Oblivion

“I see.” I giggled with amusement. “And what exactly is your power as a superhero?”

“I’m pretty powerful if you really must know,” he answered with a sarcastic air of confidence. “There’s my dashing good looks, my undeniable charm, and my ability to make you laugh even at a time like this.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I never knew anyone could actually be this cocky.”

He chuckled. “Well I’ll take that as a compliment.”

For a few minutes, we walked in silence as we continued to search for Scooter.

Ethan broke the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Didn’t you mention last night when I dropped you off that you have a butler and a housekeeper at your house?”

“Yeah, Jim and Debra.”

“You said that Co

“I had told them earlier in the night that they could take the night off. I didn’t want to trouble them.”

“Okay.” He paused and thought about my response. “But you called me and troubled me.”

“I didn’t mean to—” I quickly defended myself but he cut me off with laughter.

“I was only teasing, Liv. It’s really no trouble at all.” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice as he looked at me with those compelling, dark eyes. “I just enjoy being around you.”

“Thank you.” I flashed him a small smile, completely unsure of what to say as I felt tormented by the conflicting emotions that swarmed inside me.

“So how long have you guys had this dog anyway?” he asked as we turned the corner to another street.

I frowned at his question. “Scooter’s not my dog.” I paused. “Co

He stopped mid-step and stared at me. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“What?” I tried to hide my feelings.

“How are you okay with this? How is Co

“He’s tied up at work. It was an emergency and he couldn’t get away.”

Ethan’s expression became darker and I saw his grip tighten around the umbrella handle. “I just don’t get it. How can Co

For some reason, I felt defensive over Co

“I’m starting to find that hard to believe. I think you deserve better, Liv.”

His words rang too close to home after what had happened tonight with Co

“Well you don’t have to believe me. The truth is the truth. Co

Ethan’s face fell and he turned his gaze away from me. When he turned back to face me, his demeanor had changed.

“I know he means a lot more to you than I do. As hard as it is for me to accept, I get that. I just don’t want to see you hurt. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you with my comments—sometimes my straight-forwardness gets me into trouble.”

“Why do you care, Ethan? I don’t mean to be rude, but you hardly know me. At first, I thought you were just some guy who was looking for a fun time, and you saw me as an easy target. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here helping me tonight, or the comments you’ve made about Co

To my surprise, he let out a chuckle and shook his head. “You know what? I can’t explain it, and I don’t understand why, but the more I get to know you, the more I want to be around you.” He paused and a smile curved onto his lips. “You really don’t know how different you are, do you?”

I frowned, confused by his question. “What do you mean?”

His infectious smile widened as he met my eyes. “You really care about the people around you, and you put others first. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself about losing your memory, or focusing on yourself, you’re thinking about how hard your amnesia has been on Co

“There’s a lot of people who would do that. It’s not that unlikely,” I tried to dismiss his comments as I felt my cheeks flush at the sincerity of his words.

He shook his head in disbelief. “That’s not normal, Liv. That’s you. The way you care for someone is selfless and unadulterated. You have real heart and depth. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met.”

I stared at him, unsure of how to respond to his words.

Then he laughed awkwardly, breaking the silence. “Well, I guess I was wrong. I guess I can explain why I care about you and why I want to be around you.” A sheepish grin appeared on his face and he looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

“You’re not what I’d expected, Ethan.” Our eyes met and we shared a smile. At that moment, I felt something shift inside of me. It was a feeling that was new, something that scared me. But it was also something I couldn’t seem to turn my back to. Something about this man intrigued me and as much as I wanted to deny it, I knew I wanted to know more about him.

***

After almost two hours of walking in the rain-drenched streets, Scooter was nowhere to be found. Ethan walked me to the house before grabbing a cab home.

As I walked up to the front door of the house, I felt the weight of anxiety return, constricting every nerve of my body.

But the minute I walked through the door, Scooter came ru

“You’re home!” I cried in disbelief as tears of relief ran down my face.

“Hey, babe,” came Co

I stared at him, unsure of how I felt after our last conversation. “I was out looking for Scooter.”

“Good God, Liv.” He rushed over to the hallway closet and took out a bath towel. “You’re soaking wet. Why were you out there by yourself? How come Jim and Debra weren’t with you?”

I stood there looking at Scooter and then Co

“Yeah. He was waiting by the door when I got in half an hour ago. What happened to you? Are you okay? I tried to call you but your phone was turned off.”

I looked down at my phone and realized it was dead. “It must have died while I was out.”

Co

“Liv, I’m really sorry about earlier. I was so stressed out about the deal falling through that I took it out on you. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I was an asshole.”

I met his gaze and for a moment, I felt my anger waver. Then a question popped into my mind. “Who is Cindy?”

“Oh.” An expression of understanding appeared on his face. “I’m sorry for blurting that out without giving you any context. I don’t know what I was thinking. At that moment, I think I completely forgot about your amnesia.” His face twisted with guilt.

“So why did you mention her?”

Co