"Don't leave me waiting for too long, sweetheart."

Alice woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat. Shakily, she dashed a hand across her face. Tears. She had been crying in her sleep and she had not even known.

"Don't leave me waiting for too long, sweetheart."

This phrase was new. Something must have jostled those locked memories. She could not remember the person's voice, but like all her recollections of this elusive being, she could recall how it had made her feel. She had not wanted to leave this man. She had wanted to run back into his arms and never let go.

Sweetheart. No man had ever called her that.

Uncas glanced wearily at his mobile phone when it gave a sharp beep. He had arrived at the office early in the morning and had barely left his desk the whole day. It was now almost 9pm and he was far from done. Sketches were strewn across the surface of the desk, as he worked on simulations on his laptop.

He blinked when he saw that it was a message from Alice, asking him if he was free to grab a drink. He would have liked to see her but he had quite a bit of work left to finish. He figured he would call her instead of texting his reply. When her voice greeted him over the line, Uncas regrettably informed her he had to stay late at the office and suggested meeting the next day for dinner.

Alice stared at her mobile phone for a long minute after Uncas had clicked off. He sounded tired and genuinely disappointed he could not meet her. But she wanted to see him. Badly. She had not stopped thinking of him since they parted at her apartment a few days ago. Why can't I stop thinking of him, Alice mused, feeling irritated and confused at her irrational behaviour.

She have had dinner with her colleagues after work but when they suggested drinks after, Alice had excused herself, citing fatigue. But she had not gone home, and on impulse, had decided to text Uncas. She spotted a café across the street and made up her mind. She was going to see him.

His eyes glued to his the screen of his laptop, Uncas picked up his mobile phone when it trilled, "Yeah?" "It's Alice. I'm at the lobby of your office." Uncas exclaimed, "What? Hang on, I'll go down to get you." Alice had come to see him. For some reason, Uncas felt a thrill of happiness at the knowledge.

Alice paced nervously in the lobby of the stylish building which housed Uncas' office. According to the directory, he took the entire top floor. The elevators were activated by a security pass so she could not go up by herself. "Alice?" Alice twirled around at his voice. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He wore navy pants and a pale blue shirt, with the collar open and the sleeves rolled up. His hair was a little mussed and he looked exhausted. But his lips were tilted in a lopsided smile and his eyes sparkled with melting warmth. He was happy to see her, she noted in relief.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed at her sudden visit, she thrusted out her hands which held a couple of paper bags, "I bought sandwiches and coffee. Thought we could have a quick supper together." Uncas swaggered over and took the bags from her. "It doesn't have to be quick," he murmured, taking her arm with his free hand and leading her to the elevators. Alice gulped at his words, "I won't stay long. You have to finish your work and…" Uncas interjected smoothly, "I can work and eat at the same time."

"This is gorgeous," Alice gaped at the splendid view through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows greeted her when the elevator doors slid open. The office was sophisticated and minimalist – like its owner. It was decorated with white, black, navy and shades of grey.

"My personal office is at one end, while my staff take up the other end. In between is the reception area, and a few meeting and conference rooms. When Steffi is in town, she uses the office across mine," Uncas said, moving towards his office. "Steffi?" Alice repeated curiously as she followed him down the hallway. "My business partner," he replied easily. And his ex-wife, Alice recalled inwardly. Uncas stepped into his office and pulled Alice in with him, closing the door behind her.

His office was spacious, with a huge desk, a coffee table and two low-slung plush leather sofas. Uncas gestured towards the coffee table, "We'll eat here." Alice nodded and sat down on one the sofas. To her surprise, Uncas settled in next to her. Unwrapping one sandwich, he took a huge bite, "Mmmm… this is good. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Alice handed him a cup of coffee, "Rushing a proposal?" "Yeah. It's for an entire office building in Seoul," Uncas answered, taking a sip of coffee. "New client?" Alice asked as she reached her cup of coffee. "No. We designed their offices in Atlanta and Berlin," Uncas said as he polished off the sandwich hungrily. He flicked her a grateful smile, "Thanks for coming. And the food." "It's nothing. I mean… you couldn't meet so I…" "Decided to come and see me instead?" he finished wryly, shifting closer to her.

He smelled wonderful, a combination of a minty aftershave and a subtle, musky cologne. His scent assailed her senses, sexy… yet comforting. Why did she find his presence so comforting, Alice's mind raced wildly, trying to grasp the mysterious allure of the man next to her. Uncas gazed at her, his eyes becoming heavy-lidded, his lips parting slightly. He was going to kiss her, Alice surmised instantly. And she did not think she could summon the will to stop him if he did.

He was going to kiss her, Uncas realised as his mind warred frantically with his heart. He shouldn't, his mind reprimanded. He had to, his heart screamed. She looked lovely, he thought achingly as his eyes took in her the snug black sheath dress she wore with matching heels, her hair swept into a loose bun at her nape. He drew her closer, folding her into his arms . The feel of her was so familiar to him despite the nine years they had been apart. Uncas' eyes burned as his hands shook.

Her head fell back and she eyed him warily. There was no fear in her eyes – just confusion and banked desire. She did not move away, keeping still within the circle of his arms. Uncas traced her cheekbone and jaw, before capturing her chin. "Alice…" he husked roughly before his lips swooped down to cover hers. The second he felt her cool, silky lips brush against his, his stomach clenched and his heart thudded heavily. Nine years… nine years… Groaning, Uncas swept past her lips and plundered the moist recesses of her mouth. Nine years…

Alice felt as if her insides were getting scorched by the burning desire and raw longing in Uncas' kiss. As she responded to him with equal fervour, she wondered desperately if she had gone mad. His scent, his touch, his kiss… felt overwhelmingly right. His fingers grazed the small of her back and she shivered as his arms tightened and drew her closer to him. She could feel the heat of his skin through their clothes, and she buried herself deeper in his arms, her arms wound around his neck. His fingers threaded through her hair, decimating her bun. Alice caressed his nape tentatively and she heard his breath hitch.

Alice. Uncas squeezed his eyes closed as his lips and body sought her like a starving man, his arms like steel manacles around her, trapping her against him. He was afraid if he opened his eyes and let her go, she would disappear and he would wake up cold and alone… as if it was all a dream. He had dreamt of her many times in the nine years. He tumbling her off the sofa, she collapsing on him in laughter on her bed, the two of them fooling around in the kitchen…

Alice had no clue what she was doing at the moment, half-sprawled on top of a man she had only met a few days ago, kissing him like a long-lost lover. But it felt right. His body was a like furnace beneath hers though the air-conditioner was near Arctic temperatures, his arms that banded around her were strong yet gentle. Her hands had migrated from his neck to his front, and were sweeping over his muscled chest and shoulders. She could feel his heart racing against hers and knew he was as affected as her by their intimacy.

"Waited for so long…" Uncas whispered brokenly against her lips when they broke apart for air. Alice figured she heard him wrongly or he meant something else. Maybe he had been as eager to meet again as she since their previous date. Alice lay cuddled on his chest wordlessly as he rested his chin atop her head, stroking her back with a cherished sweetness that she found deeply moving. She crashed back to reality when she saw the pile of papers on his desk from the corner of her eye.

Scrambling up to a more respectable sitting position, she mumbled, "Your work. You have to work." He chuckled quietly and sat up, "Thanks for the reminder." Alice fussed with her hair and yanked down the hem of her dress as she got to her feet, "I should go. I shan't disturb you…" Uncas caught her hand and stood up. He bracketed her shoulders and tilted her chin up, staring sombrely into her eyes, "Did I scare you?" Alice shook her head, "No. Not at all. It's just that I don't usually jump to this stage so quickly. But…" she trailed off, studying those dark, molten eyes. "It just feels so right. You feel… right," she finished awkwardly, throwing her hands up in the air in bewilderment.

Uncas felt her words wash over him like a soothing balm, and he ran the back of his fingers across her cheekbone reverently, "You feel right, too." Alice was enthralled by the blistering tenderness in his eyes, the harsh planes of his face softened as his thumb passed over her lips in a light caress. He sighed, "I'll walk you down. It's getting late and I really have to get this done before midnight."

Alice stared unseeingly at her ceiling as she lay prone on her bed, replaying her kiss with Uncas for the hundredth time. "Waited for so long." His whispered confession kept reverberating around her head and her heart ached incessantly when recalled the wounded desperation in his eyes and voice when he uttered those words.

Her heart ached the same way whenever she read the phrase from her journal of lost memories, "I like waiting for you." It must be the similarity of the words used, she concluded since she was confounded as to why the two phrases would have the same effect on her. As Alice drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of Uncas cradling her in his arms and murmuring into her ear," Don't leave me waiting for too long, sweetheart."

Uncas threw himself on the sofa a few minutes after midnight. He was finally done with work. He hoped the client would be agreeable with his proposal. He let his mind drift to the mindless kiss he shared with Alice earlier. The slow, lingering way she had caressed his nape as she kissed him… it was a habitual gesture since she did that each time they kissed in the past. Her soft, pliant body on top of him, her hair tickling his nose as she snuggled on his chest. It was all Alice.

You feel right. Her shaky bewilderment and uncertainty tore at him. She probably thought she was losing her mind succumbing to a man she had only known for days. No, Alice, we were lovers … until you decided to disappear from my life and marry another man nine years ago.

You lost your memory… and I lost you. Uncas stared bleakly out of the window as he dug his fingers into the plush leather of the sofa as rippling pain coursed through him. I lost you. The distant city lights blurred as tears clouded his eyes. I lost you.

"There was someone else before Ashleigh, wasn't there?" Cora swivelled around at Alice's question. Her younger sister stood at the doorway of her kitchen, look like she had not slept in years. "What I can't remember, the period before the accident… I was in love with someone else, wasn't I?"

Cora walked over to Alice, "Were you really?" "What do you mean?" Alice retorted. Cora canted her head, "Were you really in love with someone else? I always wondered because even before you lost your memory, you never said a word. It was only when -" Cora halted in mid-speech when she saw the haunted look in Alice's eyes. Her sister was finally recalling that could have been another man before Ashleigh.

"On the day of your engagement, you told me there was someone you had been seeing in New York. I was shocked because it was the first time I've heard about the relationship. I thought it wasn't serious since you couldn't remember him after your accident. I did ask your doctor if we should bring it up with you, but he told us to hold it off until you got better. Since we didn't know the details of your relationship, the doctor was worried you might get further traumatised and suffer a relapse if we mentioned him. I did want to tell you but when you didn't recall him even after a couple of months, I figured he was not worth risking you suffering a relapse."

"We?" Alice repeated. Then it dawned on her, "Ash knew, didn't he?" Cora nodded tiredly, "All he knew was that you had met someone in New York but that was all. You didn't tell him anything either. He decided to go ahead with the engagement because he honestly cared deeply for you. He did say if you had remembered the other man, he would have called it off immediately. But you never did so he decided to go along with the original plan."

"What did I say about him?" Alice asked, wringing her hands. Cora frowned, "Nothing much. You were so frazzled that day. You did say he was an American, but that was it." He was American, Alice had suspected just as much since she concluded she must have met him while she had been studying in New York. The thing was, she could not remember anything that happened in the two years before the accident. Thus, she could not clearly recall her friends at college or her college days in New York. It was unsettling. Cora had rattled off a few names Alice had mentioned to her while she had been at college, but they all drew a blank. Alice even visited her old apartment in New York but nothing looked or felt familiar.

She had lost her memory. She had lost that person.

Uncas and Alice went on to spend time together for the following month. They met every weekend, and tried to catch up with each other at least once on weekdays. They were both extremely busy, with Uncas making business trips every other week. Though they were getting to know each other better, Alice sensed there was still an invisible wall between her and Uncas.

Alice sighed in contentment as Uncas dropped a light kiss on her lips. "Get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow," he instructed firmly, tangling his fingers through her hair. It was a Sunday night and they were at the lobby of Alice's apartment. "Why don't you come up for a cup of coffee?" Alice suggested, kissing the base of his throat. She felt his whole body tauten at her words – this was not the first time Alice had invited him to her place. Uncas had never once invited her to his apartment. They were aware what would happen if they ended up in either apartment.

As much as Uncas desired Alice, he just could not bring himself to sleep with her when she could not remember him. It would be violating her current trust in him, discounting the authenticity of their past relationship. Uncas knew Alice was puzzled as to why he kept turning her down when he was obviously crazy over her. He had almost given in to temptation one evening and was seconds away from asking her over to his place, when suddenly, memories of their happy times together nine years ago flashed through his mind. They cuddling on her bed in her apartment in New York, they making out on the couch, on the floor… and all temptation fled. He wanted Alice to know who he truly was if they slept together.

Kissing her forehead, Uncas flashed a forced smile, "It's late. Good night." Alice looked as if she was going to argue with him but to his relief, she did not. She nodded curtly and stepped into the waiting elevator without another backward glance at him.

Uncas was nursing a beer despondently on his balcony when his mobile phone rang. It was Steffi. "Cas Cas, Alex called and wants me to meet him in London this week. The thing is, I have a couple of important meetings lined up in Munich that I can't cancel. Can you come up to Munich for the meetings while I go to London?"

Alex Hamilton was one of their most loyal clients and was based in London. Uncas had refused to step foot into London again since he left the city nine years ago after finding out about Alice's engagement. Steffi understood so she usually handled meetings in London.

"I'll go to London," he stated coolly. There was a long silence before Steffi spoke, "Are you sure?" "Yes, let Alex know I'll be coming to see him. I'll book the late afternoon flight out tomorrow if possible." Steffi, the stoic woman that she was, answered, "I'll do that." Uncas cracked at a grin at Steffi's unruffled acceptance. That was why he loved her. She knew when to ask, or not to ask questions. But his grin faded when he thought of his upcoming trip to London.

He always wondered if things – and life – would have turned out differently if he had not made the trip to London nine years ago.

It was time to find out. It was time for him to face up to the past.

It was time for him to find out the truth about Alice.