Chapter 206. A Tense Revelation (The Amnesiac)

As you wake up, the feeling of two warm arms wrapped around your body makes you smile, and you gladly stay cuddled up into her small body, keeping your eyes closed. The body lying behind you hugs you tighter than the blanket and mattress do on either side of you, and you sigh contentedly.

But the light from the window pierces through your eyelids, and you find it harder and harder to go back to sleep with each passing moment.

"Mmm..." You grumble you finally open your eyes and turn onto your back, finally getting a look at your bedside partner.

Oh, it's Tina...

You yawn for a moment, then nearly choke on your own breath as your brain finally puts the dots together.

"Tina?!?" You yelp, startling her awake.

"Huh?!? WOAH!" She pulls her arms back, realizing where she was, but keeps her body leaning on you.

"What are you doing? Why are you here? Where's Rae?" You blurt, sitting up. Her head falls off of your shoulder, and she drowsily sits up.

Now over the initial shock of being woken up, she loosely brushes her frizzled hair back with her fingers and rubs her eyes, releasing a cute yawn and stretching her arms up.

"Rae's downstairs. She's talking to Poki, Emi... I mean, some other girls," she summarizes, her voice still carrying her fatigue. "They're here to meet you. I was supposed to come wake you up, but you refused to! I even shook you, and you didn't," she recalls, shaking her head.

"And then you kind of grabbed onto my arm in your sleep... and pulled me in... and I..." Her cheeks turn red, and she stares up at the ceiling from her place beside you. "Whoops?"

"Wait, Rae wants to introduce me to more people!" You say, fixating on the first thing she had said. "But... there's still so much I have to do with the three of you!"

"Oh..." She pauses, realizing your point. "Um... should I tell her to send them away?"

"Err... I don't know... if they came all the way here, then..." You hesitate.

"Hey, don't worry about them," she says, scooting in closer. "They can always come another time. You're the important one here. Go at your own pace," she wisely says, gently poking your chest with her finger.

You take a breath, thinking over your options.

More girls...? This is already a lot for me to deal with. I don't even want to know what kind of history I've had with these ones...

Actually, I do. But not now.

"Alright. Ask her to tell them to go for now. I want to take things slower," you decide.

"Ok. I'll tell them." She scoots over to the other side of the bed and swings her feet off of the edge, planting them on the ground. You quietly groan, feeling her warmth completely leave your side.

"Wha-? Are you ok?" She asks.

"Yeah, it's just that... do you have to go right now?" You sheepishly smile.

She looks to the door, her forehead visibly tensing.

Her gaze quietly flickers back to you under the covers, and then to the door. She swallows nervously, evidently anxious.

"I think I'll go tell them now," she quietly repeats.

You force a smile, realizing she was still fearful from yesterday. "Ok! Can you come back after you're done?"

She clears her throat, mutters something unintelligible, and walks out.

Over the next few minutes, you listen closely for any sounds. The muted chatter coming from downstairs slowly fizzles out until you can't hear anything anymore.

You wait a few more minutes, hearing only the occasional clink of plates and cups in the kitchen sink.

You stand up, take a single step, and immediately crash back down into your bed.

"Fuck..." You groan, feeling the impact of last night's foursome on your legs.

No amount of physical therapy could have prepared me for that...

With great effort, you slowly stand up and walk to the door, clutching your dresser and sliding your hand along the wall for balance.

You open the door and peek outside, swiveling your head in both directions.

You make out hushed chatter from beneath you, but the voices you pick out belong only to Leslie, Rae, and Miyoung.

Hm. I guess they're gone. But where's Tina?

You walk down the hall, listening for any sounds inside any of the rooms, but hearing none. As you near the staircase, you look over the handrail to see Tina by the front door, putting on her shoes.

"Hey! Tina!" You call out, starting to slowly make your way down the stairs.

"Oh! Uh..."

She pauses, unsure of herself.

"Why... didn't you come back?"

She takes a big breath in, watching you walk down the stairs. "Are you ok?" She asks, noticing your limp.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm walking it off."

"Ok!" She nods, finishing slipping her other shoe on. "Well, I should probably head home, so-"

"Tina."

"..."

"..."

She slumps her head down.

"Is this about what you told me earlier? Is that why you're acting this way?" You ask.

She keeps her head down. You walk to her side and slightly crouch down to match her height, silencing your complaining muscles as you look up at her partially concealed face.

"Well? Is it?" You whisper, hoping to put her at ease.

"Mmhmm," she slowly nods. "Yeah."

You move next to her and put one hand around her shoulder.

"Is this ok?"

Despite her attitude, she instinctually leans into you, letting you wrap your arm around her.

"Can we talk? I don't want to keep running away from this. From me..." You quietly say.

She lifts her head up, looking into your eyes with a mix of surprise and wonder.

"Yeah..."

...

You curl your fingers, gently stroking them through Tina's soft hair as she lies on your stomach. The gentle rise and fall of your chest lulls her into a peaceful state, and her faint perfume puts you at ease.

"Are you ready?" You whisper.

"Yes," she whispers back, maintaining the intimate mood. "Just keep touching my hair," she giggles, momentarily covering her mouth with her hand.

"Of course. Now tell me, what was our relationship like before the accident?"

She takes a deep breath, preparing herself to dig into memories she hadn't spoken about to anyone before.

"We were... well, we were friends. Really good friends, actually, up until 6 months before the accident. Then I invited you for a sleepover one night with a couple of our other friends, and after everyone else went asleep, we started talking, and we..." She bites her bottom lip, unsure of how to proceed.

"We fucked?"

She slaps your arm, releasing an annoyed grunt. "Don't-!"

"Hehe..." You softly giggle.

"...yes. We did. You gave me the best night of my life," she continues. "I haven't had many partners in my life, since I can't just sleep with people all willy-nilly. I have to really know them first."

"Right. I remember that." You nod.

"With you, we already had that connection. I felt so comfortable around you. And from there, we kept going. It was incredible! I had so much fun. But..." She pauses, signaling the inevitable turning point of her story.

"I started to fall for you," she sighs, pouting. "I was so happy just to be with you at all, but I wanted more. I really, really wanted you. But I didn't say anything, because I knew you wouldn't feel the same."

"Well, you should've," you reply, grinning. "I liked you too."

She sits up and turns to you, immediately distraught.

"Really?!?"

"Y-yeah," you respond, surprised at how seriously she took it. "I remembered a lot about you because of last night. I definitely liked you."

Her frown deepens. "And you didn't say anything?" She mutters.

"I... guess not?" You hesitate.

"Why? I really believed you didn't feel anything for me! I... why wouldn't you tell me?"

She searches your eyes, begging for an explanation.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? You're the one who just said it!"

"I remember how I felt about you when I looked at you, Tina, but almost all of my inner thoughts are gone. I don't remember what I was thinking." You shake your head, wishing you could give her a better answer.

"Oh... ok," she slumps down again, resting her head on your chest once more.

"Do you still feel that way toward me?" You ask.

She stares up at the ceiling with wide, fearful eyes, frozen in place.

You nearly slap your forehead, instantly regretting your flippant tone toward something so serious to her.

"Tina... I'm sorry I just blurted that out. You don't have to answer."

"I... don't know," she mutters. "Now... it feels different."

You crane your neck up to look at her, her words unexpectedly startling you.

"Oh. Do you mean... I'm... different?"

"Yeah," she sighs. "I mean, of course you are. You're the same, but you're different."

"Why? What makes me different?"

"Well, for starters, you would never have confronted me about this before the accident. But you just... came downstairs and told me you wanted to talk."

"Wait, I wouldn't have confronted you? It felt pretty natural to me..." You remark, confused.

A strange sensation overtakes you, shooting an uncomfortable chill down your spine. It feels dark and dreadful, like something very dangerous was finding its way to you. But it slowly fizzles out, dissolving into your breath before it overwhelms you.

What was that? What just happened to me?

"I made it pretty obvious that I liked you, even though I wasn't really trying to. All the other girls knew, but you never said anything. So, I... kind of figured you didn't like me like that," she quietly answers.

"Oh..."

"..."

"So... you don't want to date me now?" You redirect the topic back.

"I'm not saying no. I'm saying I don't know," she repeats. "This is all... so..."

She slides off of your chest and onto the blanket, curling up into a ball. She shakes her head, letting her eyelids flutter closed. "...confusing..."

You stare at her for a moment, seeing her peaceful form resting. You wait for a couple of minutes, seeing the rising and falling of her chest slow further and further until it settles into a slow, smooth pace.

Without another word, you slip out of her bed, out the door, and down the stairs, feeling her final words weighing heavily on your heart.

...

"That's it. That's what happened," you finish retelling everything that had happened, while your avid listener pays close attention.

"Wow..." Leslie pouts. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. She's conflicted, and rightfully so. Maybe I shouldn't have told her my feelings..."

You continue with your now-daily routine of massaging her feet on your lap while she lays back, propped up on a bunch of pillows.

"Oh, I know!" Leslie suddenly exclaims, after a moment of thought.

"Huh?"

"You two only started getting together six months before your accident, right? That's like... four months before you broke up with everyone else! Maybe you were already planning on breaking up with everyone then, so you didn't want to take on any more romantic relationships?"

"Oh... maybe you're right," you say, seeing the possibility of truth in her words. "Hmm... I don't remember. Did I tell you anything about that? About breaking up with everyone?"

I must've been, right? There's no way I'd just break up with so many women at once. I must have planned it... but why?

"No, you never told me anything... but that must be it, right?" Leslie nods to herself. "That must be it."

"Mmm..." You absentmindedly reply, still deep in thought.

"Hey. Babe," she whispers, pulling her feet off of your lap and scooting in closer. "Don't overthink, ok? I know you're worried about her, but she'll be fine, and you will be too. And even if she doesn't want to date you, you always have me..." She cheekily smiles.

You grin, feeling your awareness return to you. "You're completely right. I have you."

You hold out your hand, and she places hers on it, sliding her fingers up until they softly wrap around yours. "What more could I need?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Woah, watch it, babe, our roomies better not hear you say that..."

You smile and lean in for a soft kiss, which she gladly agrees to. Your hand rests on her cheek, and she gently brushes her tongue against your lips.

You pull away, now with a lifted mood. "Thanks, Leslie."

"You're welcome..." She grins.

You start to get up, thinking about what else you'd have to do today.

"Oh..." Leslie lets out, realizing what you were doing.

Her hand gently squeezes yours, and she turns her head down as she bites her bottom lip.

"Leslie?" You turn back. "What is it?"

"Do you have somewhere to be right now?" She asks, looking up at you with a remarkably cute, innocent expression. "I want to spend more time with you..."

"I guess not..." You smile. "What were you thinking?"

She puts her finger on her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "Well, you did just give me a foot massage..." She points out.

"Oh?" You grin, knowing where this was going.

"Which means it's only fair..." Her hands suddenly make their way onto your lap, brushing across the top of it and sending a familiar tingle up your body. A tent quickly appears in your pants as her fingers press onto your groin, and she slowly gets onto her knees in front of you.

"Mmm..." She smiles as she lowers herself to the floor while you sit on her bed, unbuttoning your pants and pulling them down.

"God, it's so perfect," she mutters as your semi-erect cock pops out, quickly reaching out and stroking it. Her words could always make your confidence skyrocket, and you make a snap decision to take things further.

"Leslie, no," you stop her. "You're not sucking me off today."

"What? Why?!?" She complains.

"Because I want more," you finish.

"..."

She pauses for a moment, and then a wide smile slowly grows on her face.

"You do?" She shyly asks.

"What?!? Of course I do! You're smoking hot, Leslie!" You earnestly say, surprised at her uncharacteristic timidity.

She blushes intensely as she stands up, but once the look of desire on your face becomes evident, she throws all humility to the wind. "Yeah, you're right! I'm hot!" She cheers, making you chuckle. "Let's go!"

She leans forward for a kiss while she climbs onto your lap, both of you still giggling.

Your hands reach up to play with her breasts through her shirt, pushing and gripping them with no bra in the way.

"Mmm... lemme take this off..." She grunts as she pulls away and strips off her top, revealing her bare chest.

You nearly lick your lips in delight before diving in, wrapping your lips around one of her nipples and using your hand to play with the other.

"AH~! Oh, yesss~" She groans, arching her back as you swirl your tongue around her nipple, shooting pleasure through her body.

You reach both hands around her body and pick her up, making her yelp and clutch onto you.

"Holy shit, you're strong- AHHH!" She blurts out as you turn around and plop her down onto the bed, then proceed to climb on top of her and continue playing with her boobs.

Her hands reach over to pull down her leggings halfway, revealing her aroused pussy. You do the same with your pants, pulling them down all the way and tossing them aside.

"So, Leslie..." You say, temporarily satisfied enough with the taste of her flesh on your tongue that you could pull away to speak for a moment. "What kinks would you like today? I think I remember all of them..." You mutter, making her thighs quiver for a moment.

"N-no kinks today," she decides, resting her hands on your shoulders as you loom above her, ready to lean in for a kiss. "I want you. Only you. No toys, no fantasy. Just you," she exhales.

Her sweet words calm down your racing lust enough for you to reward her with another kiss, this time a much more chaste one. "That sounds good to me. I love you, Leslie..."

"Love you too, babe," she grins uncontrollably, wrapping her arms around your neck.

You pull away to help her completely yank off her leggings, then you reach for her socks.

"Wait, not the socks!" She says, stopping you.

"Huh?" You pull your hand back.

"I read that it's better to keep them on. It's supposed to lead to better orgasms."

"You... read that somewhere?" You squint.

"...yes?"

"Leslie... what kind of stuff do you read?"

"Shut up. Shuuuuut up and kiss me," she shakes her head, turning a bit red as she pulls you in again.

...

Her arms stay wrapped around you as the two of you stay in missionary, craving the feeling of your skin brushing against hers.

You thrust into her again, making her face contort with pleasure as the bed gently rocks. She looks up at you with love and lust in her eyes as she lies on her back, not needing to say a single word to show you how much she was enjoying this.

She spreads her legs even further for you to get as deep as possible, and you grip her thigh with one hand for leverage while your other rests on the bed beside her.

You repeatedly buck your hips downward, sending wave after wave of ecstasy through her body as her tightest spots get stretched out.

"~~ah~~, just like that," she pants, holding onto your body and wrapping her legs around you. "Keep going, baby," she whispers. "I'm getting close."

You pick your chin up to lock lips with her, slowly making out with her as your body continues to rock with hers.

You use your free hand to reach down and play with her clit, making her coo in appreciation as you gently rub and flick her sensitive skin around her cleanly-shaven area. "More..."

You exert yourself to keep fucking her at the same pace she loved, paying attention to exactly what made her tingle with desire. She bites her lip and tightens her grip on you, tensing up as she holds back her orgasm, letting it build up as your fingers and shaft work together to bring her to the edge.

She grabs your face with both hands and slams your lips down into hers for a deep, sloppy kiss as she orgasms, finally bursting the bubble of sexual tension she'd felt for far too long. Her pussy clamps down on your cock, making you shudder in delight. She groans like an animal, nearly blacking out as you continue pushing her through the waves of pleasure.

You gently slow your pace as she recovers, and her arms and legs drop down to the bed, covered by a thin layer of sweat.

You gently pull out of her, seeing your cock flooded with her juices.

She closes her eyes, catching her breath for a moment.

"I missed you so much..." She finally speaks up.

You lean over and kiss her, glad that she was content, but secretly hoping she wasn't quite satiated yet.

"Round two?" She asks, reading your mind.

"Yes, please!" You announce, making her giggle.

...

She grinds her hips back and forth on top of you, letting your cock rub against many new places in her walls. Your hands rest on her thighs, one on either side of you, gently gripping the soft flesh beneath your fingers. Her hands rest on your arms, gently rubbing them as she softly warms both of you up, creating heated friction between your groins that enhances the feeling.

"Have you gotten even bigger since your accident?" She half-jokes. "I don't remember it feeling quite like this..." She pants out, twitching slightly as your shaft rubs her g-spot, buried further back along the top of her walls.

"Maybe it's just been a long time," you suggest, letting her tight body wrap around your shaft like a warm blanket while the jiggling flesh of her thighs continues to entice you.

"We should do this again soon," she requests, speeding up the pace of her grinding.

"We're not even done and you're already thinking about the next time? Mm mm, you're impatient, Leslie..." You tease, making her lean forward, tightening her snatch's grip around your cock, and making you groan as she manages to sink even further, taking the very base of your shaft into her.

"Maybe I am," she admits, now inches away from you. Her gorgeous face smiles down at you, and you can't resist picking your head up to give her a peck on the lips. "But after I'm done with you, I think you're the one who's gonna be begging to get with me again," she boldly claims, beginning to lift her hips up.

"What! You think you- Ah, fff~~" You moan as she unexpectedly drops her hips down, reabsorbing your entire shaft into her molded cavern in one motion.

"Damn, that's- ahh~~" You groan again as she tightens her body, slowly pulling up again. She bites her lip, feeling every vein and protrusion of your shaft rub against her insides.

She drops down again, her butt making a satisfying clapping sound as it lands on your body.

She slowly pulls up, her pace beginning to antagonize you. "Leslie... more."

"More?" She asks. "Hmm, sounds a little impatient to me..."

You shake your head. "You're so cruel..."

She grins, leaning forward for a kiss. "Fine."

She sits up straight and begins bouncing on your lap at a steady speed, finally giving both of you what you wanted. Her boobs jiggle in the air, and the sound of her ass slamming down on you was too arousing to not want more of.

"Is this nice?" She asks, keeping her hands on your arms to hold herself straight up.

"Amazing, Leslie..." You groan, holding her sides as she rides you.

"Good." She leans in again to meet your lips, drawing air from your lungs as she passionately makes out with you. Her hips now do most of the work, lifting her butt up in the air and dropping it back down on your rock-hard shaft.

Your hands reach back to cup her ass, giving it a tiny slap and making her giggle.

"Thank you..." She whispers.

"Huh?" You blink, hearing a surprising sincerity in her tone.

"Huh? Oh... I didn't mean to say that..." She says, suddenly seeming very vulnerable as she looks down into your eyes.

"Why did you?" You ask.

She purses her lips. "I'm sorry if this isn't the right time to say all this. But... thank you for coming back. Thank you for living. I don't know what I would do without you," she whispers.

You grin. "I'm sure your guitar would be more than good enough."

"WHA-!" She instantly slaps your arm. "Don't say that! And... don't call it that! Ugh!" She giggles nonetheless, feeling the comedic relief relax her as she loosens up again.

"You didn't mean that, right? About you being... replaceable?"

You shake your head. "No, I know how important I am to you. Because you're equally important to me."

She sighs, settling down on your cock and sitting up. "You know, I was actually thinking about something earlier. What if-"

"Leslie?" You interject.

"Huh? What?"

"Uh... we're kind of... in the middle of something?" You awkwardly point out.

She looks down at your entangled bodies. "Oh!"

...

"Almost..." You groan as you thrust your hips up to match her bouncing body. She arches her back, exposing her flat stomach, sharp collarbones, and firm breasts even more in the overhead light. If her sexy body wasn't enough, the way her pussy gripped you like a lifeline was going to push you over the edge any moment now.

"Fuuuck, please, cum inside me," she begs, already drooling over in anticipation of your warm seed entering her.

You lift your hips up further, making her confused for a second before you grab her hips and begin pounding her, preventing her from riding you at her own pace as you instead fuck her quickly and powerfully from beneath.

Her hair bounces all over the place as your cock rams into her at a monstrous, unsustainable speed, quickly making a mess of her appearance. But she doesn't mind, and instead merely lets out a continuous moan, perfectly happy to be under your control and handled from beneath. The friction between you quickly becomes too much, and you hold back for just a moment longer before finally hitting your peak.

You burst inside her, shooting your seed while your cock stays completely buried inside her. You squeeze her body tightly as your cock pulses, carrying rope after rope of your cum into her.

"...yesyesYES~!" She groans as your warmth floods her, making her body twitch in delight. She orgasms alongside you, unable to resist after feeling your copious release.

Just like she had done after her orgasm, you lie back on the bed, thoroughly exhausted.

She remains on top of you, sheathing your cock.

"Shit... that was amazing, Leslie. I hope I didn't go overboard at the end there."

After a few seconds, you look over, your confusion vanishing as you see her lying down beside you, her body still convulsing with the after-effects of her own orgasm.

"Yeah... it was," she breathlessly lets out. "I loved it."

"So... round three?" You grin, knowing neither of you had the strength to go through with it.

"NOOOOO..." She groans. "I can't take it. Not after that..."

You roll over to her and wrap one arm around her. "Me neither. Let's cuddle?"

She heartily nods, holding out her arms. "Yay! Cuddles!"

...

She grips you like a teddy bear, with both arms around your chest and back and one leg draped over you. Your nude bodies keep each other warm, and her warm breath tickles your neck.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" She asks, planting a kiss on your collarbone.

"A few too many times, I think," you giggle.

"What? There's no such thing as t-too many..."

Her body tenses, and the room becomes silent as her sentence grinds to a halt.

"Leslie?" you whisper. "You ok?"

She pulls away from you and rolls onto her back.

"Hey, what's wrong?" You quickly ask, trying to diagnose the problem from the unfamiliar look in her eyes.

"I fucked up," she mutters to herself. "Oh no, I fucked up..."

"Leslie...?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she reassures you. "It's just that... Aria told me she's been wanting to talk to you for a while now, and I just kept you for way too long. I think you should go see her now," she says, pursing her lips. "I hope she's not mad..."

"Oh," you sigh, relieved. "That's it? What does she want to talk about?"

She stares at you. "What does she want to talk about?" She repeats, incredulously.

"Yeah. What does she want to talk to me about?" You slowly ask again, not understanding her demeanor.

"After you told all of us you wanted to date us," she explains, taking your hand, "Miyoung and I told you how we felt, and then you and Rae made up too. But did you and Aria ever have another conversation? Did she ever tell you her decision?"

Your eyes widen.

She nods, seeing that you understood. You jolt out of bed, feeling your heart pounding.

"Shit, we never have! I was so focused on you, Miyoung, and Rae, and then the other girls that I met, I completely forgot..."

You shake your head, admonishing yourself for being so forgetful.

You throw your shirt on and haphazardly pull your pants up after finding them. You brush back your hair, trying to appear presentable.

"Ok. I'll go see her now. Bye, Leslie."

"Good luck!" She waves. "I'll be going out now, but tell me how it went later!"

You start making your way down the hall, passing by your room and to Aria's.

Wait, why am I so stressed? Aria's really nice! She'll probably just tell me that she wants to date me, and I'll say the same, and everything will be just like it was before.

Yeah! There's nothing to worry about.

You gently knock three times on the door, feeling your confidence return to you.

"Come in."

You slowly enter, as Aria's gaze turns up to you. She was sitting comfortably on her gaming chair in front of her computer, with both knees pulled up to her chin and her neat, straight hair hanging loose behind her shoulders. She holds a fork in one hand, wrapping her arm around her knees to reach into the half-eaten salad bowl on her desk.

"Hey, Aria," you say, trying to sound casual. "What's up?"

"Leslie must've told you to talk to me," she deduces, not even attempting to hide her disappointment as she sighs.

"I'm really sorry, Aria, I've just had a lot on my plate. I care about you a lot, and I promise I-"

"No, don't."

She instantly stops herself, biting back the rest of her words.

Her icy tone shoots dread through your mind.

"Huh?"

"...don't say that..." She mutters, looking down at her food.

"Don't say... what? That I care about you? I'm sorry if it hasn't seemed like that lately, but I really do," you reply, sitting down on her bed.

"Well, too bad."

"...what?" You meekly say, feeling your heart squeeze.

"I said... too bad," she emphasizes, stabbing her fork into her food harder.

"Aria!" You gasp. "You... what do you mean? Huh... what?" Your breath comes out labored and stressed, making it harder to talk.

She keeps her face away from your scrutinizing gaze, controlling her breathing.

"..."

"..."

"I don't want to be with you anymore," she finally reveals, her voice carrying a chilling decisiveness.

Your heart palpitates in your chest, and you blink, praying that you would wake up from this nightmare.

"No..." You exhale, shaking your head. "No way..."

"I'm sorry. I just don't want that anymore." She takes another bite of her food, munching quietly.

"..."

You stare down at your lap, feeling a strange, dark mess of emotions rising up in your body.

"Aria. Why?" Your voice cracks.

She remains silent, staring off into space. Neither of you say a word for an excruciating minute, and you hunch over, putting your head in your hands.

The fork in her hand snaps in two from her tense pressure, and you jolt back up, surprised.

"Because I just can't," she spits, her voice wavering.

"Aria, I-"

"Go. Just go. Please." Despite her being turned completely away from you, you could still see that she was shaking.

You stand up, walk to the door, and exit her bedroom faster than you could think of doing anything else.

She slowly puts her headphones on, not giving you another glance.

You close the door gently behind you, reentering into the familiar hallway. It had been mere minutes since you had left it, but now the hallways lights and doors felt much more unfamiliar as you walk through them.

I know I don't remember most of the years we spent together.

But they still happened, right? She's just... throwing all that away?

Am I really not the same person anymore? Have I changed that much?

Maybe Tina was right. Maybe I'm not... who I was... but...

Your knees buckle as you approach Miyoung's door, and you fall to your knees, unable to stay upright.

This feeling... it's...

You clutch your head as you feel some of the deepest recesses of your mind unlocking, revealing a dark ball of untouched memories.

H-huh... what... are these... memories?

You feel their presence lurking in the back of your subconscious, where you hadn't noticed them before. They give off an intimidating, fear-inducing vibe, but you nevertheless mentally reach out toward them.

...

"AHHHHHHH!"

Miyoung shoots up from her desk with a gasp, banging her knee on the wood. She doesn't notice the pain as she scrambles out of the room, desperately searching for the source of your voice.

"AH!" She screams as she sees you lying on the floor in front of her room, curled into a ball and clutching your temples.

"Hey, hey, hey, baby," she gently taps you, trying to calm her shaking voice.

Your eyes remain closed shut, and you tremble in place, making her lean back in fright.

"No!" She yelps. "What happened? Oh, shit..."

You suddenly release a big gasp, shooting your eyes open for the first time. You slowly sit up.

"...M-miyoung...?" You ask, blinking the droplets from your eyes and looking around you. "Why am I on the floor? And... my eyes are..." You rub them clear of the residual tears.

She stares at you, too stunned to speak.

"What happened? Miyoung?" You ask again.

"What... did you just remember?" She whispers.

"I..."

You put your hand over your heart, feeling it pounding incredibly quickly. Your hands are practically leaking sweat, and your body feels strange.

What...?

With what's happening to my body... I know what I must have been feeling:

Pure, unbridled fear.

But I have no idea why...

"I don't remember."

"Here, come on," Miyoung regains herself and stands up, helping you up. She gets you into her room and on the bed, where your bodily state slowly reverts to normal.

"What happened?" You ask again.

"You screamed," she starts. "It wasn't very loud, but it sounded really painful. I came running out and I saw you on the ground. I knew you must've remembered something from how you were holding your head. So... what was it?"

I must've remembered something. What... what was it?

"I don't fucking remember," you sigh, putting your hands over your face and rubbing your forehead.

"W-wait, really? But... you must have remembered something! Why else would you react-"

"I don't know, Miyoung!" You snap.

She quickly sits back, startled.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell," you whisper.

"It's ok," she gently rubs your hand. "Did something happen? Something that might've triggered that?"

"Hm..."

Aria! Aria... said no. Not just that she didn't want to date me, but... she looked like she wanted nothing to do with me.

God, that felt so awful... it still feels so awful...

"Um... yeah. Aria just told me... she doesn't want to be with me," you say, trying not to reveal how much it affected you.

She gasps. "What! Really? Oh, no..." She shakily sighs, gripping your hand. "That's... that's messed up! Why would she...? I thought she..." She mutters to herself, trying to decipher it.

"Yeah, tell me about it..." You groan. "Have I really changed... that much?" You mutter to yourself.

"What? No, no!" She vigorously shakes her head. "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. It can't be."

As you stare up at the ceiling, feeling nothing but the warmth of her hand on yours, you know you should be grateful for her words, but they feel empty.

"Come on, let's eat," Miyoung cuts in, seeing the despondent look growing on your face. "Rae's almost done making dinner for everyone. I'm sure that'll cheer you up!"

"...yeah, ok..."

...

You sit down in the one remaining seat, glancing around you at the six girls at the round table.

Miyoung, sitting to your right, reaches over and gives your thigh a small squeeze, reassuring you.

Leslie, sitting next to her, eyes you curiously, realizing that something was off. She looks back and forth between you, Miyoung, and Aria, but quickly turns her head down to her food whenever any of you looked up at her.

Sydney sits beside her, munching on her food while taking occasional glances around the table. Her gaze fixates on you, and she tilts her head suspiciously as she sees you nervously glancing around.

Tina sits next to Sydney, directly across from you at the table. She plays with her food, glancing up at you every so often. She mutters to herself, moving her lips so softly and quietly that no one could tell.

Rae sits next to her, happily munching on her food, pleasantly surprised at the flavor she'd achieved.

Finally, Aria sits with an oddly straight posture between you and Rae, barely touching her food.

You can hardly even face in her general direction, as the aura emanating from her stoic expression was frightening.

Why did I have to get seated next to her...?

Leslie's eyes widen as she finally makes the connection, and she clears her throat, trying not to choke on her food. Aria's eyes snap up to her, and Leslie instantly sits up straighter.

Aria quietly scoffs and wipes her perfectly clean mouth with her handkerchief.

Rae looks up and around at the table, squinting.

Miyoung exhales deeply, and you put your hand on hers, needing her presence next to you to prevent yourself from running upstairs.

You lock eyes with Tina for a moment, and she instantly puts her face down, disguising her action by scooping two spoonfuls of rice into her mouth.

"Ok... enough." Rae speaks up, setting down her spoon. Everyone's eyes dart up as she puts both hands down on the table and leans forward, addressing everyone.

"What the hell is going on?"