Thank you again to my ever loyal reviewer lol 3 You know who you are, you have my heart haha

I might do a double update this weekend but we'll see! Hope you enjoy :)

Day 597

November 2019

The faces on the portraits stared at her from their position on the adjacent wall. The wooden door she stood in front of seemed bigger than she last remembered. She'd been in this apartment and through that same door multiple times before. But as she waited for someone to let her in, everything felt so foreign.

"Miss Elphaba," an older woman greeted, smiling. It was the caretaker, the green girl remembered—she was the one staying with Fiyero in his apartment in case he needed anything in his recovery. "Please, come in."

The woman held the door for her as she entered Fiyero's bedroom, and Elphaba slowly walked across the room. She looked around and she noticed how the room had changed over the past few months. There were more tables, with sheets of paper spread atop them. Bottles in different colors—some were blue, some were orange, but most were white—littered the dresser by the mirror. The curtains were closed and the wall sconces gave the room a soft glow.

"He's still asleep," Mrs. Cllaine—if she remembered her name correctly—told her as the older woman closed the door behind them. "Please, take a seat," she continued, gesturing to the cushioned chair beside the bed.

Elphaba took her seat but kept her back straight. She wasn't used to being here anymore, especially with the owner of the loft weakly lying in his bed like that. She watched his sleeping form—peaceful yet restless. His brow was furrowed and his eyes stirred. She wondered if he was dreaming—and if he did, what it was about.

The bandages on his head and arm looked new and freshly wrapped, she noticed. The last time she'd seen him was in the hospital, heavily covered in white cotton and garters, and still terribly weak. His face was a better color now, she also noticed. It was good news that he back was in his own home, she thought; it meant that he was doing well.

"He's recovering quite well," Mrs. Cllaine confirmed. And Elphaba nodded.

The older woman walked towards the green girl and softly placed a hand on her shoulder. Although they had only met about a month ago and they barely knew each other, the gesture was kind—somehow motherly—and Elphaba was slightly comforted.

"He's been looking for you, you know?" Mrs. Cllaine started. "Keeps telling me you should visit more often," she finished with a lighthearted chuckle.

Elphaba absentmindedly nodded, her eyes fixed on the sleeping man before them.

"Will you be alright here alone?" the older woman asked. "I need to dispose of the old bandages and prepare for supper."

"Yes," Elphaba answered. "I'll wait until he wakes up."

"Alright. Make yourself at home."

"Thank you."

As Mrs. Cllaine quietly left the room, Elphaba was stuck to her thoughts. They've been doing this for a while now—a few times a month. Her visits were scattered in different weeks, with no real schedule. She would go if he asked her to. And she would go to help him remember—that was what the doctor said.

But every time they met, she didn't know how to go about what she was asked to do. She didn't know if she could bring herself to go through all of their shared memories again. All she knew was she had to because he had a right to those memories, too. Despite the pain they caused.

To him, she was still his girlfriend. And she had to admit that it was nice to relive the times they shared—no matter how hard it was for her at the end of the day, knowing they were no longer together. She had planned to tell him, but she didn't know how. He might not be able to bear the information, she thought, as an excuse. But she knew she had to do it sometime soon. She didn't want to live in a lie; she didn't want that for him, too.

Elphaba picked up her phone and started scrolling through her photo album. She went to the collection taken from a year ago and looked at the photos from the first time they explored the city. She remembered the day clearly—Fiyero would force her to pose for him as he took photos of the places they visited, while she (naturally) refused. All of the photos were taken on his phone, and he just sent them to her the next time they met. She stared at a photo of them on the viewing deck of Ozma Tower, a candid shot—Fiyero called her and quickly took a selfie of the two of them as she turned; he looked so happy.

The sleeping man stirred. "Fae?" Fiyero said, trying to blink away the sleep from his eyes.

Reeled back from her trance, she replied, "Hi." It was all she could manage.

He slowly sat up and as soon as he was settled, he looked up at her with a smile. "Good morning," he said.

"Fiyero, it's three in the afternoon," she said, tittering. He was always good at helping her feel at ease. "Do you want some water?" she asked.

He nodded, and she handed him the glass that was on a nearby table. After downing the glass with a big gulp, he made a loud refreshed sigh and smiled widely at her.

"Thank you," he said. A pause. "You should visit more often," he blurted. "I keep telling Mrs. Cllaine the same thing." He chuckled.

"She told me," Elphaba replied.

"Oh," he said, his mouth forming a big O-shape. "Well, you should. Mrs. Cllaine is probably tired of my ramblings by now," he continued laughingly. "I mean, I do get visitors…" Another pause. "Avaric visited recently actually."

"That's nice of him."

"It was," he agreed, chuckling lightly. "Speaking of Avaric…" he trailed off.

"He's an ass?"

"No," he quickly answered, laughing. "I mean, yes. But it's not about that."

Suddenly looking serious, he rested his head back on his pillow and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"I asked him why you don't visit often…" He trailed off again, and she feared what came next. "He said we'd already broken up a long time ago," he finished. "Is it true?"

"Yes," she answered.

"When?"

"A few months before your accident."

"Why?"

Why? Why did they end the relationship? Or why hadn't she told him sooner? She didn't know the answer to any of those.

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how."

"Why did we…end it?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"You fell out of love with me."

"Why?"

She didn't know how to answer. And for a moment, time seemed to stop. Yet the clock continued to tick.

It's funny—how people live in completely different timelines. At some point in their lives, their timelines merge and everything feels right—like everything fits together. But after a while, they separate again. Because in reality, they were never one; they just went on the same path for a while. They had their own destinations.

Elphaba didn't know why and when he decided to end their relationship. It was the point in their lives when his timeline changed its course, and it no longer traveled the same path as hers.

"I don't want to corrupt your memories with my own experiences of them," she said.

He nodded. She didn't know if he understood, but he didn't say another word. Maybe he will remember on his own soon, she thought.

Silence filled the room like a suffocating smog.

They ignored the topic for the rest of the afternoon, and they focused on him recalling the first time they explored the city—like they did in most visits because he still had a hard time recalling most things. As dinnertime neared, it was time to leave.

"I think I have to go through the break-up again," Fiyero said, as Elphaba turned to the door.

She promised him they'd talk about it on her next visit. And they bid each other farewell.

That night, before she fell asleep, Elphaba sat on her bed with her phone in her hand. She stared at their picture in Ozma Tower again, and a lone tear slid down her cheek.

She realized she needed to go through the experience of losing him again, too.