Speak! I commanded my brain. “I love it,” I said, low.
Am looked back at me. “Yeah?”
Um, yeah. Her hair was no longer uneven and choppy. It no longer fell past her shoulders. Instead, it had been cut into a style that just grazed over her collarbone. The ends were cut into layers so all the short, uneven pieces blended in. The style itself still looked like her (or at least the way I thought of her), the strands wavy, sort of uncontained. Some of the ends curled out and some flipped under. All of it was shiny beneath the sunlight and looked more golden out here than it ever did in the hospital.
She also had a fringe of bangs now, which I assumed blended a couple of the severely short pieces that had been around her face. The bangs fell slightly to the side, trying to conceal one eye.
The cut made her freckles stand out more, her cheekbones seem wider, and her eyes more of the focus of her face.
“You cut your hair,” I said, only realizing after the words came out it was a dumb thing to say. Way to point out the obvious, Eddie. Stepping close, I lifted a strand and rubbed it between my fingers.
She nodded, eyes bouncing between mine.
“And you got a new dress.” I continued.
Just call me Captain Obvious.
“Well, I’ll just leave you two to it. Eddie? You’ll make sure Amnesia gets home okay?”
I nodded but didn’t look away from Am.
“Amnesia, I’m assuming you won’t be home for dinner?”
Amnesia shook her head, her eyes still on mine.
Maggie laughed, reached out, and took the bag I didn’t even notice Am was carrying. Then she disappeared. Or maybe she walked away. I didn’t know. I wasn’t paying attention.
“You really do look beautiful,” I whispered. “Even more beautiful than you usually do.”
Amnesia smiled, and it felt I’d been given some kind of prize. “I mentioned to Maggie how much I didn’t like my hair, and she suggested we come here and get it fixed. On the way, we passed by this little store…” Her brows furrowed.
“The boutique at the end of the block?” I asked.
Her eyes lit up. “Yes! I saw this dress in the window, and I thought it was so beautiful.” She glanced down at the fabric, smoothing over it with her hands. The dress fell to about knee length and wasn’t tight or fitted, but loose and sort of flowy. It gathered around her waist, which kept it from swallowing her up, and had long sleeves that flared out a little around her wrists. The dress itself was multicolored with mossy green, yellow, and burgundy. Up at the neckline, two long strings tied together to make a bow, and the ends trailed down over her chest and fluttered every time the wind blew. “Maggie insisted,” she said, still glancing down at it. “She said I should have something I picked out for myself.”
“You should,” I said, unable to keep my hands to myself any longer, palming the side of her hip. “Waiting for you this morning was worth it,” I told her.
She smiled.
“I’m gonna kiss you now,” I murmured, stepping so close my Adidas bumped against hers. “Right here in the street.”
Her tongue jutted out to wet her lips. “You are?”
“Unless you tell me not to,” I replied, cupping the side of her face. “I should warm you that probably everyone on this street is plastered to the windows, watching us.”
“Everyone inside the salon asked me about you,” she whispered, then giggled.
I cocked my head to the side and smiled. “And what did you tell them?”
“I told them you were a terrible kisser.” She couldn’t even say the words without grinning mischievously.
“Did not,” I countered. My thumb swept over her lower lip.
Her breath caught. Slowly, she shook her head. “You’re right. I didn’t.”
“Here I come, Am.” I warned her.
She didn’t pull away.
I touched my lips to hers with gentle pressure. The soft sigh of relief I felt throughout my entire body was most alarming. Instead of pulling back, I shifted closer, wound one arm completely around her waist, and pulled her fully into my chest.
She sighed and clutched the front of my T-shirt, her lips moving beneath mine, so I kissed her a little bit deeper.
I didn’t want to pull back. I wanted to get lost in her, but we were standing on the street. My father was going to give me a damn lecture about respecting women and blah, blah, blah. I respected women. Amnesia above them all.
But I also admired her beauty and couldn’t help myself.
Pulling back, her eyes fluttered, then focused on mine.
“The entire town is going to be buzzing about this.” I mused.
“I’m sure I’m not the only girl you’ve ever kissed on the street.” She scoffed, looking down.
Using my thumb, I lifted her face. “The only one who’s ever mattered.”
Am reached for my hand, and I gave it wholeheartedly.
“You’re mine the rest of the day, Am. You ready to see the town?”
“First stop, Loch General?” she asked, gazing past me down the street.
“How about hot chocolate, then Loch Gen?” I compromised.
“You know the way to a girl’s heart.” She grinned.
Oh, I hope so, Amnesia. I truly do.
I’d never wanted anything as much as I wanted her heart.
I learned a few more thing about myself I could add to the so-called Amnesia checklist.
1) Dresses made me feel pretty
2) Hot chocolate was definitely my favorite
3) Kissing Eddie was something I would never get tired of
And
4) Small town life appealed to me. (Or maybe that was just Eddie.)
The people in town were curious about me. I felt their eyes everywhere I went. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, though, because there wasn’t anything malicious in the way they stared.
Who wouldn’t be curious about a girl whose mind was completely wiped clean? Even I was curious about me.
The bakery was across the street from the salon where I got my hair cut. I held Eddie’s hand when we dashed across the road, the hem of my dress fluttering out behind me. I felt freer today, lighter. Maybe it was because I cut off most of my hair, or maybe it was the dress. I wasn’t really sure, I just knew I was enjoying the feeling.
It almost felt like happiness, something that almost seemed bizarre, as if my own body wasn’t used to being happy or free. I embraced the sensation instead of marveling at why it was unnatural to me.
Joline and Jeremy were in the bakery, along with a couple other people who lived in town. Eddie introduced me to everyone I’d yet to meet while Jeremy made me a large hot chocolate, piling on so much whipped cream there was no room for a lid.
Laughing, Eddie and I sat at one of the two tables by the front windows. “I think he gave you more whipped cream than actual hot chocolate,” Eddie cracked.
I leaned forward and licked off the top, making a sound of appreciation. “Jeremy sure knows how to treat a girl,” I called out, and Joline laughed.