Ch 963 - Intoxicating

Everyone took a few hours to settle into their new, temporary, accommodations.

Yvonne wasn't sure how she felt about having so many people in her house. Let alone her friends founding out that she was the daughter of the Button Boy of Baltimore. A small part of her had enjoy the fact that she could finally be open about it with them. However, a much larged part was annoyed. She had enjoyed being seen as an ordinary person, someone who didn't have money to flash around. Now, the careful illusion she had maintained was gone.

Home had never been this alive before, she realized as she passed through the living room. Alex was sitting on the sofa with a notepad and pen, Flora and Gideon on either side of him.

"You need to call the insurance company, too," Gideon was saying. "They need to be aware that all the security systems are completely down!"

"Yes, Dad, I know," Alex said. There wa sa frustrated edge to his voice as he hurriedly scribbled something down on a notepad. His phone was sitting on the coffee table in front of him as Flora and Gideon helped him list everybody he would need to call.

Debbie used to do that for him, Yvonne thought as she entered the kitchen. Her eeys widened when she saw Christopher standing there. He looked at her, puzzled, then smiled and waved, and brushed past her awkwardly as he let the kitchen

Once everyone had settled in, Yvonne enjoyed a little alone time in her dining room. A steaming cup of nighttime tea sat in front of her. She inhaled its intoxicating aroma and allowed herself to relax. The day had been a long one. Alex had gone bankrupt in the space of a few minutes. When his power had been shut off, he had called the electric company and they had tol dhim his payment had bounced. Now, they were holed up in Yvonne's house while they figured out their next moves.

She could hear Alex in the living room, on the phone to representatives from the various companies he owed money to.

"Yes, I understand," he was saying. "I know my payment bounced, I'm just calling to check if the details you have about me are correct." There was a lengthy silence as the representative answered, during which Yvonne took a sip of her tea.

"Those sound like the right details," Alex replied. "What I don't understand is where my money went." Another lengthy silence followed. "What do you mean you can't disclose that information? If there's a suspicion transaction, aren't you supposed to tell me what that transaction is?"

Yvonne was getting a little tired of hearing that conversation, and she suspected that Alex was getting tired of having it. Flora and Gideon were with him every step of the way. Yvonne could hear their voices, a lot quieter than Alex's voice.

"Can I join you?"

Yvonne looked up to see Christopher hovering over her. She hadn't noticed that he had was even there.

"Sure," she said, a little confused.

Christopher took a seat next to her, and looked away shyly. Together, they cringed as Alex shouted at the poor representative of yet another company.

"This has got to be the most bizarre thing that had happened to us," Yvonne said out loud. Then, she thought,. "Actually, it's probably the most normal thing that's ever happened."

She looked at Christopher. Upon seeing his confused expression, she explained, "Ah, sorry. Amnesia. Right," she held her tea in both hands as she explained. "You'll remember eventually, but at one point a bunch of super soldiers were chasing us around Baltimore. There was also a very jarring moment where a building literally collapsed on top of a guy called Riley Naysmith." A part of her couldn't help but smile. "Thankfully, he's out of our hair for now."

"I see," Christopher said slowly. He was silent for a minute. "Thank you, for putting us up like this. I don't want to impose on you."

Yvonne furrowed her brow. "Of course you're not imposing on me," she said. "What makes you think that?"

Then, she realized.

Oh, she thought. He can't remember that we're friends.

"Sorry," she said, cringing. "What you need to know is that you and I, we've never really spent much time together, but we are good friends."

"Okay," Christopher said, nodding. "I think that makes me feel more comfortable. It's been such a wild day."

"You can say that again," Yvonne muttered into her cup. She took a sip of tea.

"It's been such a wild day," Christopher repeated.

Yvonne choked on her tea as she laughed. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. She looked over at Christopher. He was smiling so much that his eyes had lit up.

"You told me to say it again," he said, shrugging his shoulders. Then, he checked his watch. "I think I'm going to start winding down for the night. See you in the morning?"

Yvonne nodded and set her tea down.

He's really cute, she thought as he walked away. For some reason, that thought both alarmed and comforted her. She knew that there was something about Christopher that she really liked, and she was growing more and more concerned that it would disappear if he ever got his memories back.

It was nine o'clock in the evening when Yvonne decided she wanted to go to bed. It had been a long day.

After she finished brushing her teeth in her ensuite bathroom, someone knocked at her bedroom door. She opened it to find Christopher standing in the hallway. He was wearing a bathrobe and a pair of checked pajama pants. 

"Hey," he replied. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." She stood to the side and allowed him in.

Suddenly, Christopher wrapped his arms around Yvonne in a warm, caring embrace. She did nothing to break the hug. 

"Thank you," he said. "For helping me these last few days. You're amazing. A miracle worker."

"Thank me when you get your memory back," she said, smiling into his chest.

Christopher pulled away slightly. His lips were tantalizingly close to hers.

"Do you think I could sleep here tonight?" he asked, half-closing his eyes. 

Yvonne pulled away and sat on the edge of her bed, looking up at Christopher. He sat next to her, his weight depressing the box spring mattress. She felt how warm he was when he gently touched her on the arm. 

"I don't see the harm," she replied, leaning in. Christopher put a hand on her chest and gave her a gentle shove. She let herself fall backward onto the duvet, and he slowly crawled up the bed, so they were eye to eye. They stared at each other longingly for a very long time. 

"You're wonderful," Christopher said. He reached up and started to stroke her hair. It felt nice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling his cologne. It was intoxicating. 

She could feel his warmth breath against her skin as he stroked her hair. She swallowed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She stared up into his eyes and felt a sense of certainty that she had never experienced before. 

It's finally happening, she thought, excited.

"Do you want this?" she asked. 

"More than anything," he said. "I may have lost my memory, but I know how I feel about you."

"What if you get your memory back," she began, "But then you forget about us?"

He shook his head. "That won't happen. I promise."

He leaned in to kiss her. Just as their lips were about to touch, Flora burst into her bedroom, complaining about the "primitive" coffee machine. She touched her face. It felt hot, but she took a few deep breaths, and she began to cool down. 

Christopher jumped off the bed, and Yvonne rolled herself up into a seated position, her heart racing.

"It only grinds the beans to a fine setting," she said, as if it was the most horrible thing in the world. "Beans need to be ground on a coarse setting. That's how you extract most of the flavor from the bean." She stopped in the doorway, thankfully not looking at Yvonne. 

"Mrs. Ambrose!" Yvonne said, crossing her legs. "How nice to see you! I'm sorry, why were you looking at my coffee machine at this time of night?"

Flora gave her a stunned look, as though she didn't understand the question. 

"I wanted to see what I would be dealing with," she said in a tight voice. "I need my coffee in the morning, and the machine I have is streamlined to make the process easier."

"I see," said Yvonne. "Well that's all well and good, but that coffee machine was a gift from my father. It has sentimental value. 

Yvonne looked over at Christopher as Flora started to talk about the importance of status and high-class objects. Yvonne was only half paying attention. Her mind was fixed on something, someone, else. She felt cold without Christopher there, but she was even more embarrassed knowing that Alex's mom had just walked in on her canoodling with her son's friend. 

"My dear Yvonne," Flora was saying, "I implore you, please let me hire someone to upgrade your home. Or just let Ken do it. He's an artist!"

"How about I show you how to use my coffee machine?" she offered, "You might like it. Even if you can get someone here, it'll be a few days. At least give it a whirl!"

Flora sighed, then said. "If I must."

Casting Christopher another apologetic smile, Yvonne led Flora down the stairs and into the kitchen, her heart longing for Christopher's touch. 

**********

Back at Enrichment headquarters, Lincoln shredded the last piece of evidence directly linking him to Alex's newfound bankruptcy. The shredder whirred and protested, but it took the documents with limited complaint. He was aware that Debbie and Mark were watching him, but he didn't care.

Out in the breakroom, Todd Dangles and Riley Naysmith sat at the table. Riley was doing a crossword puzzle, while Dangles was lamenting his role in all of this. 

"I was this close to getting what we needed," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger close together. "And then he goes and kicks me out."

"That's absolutely awful," said Riley, though he wasn't really paying attention. He tugged at the collar of his turtleneck as he thought about his puzzle. 

Lincoln came strolling out of the office, his head held high, and dusting his hands of the dirty work. 

"Everything's done," he said. "Now, we can move to the next phase of the plan." 

Dangles and Riley looked up at Lincoln. 

"But what about the captives?" Dangles asked.

Lincoln's face darkened. "I have just the thing."