I opened my mouth to answer Austin but I couldn't seem to grasp the right words to respond as my heart clenched in my beating chest. His piercing ocean eyes scanned my face as if he were trying to memorize every single detail, just in case he ever forgot me again. The silence was calming yet beautiful as we dove into each other's gazes, for the millionth time, but for him, it probably seemed as if this was only the beginning.
Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. I mean sure, the man of my dreams lost all of his memories of us and doesn't know that we are in fact dating and crazily in love with each other.
But hey, I mean on the bright side, not only do I get to help him remember all of our sweet moments and inside jokes, but I get to remind myself of all of the million reasons I fell in love with him in the first place.
"How did you get here by the way?" Austin asked, changing the subject as things got a little too quiet between us. But of course, I was too busy doing backstrokes in those baby blues to even pay attention to what he was saying.
My name smoothly rolled off his tongue as he attempted to pull my attention back to the real world while I was unable to do so myself as I was the one that was seemingly falling in love all over again.
"Lena."
"Hmm? Oh- sorry I-"
"You were staring." He smirked, a wonderful look of fulfillment creeping onto his face.
"I mean I'm cute but I'm not that cute." His eyes rolled upwards as he teased me.
"I wasn't staring. I just zoned out for a second." I defended myself though I was lying through my freaking teeth.
"Yeah zoned out and fell face first into my beautiful blue eyes." He chuckled as I fake scowled as his poking pure fun at me.
"They're not that blue." I protested, continuing my false front as I rolled my eyes, almost embarrassed that he caught me. But he we both knew I was trying to bullshit my way out of my shame.
"Yes they are Lena. I've only lost the past six months of my life. I remember how mesmerizing my eyes can look." He went on, clearly fucking with me as we laughed together.
"You're full of yourself rockstar." I smiled, still not owning up to getting trapped into his irises. "And to answer your question, I took an Uber." I shook my head, trying not to get lost in him yet again as I forced myself to break my steady gaze away from his handsome face.
"An Uber? Not to sound like I'm a bragging asshole but I have like ten different cars in my garage. Why didn't you drive one of them here?" He asked me with concern as he finished off the reminding sip of his beer.
I took the empty can from him and placed it back into my purse, before I tucked a loose strand of straightened hair behind my ear as I answered him.
"Austin I don't think you own any cars that cost less than $100,000. There's no way I was just going to casually take your Bentley for a spin to come visit you in the hospital." I frowned.
"Why not? What's the worst that could happen?" He shrugged his shoulders as if it were not a big deal. "You crash it and lose your memory?" He jabbed fun at himself as we both began to chuckle.
"Funny Austin, real fucking funny." I rolled my eyes as his nurse knocked on the door and let herself in. She was a middle aged woman with kind eyes and a smile on her face.
"Just want to change your IV bag and bring you your dinner sweetie." She said in a low voice, not wanting to interrupt our conversation.
He smiled back at her and nodded before turning his attention back to me as she placed his tray in front of him.
"Are you excited to go home tomorrow?" I asked, crossing one of my legs over the other as I relaxed into the chair.
"I'm very excited. Not for nothing but the food here isn't exactly on the top of my favorites list." He shook his head as he dragged his spoon in the not so appetizing looking mashed potatoes.
"I should have brought you something to eat." I laughed as he sulked at his food.
"Honey, don't let Austin fool you. He ate his entire lunch earlier without any complaints, didn't even leave a crumb." His nurse looked up at me while she clicked away on his IV pump.
"Thats because I was starving and desperate Margaret. I didn't have a choice!" Austin exclaimed with a pout, earning a laugh from both myself and the nurse.
"Well only a few more meals from us tomorrow Mr. Celebrity and then you'll be discharged and able to go home and have a nice dinner with your pretty girlfriend." She said as finished up hanging the new IV fluids.
"Oh, she's um- she's not my girlfriend." Austin fumbled as he spoke, his words stabbing like a sharp knife, cutting into my heart, though it was my own fault he was saying them.
"Well she should be. You look beautiful together." She smiled as she washed her hands at the sink.
Austin and I said nothing as we only exchanged glances, both of our cheeks flushing the same shade of crimson at her comment.
"Visiting hours end in five minutes dear." She said to me before turning to Austin. "Is there anything else I can get you right now honey?"
"I'm good Margaret thank you." Austin said quietly as she nodded and left the room.
"I guess I should get going since visiting hours are ending soon. I don't the others are coming back." I pointed out, letting out a soft chuckle as I rose from my seat, Austin's eyes almost saddening at the mention of my departure.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the house right?" Austin asked with a hopeful sparkle in his eye. "I should be discharged tomorrow night."
"Yes I'll see you when you get home. Feel better and get some rest rockstar." I said softly before leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
I could feel his warm breath tickling the exposed skin of my neckline as my lips pressed against the little heart tattooed on the side of his face.
"Goodnight Lena." He mumbled as I pulled away from him to pick up my purse, his head pressing back into the pillow as he admired me for the last time that evening.
"Goodnight Austin." I said quietly before ripping myself away from him and making my way towards the door, I felt his eyes on my back as his stared followed me as I left.
I stole one last glance at him before closing the door shut and making my way past the nurses station.
"Are you leaving honey?" I heard Margaret's voice as I walked past, halting the clicking of my heels in its tracks.
"Oh yeah, I'm gonna head home. Thank you so much for all that you've done for him. I appreciate it and he does as well." I smiled kindly at her as she nodded her head and grinned back.
"Of course, you are very welcome." She replied as I opened my mouth to tell her goodnight. But her next words caught me off guard and the smile on my face dropped as quick as it formed.
"When are you going to tell him that you are in fact his girlfriend dear?"
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked as if I hadn't heard her correctly. But in reality, I had heard her plain spoken words just fine and was just utterly thrown off by her unexpected question.
"Sweetheart, I wasn't born yesterday. Or even the day before that." She chuckled. "I saw the look of pure heart break on your face when he said you weren't his girlfriend. And I also can sense true love between two people who are meant to be together. Whether one of them remembers or not. How come you haven't told him?" She asked curiously, her words twisting my heart as I let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't want to confuse him he has alot going on and I don't want to add to his stress." I shook my head from side to side.
"The way that boy looks at you, trust me, finding out you are his girlfriend wouldn't cause him a single ounce of stress." She reassured me, as I forced a smile.
"I just- I don't want him to be pressured to feel a certain way about me. I want it be natural. Like when we first fell in love." I hung my shoulders, hoping I didn't sound completely out of my mind as I spoke to Margaret.
"I understand dear. Well if thats what you want, then just give it time. He'll come back." She gave me a comforting smile before she said her goodbyes and turned the corner.
I ran my fingers through my hair, and made my way towards the direction of the elevator.
"Lena." I heard the very voice that echoed always seemed to echo endlessly in me head, call my name from behind me.
I turned around to see Austin standing in the hallway outside of his room, holding on to his IV pole as he slowly making his way towards me.
I walked as fast as my boots let me as I rushed to his side.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I searched his face for any clue that he had somehow remembered me in the past two minutes that I had been gone.
"You forgot your phone." He said, his eyes locking with mine as my expression of slight hope crumbled before me. I tried my best for it not to translate to my face as I forced a smile a took my cell phone from his hand.
"I didn't even realize I didn't have it in my back pocket." I shook my head as I chuckled. "Thanks Austin. I'll see you tomorrow."
But Austin's face remained serious as his eyes refused to leave mine.
He took a short step closer to me, mumbling under his breath as his irises turned to a stunning slate blue.
"I can't wait."