Remember you

Brendon walked back in carrying Claire's suitcase and his own. So Claire immediately approached him to help him to unpack

They walked into their room and as soon as they saw the beds next to each other forming a huge bed they shared a second-embarrassment glance. They had never slept together, at least not intimately in the pure private act that soon happens regularly in normal couples. Claire was the reason behind that, she didn't feel ready to have intimate interaction with someone she didn't love. She wanted her first time to be unforgettable.

Brendon, never put her passion to do something she didn't want. Yet he was deeply in love and he more than once tried to convince the innocent Claire to explore more about that unexplored territory.

However, pretend had always been on the agenda for the young couple, especially for Claire who had to pretend with her friends that she was in love with Brendon.

But this time it was different because it would involve lying to someone very close to Brendon who shared a flat with them. They would be permanently under control.

Claire sat on the edge of the bed and looked up to Brendon who began folding his jackets and putting those in the closet.

"What if your brother understands something is off between us? We will live with him all day… it won't be easy pretending we are the perfect couple." Claire spoke out her doubts.

"It's fine, Cole barely knows me and I doubt he cares." He shrugged, he didn't sound concerned about what his brother thought at all.

"Why? You two aren't on good terms?" Claire asked with a weird curiosity that didn't go unnoticed by her boyfriend.

"We aren't and we had never been." He snapped his finger, she could perceive a flick of remorse and anger in his voice.

He walked closer to Claire and stroked her hair behind her ear.

"I will leave with my brother right after I finish packing, he insisted to let me see the company today so that tomorrow I would start working already. Do you mind staying here alone?" He asked Claire, sighing in deep demoralization seeing her backward at his touch.

"It's fine, don't worry. Enjoy your day at work." She forced a smile and slouched forward to place a kiss on his cheek gently, almost needy to beg forgiveness for her previous gesture.

Her heart was already fasting only at the thought of Brendon and Cole together, uneasy to put at rest the concerns that Cole may reveal their forbidden kiss.

As they left Claire took advantage of the occasion to explore such a big house, each space and furniture was meticulously clear that she could spot her reflection through it. She walked over three corridors and wasn't even able to keep track of the rooms in that huge mansion, she stopped counting at the fourth bathroom and the third living room. Every passage she took was hiding prestigious details and raffinate designs. She had never seen a house that big and well adorned. It was like the best architects in the entire world gathered there just to bring life to that villa.

Why would a man alone need all those rooms?

She asked herself before struggling, probably for mere exhibitionism of his wealth.

Due to all the walking, her feet began aching so she gave them some well-deserved rest as she leaned against one of the many doors' surfaces and let her back slide on the wall until she sat on the floor. That floor was probably clearer than any other chair she sat on so she didn't even bother dirtying her dress.

As she looked down at her fingers she noticed the door in front of her was slightly different than the other doors, indeed it had a golden margin at the bottom of it, as she thinner her eyes to look better she even noticed that the door's handle was slightly clearer than the other one, almost as if it was handled - and ruined- than the other ones.

The curiosity and the boredom grew in her so she stood up and walked closer to the door.

She touched the door's handle and felt the coldness of it, a weird sensation shook her, she inhaled a deep breath and she finally dodged the door.

But it didn't open, a second pull but the same result. The door was still locked.

What was in that room to be the only one locked?

She finally dodged the door but it didn't open, she pulled it again yet nothing happened.

It was the only door locked, every other room was opened. Claire now understood why that door was different, it probably leads to something important or private, maybe his vault or some private documents of his company.

She walked back into her room and took her medicines then she laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes as she couldn't cancel from her mind what had happened earlier with Cole. She deeply down in her guts senses something was off because he seemed way too comfortable to kiss her. His actions proved to her that either he didn't care at all about his brother. What kind of brother would do that to his own family? Or he maybe was hiding something.

Meantime, afar from there, just like Claire, with his head in his hands sat Cole.

"Wait let me get this strict. You kissed her?" Simone asked shocked and in disbelief.

"I did," Cole answered nonchalantly. He had no regrets about it. He would never deny his heart taking full control of him.

"God! Cole! Have you lost your mind?" Simone, his long-life best friend, spat punching his desk.

"I did. For her. A long time ago." Cole shrugged, not fully understanding the seriousness of his actions. Or maybe he did but he knew it was worth the risk just to have a taste of what love felt like again.

"How many times do I have to remind you that Clare can't remember you? Forcing yourself on her will only make you look bad. You have to be easy on her. Do things cautiously because your reactions may scare her and you could potentially lose her for the rest of your life."

Cole massaged his forehead, his best friend's rebukement gave him a headache. Even if he knew he was right he couldn't help his instincts and his heart when he was next to her.

"Do you know anything more about her conditions? Did she remember anything about the summer we spent together? Even some flowers or some places we went to? Nothing at all?" He changed the matter. Glancing at Simone with a pleading gaze.

Simone shook his head, "no. Anything at all. I just talked to the doctors this morning. I am sorry Cole… she doesn't remember anything at all."

Hearing that, his heart broke, he even heard the noise of his heart breaking in two and then shattering into thousands of pieces. It hurt more than ten stabs would have hurt him.

He cleared his voice not to have his voice creak.

"It's fine. She will remember. I will wait for her to remember and if she doesn't I will make her fall for me again."

"Why don't you give up?" Simone inquired and sighed, he was fed up with that situation. It had been months since he saw his best friend losing his whole self for a woman. Day after day he saw Cole getting sadder and sadder. He couldn't endure seeing him that desperate anymore.

"I will never give up, Simone. Never." Cole said. He may have lost his happiness but he wouldn't risk losing Claire, the woman of his life, again. Not another time.