Chapter 132: I Think I Like You...

~~~~~~ Amelia’s POV ~~~~~

The room was quiet.

Everyone was asleep.

The only sound filling the room was the soft, steady beeping of the monitor beside my bed. Every few seconds, the machine reminded me that I was still there, still breathing, still alive.

The lights had been turned down, leaving the room covered in a soft darkness. The faint light from the hallway slipped through the small opening beneath the door, while the glow from the machines cast pale shadows across the walls.

I slowly opened my eyes. For a moment, I didn’t move.

I stared at the ceiling, trying to remember where I was.

The hospital.

The thought came easily this time. At least I remembered that.

I slowly turned my head to the side. My eyes immediately landed on Sylvia.

She was lying beside me, still holding my hand. She must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

Her head rested gently against the pillow, and her breathing was slow and peaceful. Her face looked completely different while she slept. There was no sadness in her eyes, no worry on her face, and no fear.

She simply looked peaceful.

I stared at her. I didn’t know how long I had been watching her.

Something about seeing her like this made me smile.

I didn’t understand why. I didn’t remember her.

That was the strange part.

I knew her name was Sylvia. I knew she was my girlfriend, or at least, that was what everyone had told me.

But when I looked at her, I couldn’t remember loving her.

I couldn’t remember our first meeting. I couldn’t remember anything about us. I couldn’t remember the first time she held my hand.

I couldn’t remember any of the memories that were supposed to connect us.

Yet somehow, looking at her sleeping beside me didn’t feel wrong.

It felt natural... almost too natural.

My eyes slowly moved over her face.

A few strands of her hair had fallen across her forehead while she slept. I stared at the loose strands for a moment, and then, without thinking, I lifted my hand.

My fingers moved slowly toward her face.

I gently tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. My fingers brushed against her soft skin for only a second before I pulled my hand back.

I looked at her again.

Why did I care about her?

The question came into my mind again.

I didn’t have an answer.

I didn’t remember her. So why did I feel this strange need to take care of her?

Why did I notice when her hair was out of place?

Why did I want to make sure she was comfortable?

Why did holding her hand make me feel safe?

I lowered my eyes to our hands. Her fingers were still wrapped around mine. Even while sleeping, she hadn’t let go.

My chest tightened slightly. I didn’t understand what that meant.

Maybe it was because she was my girlfriend.

Maybe my mind had forgotten her, but some other part of me hadn’t.

The thought made me smile faintly. I slowly turned onto my side so I could face her properly.

Sylvia was still sleeping. Her lips were slightly parted, and her breathing was soft.

I watched her peaceful face.

There was something beautiful about her when she wasn’t trying to hide her emotions.

I had seen her cry. I had seen the sadness in her eyes. I had seen the way she looked at me as if she was afraid that I might disappear.

But now, with her eyes closed, she looked completely vulnerable.

My gaze stayed on her face.

I still couldn’t remember her. Not even a little, but I wanted to know her.

I wanted to understand why she felt so familiar when my memories told me she was a stranger.

Slowly, I lifted my hand again.

This time, I didn’t stop. I reached toward her face and gently touched her cheek with my fingertip.

Her skin was warm. I traced the outline of her cheek slowly, almost afraid that she might wake up.

My finger moved toward her jaw.

I followed the line gently before moving back up toward her cheek.

I didn’t know what I was doing. I just wanted to feel her.

Maybe I was trying to find a memory hidden somewhere beneath my fingertips.

Maybe I was hoping that touching her would suddenly make everything return.

But nothing happened.

No memory appeared. No image came into my mind.

There was only the strange warmth spreading through my chest.

I continued tracing her face.

My finger moved toward her nose before slowly traveling down to her lips.

I stopped. My eyes remained on her mouth.

Her lips looked soft. For some reason, I couldn’t look away.

I swallowed.

Why was I thinking about kissing her?

I didn’t even remember kissing her before.

Yet the thought didn’t feel strange.

It felt natural.

Almost like something I had done many times.

My fingertip rested lightly against her lower lip. I slowly rubbed my thumb against her lips. They were soft beneath my touch.

A small smile appeared on my face.

"How will kissing your soft lips feel?" I murmured quietly.

The words had barely left my mouth when I heard a quiet voice.

"How about you try it now?"

My entire body froze and my eyes widened.

Sylvia’s lips curved into a small smile. She slowly opened her eyes.

I stared at her in shock.

She had been awake.

My face immediately became warm. I quickly tried to pull my hand away, but Sylvia was faster.

She gently caught my finger before I could move it completely.

My heart began beating faster.

"Sylvia..." My voice came out quieter than I expected.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she slowly lifted her head from the pillow.

Her eyes remained on mine. There was something soft in her expression.

Something warm. Something that made me even more nervous.

She gently held my hand and brought my finger toward her lips, and then she kissed my fingers.

My breath caught.

The kiss was soft.

A strange warmth moved through my body.

I stared at her, unable to say anything.

Why did something as simple as that make my heart beat so hard?

Sylvia slowly lowered my hand, then she leaned closer.

I could feel her warmth before her lips touched mine.

The kiss was gentle and soft.

Nothing rushed about it. Yet the moment her lips touched mine, my entire body seemed to react before my mind could understand what was happening.

My heart jumped. A strange feeling spread through my chest. For one moment, everything around me disappeared.

There was only Sylvia, her warmth, her lips, and the familiar feeling that I couldn’t explain.

I pulled away immediately. My face burned, and I quickly turned onto the other side, giving her my back.

I pulled the blanket slightly higher as if it could hide my embarrassment. My heart was still beating too quickly.

I heard Sylvia laugh softly behind me.

"You’re still the same, babe."

My face became even warmer. I pressed my lips together.

I didn’t know what to say.

I wanted to tell her that she was making me uncomfortable, but that wasn’t completely true.

I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was embarrassed.

There was a difference, right?

I stared at the wall in front of me.

Why did being close to her feel so good?

I slowly touched my lips with my fingertips.

I could still feel the warmth of her kiss.

My cheeks became hotter. Even though I couldn’t remember her, something inside me still responded to her.

Was that possible?

Could my heart remember something my mind couldn’t?

I didn’t know.

I closed my eyes for a moment. The question kept repeating inside my head.

Why did being close to her feel so good?

I turned slightly. Sylvia was still watching me with a small smile on her face.

She wasn’t laughing at me.

She simply looked happy. And seeing that smile made something inside me soften.

I looked away again.

"I don’t remember you," I whispered.

"I know." Her voice was gentle.

I swallowed. "But..."

I stopped.

Sylvia waited for what I wanted to say.

I didn’t know how to explain what I was feeling. I didn’t know how to put it into words.

I finally looked at her again. "But being close to you feels... good."

Sylvia’s smile slowly disappeared. Her eyes became softer. She looked at me as though those simple words meant more to her than I could understand.

I looked down at our hands. She was still holding mine, and I didn’t pull away.

Instead, I allowed my fingers to remain between hers.

My mind didn’t recognize her, but something deeper inside me seemed to.

I looked at her again. "Is it strange?"

"What?" Sylvia asked calmly.

"For me to feel like this when I don’t remember you?"

Sylvia shook her head.

"No." Her answer came immediately.

I studied her face. "How can you be sure?"

"Because you’re still you." Her voice was quiet. "You may not remember everything right now, but that doesn’t mean every feeling disappeared."

I remained silent. Her words stayed in my mind.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe memories weren’t the only things that connected people.

Maybe there were feelings that existed deeper than memories.

I looked at her hand holding mine.

Her fingers were warm. I slowly moved my thumb across the back of her hand.

Sylvia noticed and didn’t say anything.

For a while, we simply stayed like that. The room remained quiet around us.

Camila was still asleep on the sofa, her head resting against the back of it while Daniela slept peacefully with her head on Camila’s lap.

I looked at Sylvia. She was watching me.

"What?"

She smiled. "Nothing."

"You keep looking at me."

"I like looking at you." She said, gently smiling.

My cheeks warmed again, and I quickly looked away. "You say things like that so easily."

She laughed softly. "You used to complain about that."

I turned back toward her. "I did?"

Sylvia nodded. A small smile remained on her face.

"All the time."

I stared at her.

I wanted to remember. I wanted to see the moments she was talking about.

I wanted to know what kind of person I had been with her, but the moment I tried to force the memories, my head began to feel slightly heavy.

I stopped immediately.

Sylvia noticed. "Don’t." Her voice became serious.

I looked at her.

"Don’t try to remember."

I nodded slowly. "Okay."

She gently squeezed my hand. "Your memories will come back when they’re ready."

I looked at her. "And if they don’t?"

Sylvia’s expression softened. "Then I’ll stay until you make new ones."

My chest tightened.

I didn’t know why those words affected me so much. I looked down, trying to hide the emotions gathering inside me.

She didn’t know how frightening this was for me.

I had woken up one day and discovered that parts of my life were missing. People I was supposed to know felt like strangers. Places I was supposed to remember felt unfamiliar.

Even the person who was apparently my girlfriend was someone I couldn’t remember loving.

But Sylvia didn’t make me feel like I had lost everything.

She made me feel like there was still something left.

Something I could hold onto.

I slowly turned my hand and intertwined my fingers with hers.

Sylvia looked down at our joined hands and then at me.

I slowly moved closer to her. Sylvia looked surprised for a moment, and then she smiled.

I rested my head against the pillow and looked at her. "Don’t tell anyone I said this."

She raised an eyebrow. "Said what?"

I hesitated and then I whispered, "I think I like you."

Sylvia’s eyes softened. "You think?"

I frowned slightly. "I don’t remember you. I’m allowed to be confused."

She smiled. "You’re right."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Don’t laugh."

"I’m not laughing." Sylvia covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

I couldn’t help it. A small smile appeared on my own face.

For the first time since I woke up, the fear inside me became a little quieter.

But as I looked at Sylvia, I realized something.

Maybe I didn’t have to remember everything tonight. Maybe I could simply stay here and learn her again.

And maybe, somehow, my heart had already started doing that.