Chapter 198: Remember me soon

“But don’t worry,” Alex continued firmly. “We’ll sort this out.”

Lucas looked back at him quickly.

“I didn’t tell you that I’m unh…”

Alex interrupted him softly by massaging his hand gently between both of his.

“I already saw the answer in your eyes,” he said quietly. “You’re not happy. That marriage agreement is a mistake.”

Lucas froze.

“Don't worry, I’m going to get you out of that marriage.”

The certainty in Alex’s voice left Lucas staring at him in wonder.

This man spoke as though rescuing him was already decided.

As though loving him was the most natural thing in the world.

Alex smiled softly afterward.

“Trust me,” he murmured. “And please, unblock my number. May I have your phone?”

He stretched out his hand toward Lucas expectantly.

Lucas hesitated briefly before slowly handing him his phone. What happened next stunned him completely. Without asking for the password, Alex unlocked the phone effortlessly and navigated straight to the blocked contacts list. A second later, his number was unblocked.

Lucas blinked in disbelief.

“You know my passcode?”

Alex looked up with a small smile. “Yes, baby and you know mine too.”

Lucas stared harder at him.

“Yes, sweetheart, you do.”

Lucas felt his breath catch slightly yet again. “We were that close?” he asked almost inaudibly.

Alex’s expression softened with emotion. “Yes,” he answered gently. “Very close.”

Lucas couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Yet strangely enough,

A deeper part of him already did.

Alex slowly lifted Lucas’s hand toward his lips.

Before Lucas could react, he pressed a soft kiss against the back of his hand.

The simple gesture sent an unexpected warmth rushing through Lucas’s chest.

Alex’s eyes were filled with longing as he looked at him.

“Baby,” he whispered, “I pray you remember me soon… because I’ve missed you so much.”

Lucas felt his heartbeat stumble again.

At that exact moment, Emily walked to the table. She paused dramatically the instant she spotted Alex sitting there.

“Oh, Alex? Is that you?” she asked as though surprised.

Alex immediately stood with a smile. “Emily, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” she replied casually while settling back into her seat.

Lucas looked between them suspiciously for a second, though both acted naturally enough to hide their arrangement.

Alex glanced at Lucas again before opening his arms slightly.

“Can I at least get a hug?” he asked hopefully.

Lucas instantly became awkward. “I don’t think that's good…”

“Oh, come on,” Emily interrupted lightly. “Alex is your friend. He deserves a hug.”

Lucas hesitated briefly before finally standing up. The moment he stepped closer, Alex wrapped his arms around him gently.

Lucas stiffened at first.

But Alex held him like someone embracing something precious to him. Slowly he leaned closer toward his ear and whispered. Just enough that only Lucas could hear him.

“Baby… please remember me soon.”

Before Lucas could process the words, Alex pressed a quick peck against his cheek.

Lucas froze completely in shock.

Alex pulled back immediately with a faint smile, though longing still lingered in his eyes.

“Take care of yourself,” he said softly. Then he turned and walked away.

Lucas remained standing there unconsciously watching him leave until Alex returned to Jason and Annie’s table.

Only after Alex sat down did Lucas slowly return to his seat.

His fingers instinctively lifted to the cheek Alex had kissed. And before he realized it, a small smile appeared on his lips.

Emily gasped dramatically. “Oh my gosh…” she whispered teasingly. “Did you just blush?”

Lucas’s eyes widened slightly before he quickly looked down shyly. “Please don’t tease me,” he muttered quietly. “I’m already in enough of a confused state. I'm really regretting getting into that marriage.”

Emily’s teasing expression softened slightly. “Maybe sometimes you could sneak out to a bar and have a drink with Alex,” she suggested casually. “It might trigger something.”

Lucas immediately looked uncertain. “That sounds risky.”

“No, it’s not,” Emily replied quickly. “He’s your friend, that’s all. One or two bottles won’t hurt anybody.”

She leaned slightly closer. “Just think about it, okay?”

Lucas remained quiet for a moment before finally nodding faintly. “Hmm…okay.”

Deep down, the idea already lingered in his mind and he would take that chance.

By the time Lucas returned home later that night, Derby wasn’t around. The silence in the house brought him relief.

He headed straight to his room, took a long shower, then locked the bedroom door before relaxing against the bed.

For the first time in days, his mind felt strangely lighter.

About an hour later, he heard the front door downstairs slam shut.

Soon afterward came Derby’s loud footsteps and irritated voice drifting through the hallway.

Lucas sighed quietly and shut his eyes.

A few minutes later, a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

“Lucas?” Derby called from outside. “Open the door.”

Lucas stared at the ceiling silently and ignored her completely.

Another knock came, then another but Lucas didn't respond.

Eventually, the footsteps faded away. Lucas slowly smiled to himself after the silence returned.

“I can’t wait to get my memories back,” he whispered, “so I can get away from you, Derby.”

His eyes drifted shut afterward.

But instead of thinking about Derby, his mind returned to Mountview Restaurant.

Alex sat opposite him, with a warm smile on his face. Then the way he called him baby with so much love.

Unconsciously, Lucas touched his cheek again where Alex had kissed him earlier. A smile curled his lips.

“Oh gosh, what's this, let me remember him please.”

He sat up on the bed. The room was completely dark except for the faint moonlight slipping through the curtains.

Lucas lay back on his bed staring at the ceiling, yet sleep refused to come no matter how many times he shut his eyes.

Every single time he tried to relax, Alex’s face appeared in his mind again. His soft smile and the tenderness in his eyes. The way his voice trembled slightly when he said, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Oh gosh,” Lucas whispered and turned onto his side with a frustrated sigh and pulled the blanket higher.

Why was he thinking about him this much? He had only spent a little time talking to Alex tonight, yet it felt as though the man had quietly settled into every corner of his mind.

Lucas shut his eyes again.

Immediately, he remembered Alex kissing his hand gently across the table. Then his cheek and that sweet hug before it.

His heart skipped strangely.

Lucas groaned softly and covered his face with his hands.

“This is crazy…” he muttered under his breath.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop replaying everything Alex had said to him.

You’ll always be my baby. You love me. We were very close. Baby, you're my world.

Those words wrapped around his heart in a way he couldn’t explain.

And what affected him most was the sincerity behind them.

Alex didn’t speak like someone forcing affection. He spoke like someone who had truly loved him deeply.

Lucas slowly lowered his hand from his face and stared blankly into the darkness again. A painful ache settled in his chest.

Why does he believe everything Alex said was true? What if there really had been something beautiful between them before the accident?

The thought made Lucas’s throat tighten emotionally. He wanted to remember. God… he wanted to remember so badly. Even just one memory, one moment, or anything at all about him.