"You two were involved," he said simply, hoping she'd leave it at that but knowing that her curiosity wouldn't let her.
"How involved?" she asked taking a sip of her hot chocolate, she was actually starting to get warm.
"Well, I know you loved him," said Cristian slowly, it was weird, but he was actually hoping that she wouldn't remember Seth if she got her memory back, he knew it was stupid but he didn't want Seth to cause her any more pain, even if it was only by remembering him.
"Are we together now? I mean he hasn't come to visit me."
"He ended it a while ago, you parted ways."
"Oh," said Natalie a little disappointed, a part of her wanted to have that aspect of the old Natalie's life, a boyfriend who loved her, that would have been wonderful, it was something that she had always secretly wished for when she was younger, an everlasting love that would be with her forever.
"You said that he ended it, why?"
Cristian was silent for a moment, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that he broke up with her for Jessica so he lied. "I'm not sure, I think after you found your family you grew apart."
"Maybe it was for the best then," she said smiling. Since she had found out about her new family it had been a roller coaster of emotions, and now it seemed like there were just so many opportunities ahead of her, all with a loving, happy family.
"So does Jessica hate me for what I did to her?"
"What did you do?"
"I pretended that I was her friend," said Natalie remembering that horrible newspaper article, she had a feeling that all of it was true. "Why don't you ask her?"
"I don't know, I mean she must hate me, I stole her life away from her and I hurt her ten times more by deceiving her. I'm not sure that I would be able to forgive something like that," said Natalie biting the inside of her lip, did she have the courage to apologize to someone that she really didn't know but had hurt so badly?
"I've known Jessica for a long time and she's one of the kindest people I know."
"Then I'll do it. I'll talk to her."
"I think I'm going to leave, now," he said getting up, it had been a long day.
She grabbed his hand and smiled up at him, please stay for a little while longer.
Crisitian smiled, if Natalie would have been like this when she first came to town, he thought, then everyone would have loved her.
Natalie took a deep breath and walked down the hall. Cristian had left a little while ago, he'd filled her in on general aspects of her life, she would have asked more questions but for right now she just wanted to be able to process everything. She stopped at Jessica's door, took another deep breath and knocked.
"Come in," said Jessica as she turned off her CD player and closed the book she was reading, she looked up as Natalie walked in, one of the last people that she had expected to see.
"Do you need something?" asked Jessica politely.
"No...yes... can I sit down?" asked Natalie nervously, how did you apologize for something you didn't remember doing?
"Sure," said Jessica moving her books to make room for Natalie.
"I'm sorry," Natalie said slowly, hoping the apology wouldn't be thrown back in her face.
"For what?" Jessica asked perplexed, she knew that Natalie wasn't the person she had been a few weeks ago but she still found it hard to believe that she was actually apologizing.
"For everything I did to you when I first came to town and I can't believe that I was so stupid and selfish, I shouldn't have hurt you the way that I did and I know there's no excuse for it, but I am really really sorry."
Jessica stopped speechless, this was not the Natalie that she had gotten used to disliking, a part of her wondered if there was some ulterior motive hidden somewhere but she looked into Natalie's eyes and she saw sincerity.
"Don't worry about it, everything is forgiven," she said with a smile, maybe Natalie wasn't that bad after all.
"Thank you, Jessica." She gave her an awkward hug and then left.
Natalie undressed and then lay down in bed and it seemed that for the first time everything was going to be okay, she wasn't plagued with doubts and insecurities, fear of the future, she felt good, and it was all because of Cristian. She smiled and then snuggled deeper under the blankets, in a million years she could have never asked for a better friend, he was so kind and caring, and he made her laugh, he made her happy, she fell asleep, thinking about how absolutely amazing he was.
Cristian sat on the couch as he finished eating his dinner and looked around, it seemed so bare without Jen there, her scent, her clothes on the floor....he frowned, it wasn't like he really missed her but he missed her company. He frowned, when had he stopped loving Jen? Maybe it had ended a long time ago, he had feelings for her, but they were subtle, quiet, not raging passion or deep chemistry. He remembered how it had felt to have Natalie snuggled up to him, it had felt wonderful...he blocked it out of his head, there was no room for he and Natalie, she had to many things going on, and who knew, Seth might try to reclaim the Natalie that he had fallen in love with those years ago, Cristian wasn't about to get involved with that. He sighed and ran his hands over his face, they were friends, nothing more. He got up and got into bed, deep down he knew that wasn't true, he was falling in love with her.