chapter 10: dissociative amnesia

Adria's face was flushed as she fully processed that she just has her first kiss, and it was more than she could have ever imagined it to be.

"I think we've just established that I'm not going to the gala with anyone else." Andre whispered his voice sending shivers down her spine.

As they sat there, locked in a gaze, the doorbell rang, breaking the spell. "That must be our pizza," Andre said, standing up to get the door.

Adria nodded, still trying to process what had just happened. She felt like she was floating on air, her heart still racing from the kiss.

As Andre returned with the pizza, Adria tried to compose herself, but she couldn't help sneaking glances at him. She couldn't believe she had confessed her feelings, and even more surprisingly, he had kissed her!

Adria couldn't shake off the feeling that something had shifted between them. She felt like they were dancing around each other, the tension building with every passing moment.

As Andre arranged the table for their pizza, Adria made a mental decision that tonight would be about them, no asking of questions that would ruin the mood. Perhaps tomorrow but definitely not tonight.

As the night wore on, Adria realized she didn't want to leave. She didn't want to break the spell that had been cast. "Hey, Andre?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?" he replied, looking at her with those piercing grey eyes.

"Can I stay a little longer?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

Andre smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'd like that," he said, his voice low and husky.

Adria texted nanny Esther that she wouldn't be home that night, stating the she would explain the next day.

They both decided to watch a movie, an action one. As they settled in on the couch, their pizza settled on the table in front of them, as the movie played on the screen. Andre pulled Adria closer to him as she rested her head on his chest, inhaling his manly cologne that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

The scene set was one filled with warmth and comfort.

As the movie played on, Adria felt herself relaxing into Andre's embrace, her heart still racing from the kiss earlier. She couldn't believe how natural it felt to be wrapped in his arms, her head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat was soothing, and she found herself drifting off to sleep, lulled by the rhythmic thud.

Andre noticed her eyelids drooping and gently stroked her hair, his touch sending shivers down her spine. He whispered soft words in her ear, "Sleep, Renee. I've got you."

As she drifted off, Andre carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. He laid her on the bed, pulling the covers over her. He sat beside her, watching her sleep, his eyes filled with a mix of tenderness and something else - something that looked like possession.

As the night wore on, Andre's gaze never left Adria's face, his thoughts racing with the realization that he was falling for her - hard. He knew he should be careful, that his world wasn't safe for her, but he couldn't help himself. He was drawn to her innocence, her fierceness, her kindness, and her beauty.

As the first light of dawn crept into the room, Andre leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair behind Adria's ear. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open, and he was struck by the vulnerability in her gaze.

"Good morning," he whispered, his voice husky with emotion.

Adria smiled, her face still flushed from sleep. "Good morning."

Andre's eyes locked onto hers, and he knew in that moment that he would do anything to keep her safe, to make her happy. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks - he was in love with Adria.

And as they sat there, wrapped in the warmth of the bed, Andre knew that their lives would never be the same again. The secrets, the lies, the danger - it all seemed insignificant compared to the love that was growing between them.

Andre stood up a while later as he went to the kitchen to make breakfast, but before he left he had brought out his shirt and some shorts for Adria to choose from when she was done cleaning up in the bathroom.

Adria came out some minutes later and saw the clothes he has brought out for her. She smiled at his thoughtfulness. Putting on his white shirt and his short that had elastic band at the waist, as it was the only one that could size her, she went to look for him.

She found him in the kitchen preparing to make toasted bread, bacon and eggs. She knew this from the ingredients spread out on the kitchen counter. Andre had already gotten rid of the pizza boxes from the night before and was ready to make breakfast.

He was unaware that Adria stood at the door as his focus was on the task at hand.

As Andre expertly cracked eggs into a bowl, Adria's gaze lingered on the muscles flexing in his arms. She felt a flutter in her chest, her heart skipping a beat. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and it both thrilled and terrified her.

Taking bold steps towards him, she wrapped her arms around him, feeling him tense up a bit but eventually relaxed.

"Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling today??" He asked her turning to face her.

Adria taking in his full appearance felt her cheeks flush. He still has that morning hair and it only added more to how godlike he looked.

"I'm good" she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Glad to hear that. Breakfast's almost ready." He said turning back to his cooking.

"I wanna help." Adria said softly.

"Okay, why don't you handle the toast while I do the bacon, hmm?" He said as he brought out the pan for the bacon.

"Sounds like a plan." Adria said getting to work as she brought the bread out and arranged them into the toaster.

Andre and Adria stood side by side in the kitchen, the sizzle of bacon filling the air. Andre expertly flipped the strips, while Adria attempted to toast the bread, her eyes fixed on the toaster.

"Hey, Renee." Andre called her.

"Hm" she said facing him.

"No offense but I think the bread's been in there for too long. We don't want to have black toast for breakfast, do we?" He teased, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he walked closer to her turning the toaster off.

"Oh" Adria said feeling her face flush a bit from embarrassment.

Andre chuckled, bringing the toast out.

"I don't think the kitchen is exactly your specialty." He said smiling at her.

Adria playfully rolled her eyes, laughing. "Hey, I'm trying! You can't expect me to be a master chef like you, Andre. I mean, you're like a cooking wizard or something."

Andre chuckled, setting the toast onto a plate. "Well, maybe I can teach you a few tricks sometime. But for now, let's just say I'm happy to be your personal chef."

Adria grinned, taking the plate from him and setting the table. "I think I can live with that. Especially if it means getting to enjoy delicious food like this."

Andre smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You haven't even tasted it."

"Well it smells amazing, I can already see that it would taste amazing." She said trying to maintain a straight face like a food critic.

Andre laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, thank you! I'm glad you approve. And don't worry, I won't let your lack of cooking skills go unnoticed...I'll make sure to teach you the ways of the kitchen."

Adria giggled, trying to maintain her serious food critic expression, but failing miserably. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots. But seriously, Andre, this looks and smells incredible. You're a culinary genius."

Andre chuckled, his face flushing with pleasure. "Well, I'm just glad you're enjoying it. And don't worry, I'll make sure to save you from your own cooking attempts from now on."

Adria playfully rolled her eyes, laughing. "Hey, I'm not that bad! But okay, deal. You can be my personal chef and save me from culinary disaster."

He had already finished frying the eggs as he prepared to dish it out

Andre walked towards Adria, his eyes locked onto her figure, a sly smile spreading across his face. Adria, sensing his proximity, turned to face him, her heart racing with anticipation. She thought he was going to kiss her, and her eyes locked onto his, her lips parting slightly.

Andre knew exactly what he was doing. He had seen the look in her eyes, the expectation, the hope. And he was going to tease her, just a little. He reached a hand over her head, his arm brushing against hers, and grabbed a plate from the cupboard. Adria's eyes widened in surprise, and she felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

But then, Andre's intentions changed. He looked at Adria, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, and he couldn't resist. He propped her up on the table, his hands going under her shirt, his palms resting on her stomach. Adria felt a warmth spread through her body, and she leaned into his touch.

Andre's lips met hers, and he kissed her senseless. The world around them melted away, and all that was left was the two of them, lost in the moment. Adria's heart raced, her pulse pounding in her ears, as she wrapped her arms around Andre's neck, pulling him closer.

The kiss deepened, and Andre's hands moved up her back, his fingers tracing the curve of her spine. Adria felt like she was melting into his touch, like she was becoming one with him. And when they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Adria knew that she was in love with Andre.

Andre's hands were still on her back, his fingers tracing the curve of her spine, and Adria felt like she was melting into his touch. She knew that she was in trouble, that she was falling for him hard. But she couldn't help it, she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And as they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, Adria knew that she would do anything to be with him, to feel his touch, to taste his lips. She was in love, and she knew it.

Andre smiled and gently lifted Adria off the table. "Shall we have breakfast?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Adria nodded, still in a daze, and they sat down at the table. Andre served her a plate of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and toast, and they ate in comfortable silence, savoring the delicious food and each other's company.

After breakfast, Adria helped Andre with the dishes, and then she went back to his room and changed into her clothes she had worn yesterday. she reluctantly said goodbye, knowing she had to check in with Nanny Esther. Andre suggested dropping her off but she declined stating that she could drive herself and didn't want nanny Esther to know about him yet.

"Andre, you remember how you told me not to trust anyone. I don't know how this might sound but I don't exactly trust Esther." She told him.

Andre looked at her concerned, "why's that?"

"I read up more on dissociative amnesia, that was what I was diagnosed with and I discovered that I was supposed to remember the memories of that day as I had been living in the house where they died. It could have triggered the memories earlier but I only remembered now when you showed up and told me about it. I read up more and found out that this only happens when the person has induced amnesia." She explained to him.

Andre had a look of surprise and disbelief on his face.

"What you are trying to say is that someone has been giving you drugs to suppress that memory. And the person you're suspecting is Esther?" He asked, understanding what she meant.

Adria nodded slowly, still trying to believe it herself.

"But why would she do that?" He inquired.

"I don't think she is working alone. And maybe they did it because they thought that I might know something." She said.

Andre walked towards her, cupping her face and searching her eyes in worry.

"How are you feeling? Does the drug have any side effects I should know about?" He inquired worried as he searched her eyes.

Adria smiled, knowing that he was worried about her made her heart flutter. She raised her hand and placed it over his on her face.

"Andre I'm fine, there's no permanent side effects. The only side effect was trouble sleeping but that hasn't bothered me because since we met I've been sleeping well." she told him as he heaved a sigh of relief.

He pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair gently. Adria wrapped her arms around him, savoring the moment. She pulled away gently, tilting her head upwards to look at him properly as he was taller than her.

"The thing is that I'm not the one who knows something. It's Kiara." She informed him.

Andre had a look of confusion on his face.

"Your sister, isn't she in a coma?."

"That day, before they were killed, I saw Kiara running, it was like she was running from someone. When I got to her she looked terrified like she had just seen a ghost. I tried getting her to tell me what she saw when nanny Esther came into the room, I thought I was seeing things when Kiara moved away from her in fear because they were mostly inseparable when together. I looked at her in suspicion when we heard the gunshots and ran downstairs to see what happened. It was when we were running that she fell down the stairs, I didn't exactly understand it because she was never clumsy, I'm mostly the clumsy one. Remembering it, what if she didn't fall Andre, what if she was pushed instead and is being given drugs so that she wouldn't wake up and we would know what she saw?" Adria explained her suspicions to him.

"Where is Kiara now?" He asked her.

"She's at our family hospital, I actually got a call from Dr Matthew yesterday, I was supposed to go meet her but changed my mind. I'm going to go today and move her out of there because we can't trust anyone anymore." She told him.

"I'm coming with you." He said moving away as he made to grab his keys. Adria was about to argue when he interrupted her.

"Don't worry I won't let Esther see me but I'm not letting you go alone. Do you trust me?" He asked as he looked into her eyes.

Adria knew the answer to that was a yes and thousand more. She knew she didn't know much about him or who exactly he was but one thing she was sure of was her trust in him, afterall she still had time to get to know all about him but right now they had to get her sister.

"Yes, I trust you Andre." She told him, meaning every word.