We had been so perfect in that moment. I remember looking at her out of the corner of my eye and smiling to myself when the sun settled over the horizon. Its faint orange rays shined on her face and seemed to make her black hair glitter with copper specks. I remember the feel of her soft hair twirling in my fingertips as I snagged one of her wavy locks. She had giggled slightly and had playfully pushed me away. Without looking at me, she murmured something softly under her breath. "I love your eyes in the sunset," she said softly and I smiled. Every day, the reason was something new, but nothing ever changed with the outcome of the compliment. She always loved my eyes.

I had found myself smiling as she leaned her head on my shoulder. She had begun to hum a song under her breath and I quickly recognized the tune as her favorite song; "If It’s Love," by Train. I had wrapped my arm around her waist and we continued to watch the sunset together like we had been doing since before either of us could remember. Still, after all those years, I had never worked up the courage to tell her how I truly felt about her.

Now she doesn’t even remember my name.

The news had hit me hard. I had been lying on my bed, staring up at my ceiling and contemplating on telling her how I felt. My mother had knocked on the door once which caused me to sit up. She had gently pushed the door open and the first thing I noticed were the puffiness of her sea-green eyes. Alarm and panic shot through me, but I forced myself to stay seated. My mother had sat down on the bed next to me while resting a hand on my shoulder.

She had begun by telling me how sorry she was and her intense eyes grew glassy as she fought back tears. Her hand covered mine for a moment and she broke the news to me, each piece of information chipped away at my heart. She, Katherine, had been driving when she had been hit. A car ahead of her had suddenly cut her off which had caused Katherine to swerve into the opposite lane to avoid a collision. A truck coming from the opposite direction hadn’t been quick enough to avoid her and the two had collided.

My mother informed me that the medics had found she hadn’t been wearing her seat belt. After a few flips of the car, she had been thrown out of the vehicle. Her head had smashed through the windshield and the medics had found her a few yards away from the incident. They said a bloody gash had blood running down all sides of her head and she had countless broken bones. I kept waiting for my mother to tell me the ending. That Katherine, poor Kat, had been found mangled and lifeless on the ground.

"But she’s alive. They kept her alive," my mother said as she gripped my shoulders and gave me a shake. Tears brimmed on the edge of my vision as I barely comprehended her words. When the news had finally sunk it, I had been off on my feet in a flash. My body had moved on autopilot, my only thoughts being the need to get to her and to make sure she truly was okay. I don’t remember the ride there or how I had driven in the shaky state I was in.

I do remember that first glance of her that nearly broke my heart. Her torso was wrapped in stiff bandages and I guessed her ribs must have been broken. Along with her torso, her right arm and left ankle were in similar binds. Her head was wrapped in even more bandages, but the sight of those wasn’t what had shaken me the most. It was the pain on her face that chipped away at my heart. Her mouth was set in a grim line, tight-lipped from the pain. Her eyes had been squeezed shut and her breathing was labored as she fought off nightmares in her sleep.

That very first glance was all it took for me to need to console her. Now, here I sat, washed in memories of these recent events. I was seated just on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to open her eyes. I wanted to tell her that I was here for her and that I didn’t know what I would do without her. I was going to tell her how much I loved her. The very thought made my hands shake, but I focused on her face and kept telling myself that she was okay and we’d get through this.

Her mother was sitting in the corner of the room, hazel eyes puffy and ex
pression haggard. The woman had long since cried herself out and now she stared at her daughter blankly. I knew that the pain Katherine must be in was shocking, but I had coped with the fact that she was going to be okay. Still, something in the woman’s eyes nagged at my blissful thoughts suspiciously. I pushed it away.

A soft murmur from her and I slipped my hand into hers. She opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze was hazy as she looked around the room. Her eyes lingered on her mother and I saw a dim spark of comprehension light in her hazel gaze. She blinked and I watched as her gaze traveled down to our hands that were locked together. She blinked, her brows dipping down elegantly. I frowned, recognizing the ex
pression as complete confusion to her.

She pulled her hands from my grasp and her eyes traveled up to my face. Surprise lit her eyes and her brows arched up slightly. I didn’t understand why she was acting so strangely. "Kat, it’s okay now. I’m here for you like always," I managed to say steadily. Her mouth parted into a small ‘o’ and she rubbed her temple incredulously. "What’s wrong?" I begged.

"I-I don’t know who you are," she whispered and I let out a faint breath.

"Of course you do, we-"I began, but was cut off at the sound of the clearing of a throat. I turned and locked eyes with her mother, finally understanding why she had looked so distraught before. I didn’t need to hear the explanation, but she gave it anyway.

"She doesn’t remember anything. When she hit her head, it damaged her memories. We’re gone," she whispered and I hung my head down, my brown hair hanging slightly in my eyes. I felt my eyes begin to water as hopelessness flooded through me. My chest physically hurt as I realized I may have lost her. The girl laying before me, bruised and broken was not the same Kat. I felt the soft touch of her fingertips on my cheek and I raised my head.

When our eyes locked, a flicker of recognition flitted through her eyes. I swallowed painfully, my throat raw from the onslaught of tears that had begun to drip down my cheeks. She wiped away one of the salty tears, stopping the small river in its path. Curiosity was clear on her face, but I could see the hint of confusion and quivering terror in her erratic movements. Her fingers trembled as she brushed the hair out of my eyes and I knew she was feeling overwhelmed.

Again, that flicker of recognition and her eyes widened slightly. "I don’t know you," she began softly, her fingers lightly tracing along my upper cheek. I cupped her hand in mine and waited for her to finish. "I don’t know you, but…" she murmured. "I love your eyes."

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