His Memories of Her

40th

Catherine’s POV

I could not do anything but to indulge myself with full concentration to what he is saying, finding myself reacting through facial expression that I did not even know I am doing until I just feel like something has change into my face. Smiling most of the time is what I am doing, hearing everything about my brother and how they have been interacting with each other from the past.

I do not know why, but I am not shock, surprised hearing that he liked me. Somehow by how my brother was acting towards him, I could feel it from the deepest core of my heart specially when we met that night. Why would I not be thinking like that when it is since the moment I woke up from that accident and found out that I am missing three years of my life, he is the first person he introduced to me, or let me know like he is someone who has been a big part of those three years that I am missing.

I wanted to asks so many things, in fact in each and every sentence he have said, but I just could not do it, looking to nothing but him, seeing each and every gestures he is making, it made me realize how difficult it is to him, to tell these things that I know did not di anything good to him. He keeps taking deep breaths one after another of each sentences, his positions that seems like there is no position that could make him comfortable that made me understand that it is not his sitting position or the couch he is sitting on, but the things that he is talking, telling me right now that is making him so uncomfortable. At this moment, I could not help but ask myself of just why my brother made him do this, does he not know that it would be hard for him? That it would take too much from him? If only I have known that it would be like this, I would have just stopped pestering him about this, I would have just wait until my session with my shrink arrives and get done with it.

Specially right now, right now when his aura has changed, like that little composure he has a moment ago was all blown away through the glass and scattered through uncountable trees as his hand intertwined with each other, tightly gripping each other that even me feels the pain like he would break his own bones in those excellent hands that made me the best past I have ever had in my whole life for dinner tonight.

After looking down half of the time we have spent here, he finally looks up. I am not sure of what kind of face I am wearing right now but I feel like my life depends on those black eyes of his that my gaze stayed straight to them, waiting for him as he takes time taking deep breath. With the depth of his breath, I could feel that what he is about to say is something big, something big in in every possible way. I felt my hand moved from where it was, slipping rubbing through my legs that when I look at it, it has already reached Henry’s hands. I am not sure why, but maybe I just unconsciously felt that I needed to give him something, like encouragement or assurance that whatever he is about, it will be just fine, that I and he will be fine. And thinking that this is what I meant to do, I smiled to him and nod, telling him that it is fine to go on whenever he felt like it, that I am willing to wait for what else there is to say.

“On the day of your graduation, I called you in the morning, I could feel that you are happy, I could hear it from your voice which also gave me certain happiness that was could not be measure. We talked for almost one hour as I tell you that I will be meeting you later that day, night time to be exact. Which you…” he said as he started again after a long silence except the sound of his deep breaths.

He smiled and chuckle a little bit as he cut off himself before he speaks again and said “You teased me saying that ‘Finally you are taking me to a date' that Michael who was with me that time told me that my ears were blushing and I look like an i***t having red cheeks like a girl. I could not stop that while we kept bickering if it is a date or not until your school’s bell rang and you needed to go cutting off the call.” Wearing a sad smile. Even though he is looking at me, I could tell that it is not me who he is seeing but the me in the past. But I do not care, I do not know who am I in those missing moments in my brain, but one thing I am sure of, is that it will still be me after I remembered everything. And I know he will still feel the same just like what he said to my brother earlier. That he got interested to the present me without knowing that I was the one he used to be interested to that I could not help but to feel happy from knowing that. Feeling like this is destined to happen, everything that has happened were meant to happen.

“That day felt so long, as I could not wait to see you as soon as possible. Even though I knew that I could not because you have to celebrate with your brother before your appointment with me. I have prepared everything with the help of my parents and Michael which I am still grateful to them. Oh yeah, even to my stylist who came to my house at six am just to cut my hair. And now that I think about it, I still owe him for that.” He said with a little trace of happiness and a chuckle by mention of his stylist which I also giggled as I imagine him getting a cut of hair at six in the morning which he could have done the night before.

“I know what you are thinking. I could not. I could not do it the night before because we had a game of basketball and I went and met you until your curfew and unfortunately my stylist has his own date which he could not afford to postpone anymore, so we did not really have that much of a choice.” He said like was reading what is in my mind.

I giggle and said “I am so sorry, I guess I should have waited for the rest before thinking of something. But now that you are mentioning about the people who helped you for that day, I suddenly become curious of how much does your parents knows me, I mean knew me.” Which he returned with a smile.

“I guess, I just know too much of your character that I could guess of what is in your mind.” He said chuckling. “And since you asked me about something I feel like would be a long story, let me get us something to go along with it.” He added as he stood up.

“Then, I guess an opportunity for restroom for me.” I said in triumph manner.

He chuckled and so I do. We both are chuckling as we walk inside from the balcony before he said “That door on the left is the rest room, you can just use that and for me here.” He said pointing one of the doors, the one on the left end which I nod to and walk towards it and he continued to walk to I guess is towards the kitchen.

Entering this bathroom, did not really felt like I was in another. It is just like the one in my room and that of in the kitchen. The first door for the sink, toilet and bidet and another door which I confirmed by opening is where the jacuzzi is. I just could not help but to be filled with amusement because of this house. It is just really like you are living in a modern and old times.

I step in front of the sink, look at myself at the mirror and what kind of reflection I sees is someone I have not seen yet. It does not seem like I am having a hard time to cope of everything that is happening, even the ones that was told just a minute ago.

“Is it because I feel like I did not had a hard time in those three years?” I said to myself before I finally do my business, the reason why I came in here.

After a good few minutes, I exited and found Henry on the couch in front of the bathroom with the big screen, as big as theater open, a movie I guess in pause.

“Here you are.” He said greeting me with a smile on his face with his hand extended.

I am not if I should take it, but still I took it and he guided me to sit beside him in this almost dark living room that even the screen on dark blue did not help even a bit.

“Thanks.” I simply said as I settle myself beside him.

There is popcorn and a bottle of beer and a cooler beside his foot that surprised me. I turn my head and look at him and said “Are we in a movie date?” as a big smile appears on my face, could not contain both happiness and excitement.

Well going on a movie date with my brother or my cousin who just acts as chaperone is not something like this, nothing at all. And even if I am not sure if it is my first time or not since he have not told me yet that we have gone to one in the past, but still the feelings of having one right now is just really something.

Looking back at me with a sad smile he said “Yes.”

To my wonder I said “If we are, why I could not feel that you are happy?”

“The bickering that I mentioned we had, is something that have traumatized me I guess, I am so scared to say no and we jokingly bicker to each other.” He simply said before he shifts his gaze towards the screen and soon the movie played.

I could not say anything anymore as I feel like he is not ready to say or even answer the question I was about to ask. I could feel that the bathroom break I had a moment ago was because of the same reason.

“We have a whole day, I will wait until he can finally say it. And in fact the night is still young, as long as the sun is still hiding and nowhere to be seen, it is still night.” Is what I thought as I stare at his side profile before finally shift my gaze to the big screen which is displaying something.

A tower in the middle of the sea or more like a station of something as there are people in yellow electrical ark suit but with out the head fully covered as they only wear safety helmets. Then it came down to one man hanging on one post fixing something. And when it focuses on his face, James Marsden came to view. Which made me feel excited and somehow forgot about Henry avoiding something. I am pretty sure I know all his films, and have seen some a couple of time in redo but still I could not somehow remember this one.

So, I turned my head to Henry and said “What is the title?”

“You love watching this one, we have watched for more than I could count in the past. The best of me.” He said turning his head and looking at me with a smile.

My eyes went wide and said “Stupid me. How could I forget about this one when I just finished rereading it last month.” Before turning quiet and focuses on the movie which I love more than anything. I love all of Nicholas Sparks books and this one is holding its position for years now as my number one.