Ned's smile grew even brighter. He walked over to Sophie, took the clothes from her hands, and helped her hang them in the closet.
"I just don't remember anything from the past—that's all it is, amnesia. But the doctor never said I was an idiot, and he never said my reactions would be slow."
Sophie lowered her eyes and stopped speaking.
"I really wish I hadn't lost my memory," he suddenly said.
"Why?"
"Because I want to know why I'm here." Although his expression was tinged with melancholy, he was still smiling. "If I can't recover my memories, I'll never remember the reason I came here. And maybe that forgotten reason will become the greatest regret of my life."
Sophie held her breath as she gazed at him.
"What's wrong?" Not understanding the look in her eyes, Ned asked.
"Nothing." Sophie turned her gaze away. She suddenly realized that she no longer existed in his memory—and perhaps she never would again in the future. From now on, the only version of her he would remember was this unfamiliar one who had once helped him.
"You rest first. I'll make sandwiches for dinner. You should go to bed early tonight—you have a follow-up appointment at the hospital tomorrow morning."
Because of the amnesia caused by the accident, the hospital had recommended a psychologist for Ned to undergo psychological rehabilitation. In some cases, hypnosis might be necessary. In addition, his wounds still needed regular dressing changes.
"Are sandwiches tasty?" Ned looked a little puzzled. "I remember my dinners were always steak. I've never eaten a sandwich before, and I don't even know how to make one."
"So… you want to make sandwiches with me?" Sophie teased with a playful smile.
Ned's expression went completely blank for a moment. He thought about it, then nodded. "Of course. If you need my help, I'd be more than happy to!"
Sophie burst out laughing loudly. "You really are spoiled. Eating A5 Wagyu beef every day and you've never even had a sandwich." Then she walked out of the living room.
Ned stood there stunned until her figure disappeared through the kitchen doorway.
"Aren't you supposed to help me make the sandwiches? Changed your mind already?" From the edge of the kitchen door, Sophie poked her head out playfully—her voice bright and cheerful.
"Coming, coming!" Seeing Ned look so adorably flustered for the first time, Sophie felt her mood lift tremendously. And Ned, too, appeared relaxed and genuinely happy.
The next morning when she went to wake him up, she found him sleeping like a child—his peaceful face completely different from the Ned she had known. Even in sleep, he was smiling.
Was the version of him without memories actually happier?
Standing by the bed, Sophie suddenly felt as though the past four years had passed in the blink of an eye…
Another five sets of four years would make twenty years. How many twenty-year periods does a person's life really have?
She had originally meant to wake him, but he was sleeping so soundly, showing no sign of stirring, that she couldn't bear to disturb him.
So Sophie quietly left the room. Back in the living room, she first called the hospital to reschedule the follow-up appointment.
That morning she stayed home, sorting through the piles of cardboard boxes still cluttering the living room. One by one, she took out the remaining books and items that hadn't yet been unpacked.
"Ned suddenly appeared at the doorway of the room, smiling warmly as he asked her, 'Didn't you tell me yesterday that I should go to the hospital for a follow-up check this morning?'"
Sophie turned around to look at him. He was still in his pajamas, barefoot on the floor. "Why aren't you wearing shoes?" she said, eyes wide with alarm. "You can't walk around barefoot like that! After waking up, you need to put on thicker clothes—the outside is really cold!"
"It's fine. The house has heating, and besides, the floor has thick carpet—"
"No way! Absolutely not!" She rushed into the room, grabbed a pair of slippers, and came back. "Put these on right now!" She squatted down and ordered him, her expression and tone stern.
Ned obediently slipped his feet into the slippers, then started smiling again.
Once both his feet were in, Sophie looked up and saw his grin. She blinked. "You're still laughing! What's so funny?"
Ned's smile grew even wider.
"What exactly are you laughing at?" His childlike, delighted expression was starting to make Sophie feel inexplicably amused too.
"You sound just like a mom scolding her kid. Are you my mom?"
Sophie paused for a second. "What mom? How could I possibly be your mom? And are you a kid?" She stood up, putting on a deliberately fierce face as she asked.
He looked at her innocently, then said, "I'm hungry. Is there anything good to eat?"
Sophie pursed her lips. "Didn't you just wake up? And you're already hungry?" Honestly, Ned looked exactly like a little kid right now.
He nodded. "Yeah, super hungry! I even dreamed about a ton of delicious food—I was wolfing it all down in the dream."
"Alright then, I'll make you a sandwich right away!" Sophie clapped her hands and stood up.
"I don't want a sandwich." Ned followed right behind her like a little tail as she headed to the kitchen.
"Then what do you want?" Sophie asked, standing at the kitchen doorway.
"I want the delicious food from my dream." He gestured excitedly, eyebrows raised in enthusiasm.
"What was the delicious food in your dream? Tell me!" Sophie said, crossing her arms and looking at him calmly.
"Spanish seafood paella, Mexican meat pie, French baked escargots, apple strudel, and omurice."
"I know all those dishes, but I don't know how to make them?" Sophie shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know either why I know these dishes. But in the dream, there was a girl who looked exactly like you—she was telling me how tasty they all are. So now I really want to eat them."
Sophie frowned, thinking back to the restaurants in London and Austin where she'd worked part-time, recalling how those dishes looked. "Ah! Then let's make omurice, okay?"
Ned nodded eagerly like a kid getting candy, watching Sophie bustle around the kitchen.
First, she washed the rice and started cooking it. Good thing she'd had the foresight to buy a small bag of rice at the supermarket yesterday—otherwise this dish wouldn't have been possible. Then she prepared a piece of chicken cutlet as the side, and finally fried a soft, fluffy omelette to cover the fragrant rice. That way, the omurice would be complete.
"Today we're having omurice, tomorrow Mexican meat pie, and for the rest, just make them for me one by one every day," Ned said, standing in the kitchen, watching Sophie methodically prepare the meal, happily assigning tasks for the coming days.
"Sure, as long as you don't mind if my cooking tastes bad, I'll make them all for you," Sophie replied without much hesitation. "But after your hospital check-up this afternoon, I need to go to the supermarket to buy ingredients. We don't have the stuff for these dishes at home."
"You mean, whatever I want to eat, you'll make it for me?" Ned's tall figure blocked the kitchen doorway as he looked at her expectantly.
Sophie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, if I know how to make that dish. If I don't, I might need to learn it first before I can cook it for you."
"Are you this nice to strangers too?" Ned asked with a smile.
Sophie, who was in the middle of frying the eggs, suddenly froze. She stared at his smiling face for a long while.
"Yeah, yeah! I'm nice to everyone! I'm just a big softie." Feeling like she'd just been handed a "good person" card, Sophie felt a bit baffled.
"Sophie, I think I've fallen for you at first sight. You're the 'angel' in my heart!" Ned looked at her tenderly, his voice low and slightly husky.
Sophie's expression stiffened. She carried the two plates of finished omurice to the dining table, pretending not to notice his gentle face.
"Sophie, you heard me, right?" His tone grew even softer.
"What did you say?" Sophie deliberately acted as if she hadn't heard anything and shot back at him.
"I said I seem to like you. I've fallen for you at first sight." Ned's eyes were fixed on Sophie's expression without blinking.
She froze. In that instant, it felt like she couldn't breathe.
Holding her breath, she stared blankly at Ned, but the words that came out of her mouth were against her true feelings. "You're such a strange person. I've only known you for less than half a month—how can you say something like that to me?"
"Because it feels like I've known you for a very long time." He answered so matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.