Semblance

There was something about Christmas and it wasn't that I came back from the dead that very day. No. I just liked the buzz the festivity, the decoration, the lights brought. Lavazza was lit up like the Christmas tree smack in the middle of it, too.

The air inside was warm and I liked this warmth. The warmth of the people smiling at each other, sharing a coffee and two sweets, having a joke, laughing out loud. As much as it made me smile, it also made me wonder if I had a similar life.

Though, everyone back at home had filled me in entirely about my life, there still felt like I was missing a piece. And, I had no idea where that piece had fallen into the darkness, or how I was going to retreat it. That was saying, if there was even a way to retrieve it.

I let out a deep sigh as my eyes fell on a couple sitting near the tree, looking completely wrapped up in themselves.
Did I have someone who loved me too? Had I ever fallen in love? From what I'd gathered from my family, I was a private person and didn't like sharing my life with anyone. To be honest, I somehow even sounded like a compete bitch. But Pat assured me that it was only when I didn't have enough sleep.

Someone cleared their throat in front of me and I tore my gaze from the couple to look at them.

There stood a man : tall, broad shouldered, kinda burly but that could only be the winter clothing, he had clear blue eyes, lush pink lips, slightly chapped and tousled caramel blonde hair. He seemed young, kind of around my age, give a year or two. I'd say he looked really handsome, but then, there were only handful men in my life I could compare him to. And he looked like a normal human compared to the ones in the TV series.

But, if there was one thing that made smile willow a bit, it was the recognition that flashed through his eyes. I felt my heart sink to my gut.

Oh, please not today. I didn't like it when I didn't recognize the people who knew me, because then I had to go through the process of telling them how I lost my memory, and from there it :

1) gets awkward as the person doesn't understand what to say, or,

2) gets unbearable as the person feels obliged to ask questions and pity you.

So, whenever my family wasn't around to save me, I'd picked up this habit of bluffing where I'd pretend to remember that person, ask them general questions, not get too general then make an excuse about being busy and leave.

Simple strategy, with not so simple execution.

He inhaled sharply, staring at me, eyes wide, running all over my face and blinking occasionally.

I grinned widely at him, putting up my best facade of hey, I remember you!

'Hey, you!' I chirped, 'how are you?'

He blinked some more, but the recognition was a by-emotion now, the more prominent one being confusion.

'Hey,' he breathed, cautiously and hesitated before asking, 'you...know me?'

Oops, caught.

I shoot him a sheepish smile while my cheeks blazed, 'not really.' I let out a nervous laugh and shuffle on my feet, when I see his lips curl up, slightly, at one side, eyes shining with amusement. 'I thought you did,' I mumbled.

He chuckled before running his tongue over his bottom lip. 'You know, you had me believing for a moment that you knew me.'

I smiled. 'That's what I do when I meet people who recognize me.'

This seemed to catch his interest and he grabbed a seat at the bar, taking off his bag and setting it aside beside him. He leaned forward with his arms folded on the bar, giving me his full attention. His eyes were alight with humor and his lips had a ghost of smile on them.

It was sort of unnerving. I'd never had anyone's attention like this on me before. I was used to pity, and also some of the Romeos here trying to talk to me, but this seemed like a different attention. Like, totally different. This one was making me feel like I was exposed, under a microscope being studied.

With my stomach in knots, I cleared my throat and turned towards the coffee machine, and got the jug ready.
'So, what can I get you?' I asked.

'Coffee, regular, since that's what you seem to be readying for,' he pointed out.

Was he laughing at me? I wasn't going to look up to find out. I kept my focus on the task at hand, but it wasn't easy as he began speaking the next moment, the same curiosity embedded in his voice.

'So, say I did happen to know you, what exactly were you going to do?'

I shrugged, casually, despite my rigid back. 'I would've just played along. Pretended to have recognized you, asked you basic questions, a comment about the weather and then made some excuse to leave,' I answered truthfully, not looking up.

'Fair strategy,' he mused, sounding like he was considering it. From the curtain of my hair, I sneaked a peek st him, and my doubt got confirmed. He was considering it. 'I must use it sometimes.'

Setting out a Lavazza cookies plate, I put two chocolate cookies on it and in front of him. 'Then I suggest avoid mentioning families. Or personal questions. They're the big red flags.'

His lips got taut, as he pulled his coffee cup, that I just placed in front of him, closer. 'You sound like you have a lot of experience doing this.'

Oh, he had no idea. I shrugged, pursing my lips. 'I don't really remember most people in my life anymore.'

I had said it casually, made it as nonchalant as possible. Yet, the stranger looked up at me from his activity of pouring sugar in his coffee, like he'd caught on to something in my words; some code or something. And for the moment out eyes met, I saw some kind of a mutual understanding which was utterly ridiculous.

After a moment, he pursed his lips, cocking his head to the side. Again, with the undivided attention and major curiosity. 'Oh. What had happened?'

I sighed, shifting on my feet again. Should I? Or, should I not? Would it get awkward? Wouldn't it be better? I mean, he might just feel awkward and leave me alone. For some reason, I felt my heart sink. What the hell, I wanted him to stay, at the same time I didn't want him to see me as a freak, or a damaged person.

Oh, to hell with it. I sighed. 'Um, I'm sure you must've heard of the train crash?' His face told me he did. He inhaled sharply. I kicked the dust off the immaculate floor or the shop, awkwardly. 'Yeah, I was...kinda there.'

'Kinda, huh?' came his amused voice taking me by surprise. I looked to find him smiling in an entertained way.

I smiled back, all the awkwardness that I was so sure was going to settle upon us, vanished. And I began feeling at ease again.

'Well, I'm shit at remembering people, too,' he admitted, stirring his coffee and then paused while he took a sip.

Now, I leaned forward. 'Hmm? And why's that?'

He set his cup down and leaned a bit forward, an action which not only gave an electric shock to my heart, but also set it running. I inhaled sharply, but I guess he didn't notice it.

'Well, that's because I have a shitty memory,' he murmured, smirking. 'Partial amnesia, just like yours.'

I raised a brow. 'I'm amnesiac, but not partially.' He paused, looking up from the sip he was about to take with surprise etched on his face. Slowly, he set the cup down, his eyes prodding me on. So, I cleared my throat, looking down at my entwined fingers in front of me as I gulped before continuing, 'I...uh, was in coma for four years and didn't even recognize my family when I woke up.'

Silence was making my cheeks heat up further. When he spoke, his voice was soft, almost a whisper. 'When did you wake up?'

'A week before Christmas, last year.' I nodded.

'Man, you must've gotten a lot of Christmas presents that year.' He chuckled.

I laughed before I could even process what happened.

How was it that with this person, whose name I didn't even know, I was able to not feel awkward about the only thing I always felt awkward about? The only thing I kept avoiding so badly that I was searching wikihow on how to make it go way.

He wasn't pitying, or avoiding it like others would've. He was rather keeping it light. Keeping me from getting awkward.

'Best Christmas of my life,' I sang, then stopped, and added, 'not like I really remember what my Christmases had been like before the accident.'

'You must've got four years worth presents, though.'

I shrugged, because that I did. 'What about you?' I asked. 'How did it happen?'

Now, he had his eyes on his coffee. He didn't speak for quite some time and I wasn't sure if he was even going to. But then, he did.

'I...,' he began, 'I don't really know.'

I frowned. 'What do you mean? Your family or doctors didn't brief you?'

His lips pursed as he raised his shoulders and dropped them, not looking up. 'All I remembered was blacking out as a sixteen year old and waking up as a twenty five year old.'

I blinked, doing the math in my head. It wasn't really my forte, so it took a bit of a moment. But when I did get the answer, I gasped, my hands flowing to my mouth. 'You were in coma for nine years?!'

He raised an eyebrow, amused, yet again. 'Is that judgment I'm hearing?'

I shook my head. 'Surprise,' I breathed. 'Nine years is a long...very long time.'

He smiled softly. 'I'd just been out for three months. The doctors told me that my mind had mixed up the memories from the similar accident nine years ago. That was when I'd lost my family.'

Another sharp intake of breath. Oh, god. I was making it awkward for him, wasn't I? Why couldn't I be that person to make someone feel comfortable by making light jokes about such situation instead of gasping?

'I'm so sorry,' I mumbled, lamely, highly embarrassed.

'Don't be. Unless you were the one to kill my parents.'

Despite the given situation, I couldn't help letting out a breathy laugh. 'When was this?'

His mouth twitched, eyes watching me with burning intensity. 'Five years ago.'

My brows shot up. 'Figures. Was it the train, too?'

He shrugged. 'One of the few survivors.' He winked before returning his attention to his coffee. I watched him as he took a long sip before string his cup down and looking up. His lips parted as if to say something, but was interrupted by Lyla emerging from the employees room all giggling as she came up to me.

'Rick says you can call it a night now,' she said. 'Natalie and Gabriel can take care of here. Do you need a ride?'

I nodded, smiling. I noticed the stranger watching us from the corner of my eyes and Lyla noticed it too. Hence, she stepped aside, smiling wickedly.

'You know what?' she went, 'I'm gonna...I'm just gonna wait for you in my car.'

I rolled my eyes.

She snickered, leaving. 'Bye! Don't take too long, though. I won't hesitate leaving without you.'

'Well, I have a car to drive you back.'

'Hm? Oh, no. She's just...she's kidding.'

He deadpanned. 'I'm not.'

I smiled at him. 'Thanks, its been lovely talking to you.'

Taking the hint, he stood up and nodded. 'The pleasure's been all mine...' his eyed drifted to my shirt in search of a name-tag but Lavazza didn't believe in giving a name tag to their employees.

I stepped forward, holding out my hand with a grin. 'Odette Giles.'

He smirked, shaking my hand firmly. 'Parker Matthews.'

'Parker,' I nodded.

'Odette,' he nodded too and added, 'I'd like to talk to you more. I mean,' Suddenly, all embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck, and added, 'I mean, its not everyday you meet a person you relate to, do you?'

'Not unless you go to the support group your doctors refer you to,' I corrected, my eyes flickering for a fraction of second.

'Man I hate support groups.'

I grinned. 'How about tomorrow? Let's meet here?'

He smirked. 'I'd like that.'

•••

Emily Bett Rickards - Odette Giles

Zach Roerig - Parker Matthews