Chapter 212. A Memory To Be Forgotten (The Amnesiac)

"What is it?" You ask, feeling the significance of this unknown thing tearing the two of you apart.

"...not here. Let's go to my room," she whispers, quieting her voice as Brooke mumbles in her slumber.

"Aria, there's probably some of our friends sleeping up there," you whisper back.

She slumps back down, still holding onto you.

"..."

"..."

"I'm really sorry..." She mutters.

You shake your head, knowing she couldn't see it. "I appreciate that, Aria, but I need answers. If you can't tell me right now, then fine, show me upstairs. I just need something."

She pulls away from you, squeezing her eyes as your words bite into her skin.

She pauses, residual tears still leaking from her eyes. Her legs nervously sway off the edge of the bed.

Despite how much pain she had caused you over the past week, you still want to wrap her up and wipe away every tear, reminding you of how close you two were before the accident.

"Please, Aria," you squat down to be at eye-level with her. "What is it?"

She finally looks at you, and mutters something under her breath, barely moving her lips.

"What?" You lean in, unsure if she already said it.

"I have... your journals." She finally enunciates.

"..."

"..."

You bolt out of the room, ignoring the volume of your stomps as you charge up the stairs toward Aria's room.

"WAIT! STOP!" She yells, chasing after you.

You grind to a halt at the entrance to her room as you hear shuffling coming from inside.

"Hey..." She pants, catching up with you a few seconds later. "I... I'll get them. I promise. Just... stay out here."

She opens the door a sliver, enough for you to see three nude girls lying on her bed, with a fourth slowly standing up.

She closes the door behind her.

What the fuck...

You finally let your mind think it through.

She has my journals. And... what does that have to do with everything? With why she's been avoiding me, and why she broke up with me...

What did she read in them?

She opens the door, using one hand to hold a small pile of books.

"Come on. Downstairs," she says, jutting her head to the stairs.

...

"I'm sorry I kept them," she slowly mutters.

"Why did you? And what did you see in them?" You blurt out, desperately needing answers.

She hands you the first one.

"You can have them back."

Grabbing it like a lifeline, you flip through it, skimming each page at light speed. You catch glimpses of lots of events and experience you want to revisit later, but right now, your mind is focused on finding only one thing.

"This is... just a normal journal. And it's from three years ago."

"There's a lot of useful stuff in there," she mutters.

"Aria, I don't need useful stuff! I need to know why you..."

She purses her lips.

"Sorry, sorry." You lower your voice. "Can I see the next one?"

You repeat the process with the second one, keeping track of the dates. Nothing substantial appears, other than a lot of the other girls' names popping up more often.

I need to read through these more closely later. But for now...

"Ok, still nothing," you sigh.

"Aria, what is it?" You hold out your hand for the final one, now seriously doubting if the answers to your burning questions were really in there at all.

Did she just tell me about the journals to distract me? To avoid having to answer why she's been dodging me?

Wait - why am I focusing on that? With this last journal, I can figure out why I ended all my relationships! So many mysteries can be resolved, just with this one-

"I can't."

You look up, her timid tone drawing your attention.

"Huh?"

"I can't show you this one," she whispers again. The fingers of her hand quiver as she wraps them around the worn spine, holding the book close to her chest.

"Aria, that's the most recent one," you say. "That one matters the most. That might let me remember why I-"

"I can't show it to you." She never meets your eyes.

"Aria..." You growl. "Why?"

"...I can't tell you..."

"Aria!" You burst out, throwing civility to the wind. "Do you realize how stupid you sound?!? That diary holds the key to everything! I need to see it!"

"Hey! What's going on!?!" Sydney quickly descends the stairwell. Aria whips her head in her direction, and Sydney clams up as she sees who you were talking to.

Your eyes lock on the book in Aria's fingers, the key to everything you didn't know.

"Sydney..." Aria mutters. "Sorry if we woke you. Um..."

Her fingers slowly loosen as Sydney's worried expression drags away her attention.

Almost...

"It's ok!" Sydney shakes her head. "But what happened? It sounded like you were shouting." Sydney says.

"Oh, er..." Aria gulps. Her grip on the book loosens further.

Now.

You lunge forward, stretching out your arm until your fingers grab onto the spine. Aria yelps, quickly trying to pull the book back to her chest, but you tear it out of her grip with both hands, making her gasp in pain.

"NOO!" She howls as you jump back from her clawing arm. "DON'T!"

Her nail manages to snag onto your shirt, and it cuts clean through as she pulls, leaving a three-inch-wide tear in the fabric.

"Aria!" Sydney yells, running toward the two of you.

With not a single other thought in your mind, you start running down the living room, away from Aria's clawing grasp.

The book falls open in your hands to the bookmarked page, and you instantly start from the top corner of the open page.

"DON'T READ IT!" Aria cries. "PLEASE!"

Your eyes scan over the page at lightning speed. You blink in shock at the words you see, all out of order from how much your mind and body were racing, so you start from the top again, your legs still pumping.

...what?

Your feet come to a halt in the kitchen, and your heart freezes as you complete the rest of the page.

WHAT?

But... wait... no...

Aria, finally catching up to you against Sydney's attempt to pull her away, slaps the book out of your arms, loudly knocking it onto the tiled floor.

But you don't need the book anymore, as every horrifying word on the page is already burned into your eyes. Your head feels moments away from imploding.

No... this can't be.

This... can't be true... how could I ever think... why would I ever think...

No... NO.... NO NO NO!

...

Your head throbs painfully, in sync with the pump of your heartbeat. You try to lift your hand to it, only to find it trapped beneath a tightly tucked fabric.

Mmm... morning already?

You slowly open your eyes, but immediately clamp them shut again.

Mmm.. the sun's so bright today...

The right side of your head blares with pain, and you fish your hand out from under the scratchy sheet to hold it.

Instead of meeting your forehead and hair, your fingers are greeted by a spongy, soft fabric wrapping around your head.

Huh?

"Ah!" You croak out as a pair of hands softly hold your cheeks.

"Hey, you're ok, you're ok..." A voice echoes around your head.

The hands cupping your jaw and cheeks don't leave, and you slowly put your hand on one of them.

Mmm... soft... small... shaped like... these must be Hyoon's...

"Hey, Hyoon..." You mumble.

"Hi... can you open your eyes?" She responds, making you realize she was right next to you.

You slowly open them a crack, enough to see her outline.

You start sitting up, but the blinding pain in your head immediately sharpens as you tilt your head.

"Don't move," Hyoon says, moving her hands to your shoulders.

"Why not?" You groan. You finally get your eyes mostly open, and you look up. "Wait, why does the ceiling look like- "

Hospital.

You gasp as you recognize the all-too-familiar tiling.

"A hospital...?"

You turn to Hyoon. She chews her lip, nervously watching.

"Yeah, you're in a hospital," she whispers.

"Why?"

"You fell and hit your head. You were bleeding a lot, so some of the girls called an ambulance."

"Hm. How'd I fall?"

"You..." Hyoon's voice trails off, and her eyes search yours, expecting to find a glimmer of realization any second. You blankly return her worried gaze.

"You don't remember what happened?" She quietly exclaims. She absentmindedly grips your hot hand in hers.

"...no?" You swallow nervously. "What happened?"

Hyoon looks across the room, and you follow her gaze.

"S-Sydney?" You stutter, surprised.

"Hi," Sydney solemnly waves, sitting cross-legged on the other side of you, with her other hand tucked between her knees.

"How did I... fall?" You ask both of them, starting to feel anxious.

"You really don't remember anything?" Hyoon asks again, tight-lipped and trying to hide her horror.

"No, I..."

Ah! The journal!

The memory suddenly appears in your mind, its dark wispiness making it almost imperceptible. You reach out toward it, but it slips from your grasp.

"It was my journal, wasn't it? I passed out after reading it."

"Yes!" Hyoon gasps.

"What... what did you read in it?" Sydney carefully asks. "Do you remember?"

She leans in, closely hanging onto every flicker of movement in your lips.

"..."

Come on, come on...!

"..."

"I have no idea." You bitterly sigh.

How can I not remember?!?

This is just like the other time, when...

Sydney releases a muted, shuddering sigh of relief, quiet enough that you only barely pick it up.

"Sydney?" You turn to her, trying to tilt your head up again before the pain reminds you not to.

"Yes...?" Her pale face appears almost ghostlike.

"Where is my journal? I want to read it again."

I have to remember what it said.

If I passed out after reading it, just like how I passed out after Aria broke up with me...

Something in there must be very important.

"No. I won't let you." Sydney forcefully says, her voice quivering.

"What? Why?" You blurt.

"What do you mean, why?!?" She gulps, unwilling to relive the moment. "You nearly got yourself killed again..."

"Sydney, come on," you reason. "I can do it in a safer place next time."

She shakes her head. "Sorry not sorry, no."

"Syd, I just want to read what I-"

"I said NO!" She yells. you gulp and habitually squeeze Hyoon's hand.

"Hey, don't yell," Hyoon shoots back to Sydney, glancing sympathetically at you.

"..besides, it's not here," Sydney mutters, ignoring her. "We kept it somewhere."

"Where?" You ask.

"...how stupid do you think I am?" She asks, with even more bitterness in her voice than before.

"Sydney!" Hyoon snarls.

Sydney leans back in her chair, taking a breath.

"I kept it somewhere you won't find it," she says. "Listen, I... I'm doing this because I love you, and I-"

She cuts herself off and stares down at her lap, awkwardly clearing her throat.

"I love you too, Syd," you reply to her unfinished line. "But, please..."

"You should rest. I can deal with your paperwork." She stands up, her movements taut and jumpy as she takes steps away from the bed.

You stay silent, seeing how high-strung she was from her body language. She loudly clunks her way out of the door, closing it behind her.

"..."

"Hey..." Hyoon's soothing voice pulls you back.

"What happened to her?" You whisper. "I know she's worried about me, but she seems mad."

Hyoon gently opens your squeezing fist and rubs your palm with her thumb, relaxing the muscle.

"I don't know exactly what happened this morning with the journal since I only woke up after you were already in the ambulance. But it must have been stressful for her to see that. I'm sure she'll calm down soon," she reassures.

"Ok..." You mutter, unable to shake the feeling that something was off.

"After you get out of here, do you want to stay with me for a little while?" Hyoon asks, clutching your hand. "Maybe for the night."

"Huh?" You finally turn your attention to her. "For the night? What time is it?"

"Around 6."

"Oh... was I out for that long?" You wonder.

"No, we all just woke up late, around 2 or 3. But yeah, you've been out for a few hours."

"Oh, wow. Is that why you and Syd are the only ones here?"

"Yup! Everyone came, but once we knew you were ok, the rest of the girls went back to their schedules."

"Why didn't you or Sydney?" You ask, shifting in your blankets, finding it easier to move your head without pain.

"Well, Sydney was really in shock at first. She was panicking out of her mind, and she refused to leave your side. And I just wanted to stay with you too." She smiles a bit shyly.

"Well, thank you. I'm glad I didn't wake up alone, like last time..."

You shudder at the recollection of what it had felt like to wake up without a single memory in your head.

She brushes her hair over her ear, smiling gratefully. "Don't thank me."

You blink a few times as you look her over, clearing your eyes to get a crisp view of her. Her dark, fallen hair beautifully frames her soft face, with pencil eyebrows over her almond eyes and luscious, red-tinted cheeks to complete her cuteness. Her sleeveless white top reveals her slender, pale arms and a hint of cleavage.

"So? Do you want to go over to my place?" She repeats as you pull your eyes back to where you know they should have stayed.

Wait... but what about my diary? I need to find it, to read it...

But there's no way anyone will let me see that diary, even if they know where it is. I'll need to find another way.

"Ok, sure. I think a change of scenery would be nice. I'll stay with you."

She squeezes your hand a little tighter.

"Great."

...

"You need to stop getting yourself hurt," she says, still holding your hand as the two of you walk out of the hospital, looking like a couple. You hadn't said anything when she took your hand in the hospital, and once you could get back on your feet and walk, the feeling of her fingers sliding between yours felt perfectly right.

"It's not like I plan these trips to the hospital," you sigh.

"Just be more careful next time, ok? Especially when your diaries are involved..." She mutters

"Wait... what do you mean by that?" You pounce on her final words.

She opens the passenger side of the car, and you gratefully sink into the leather seats.

She slips into the other side and straps her seatbelt on.

"I heard about how you fell. Aria told you not to read your diary, and you did anyway. And that's why you passed out."

"Hyoon, I couldn't have known-"

"I know." She continues, "I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying that now that you know how much it can affect you, you should be more careful with it."

"Ok, I get it..." You sigh.

"But don't think about that anymore. I'm gonna show you around my home and get some good food in you," she turns to you for a moment, grinning.

"Ok," you smile back. "Do you live alone?"

"Nope, I live with Jodi, Janet, and Brooke. Not too far from your place, actually."

"Oh!" You piece it together in your head.

So there's me and fifteen women, living in four houses with four people each.

That's... nicely symmetric.

...

You rest your body on the bed, awed by the silk sheets beneath you. Your stomach feels pleasantly heavy from the incredible takeout dinner Hyoon had ordered the two of you to eat in her bedroom.

You see Hyoon's reflection through the partially ajar bathroom door. Her hands diligently unwrap the towel from her hair, and you watch closely as she shakes out any remaining droplets and puts on her round wire glasses.

"Is it comfy enough?" She asks, catching your gaze in the mirror.

"It's suuuuper comfy," you sigh in contentment, earning a grin.

She walks out of her bathroom, revealing her loose pajama shirt and booty shorts.

Woah...

Her nipples slightly poke through her shirt, and as she leans down to crawl into bed, she reveals her cleavage to an extent even your imagination hadn't considered. Her shorts ride up on the back of her thighs as she bends over, and you shamelessly stare.

"Huh?" She looks at you, still mid-crawl. "You look strange. Is something wrong?"

"No! Uh, um, these... must be expensive, right?" You rub the fabric between your fingers, pretending it was your focus the whole time.

"Yeah, this was... an investment, you could say."

She pulls back the sheet and slides in next to you, ending up mere inches from you.

You awkwardly lay back down, nearly able to feel her body heat.

She turns off the lights with a remote, plunging the room into pitch-black darkness.

"Goodnight!" She yawns.

"Goodnight. Thanks for all this," you reply, yawning along.

You stay silent for a minute, slowly getting drowsier. Hyoon shifts around in bed, finding a comfortable spot. Her leg brushes against yours, and you instantly stiffen up.

What the...!

Her skin was nearly softer than the silk above you, and the brief touch leaves you suddenly wanting more.

"Hey, you still awake?" She whispers.

"Mmhmm," you nod, grateful she couldn't see you right now.

"Do you want to... get a little closer? It's a bit cold."

"Yeah!" You reply, cringing at your excited tone immediately afterward.

She merely giggles and slides closer until her breath warms your neck and her thigh rubs up against yours again.

"How are you so soft..." You mutter to yourself.

"Good lotion does wonders," she replies, not skipping a beat.

"I'll be sure to get some of whatever you use," you grin.

"No need. Here, let me rub some off on you."

She swings her leg over you and gently slides it down, making you gasp as her warmth covers your entire lower half. Your breathing quickens, and your mind is racing in one direction.

"Mmm, this is comfy. Can I stay like this?" She asks.

"Y-yeah, sure," you reply.

Shit, this girl...

She's so gorgeous, and she's been so kind to me. And now...

Would it be wrong if we were to...?

"Hyoon?" You whisper into the darkness.

"Hmm?"

No, I probably shouldn't. Especially after everything that happened today...

"What is it?" She whispers, turning on her side to face you. You feel her lips barely graze your neck, and it pulls the words out of your mouth.

"Are you single?"

"..."

"..."

"Desperately," she responds.

"..."

"Why? Thinking about changing that?" She casually throws out.

You stare up at the ceiling, frozen in place as you process her words. She remains perfectly still too, failing to gauge your reaction in the dark.

Your silence starts to put her off, and without even being able to see her, you knew she was blushing in embarrassment.

"Listen, I..." She starts. "I'm really sorry. You're injured, and here I am, pushing you to-"

"Hyoon."

You turn to the side, leaving your face three inches from hers. "Look at me," you gently request.

You place your left hand on her cheek without the slightest hint of doubt.

"I'm... looking..." She whispers, her fluttery, palpitating heartbeat detectible to your fingers.

"When was the last time you had sex?" You whisper, leaning in closer.

"..."

"..."

"Hmm... well, from how horny you look right now," she says, a devious smile growing on her face, "I think we'll both know the answer by tomorrow."

Ahhh, now I'm in for it.

Before a smile has the chance to grow on your face, her lips push onto yours, and you can instantly feel the energy passing through her soft, luscious lips. Her hand clutches your shirt, and she pulls herself closer.

The world fades away, and time becomes irrelevant as you finally wrap each other in your embrace.

Her fingers trace patterns on your back, and every touch sends pleasant shivers through your body. Her hair tickles your nose, but you can't pull away from her lips for even a moment to brush it away. You can read the pent-up emotions inside of her like they were written down for you, and you see much more than lust.

"Hyoon..." You groan, taken aback by the sweeping passion of her kiss.

"Hmm...?" She mutters. Keeping one leg over you, she slides her body over until she straddles you. She cups your cheeks in her hands and instantly leans forward again for another dose.

"I don't think I should be moving much, so you'll have to be on top."

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She teases, sliding a hand under your shirt. "Lift up a little."

You lift your body up, and she pulls your shirt off, putting in extra effort to not disturb your bandage.

Sitting up, she reaches for the hem of her shirt and yanks it up and over her head. Her boobs drop into place after leaving the cage of her pajama shirt, and your hands instantly grip them, forcing her to stifle a moan.

She throws her face forward for another kiss, sinking both of you into the mattress further. Her hands fumble with her pants, nearly tearing them off her as she pulls them down.

She does the same with yours, her lips never parting from yours as your pants come down, exposing your skin to the cold air.

You hiss in delight as her hot hand reaches your cock, warming it up with a few quick strokes.

"Mmm... you're as perfect as ever," Hyoon whispers, making you tingle as her hand continues stroking, gripping you with the perfect amount of pressure.

"Hyoon..." You say, the thought coming to your mind, somehow cutting through your building desire. "Did you invite me to stay over so we could do this?"

"No!" She immediately stops. "I would never. I wanted to see that you were ok and to show you around. You mean so much more to me than just sex. I promise." She pants, trying to speak clearly through her lust.

"O-ok..." You stutter, caught off-guard by the sincerity of her response. She pauses, now looking uncertain.

Seeing her hesitation, you put one hand on the back of her head to pull her in for a kiss. Your other hand reaches her inner thigh and slides down until you meet her pussy.

"Ahh~~" She groans, jolted into action. She grabs your hand and pushes it further onto her wetness, teasing apart her lips.

"No, I can't wait~" She pulls your fingers out, pushing your hands down at your sides. She lifts her hips, stroking your cock a few more times before aligning it with her opening. She squats, slowly dipping down. You gasp as the tip gets embraced in warmth, followed by the rest of it as she lowers herself. She trembles as she gets the final inch in, readjusting.

"Do you need some time to- "

Her lips silence yours, giving you her answer. She leans forward, lying her entire warm body on yours. Her right hand finds yours and interlaces your fingers.

She grinds her hips, sending ecstatic waves through both of you as your sexes collide.

Your free hand grips her butt, feeling it jiggle with each movement.

"Fuck~ you're so good," she mumbles, rocking the bed with the sway of your bodies. Every twerk of her butt makes you want more, and it isn't long before you're gently thrusting your hips up into her at her pace.

"Wo-wo-woah," she groans, her boobs pressing into her chest as your kiss grows sloppier. "I'm on top... let me work..."

"Hyoon, you're too fucking hot for me to just sit back," you blurt, speaking exactly the words that came to mind.

She snorts and giggles, nearly delirious from the mix of passion, adrenaline, and love.

She pushes away from you with her weakened arms, sitting up straight. In the dim moonlight reflecting off the floor, her silhouette seems angelic. Using every ounce of strength in her legs, she picks her body up and drops it back down, making both of you howl in pleasure.

"Fuck, you're so big... almost too big... but just right..." She moans, losing her vocal inhibitions. "You have no idea how I felt when I saw it for the first time. We fucked for days because I wouldn't let you leave..."

You chuckle as the memory of how wide-eyed she had become upon seeing your exposed body immediately comes back to you.

"I'm so glad I found you..." She whispers, making the scalp tingle. For a moment, you almost forget about how powerfully she was dropping her butt onto you, until she does it again, lifting up until your tip is barely inside her and falling until you nearly poke into her womb.

"Fuck, you better cum sooo deep inside me~" She demands, "I want to be able to feel it for the next week."

The room is suddenly flooded with light, and you shield your eyes with your arm as the bedroom door slowly opens. You gasp in alarm, but Hyoon remains still and seated on your cock, without any worry on her face.

You try to turn your head toward the door, but the light blinds you.

"Is everything- OH!" A voice that you immediately recognize as Jodi's whispers out. "Sorry sorry sorry, I heard some sounds, and I... I'm sorry. I'll go."

She quickly slams the door shut.

As your vision readjusts, you see Hyoon staring at the door, curiosity lingering in her eyes.

"Hyoon? Are you ok?" You ask.

"Yeah, yeah." she looks back down at you, gently running her fingers down your chest. "It's just that... normally, she would've joined us. She kind of looked like she wanted to."

"Oh! Hmm... well, I haven't really met her yet. Maybe she felt it wasn't appropriate to do that yet?" You ask, completely brushing over Hyoon's implication that you used to have threesomes with her housemate.

"Hmm, I don't think so. She was pretty forward toward you during game night," she raises her eyebrows, remembering. "Maybe she was scared..." She mutters.

"Of what?"

"I don't know. But it's ok," she says, gleefully turning her attention back to the rod still impaling her. "I'm sure it's nothing much."

...

You slowly stretch, feeling incredibly well-rested. Your pupils slowly shift until they focus on the woman lying next to you, her head propped up on her hand as she watches you. Her unkempt hair hangs around her face in gorgeous clumps, and you want to make out with her right there and then.

"Good morning, gorgeous," you mutter, your voice still raspy.

"Morning~" She smiles, leaning in.

Your lips meet, and you pull away just enough to see her drowsy smile before pulling her back in.

You spend the next few minutes kissing, keeping one hand on her cheek. Your embrace tightens as the kiss wakes up better than coffee ever could, but it never quite grows lustful. She throws her leg over you and straddles you again, assuming a position you had quickly come to love. Your heart flutters as she kisses your nose, and she pulls away smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.

"It's been a long time since we've done this," she whispers.

"We should do it more often," you grin, running your hand down the curve of her back, and gently squeezing her butt.

"Are you enjoying this as much as I am?" She whispers, kissing your neck.

"..."

"..."

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Mmm, well I had to make sure," she grins. "Because if you are, and if your head is feeling better, then you could pay me back for last night right about now..."

An energized smile emerges on your lips.

"...Hyoon?"

"Yes." Her eyes light up.

"Turn around."

...

"AGH~" She muffles herself by pushing her face into her bedsheet, trying not to let the rest of the house know just how good of a plowing she was getting.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckdontstop~" she exhales in one breath. You coil your hips back and plunge them forward again, sending a new wave of quivering delight through her system.

"Is this payback enough for you?" You groan, barely able to keep up your pace from how tight and wet she was, and how shapely her ass was. It molded in your hands like dough, and it was impossible to not stare at how her incredible curves tucked inwards into her thin stomach, completing her perfect hourglass figure.

Fuck, and she said I was perfect? This girl is something else...

"YES!" She squeals. "Don't stop! I'm so close~!"

She turns her head backward to look you in the eyes as you pound her, letting you see her face contorting in pleasure. The unbroken eye contact makes it impossible to hold on, and you give her everything you have for the last few strokes, praying it would take her over the edge.

"Fuck, fuck, YESSSS!" She screams, tilting her h her head up and discarding any attempt at discretion.

You bust at the same time, instantly shooting your first of many shots into her. You thrust a few more times, keeping your grip on her quivering thighs.

"Ahhh-ahh-ah," she pants, convulsing for a moment as the final wave of orgasm passes over her.

You finally pull out, exhausted.

She rolls over onto her back, sticking a finger down to scoop up some of your seed leaking out of her.

"Damn... that was amazing," you pant, your chest rapidly rising and falling.

"So," she says between gasps for air. "When are you good for round 2?"

...

You stroke your fingers down the curve of her head, gently tracing between bunches of her hair. Hyoon purrs in contentment, keeping her head placed firmly on your thigh. Both of you are still mostly naked, but your prior exertion had satiated both of your sex drives.

Your other hand scrolls on your phone, catching you up to your busy life.

Your hand slowly comes to a stop on Hyoon's scalp.

"mmmMmmm..." She grunts.

"Huh?"

"mmmMMmmmmMMMmmMM," she clearly communicates, not even opening her lips.

You smile to yourself and continue petting her, to her grunting delight.

"Hey," she finally speaks up.

"Ah! It talks!" You exclaim.

"Shut up," she groans, laughing. "But seriously. I just wanted to ask if you're ok. Especially after everything that happened yesterday..."

"...yeah, I'm ok," you decide. "My head feels a lot better. But I'm still a bit scared to go home."

"Why?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to accept just being there, pretending that nothing happened," you realize. "I need to see my diary, no matter what's inside it. I need to see it."

"Are you sure no one will let you see it?"

You nod. "Sydney was hell-bent on me not seeing it. Either she's kept it somewhere where no one else can find it, or Aria and any other girls who know aren't going to spill."

"Hmm..."

You catch Hyoon's gaze from down on your lap, and a spark appears in your mind. Not of a memory, but an idea.

"Hyoon?"

"Yeah?"

"I have an idea..."

She squints, noting your change in tone.

"Okay..." She hesitantly lets out, watching your eyes swirl with thoughts. "What is it?"

"If I can't find where my diary is... I know someone who can," you mutter.

"Oh, who?"

You look down silently, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, shit," she sighs, patting your leg dismissively. "No, that's... I don't know..."

"Please? I'll do anything, Hyoon. Please, I just need to know what's in it."

She rolls off your lap and onto the sheets, staring up at the ceiling.

You remain completely still, silently praying.

"..."

"..."

She slowly sighs.

"Ok. I'll try."