Chapter 56
Chapter 56 (Alex’s POV)
“Who are you?”
That’s what I asked her.
The girl standing in front of me.
The girl with shaking hands and eyes like a storm.
She didn’t answer right away. She just stared at me like she was seeing a ghost.
And maybe she was.
Because in that moment, I felt like I was split in two—half of me trying to stay grounded in the life I knew, the other half being pulled toward something I couldn’t name.
Her.
\---
Rick raised his hands calmly.
“Alex,” he said. “It’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you.”
His voice sounded familiar. Too familiar.
Langston stood beside him, watching everything like a man who’d seen this before.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She was holding a red book. The one I left here. I didn’t know why it mattered until I saw her clutch it like it meant something sacred.
Her lips parted.
“Alex… it’s me.”
The words made my chest tighten.
“I don’t… know you,” I said again, softer this time.
Langston stepped forward, but the girl held up a hand to stop him. She never broke eye contact with me.
Rick looked between us, then gave Langston a small nod.
“Let’s give them some space,” he said.
Langston hesitated. “You’re sure?”
“She’s the only one he might trust.”
They stepped back into the hallway and out of sight.
Now it was just me and her.
\---
We stood in silence for a long moment. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
Then she took a slow step closer.
“It’s okay if you don’t remember me,” she said, her voice shaking. “But I remember you.”
My jaw clenched. My head throbbed.
“You keep showing up in my dreams,” I said. “But I never knew if you were real.”
She smiled faintly. “I could say the same about you.”
Her voice. It did something to me. Pulled at something deep.
“I think I’m going crazy,” I whispered.
“You’re not.”
She moved even closer, gently holding out the book.
“You gave this to me,” she said. “On a train. It was raining. We’d just missed our stop because we were laughing too much.”
Flashes hit me.
Laughter.
Rain.
Her hand in mine.
But they vanished as quickly as they came.
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking a shaky breath. “I can’t… hold onto it.”
“That’s okay,” she whispered. “I’ll hold it for both of us.”
\---
She reached out and touched my hand.
And just like that, something shifted.
I didn’t pull away.
I didn’t want to.
Her hand was warm. Familiar. Like a memory I hadn’t earned yet.
She stepped closer again, eyes locked to mine.
“You used to say I talked too much,” she said with a sad laugh. “And you always kept an extra key under your pillow, even though I teased you for it.”
Another flicker.
My room. A girl curled up beside me. Her hair against my chest.
I flinched.
She saw it.
“Do you remember?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Then let me try one more thing.”
\---
Before I could ask what she meant, she leaned in—
And kissed me.
\---
It wasn’t slow.
It wasn’t hesitant.
It was desperate.
Real.
Her hands curled behind my neck, pulling me closer like she was holding on for dear life.
My body reacted before my mind did.
My arms wrapped around her.
And for a moment—just one long, breaking moment—I remembered everything.
\---
Her laugh in the mornings.
The way she stirred tea instead of coffee.
How she cried during animated movies and tried to hide it.
The way she’d whisper my name when I held her like this.
I remembered it all.
Like a dam had finally burst.
And the flood of memories washed through me so fast, so hard, I couldn’t breathe.
I pulled away with a gasp, my forehead resting against hers.
“I remember you,” I whispered, voice cracking. “Nell… I remember everything.”
But she didn’t answer.
\---
She was staring at me.
Eyes wide.
Mouth slightly open.
Like she wanted to speak but didn’t know how.
“Nell?”
She blinked.
Then frowned.
“I… wait.”
She pulled back slightly, her brows knitting together.
“I don’t… I don’t feel good.”
My hands gripped her arms. “What’s wrong?”
She swayed.
“I don’t know. My head… it’s foggy. I…”
Langston’s voice rang from the hallway.
“Rick, get in here!”
\---
They ran in just as Nell collapsed into my arms.
Rick caught her shoulder.
“What happened?!”
“I don’t know,” I said quickly. “She kissed me and then—”
Langston knelt beside us and checked her eyes.
“She triggered it,” he said.
“Triggered what?” I asked, panic rising.
Langston’s face was pale. “The backup implant.”
Rick swore under his breath.
“She pushed too hard,” Langston said. “She tried to break the bond and it flipped the signal back onto her.”
“She’s losing her memory?” I asked.
Langston nodded. “Piece by piece.”
I looked down at her. She was still breathing, but barely focused.
“Stay with me,” I whispered. “Please.”
She blinked slowly. “Who…?”
Her voice broke.
And so did I.