“Don’t look so worried, baby,” Sage says. “Come over here. I’m fine, I promise.” He holds out his arms wide like he’s…waiting for a hug.
“Ah, what?” I whisper, looking up at Tal, who has gone pale.
“I don’t fucking know,” he mutters.
“Get your ass over here, Eden,” Sage says, leaving no doubt that he’s speaking to me.
“Oh, um, okay,” I say as I take a few slow steps forward, unbelievably confused. When I’m close to the bed, Sage reaches out and grabs my arm to drag me closer, and I go, letting myself sink into his warm embrace. It’s been so long since we’ve been this close. I had forgotten how good it feels.
Tal may look like Sage, but it’s never felt the same when I’m with him, as much as I hate admitting it. It’s not like Tal isn’t aware. He knows that I’m not in love with him and vice versa.
But I can’t let myself get attached to being in Sage’s arms again, not when it nearly killed me to get over him.
I start to pull away, but then Sage presses his lips to mine for a full-on kiss with tongue and all. It happens so fast that my head spins. I don’t even have time to kiss him back before it’s over.
What the hell is wrong with him? Why would he do something so cruel to me in front of his friends and family?
I start to jerk away, and then there are arms around me, yanking me out of Sage’s reach.
“What the fuck are you doing, man?” Tal snaps at his brother.
Sage’s golden eyebrows dip as his forehead creases. “What do you mean? What’s your problem? Last I checked, I can kiss my girlfriend whenever I want.”
I’m not exaggerating. Everyone in the room gasps, the loudest of which is their mom Claire.
“Honey, are you feeling okay?” she asks, placing her palm on his cheek as tears fill her eyes.
“I told you I’m fine,” he assures her. “I still don’t know why you brought me here, though.”
“You’re here because you were knocked unconscious during the fight with Cyrus and wouldn’t wake up!” Linc explains.
Sage just stares blankly at his father and then glances around the rest of the room before asking, “Who the hell is Cyrus?”
“Oh my god!” Claire exclaims as she turns around to bury her face in Linc’s chest as she sobs. “He doesn’t remember!”
“Remember what, Mom?” Sage demands. “Calm down. You’re getting worked up over nothing.”
“I…I don’t understand.” Linc looks at his son in concern. “The doctors examined him…”
Releasing his grip around me, Tal lets go to step in front of me. “Sage, bro, what year is it?”
“Are you joking?” Sage asks his twin. “Do you think I’m so stupid I don’t know what year it is?”
“It is a stupid question,” Tal says. “Just answer me, Sage. Please?” he begs.
“Fine,” Sage says with a roll of his eyes. “It’s…” he starts. “It’s…well, fuck, I swear I know, it’s just not coming to me right this second!”
Claire cries harder while Linc tries to console her. I don’t blame her. Seeing your child in this kind of shape has to be heartbreaking. God knows it’s awful for all of us to see Sage’s expression as he struggles to piece together his fragmented memories.
Pulling out his phone, Tal brings up a video then turns the screen so Sage can see it. “Do you remember any of this? Tonight, you fought Cyrus Cutler for the welterweight championship title…”
“Get the fuck out of here!” Sage says with a chuckle. “I’m nowhere near ready for a title fight. I only have seven fights under my belt, and I lost two of them. I’ll be lucky if I even make it to the IFC.”
“Oh my god,” I mutter. “He thinks we’re still in high school!”
Of course I remember every fight Sage has had. His record when we graduated was seven and two back then.
“We are still in high school,” Sage replies. “At least for a few more weeks, right?”
“Shit!” Tal shouts. “Where is the goddamn doctor?” he asks his parents before he hurries past me and out the room. Linc and Claire follow close behind him, while I’m left standing there in shock with the other guys Sage trains with. Like them, I have no idea what to do.
“Baby, what’s going on?” Sage asks, holding out his palm for mine.
I take two hesitant steps forward to put my hand in his.
“Why is everyone freaking out? You know I’m okay, don’t you?” he says as he lowers his lips to press a kiss to the top of my knuckles.
“Ah, yeah,” I reply. I don’t know how else to respond. “I think…I think you may have a little bit of memory loss from your concussion. I bet it will all come back to you soon, though.”
“Oh,” he says. “I feel fine, so I couldn’t have forgotten much.”
“Just a few years…”
“Years?” he exclaims as his breathing starts to come faster.
Shit, I don’t want to upset him.
“I bet you’re just exhausted, always training too much and not eating enough to try and make weight,” I say while giving his hand a squeeze. “Get some rest; and in the morning, everything will probably be right back to normal.”
“I am sleepy,” he says. “Will you stay with me?”
“Stay with you?” I repeat in surprise.
“Yeah, tonight.”
“I…I’m…” Nothing comes out but a stammer.
Thankfully I’m saved from answering him when Tal returns with a guy in a white coat.
“Sage, we’re going to need to do a few more tests, okay? I think you should tell your visitors you’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Sage agrees. “Except for Eden. She’s staying.”
“You are?” Tal snaps.
I turn to face him with a wince. “He asked me to. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t…”
“This is so fucked up,” Tal grumbles with a shake of his head.
“Yes, it is,” I agree.
It’s so stupid of me to be enjoying Sage’s
