Chapter 115: A Stranger?

Cecilia

His hands tightened on my waist, and for a second I thought he was gonna give in. But then he was lifting me off his lap and setting me on my feet, breathing hard and looking almost pained.

"Not yet," he said firmly, though his voice shook.

I stared at him. He looked like he was holding himself together by sheer willpower, and suddenly I felt awful for pushing.

"Okay," I said softly, reaching out to touch his face. "Okay, I'm sorry. I just—I want to feel close to you, and I thought—"

"I know." He caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. "I know, baby. But I need you to be completely healed first."

I looked up at him, feeling heat flood through me despite his rejection—or maybe because of it, because there was something about the way he was holding himself back that made me want him even more.

"Fine," I said, trying to sound casual even though my voice came out breathy. "But when I'm better, you better make it worth the wait."

Something dark and promising flickered in his eyes. "Have I ever not satisfied you before?"

The question hit me like a physical blow, and suddenly I was remembering—oh god, I was remembering—all those nights, the way he'd made me fall apart over and over, the way my body had responded to his touch like it was made for him.

My face went absolutely nuclear.

"I—you—that's not—" I couldn't form a coherent sentence, and Arthur's expression shifted into something smug and satisfied as he watched me struggle.

"That's what I thought," he said, his voice dropping to that low register that always made my stomach flip.

"Well," I managed, trying to salvage some dignity even as my face burned hot enough to melt steel, "it needs to be even better than before. Like, way better."

"Done," he said simply, and the absolute confidence in his voice made my knees go weak.

I needed to get out of here before I completely lost my mind and jumped him despite his very reasonable concerns about my health.

"I'm going to—I need to—Alice!" I practically ran for the door, and behind me I heard Arthur's low chuckle that made everything worse and better at the same time.

I found Alice exactly where I'd left her in the conservatory, sitting on the piano bench with her phone in her hands and worry written all over her face. She looked up the moment I burst through the door.

"Ceci!" She was on her feet immediately, crossing to me. "Are you okay? Did Arthur tell you what—"

"He didn't tell me anything," I said, trying to catch my breath and failing because my brain was still stuck on the memory of his hands on my skin. "I'm fine. He said I'll remember when I'm ready."

Alice studied my face for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You will. Your brain is just protecting you right now, but it'll come back."

Before I could respond, footsteps echoed in the hallway and a man appeared in the doorway.

He crossed the room and pulled Alice against his side, his arm wrapping around her waist with casual possession, and Alice melted into him like she'd been waiting for exactly that.

I stood there watching them, feeling... confused.

Max caught me staring and grinned. "Damn, Ceci. You really don't remember shit, do you? And here I thought we were tight. I'm wounded."

"I—" I frowned, trying to focus. "Alice's boyfriend?"

"Yes." He paused, then added with mock offense, "Also? I'm the guy who dropped serious cash on that ridiculous custom phone for your welcome-back present. The one with all the security features you geek out over. Ring any bells?"

"Oh my god," I said, my hand flying to my mouth. "Is Max! I'm so sorry, I—"

"Relax." He was still grinning, but his eyes were kind. "I'm just busting your balls. Alice filled me in on the whole memory situation."

"Losing my memory felt terrible," I said, and meant it. "Like someone took an eraser to parts of my brain."

"You'll get it all back soon," Alice said gently, squeezing my hand. "Don't stress about it."

"Yeah, just remember all the times you bailed our asses out," Max said, then deliberately pulled Alice closer and kissed her—slow and thorough in a way that made me feel like I was intruding on something private. When they broke apart, Alice's face was flushed pink, and Max looked entirely too pleased with himself.

I looked at the two of them standing there all wrapped up in each other, Max's hand sliding into Alice's back pocket while she played with the collar of his shirt, and suddenly I felt very much like a third wheel.

"I should go," I said, backing toward the door. "Let you two have some alone time. I'm just gonna—yeah."

I practically fled back to the bedroom, my face hot with embarrassment.

The room was quiet and dim. I climbed onto the bed, intending to just lie down for a minute and collect myself.

But the moment my head hit the pillow, something flashed through my mind—sharp and sudden and terrifying.

A dark shape in the doorway. A figure moving toward me. The paralyzing sensation of not being able to move, not being able to scream, not being able to do anything except lie there helpless while—

I sat up so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash, my heart hammering against my ribs, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps.

What the hell was that?

It felt like a memory, but it couldn't be. Could it?

I shook my head hard, trying to dislodge the image, trying to convince myself it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

That's when the door opened.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, my whole body going rigid with fear before my brain caught up and recognized Arthur standing in the doorway, his expression shifting immediately from concerned to alarmed when he saw my face.

"Ceci?" He was across the room in three strides, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling me against his chest. "Baby, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I—" My voice came out shaky and small. "I don't know. I just—I had this weird memory, or maybe it was a dream? I don't know. But there was someone in the doorway. A stranger. And I couldn't move, couldn't—"

"Come here." He stood, keeping one arm around me as he guided me toward the door. "Let me show you something."

We stepped out into the hallway, and Arthur gestured to the empty corridor, the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows at the far end, catching dust motes in its beams and making everything look peaceful and safe.

"Look," he said softly, his hand warm and solid on my shoulder. "No one's here. Just you and me. And I promise, as long as I'm here, no one is going to hurt you. Ever."

I stared down the empty hallway, trying to reconcile the fear that had gripped me moments ago with the peaceful, sunlit reality in front of me.

"But it felt so real," I whispered.

"I know." He turned me to face him. "Your brain is processing a lot right now. Sometimes that means weird dreams, strange memories that don't quite fit together. But I promise you're safe. I'm here."

I looked up at him, taking in the absolute certainty in his eyes. In the end, I chose to believe him.

We were heading back to the room in each other’s arms when a voice came from behind us. “Mr. Winston.”