A Tale in Pages

"Sushi, do you remember anything else?" Chloe asked.

Sushi nodded silently and said, "No, I'm just having flashes of June taking me from the floor. What happened then?"

Chloe hesitated but said, "June found you unconscious on the floor. He saved you that day."

"Did June know about me?" Sushi hesitated.

Chloe couldn't answer and simply nodded.

"Where is he now?" Sushi asked.

"We couldn't find him anywhere. You should remember him; you were the only one who could help us find out where he might be," Chloe said.

"Why couldn't you find him? What happened all these years?" Sushi asked, bearing her headache.

"Sushi, let's not upset you further. Take some rest, calm down first," Chloe said quietly, leading her to the room for some rest.

When they got her to sleep, "It seems she is regaining her memories. But what else can we do to help her remember everything?" Chloe talked with Huan.

"Let's leave her at their home after we leave. Maybe staying there will help her regain her memories more quickly," Huan suggested.

"What about June? Have you gotten any information about him?" Chloe asked.

"Not yet. Nivi and I are trying hard to find him," he replied as they walked downstairs.

That night, they left the town after Sushi woke up. They took her to their house.

"Sushi, do you remember anything?" Chloe said, showing the house to her.

Seeing the entrance, Sushi remembered the day of the marriage, where June went into the home angrily, leaving her outside. She walked around the home, remembering her crying in front of his room in a wedding gown.

"Chloe, by any chance, did we get married? Does June hate me?" Sushi asked.

"Do you remember it now?" Chloe answered, showing the photo of their wedding picture after opening the room door.

"That means he hates me for betraying him?", she questioned again.

Seeing the room and photo, all of her memories flooded back to her. She felt a severe headache and fell down unconscious again.

"Sushi!!! Sushi!!" Huan and Chloe helped her onto the bed.

They immediately called the doctor. When the doctor arrived, he treated her and said to Chloe, "She's experiencing a lot of pressure on her mind. The flood of memories made her unconscious. She will be okay once she wakes up," the doctor replied and left.

"I hope she will be okay, right?" Huan said to Chloe.

"I hope so too. I will take care of her. Go home for now, Huan. You've already helped us a lot," Nivi said.

"Don't mention it, Chloe. I also want to see her normal and happy," Huan said.

When they came downstairs, Huan handed a journal to Chloe from the car. "Here is our last chance. Keep this book beside Sushi. Let her see it after she wakes up."

"What is this?" Chloe asked.

"It's June's childhood diary. I shouldn't have read it, but I did few pages, it felt like I wasn't the rightfull owner to read. This can help her understand him better," Huan replied.

"But how did you get it?" Chloe asked, surprised.

"It's a long story," Huan replied, remembering the incident when they went to June's old home in that village.

"Okay, Chloe. I will go now. Please take care of her," Huan replied, starting the car.

While he was driving, Nivi called him. He picked up the call, and she immediately asked, "How did it go?"

"I think it was a success. She remembered her mother and memories of June, as you said. But she fell unconscious," Huan replied.

"All of it at once must have been too much for her. Let's give her some time; she will become normal once she regains everything," Nivi replied.

"I hope so," Huan replied.

"Did you give her his diary?" Nivi asked.

"I asked Chloe to keep it near her so that she can read it when she wakes up. I'm sure it can help," Huan replied.

"It should," Nivi agreed.

"Where are you?" Huan asked.

"I'm still in the office. June left me alone, leaving all of this behind. I have a lot to do. I'm not sure when I'll be done," Nivi replied.

"Do... Do you want me to help you?" Huan asked hesitantly.

"Can you?" Nivi asked.

"I can. I'll come straight to the office. Did you have dinner?" Huan asked.

"Not yet. Can you get some snacks while you're coming?" Nivi said, blushing at the comfortability with Huan, and then she cut the call.

She felt something inside her, which she couldn't quite figure out.

As midnight approached, Sushi slowly regained consciousness and woke up. Looking around, she started crying as if she remembered everything that had been missing from her memories. When she attempted to get up from the bed, she noticed June's diary beside her.

"Isn't this the book I saw at June's house?" she thought to herself. Slowly, she opened it and settled back to read.

Second summer with her

"I don't know why, but I hated her when I first saw her. But now, I can't stop thinking about her. She was so cute, so tiny and cute," June mused, eager to meet her.

"Will she be waiting for me?" June wondered as he traveled to Sushi's home.

When her mom opened the door, his eyes quickly scanned the room, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Chloe?" he asked her mother excitedly.

"She's hiding upstairs, waiting for you. Don't tell her I told you," her mother signaled him to go upstairs.

June slowly ascended the stairs and called her name, "Chloe! Chloe!" but Sushi didn't respond.

Finally, June realized that she had been hiding behind the curtain on the balcony. Pretending not to see her, he moved to the balcony, calling out, "Chloe! Where are you? Look what I got for you," taking a teddy bear from his bag.

When Sushi saw him, she immediately came outside, startling him. June acted as if he were genuinely scared by her sudden appearance.

She eagerly took the toy from his hand and ran to the couch to play with it. "Brother, did you get this for me?" she asked.

"Yes, do you like it? I got it for you," June replied, patting her head.

"Yeah, I like it so much," she replied with a smile.

"Chloe, how are you? Did you miss me?" June asked, concerned.

"I missed you. I thought you wouldn't come to see me," she replied with a hint of sadness.

"I didn't want to come at first, but then I missed you, so I came to visit you," June said, playing with her.

"Chloe, go to your room and sleep, enough with your playing", her mom trying to get her up from the couch.

"No, I will sleep with brother", she held his hand tightly without getting up.

Her mom slowly started saying, "Chloe, you became a big girl now, you can't sleep with brother."

That moment became awkward for June hearing those words.

"Aunt I will explain to her. You go and take rest", he signaled to her mother.

"Brother, why can't I sleep with you", Sushi asked holding his hand.

He pulled little further and started explaining to her hesitatingly, "Chloe, see you are becoming a big girl right. Men and women can't sleep together.", he said.

"Why, I was with you last year. And Mom and Dad always sleep together", she said.

"Yes, they can do since they are wife and husband", he replied with hesitation.

"Then can you be my husband brother when we became big", she asked.

June smiled hearing those innocent words from her. He quickly got up from the couch and took her quickly to her room and closed the door immediately.

Later that midnight, when June stirred awake, he realized that someone was beside him. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Sushi sleeping peacefully beside him. He attempted to move away, but she was sleeping so comfortably and soundly.

He didn't want to disturb her, so he gently removed her hand from beneath him and placed her toy in her hand. Moving aside, he gazed at her.

"How can she be so cute?" he thought as he adjusted her hair.

He didn't sleep that night; he waited for morning to come. As dawn approached, he lifted her and carried her to her room, laying her gently on her bed so that her mother wouldn't notice anything amiss.

The same routine continued for all the days he stayed that summer. He saw her as a little kid, innocent and adorable. He showered her with affection, buying her candies and ice creams, adoring her every moment.

As Sushi delved into June's diary, she discovered a treasure trove of emotions and memories. The pages were filled with poignant accounts of his feelings growing up, particularly his deep affection for her.