"I see…" Eugene says slowly, his voice trailing as a storm of thoughts races through his mind.
His chest tightens. As much as he wants his friend Julian to finally be happy—finally be reunited with the girl he loves—Eugene feels chained. He longs to tell Grace the truth, yet the weight of what he knows, of why Julian remains silent about her past, locks his lips. He cannot betray his friend. He cannot betray Grace either.
Karen studies Grace, her gaze softening, a quiet sympathy flickering in her eyes.
"It must be very tough," she says gently, "to have forgotten all of your important memories. Maybe… did you try looking at your digital records? Like on your phone, or your computer?"
Grace nods faintly.
"Yeah, I did. But my phone and my laptop—where I assume almost all of my digital records are—" she pauses, her words catching. "I couldn't type in the password after I woke up from the coma, so I couldn't unlock them." Her voice trembles with a self-deprecating laugh. "It was foolish of me to forget. But… I had no other choice."
Karen nods slowly, concern deepening in the lines of her face.
"I see… How about your drive? Cloud services you might have used?"
Grace squints, tilting her head as she shakes it, frustration shadowing her expression.
"I tried my internet accounts, but there wasn't much there—just some academic files I'd saved." Grace lets out a small laugh, light but tinged with resignation. "I guess I should have used cloud services more."
Karen nods slowly, her sympathy for Grace deepening with every word, every glimpse into the void Grace is struggling to fill. Her eyes soften, as if willing to carry some of the burden for her.
Eugene remains quiet, his posture stiff. A faint guilt gnaws at him. He knows too much, knows pieces of Grace's past she yearns for, yet he cannot reveal them. Julian's silence binds him, and so he only listens, the weight of his unspoken truth pressing against his chest.
Sensing the heaviness creeping over the air, Grace straightens with a brightened smile, determined to lift the atmosphere.
"So," she says warmly, eyes glinting with curiosity, "how did you two meet first?"
Karen and Eugene glance at one another, and a shared smirk flickers between them, a soft and unspoken memory sparking in their expressions.
Karen answers first, her voice carrying a gentle fondness.
"Well, we had a mutual friend, and he introduced us."
Grace's lips curl into a knowing smile, her eyes narrowing slightly in playful suspicion. The tension between them loosens, replaced by a quiet thread of warmth weaving through the three.
Karen tilts her head slightly, a playful light in her eyes.
"And that friend," she continues, "is the very one we're waiting for right now—the one running in the marathon."
Eugene nods slowly, his gaze distant for a moment.
Maybe if Grace stays here with us long enough, she might run into Julian. Would that be helping him… or making things harder?
The question lingers uncomfortably in his chest.
Grace smirks, her eyes narrowing with quiet amusement.
"I see. No wonder you two are waiting for that friend's marathon. That friend must be a really special one for both of you."
Eugene's lips curve into a genuine smile at her words, the heaviness in his chest softening. For the briefest moment, the air between them feels lighter—like a curtain of warmth parting through the tension.
"Yes, he is," Karen replies softly, her voice carrying a quiet certainty. "He is indeed a very special one to us."
Grace nods with a faint smirk.
"It's good that you have a friend you can truly call special. I mean, for me—" she lets out a small, half-joking laugh "—I don't even know what friendships I had before I woke up from the coma."
But her words don't land as lightly as she intends. Silence falls, heavy and unyielding. Karen only gazes at her with tender sympathy, her lips pressing into a thin line, while Eugene shifts in his seat, uncertain, unable to find the right words.
I shouldn't have said that, Grace thinks, her smirk fading as awkwardness coils in her chest.
Then, after a beat of hesitation, Eugene speaks, his voice unsteady but determined.
"He actually teaches at a university."
Grace's eyes widen slightly, surprise breaking through her composure. The room seems to tighten around them, anticipation hanging in the air like a held breath.
"Okay, where?" Grace asks, leaning forward slightly.
"University of L Bingo," Eugene replies with a measured smile.
Grace's eyes falter.
"L Bingo? That's the school I'm attending right now for my graduate studies." Her curiosity sharpens, her voice quickening. "What's his name? What does he teach?"
Eugene swallows, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly as he answers,
"His name is Julian Lenter. He teaches fashion design."
The moment the name leaves his lips, Grace's gaze falters. Her eyes drift past Eugene, no longer fixed on him.
Julian Lenter?
Her heart dips—just slightly, but enough to unsettle her. A strange weight presses against her chest, a feeling she cannot place, cannot name. For a reason hidden even from herself, the sound of that name makes her pulse catch, as if brushing against a memory that refuses to surface.
"He's…" Grace's voice falters, trailing off as uncertainty creeps in. "I… I know him."
Eugene nods slowly, his mind turning over the revelation.
So she does know him… even if she can't remember their relationship. The thought tightens his chest with a mixture of relief and caution.
Grace bites her lip slightly, thinking carefully.
I probably shouldn't mention that Professor Lenter supported my tuition… I don't know if he'd want that exposed.
She forces a casual tone, masking the swirl of thoughts beneath.
"He's a very good professor indeed," she says lightly.
Eugene and Karen both nod, their smiles warm but knowing.
Karen adds, her voice gentle, "He's just a really good friend as well. Caring, sensitive… What a small world that you know him as your professor, I guess?"
Grace falters, her smirk slipping into uncertainty.
"Yeah… he's, um… yeah…" Her words trail into the quiet, a little lost, as she struggles to navigate the delicate line between truth and discretion.
The three sit in a brief, soft silence, the weight of unspoken connections lingering between them.
Eugene studies Grace's face, searching her expression as if trying to measure how much she might remember about his friend Julian. His eyes linger on hers, calm but probing, careful not to betray the thoughts behind them.
"Maybe you should stay with us for a while," he suggests, his voice light and bright, "hang out until the marathon's over… and see Julian together."
On the surface, his tone is casual, friendly. But beneath it lies the unspoken truth.
He wants to help his friend, to give Julian a chance to reconnect with Grace, even if she doesn't yet realize it.
Grace hesitates, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features. Something stirs in her chest—a tremor she can't name, part discomfort, part… something else, something fluttering, elusive. Her heart skips a beat, and she swallows, unsure whether to stay or to retreat from the unfamiliar pull of the moment.
She can't tell what it is, only that it stirs, restless, just beneath her aware.
Grace finally speaks, her voice careful, measured.
"Well, he and I aren't really that close. I mean, we're just… professor and student, so I'm not sure he'd be comfortable seeing me after he finishes running in the marathon."
At her words, a pang of guilt strikes Eugene. She doesn't remember anything.
She doesn't even remember him, he thinks, letting out a quiet internal sigh.
Karen shakes her head gently, eyes soft with understanding.
"No, Julian would love to meet you. He enjoys meeting new people."
Grace offers a tentative smile, as if testing the waters of the suggestion.
"Okay, yeah, maybe. And…" Her gaze shifts between the two of them, uncertainty flickering across her features. "I don't know. I think I should head back home now."
Eugene nods slowly, a weight settling on his shoulders. On the surface, he accepts her decision, but inside, he wishes she would stay. He wants to create a chance for Julian and Grace to cross paths, a moment that might change everything.
Grace rises from her seat with deliberate slowness, her movements graceful but hesitant.
"Thank you. It was a lovely meal. Thank you for inviting me to join," she says warmly.
Karen and Eugene watch her, their smiles gentle and steady.
"It was good meeting you. Have a good day," Karen says softly.
Eugene adds, his tone equally warm, "Yeah… have a good day."
Grace smiles back, nodding once, sincere yet fleeting.
"Have a good day, you two. And… to Professor Lenter, too. Bye."
She turns, her figure moving deliberately down Marathon Lane, fading gradually with every step. Eugene and Karen's eyes follow her, fixed, unwilling to look away.
Karen whispers almost to herself, a touch of sorrow in her voice,
"It must be tough for her… forgetting all her memories."
The words hang in the air, quiet and heavy, as Grace's silhouette recedes, leaving a soft emptiness in their wake.