NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Dreaded Question
Damien parked his car by the curb and the two of them alighted the car then headed towards a crowded street. They were still in the city, however, it was an area that Katherine had never been before. The street was narrow and had a lot of vendors on both sides. It was only seven in the morning yet it looked like the place had been open since last night.
Katherine was looking from side to side wondering what they were doing in an area like that. She wasn't really complaining about the place but was only confused as to why Damien brought her there. Her eyes were too busy looking at the different stalls that she did not notice a bike that was approaching.
"Watch out!" Fortunately, Damien had seen it just in time and was able to pull her to the side. He glared at the man riding the bike as it passed by. "Seriously, you should watch where you're going. Always." He scolded her but his voice was gentle that Katherine did not feel as if he was being mean to her. The memory from the night that he met her where he had accidentally bumped her thigh when she crossed the street flashed before him.
"Thank you." A blush crept up her cheeks when she realized that Damien was still holding her wrist. But before she could even react, he had already walked ahead and dragged her with him. "Try to keep up, we're almost there."
There was something about the way he held her – it was neither too tight nor too loose, and it wasn't just that, Katherine did not feel like she wanted him to let go; so she let him do as he pleased.
Damien stopped in front of a rundown diner and Katherine saw that he had a brief but genuine smile on his face as he pushed the door open.
"Damien! You came! Come, sit!" An elderly woman in her seventies whose hair was all white was all smiles as she ushered them to sit in a booth. She had a small figure and was shorter than Katherine.
"I already told you that I would, of course I would come!" He let go of Katherine's hand as they went inside. Damien greeted the old lady with a hug before he gestured for Katherine to sit in the booth while he did the same.
Katherine observed their interaction and it was both strange yet natural to see Damien's behavior towards the old woman.
"Rose, this is Katherine." He looked at Katherine and gestured his hand towards the old woman, "This is Rose. She owns this diner."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you, Rose." Katherine gave her a sweet smile and Rose clasped her hands together, returning Katherine's smile with her own.
"Me too, dear. You two make yourself comfortable, I'll go and get your food." Rose limped her way through the curtains in the corner of the diner.
The space was small with only five booths inside, but it had a homey feeling despite it being old. Aside from them, there were three booths that were already occupied. A jazz music from a jukebox filled the room, bringing a vintage vibe.
"This place looks nice," Katherine said as she observed, finding the place clean and orderly. "Why did you choose this place for breakfast?" She asked as she wondered why Damien had brought her to such a low-key place. It wasn't that she would have preferred an expensive restaurant, but it was just not what she had expected from a wealthy man like her boss.
She thought that he would bring her to some luxurious breakfast club knowing his impeccable choices and tastes in things. So for him to bring her to a place like this was interesting for her that she couldn't help but ask.
Feeling comfortable, Damien leaned back and looked around the diner. "This place has the best pancakes."
"Really? I have never heard about this place before."
Damien decided to share his story, "When I was a teenager, I ran away from home and I somehow ended up in this neighborhood."
"You ran away?" Katherine questioned as she imagined a younger Damien in his teens.
Damien nodded but since he didn't want to dwell on the reason too much, he brushed his thoughts off and continued, "I was being chased and I ended up hiding in here. Rose allowed me inside and let me sit in this very same booth." He patted the leather booth bench. "She asked me if I wanted to eat something, and I just looked at her and did not respond because I didn't know how I was supposed to pay when I didn't have any money on me that time." Damien let out a soft chuckle as he reminisced his past.
"So what did you tell her?" Katherine suddenly felt engrossed with his storytelling that she leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand.
"I smacked his head for not answering!" Rose appeared from the kitchen with two plates in her hands. She set each in front of them and put her hands on her waist as she looked at Katherine. "I told him that-"
"If someone older than you asks something, you should answer!" Damien and Rose spoke the words together as if on cue, which made the two of them share a laugh.
"This young man was so shocked that he could only nod his head," Rose continued.
"And that's how I first tasted the pancakes that she made for me."
Katherine saw the same genuine smile that she saw just earlier and she couldn't help but smile back at him as well.
Katherine looked at the plate in front of her after Rose left. It was actually a full breakfast serving – aside from a stack of pancakes, bacon strips, an egg, and some bread and jam filled her plate.
"I don't think I can finish all of this," she said as she glanced at Damien who had a smirk on his handsome face.
"Just try it first, you don't have to finish if you don't want to."
Nodding, Katherine started eating. And boy was Damien right about the pancakes! Katherine's eyes involuntarily closed as the fluffy cloud-like pancake almost melted in her mouth. It wasn't too sweet and with the right saltiness of the butter, the flavors danced in her tongue, making it absolutely perfect! She resisted the urge to moan so she let out a sigh instead.
She heard a soft chuckle and noticed that Damien was looking at her. "So?" he probed.
"You're right about the pancakes." Katherine flashed a bright smile at him before the two of them enjoyed the rest of their meal.
...
Inside the car while Damien was driving, Katherine had been forcing herself to ask the question that she had been dreading but she didn't know what was holding her back.
Noticing her uneasiness, Damien said, "You have something that you want to say. What is it?" He glanced at her and his gaze fell on her clenching hands.
After some time, she finally responded, "I have amnesia so I don't remember anything about my life before I woke up from a coma five years ago." She paused to look at him and saw that he was waiting for her to continue. She wondered if Damien had already known this about her but she decided to press on. "Do you know me back then? You seem to say things that make me feel as if we have known each other."
Faced with the question, Damien recalled about that piece of information that Markus gave him the night before. On the doctor's notes, it was written that a few years ago, there was an episode that she recalled a fragment of her memory, but she became too violent that she had to be restrained and sedated. When she woke up, she was confused and did not have any recollection about the things that she did a few days before that.
Having known about this incident, Damien wasn't sure how he was going to answer her question. No matter how much he wanted for her to remember him, what if he says something that will trigger her memories and will result in a bad way? How could he know what things to say that were safe?