper.

"I'm At—Ava. I'm Ava," I whisper, holding out my hand. He takes it and shakes it, but he doesn't let go.

"Connor. Connor Matthews," he smiles, squeezing my hand. I smile back in response, the hole becoming a little bit smaller with each passing minute.

"Did we? Were we dating, Ava?" he asks, turning to me. I smile mischievously and punch his shoulder playfully.

"I wouldn't call it dating, but yeah. We were dating."

"We still are right?" he asks, smiling deviously.

"Maybe," I tease, leaning in to kiss him. He follows my lead, placing hand on the nape of my neck. I copy him, running my hands through his hair again, tracing his spine with my middle and ring fingers.

We part, if only for a second, as the door cracks open, revealing Jonah and Naomi. Connor smiles at them, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Hey, we just wanted to know if you were alright," Naomi whispers, poking her head out from behind the door. Connor nods quickly, smiling at them as Jonah also pokes his head out.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Really?"

I clear my throat, smiling my hand. Naomi and Jonah get the hint and close the door, smiling to themselves. Connor turns to me, huffing, and smirks.

"So, tell me what I'm forgetting."

"Okay. It all started two years ago and three weeks ago..."