Remember Me (ONC2020) ✔

Chapter 13

Solara slammed their residence door shut and leaned against it. Her slender nose bunched along with her rosy lips like she'd somehow failed. Runan's thoughts jumped from them to his sister's plan ever since the queen had pardoned them and put them up in a room in the servant's tower overnight. He stood from the comfortable couch to approach her.

"Ju'rah's taking the fall for the robbery," she blurted.

"They have to pin it on someone."

She lowered her voice. "Do you remember the state we left him in?"

The blood drained from Runan's face, and his heart hammered. "We have to tell her." Scratching at his neck, he paced the room. "Why didn't we mention it yesterday?"

"I didn't trust it was her yet. It could have been anyone with her memories."

He hadn't considered that. The thrill of Ita, alive and as determined as ever, blurred any other prospect. But Solara was right. They needed to be cautious. "What should we do?"

She took a deep breath and massaged her temples. "Since we don't know he's still in that state, we'll only explain it if we have to. There's no use upsetting and distracting her over a possibility."

"A possibility? Can a person wake up from that?"

Solara stepped farther into the room toward the large, blank display screen on the wall. "Do you think she did all of this without Ju'rah's knowledge? She must have shared some of it, maybe how to jump."

"Would he really try it?"

"I hope so. Otherwise, his state would have made the news yesterday. Her reaction would have been different if she'd known." Her fingers traced the curves on her wooden necklace.

Runan stood in front of Solara, inhaling her rosemary scent and forcing his hands, which itched to run through her shiny, ash brown hair, to stay still. "I'd be lost without you, Sola."

Her expression crumbled at his words, and her gaze rested on her runners. "I'm dangerous to have around. I stole Ju'rah's mind, got Enesito shot, and I'm helping you mislead your sister."

Runan took her dainty hands in his rough ones, caressing her soft fingers with his. She relaxed her muscles and exhaled.

"You investigated a death and did everything in your power to find the truth. You followed Ju'rah's wishes to keep going through his memories, you got help when it grew dangerous, and you tried to talk sense into your crazy ex when he held you hostage."

Solara's light brown eyes met his, specks of hazel glowing in the overhead lights. Their earthy warmth comforted him despite the tears forming in them.

"You're amazing, Sola. Letting you slip out of my life was the stupidest thing I've ever done," Runan's words rushed toward the end to match his heartbeat.

Her lip trembled, and she looked at her bare feet. "Now's not the time."

"I spent years waiting for the right time. It doesn't exist."

His palms were sweating, and his face burned. When Solara refused to meet his gaze, he stepped away and sighed. He dug through the closet for out a bright sweater to pull over the borrowed servant's clothes. The material was soft yet slippery and not altogether comfortable, another irritant on his skin.

"Are you ready to go then?" Runan asked more gruffly than he intended.

Solara nodded and followed him out the front door. Despite being in a corridor, they walked with an awkward distance between them, like an invisible bull swung its horns from side to side. One moment, he beat himself up wishing he'd told her how he felt, and now that he somewhat had, she wanted none of it. It stung as strong as it did when he'd end their friendship years ago.