Unhinge - Calia Read Page 0,25

ask him about you. Maybe he can fill in the blanks of your past.

Did he know Wes?

Where did he meet you?

These are all viable questions and I don’t know where to start. I lean against the wall, my shoulder brushing against the bulletin board with flyers announcing movie night, special game night, or the next special event or holiday. There’s a few dull motivational posters stapled in the midst of the brightly colored flyers.

There’s an appropriate distance between us, allowing my pulse to slow down a bit. I quickly take him in. He has a good six inches on me. The crown of my head meets his shoulders. I kind of like this height difference, how he completely dwarfs me. Standing next to him, I feel like no one can get to me. Hurt me. And that makes my heart practically sing.

He’s wearing jeans. His brown jacket conceals his shirt. Flecks of snow cling to the tips of his black, mussed hair. I’m tempted to reach up and brush the snow away. Déjà vu hits me as if I had done that once before.

“Is everything okay?” he repeats.

It’s bad enough that I’m stuck in a psych ward. If I tell Sinclair that I feel eyes constantly watching my every move, he might never come back.

I don’t want that.

“Everything’s fine.” I brush my fingers against the back of Evelyn’s hand.

His shoulders relax as he leans against the wall. “I can’t believe I’m talking to you right now.”

“I had you and your sister taken off the list. If I knew that you were restricted I would’ve tried earlier to—”

Sinclair quickly cuts in. “I know.”

From the look in his eyes I know he means it.

A silence descends around us, but it’s not that awkward silence that lingers between strangers. His presence is so achingly familiar, making the silence and speaking of past moments that we once spent together comfortable. A part of me thinks that if we stayed like this for a few more minutes, I might remember something about him.

But I can’t keep quiet. The second I saw him walk into Fairfax tonight, my curiosity rose to the surface, asking questions and demanding answers.

“Will your sister ever visit again?” I ask.

Sinclair rubs the back of his neck. “Renee wants to but…” He frowns and stares at Evelyn, a faraway look in his eyes. Evelyn stares right back him. “A lot of things have happened since you’ve been here.”

I straighten up. My brows furrow together. “Like what?”

Sinclair sighs and drags his hands through his dark hair, making the strands stand straight up. “I’m not here to make things confusing for you.”

“Why are you here then?” I can’t help the hint of desperation that slips into my words.

“To help.”

I look away, glancing toward the dayroom, filled with patients. I don’t want to spend my days looking forward to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don’t want to spend my days in the dayroom, slowly wasting away. If I don’t reach out to Sinclair now, I never will. “I’m…I’m trying to remember my past,” I confess.

Sinclair’s eyes bore straight into mine. He has bedroom eyes, watching everything with mild interest. People like him are dangerous because they may not be bold and loud, but they see everything going on around them.

“Is that a good or bad thing?” he asks.

“Remembering my past?”

He nods.

“It’s…good. At least I think it is.” The feeling of being watched never really disappears and just then, I quickly look around. Susan and Kate are behind the nurses’ station. There’s no one watching us. “I’m ready to leave Fairfax,” I confess.

A myriad of emotions flash through his eyes but happiness is the only thing I can see. “That’s great.”

I nod and carefully construct my words. “The last time you came here, you said that you’ve tried to visit me every single day.”

“I have,” he says fiercely.

“I know…I checked the sign-in sheet.” Nervously, I lick my lips. One of his arms brushes against mine. Electric currents shoot through me. I flinch slightly.

My body is going haywire and it’s all this man’s fault.

“What do you remember about me?” I ask.

“Everything. I remember everything about you.”

I look at him from beneath my lashes. “Then tell me.”

Sinclair frowns and says, “When I visited you last time it was obvious that I shocked you. I don’t want to pile any more information on you.”

“You’re not piling information on me. I’m asking you to tell me.”

Sinclair barks out a laugh and rubs his upper lip. He almost looks nervous. “Yeah.