Chapter 14
Kheo stood near the corner of the room, unsure whether to sit or leave. His hands were in his pockets, fingers fidgeting with loose threads. He glanced at Celestia, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling as if it held more answers than the people around her.
"So…" Kheo began, scratching the back of his neck. "They said you're awake now."
Celestia slowly turned her head toward him, eyes dull and distant. "Who are you again?"
"Oh—uh, I'm Kheo. I… I used to know you. Kind of." He paused, searching for the right words. "I came to check on you. That's all."
She looked at him for a moment, then back at the ceiling. "Okay."
Kheo waited for her to say more, but she didn't.
"You don't remember anything?" he asked cautiously.
"No," she answered flatly. "Should I?"
He let out a nervous chuckle. "I guess not. I mean, not if it's really amnesia."
Celestia blinked, then shifted slightly in bed. "If you're not here for anything important, you can go."
Before Kheo could respond, the door opened gently.
Celestia's mother stepped in, holding a small paper bag and a folded cardigan. Her heels clicked softly against the linoleum floor. She stopped when she noticed Kheo standing awkwardly near the bed.
"Oh," she said, brows lifting. "Am I interrupting something?"
Kheo straightened up immediately, startled. "N-No, ma'am! Not at all. I was just checking on her. That's all."
Her mother looked at him for a moment, amused by how stiff he became. "You look nervous."
He laughed nervously. "A little."
"I see," she said, setting the bag down on the side table. "Thank you for visiting, but I'd like a moment with my daughter."
Kheo nodded quickly. "Of course! I was just about to leave anyway."
He turned to Celestia. "Get well soon."
Celestia only gave a short nod, expression unreadable.
When the door closed behind him, her mother took the seat beside the bed and gently placed the cardigan over Celestia's legs.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asked softly.
Celestia's tone didn't change. "Still blurry. Head hurts sometimes. My body feels slow."
Her mother nodded. "That's normal. You're recovering from trauma. Your body and mind need time."
Celestia didn't respond right away. She looked at her mother with a neutral expression. "That guy… Kheo. I don't remember him."
"You probably wouldn't," her mother said, opening the paper bag and taking out a small container. "He's not someone who was always around. Maybe once in a while. Maybe just watching from a distance."
Celestia frowned slightly. "Then why visit?"
"People like to feel involved when things go wrong," her mother replied calmly. "Even if they weren't part of the story."
Celestia stared at the ceiling for a moment, quiet. Then she whispered, "It's strange."
Her mother looked at her. "What is?"
"That guy… Kheo," she said slowly. "Even if I don't remember him, it feels… different when he's around. I don't know why."
Her mother tilted her head slightly. "Different how?"
Celestia hesitated. "Like… something special. Like I'm supposed to feel something. Not just familiarity. It's more than that. And I don't even know him."
Her mother's gaze softened. "Feelings don't always wait for logic."
Celestia shook her head. "But I can't follow it. Someone already introduced himself to me. JC. He said he's my boyfriend."
There was a pause. Then she added quietly, "I don't want to be called a cheater. Even if I don't remember anything… I still want to do what's right."
Celestia's fingers curled slightly on the blanket. Her brows furrowed as a quiet thought surfaced.
"Mom," she said, "do you know him? That guy… Kheo. Was he a friend of mine before?"
Her mother paused, surprised by the question. "Kheo?"
Celestia nodded. "Yeah. I just… I feel like I know him. Like really know him. But at the same time, I don't."
Her mother thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No. I don't recall ever hearing his name. He never came to the house. Never showed up in any stories you told me."
Celestia's lips parted slightly. "That's weird…"
Her mother leaned forward. "Why?"
Celestia's voice dropped to a whisper. "Because when he looks at me… it doesn't feel like a stranger. It feels like someone I've always known. And I can't explain why."
Her mother studied her for a moment, then spoke gently.
"Do you like him?"
Celestia's eyes widened slightly. "What? No. Of course not."
A small smile tugged at her mother's lips. "You sound defensive."
"I'm just saying the truth," Celestia muttered, turning her head away. "It's not like that."
"Even if you don't remember him," her mother said, "your heart reacts to something."
Celestia stayed quiet, her grip on the blanket tightening just a little.
"I already have a boyfriend," she said firmly. "I can't like someone else. That wouldn't be right."
Her mother leaned back slightly, watching her daughter's face carefully.
"If there ever comes a time," she began slowly, "when it's okay… when you're free to choose—would you choose him?"
Celestia's lips parted, caught off guard. "What kind of question is that?"
Her mother gave a small shrug. "An honest one."
Celestia avoided her gaze, staring at the window. "…I don't know."
Her mother smiled knowingly. "I also noticed something… The way he looks at you, the way he talks. That doctor—Kheo—he likes you."
Celestia's cheeks turned pink. "Stop."
"I'm just saying what I see."
Celestia bit her lip, voice dropping to a shy mumble. "…I kind of felt it too."
Her mother looked at her with soft, understanding eyes.
"Child, you never really know when love will come. You can't force your heart to choose who to love. When it falls for someone, there's nothing you can do to stop it."
Celestia's expression softened, her voice dropping into a more casual, almost confiding tone—like she was talking to her best friend instead of her mother.
"To be honest, Kheo can be really annoying. He always finds ways to tease me, to get under my skin. But the strange thing is, the more time I spend around him, the less irritating he feels. It's like… I'm starting to expect it. Sometimes, I even catch myself thinking maybe I didn't just lose my memories. Maybe I lost my ability to think straight too."
She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head slightly. "Because how else do you explain feeling something... for someone you barely remember?"
Is this called love!?