Tobias's POV:
It's been several weeks since Tris woke up with her memories gone. I haven't seen her since. We waited a few more days hoping she would remember something, but she didn't. Every night I prayed that she would remember at least a tiny moment the next day, but it never happened. So she went with her parents to their house, not with me to our home.
There's nothing I can do about this situation, no matter how much it kills me every single day. I was lucky enough to find the love of my life in this cruel world, and somehow she chose to be with me too. But now it's all gone. How am I supposed to live with that? The best years of my life, which happened because of Tris, the days we shared, the times we had been together in, the light whispers through deep kisses, the love and warmth and everything in between...it only just exists in my memories now.
Some days I drive up to their house, hoping to catch a glimpse of my wife through the window. I saw her one late evening, talking to her mother, a familiar smile on her face. How I wish she was smiling at me, looking at me and running towards me. Falling into my arms and kissing me. Calling me baby as she brushed her fingers through my messy hair. The tears streamed down my face just like always, and I sat there with my heart aching in my chest.
Natalie does give me regular updates about her health. And every time I see her name on my phone, I pick up the call with the tiniest bit of hope that maybe Tris recalled something. Maybe she asked for me. But that never happens, all I get to hear is that she is getting better slowly. She's still using crutches to walk, she still can't get out of the house. But I'm just waiting for that day, because I'm gonna get my wife back, one way or another.
I sigh and try to finish the work off for today. My eyes burn looking at the screen of my computer. I had been crying in the restroom earlier, it's become common now. I didn't think I would have any tears left in me, and I've never cried this much in my entire life, but surprisingly the fresh ones come out each day.
Checking the time, I see that it's only five minutes till 5, so I begin getting my stuff. I have zero motivation to do anything now anyway, I'll get to it tomorrow. I sign off and shut down the system, then walk out of the office, going into the elevator. I used to always take the stairs going up and down the three floors, but I find that my fear of closed spaces helps distract me from everything else, even if just for a few minutes.
I hold my breath in, feeling like the walls are closing in on me, swallowing me whole. Soon but not soon enough, the elevator dings, opening its doors. I walk out, breathing again, but also being smacked by all the things that are wrong in my life. I walk to my car, getting in and driving out of there hurriedly.
But I don't want to go back to an empty house. It's just like hell living there right now. The silence screaming at me. Every corner of the house reminds me of her. Every inch of our bed smells like her. Every room echoes with the sound of her laughter, only thing is she isn't there. She's never there.
Driving around aimlessly for almost two hours, my legs get tired, and my stomach grumbles with the sound of hunger. I decide to go home, eat something and go to sleep. Hopefully my nightmares will stay away tonight.
Pulling into the driveway, I climb out of the car. I unlock the door of the house, opening it to emptiness. I flip the light switch on, going into the kitchen and looking through the refrigerator for something to eat. There's last night's leftover pizza, so I take it out and reheat it in the microwave. It tastes horrible, and I miss the fresh food my wife used to make. I tried making stuff on my own, but I always mess it up somehow.
I swallow the rest of the slice unwillingly, chugging down a glass of water to help. Throwing away the rest, I clean up the couple dishes. Then I take a deep breath in, getting myself ready to climb the stairs to go to our bedroom. I don't look at anything, going straight into the bathroom to take a shower. I let the hot water burn my skin, scrubbing soap on myself and rinsing it off quickly.
It's a short shower, and I walk out, drying myself. I look for my clothes on the small table near the sink where I've started keeping them, but curse out when I realise I've not done the laundry in a while. Bracing myself, I walk into the closet, keeping the lights off. I search for something to wear, till my hands recognise the fabric of my night pants. I put them on, saying a silent prayer and getting ready to leave. But something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention.
It's a black sequin dress, hanging on a shelf, shimmering in the dark closet. The one she wore right after we got engaged. She couldn't stop smiling and twirling around in it when we went out to celebrate, calling me her fiancé after each sentence. I had the goofiest grin, wondering how this girl agreed to marry an idiot like me. That was one of the happiest moments of my life, turning completely magical when I pushed the dress off her shoulders and made love to her. She couldn't get enough that night, and I couldn't stop giving her what she wanted. I was the luckiest man alive.
The memory leaves a sharp stinging feeling in my chest, almost knocking the air out of me. My hands begin shaking and I feel sweat drops on my forehead. I quickly walk out of the closet, closing the door behind me. Shutting my eyes, I try to breathe. But it's impossible, so I stare at the bed in front of me, torturing myself.
A million little memories flash through my head. Cuddling together and arguing about who gets to be the little spoon. Laughing together and falling back onto the pillows clutching our stomachs. Making out passionately and touching each other everywhere. Staring into her eyes as she lets out breathy gasps while making love. Hearing her call out my name as she clings to me, not wanting even a sliver of distance between us. Waking up the next morning with our limbs tangled together in the sheets.
I hold my head between my hands, trying to shut my brain off. But the thoughts are endless, showing me a new memory each time. I slowly walk forward, bending down and settling on the floor. The thin sheet breaks my back every night, but I wouldn't dare sleep on the bed. I lay my head on the pillow, willing it to stop spinning. But it doesn't, it never does. So I let the tears fall, passing out till I'm unconscious and oblivious to the pain. But only till the next time I open my eyes.
The light coming in through the window wakes me up, and I blink a couple of times. Guess I forgot to set an alarm last night. I rub my eyes and stand up from the floor, stretching my stiff body. God, what time is it? I feel like I slept for twenty hours straight. Seeing that I have a good thirty minutes before I need to leave for work, I take my time getting ready.
Walking downstairs, I look for a clean and decent shirt to wear, not crazy enough to walk into the closet again. I find a blue shirt in the dryer, it's a little wrinkled but it works. I hear my phone beep when I'm searching the cupboard for some cereal. Shit, I haven't checked my phone since last night.
As I pick it up from the counter, I see the four missed calls from Natalie and two from Andrew. My heart begins racing immediately. God, I hope Tris is okay. I call Natalie right back, waiting impatiently for her to pick up. She answers on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Is she okay?" I ask without wasting a second.
"Tobias, where were you last night? Tris is fine, in fact, she's getting much better. She talked about wanting to go back to work yesterday, and I couldn't hold her back anymore. I spoke to Tori and she was totally on board with everything going on. She promised she wouldn't let anybody accidentally tell everything to Tris."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Natalie? What if someone slips up? It's a big risk." I ask.
"Tori said she would keep Tris at the front with her. We can trust her, Tobias." Natalie sounds sure.
"Okay." I sigh. "When is she planning on going back?"
"She's starting back today. I just dropped her off." She says.
"What?! Today?!" My eyes widen.
"Yes, she's already there. Go see her, Tobias." She hangs up.
I stand there frozen in place before snapping back to the reality. I grab whatever I can find, whatever I need, then run out of the house. Quickly starting the car, I race through the street. I can't believe I'll get to see my love today. Not from a distance. We'll be face to face. Will she recognise me? Will her face light up when she sees me? I can only hope.
Flying through the roads, I finally see the bakery in my view. It looks like it's a busy day today as all the parking spots are occupied. I roughly park over a block away, jumping out of the car and slamming the door shut. Then my feet start running towards the small shop, eager to see my wife. My wife who doesn't remember the last four years, doesn't remember getting married, doesn't remember me.
I stop at the door, reaching for it slowly and taking a deep breath in before opening it. The bell dings above me, but my eyes only search for hers. And then I find myself staring at the blue grey ones I've been dreaming about for months. The same ones which remind me of stormy days. And they're staring right back into mine. Her gaze is strong, never faltering.
Somehow getting my legs to work, I walk over to her. She looks just as beautiful as the first day I saw her. Wearing a blue dress that fits all her curves, her golden hair in a bun that reminds me of the day of our wedding. Her eyes follow me till I'm standing right in front of her, only the counter separating us. She looks curious as ever, and my heart beats rapidly, my hands shake. I've been waiting for this day for so long, I have to do everything right.
And so I begin by introducing myself to my wife.
A/N: Hi, everyone! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Tell me how you liked this chapter!