CHAPTER EIGHT: you told me to go inside, dumb.
Cyrene kept walking down the hallway away from the office, with her mind wondering about what June was doing in the office. She saw Tim as well, though he wasn't her problem. She knew that Tim and Jason were acquainted before then.
As she trekked down the sidewalk, a black car kept honking beside her but she ignored the sound hoping it was the usual noises in the street but the car slowed beside her and continued blaring.
"Miss Bernard,"
She stopped and looked inside through the window of the car and saw Jason. It was then that she noticed that the black car looked familiar and it belonged to the professor.
"Mr Roman, I didn't know you were the one," she acknowledged him.
"I figured that I should go after you since you bailed. You probably think that no one saw you but I did. You were at my office earlier."
"Oh," Cyrene was a little speechless. She really thought that no one noticed her. It was almost as if he knew everything about her without her saying or doing much.
"Get in," Jason unlocked the door to the passenger seat in front of the car. "Unless you're still not done with avoiding me."
Cyrene continued standing for a few seconds before walking to the other side of the car.
"My apartment is around the corner professor," she pointed out while fixing her seatbelt.
"And who says that I was playing uber with you?" He turned up the engine and started driving. "Do you have something that you wanted to say to me?" He gave her a small glance.
"No, I don't." She denied.
"Yes, you do. Let's talk at my place if you don't mind," Jason said, looking forward.
"Your place?" Cyrene seemed a little taken aback.
"If it's fine by you or we can go somewhere else," he suggested.
"I'm good," she responded and kept looking ahead as cars and other vehicles swooshed passed them.
**********
Jason was staring at Tim and June as they bantered about Cyrene and himself as though he wasn't there. He understood their concern and everything and even though June was a little bit right about him knowing stuff, he was simply not sure of anything yet. And the last thing he would want to do was spread information that he wasn't sure of.
A few seconds later, he noticed a shadow hovering along the door side of his office. The shadow stood there for a while before moving a little closer to the door. That was when he saw it. He caught a glimpse of a polka-dotted tote bag that looked a little bit too farmiliar. It belonged to someone that always made his heart skip a bit whenever she was close by. It belonged to none other person than Cyrene.
What's she doing here? he thought to himself as he kinda expected her to knock and come in but instead she did the opposite and retreated.
"Look guys, can we have this conversation later? And don't forget to Lock my office when you two show yourselves out." Jason stood up from his chair.
"Wow, he's still one of the rudest person I know," Jason heard June say to Tim before he rushed out of the office.
He ran down the hallway towards the exit but Cyrene wasn't in sight.
She walks really fast, he scratched the back of his head before moving towards the door that led to the parking lot.
A few minutes drive later, he sighted Cyrene who seemed a little absent minded as she walked down the sidewalk. He blared the horns at her and she ignored the sound. All he wanted to do at that point was pull over and drag her into the car.
He finally managed to get her in minus the dragging part of course and started heading to his place.
He didn't have any plans of driving them anywhere else by the way, he just attached that option of them going somewhere else to show her that she could choose not to follow him home. Just like fake ads and broadcasts.
"Are you hungry?" Jason asked Cyrene after he noticed how she kept trying to surpress her yawn.
"Ehm a little. I have some leftover pizza from last night. I was hoping on heating it up and having it when I get home," she explained.
"I will order some takeout when we get inside," he assured her as he approached his driveway. "You can go in to the house. I need to park properly to create way for Tim when he returns," he told Cyrene.
"Alright," she responded and stepped down from the car.
Later Jason walked into the house looking a little bit confused. He stood by the door for some seconds before walking in further.
"Miss Bernard?" He called out, tossing his keys into the keytray on the kitchen cabinet.
"You're here," Jason said when he saw that Cyrene was in the kitchen area.
"Oh yeah, I was thirsty and I decided to help myself." She poured some water from the container into a glass cup before taking a sip.
"I ordered food already. Chinese takeout. Is that alright?"
"Yes, it is." She drank from her cup again.
Jason watched her every move as she walked around in the kitchen. He noticed that she appeared more comfortable than the last time she was at his.
" You have something to tell me, Cyrene," he reminded her.
"Yes, I wanted to apologize for what happened a few days ago," she moved to the living room. "The recordings..." She looked at Jason who was a few steps behind her and continued, "I shouldn't have done that without your consent."
Jason kept staring at her without saying a word.
"You weren't supposed to see it actually. I just got drunk and you know the rest of the story better than I do. Anyways, I'm actually very sorry about the whole thing," she added.
"Well, I'm not upset about that. I was just shocked but you're forgiven," he said.
"I'm glad we moved passed that. Thanks," she smiled a little.
Jason chuckled and moved closer to Cyrene, who instinctively took some steps backwards until the back of her legs were touching the sofa in the living room. "Not quite, Cy," he said looking straight into her shaky eyes.
He raised his thumb to brush through her jawline subtly. It was almost as if he didn't touch her. "I want you to be honest with me. I'm tired of playing your games. I have been waiting for you to tell me something for longer than you can imagine," He kept looking down at her.
"W-what?" Cyrene managed to voice out shakily.
"I want to know what you're hiding behind these pretty eyes of yours. Everything." He stated as a matter of factly.
"I don't understand professor,"
"You're lying to yourself again. Deep down you know that I'm not just your professor. Call me Jason, Cy. I looked for you for longer than you can imagine and now I found you, you treat me like a stranger. All these your formalities is getting too suffocating," he poured out. It seemed as though the lid to all the feelings he had been bottling up was about to finally pop.
"I don't understand what's going on. You're scaring me," Cyrene said as a drop of tears rolled down one side of her cheeks.
"You're not helping me. I need you to help me to help you. I'm not a stranger, so don't treat me like one." He stepped away from her, looking away.
"But you are a stranger!" She shouted.
"What?" Jason looked at her again.
"Everyone is a stranger to me, including myself. I don't remember anything. I don't know anyone. Everyday is new for me, Jace. I can neither keep a memory or make a new one because each day I wake up in the morning I forget everything that happened the previous day. I forget everyone and everything," she explained with tears.
"But.."
"But nothing Jason. Now you know everything, how are you going to help me?" She said with a tone of demand laced with annoyance.
"You found your way inside my house, Cyrene." Jason said to her.
"You told me to go inside, dumb. What does that have to do with anything?" she said with annoyance.
"I told you to go inside but I didn't tell you my passcode Cyrene," he looked at her carefully to figure out her reaction.
"That's impossible," Cyrene whispered as she dropped herself on the sofa.
"But you made your way inside here without my assistance," Jason knelt beside her and took her limp hands into his. "I think you're finally starting to find yourself again," he commented, trying to fight back tears and give room for the smile threatening to breakout on his lips.
"It's impossible... It .. it's not possible," Cyrene kept repeating in shock.