Ground Rules

All hospitals smelled the same, Sophia found out from a young age. They sounded the same and even usually looked the same. There was a strange comfort in that, knowing exactly what to expect while you were there. 

Yet, despite all of the familiarity around her, she found herself in an unfamiliar situation. 

The hallways were a little bit darker than during the day and only emergency lights remained on. It was mostly devoid of people except for the occasional worker who walked by. 

She stared at her phone in her hands and when she turned it to her face, the time read half past one in the morning. 

Since Ethan was an early sleeper because of his job as a personal trainer, he went to bed early. His offer of being there if she called expired past 10 pm. Even considering that, she still unlocked her phone and found his name in her recent calls. 

With the phone up to her ear, she waited and waited, but it was to no avail. Ethan didn't answer so it was a situation she was going to have to figure out by herself. Sheepishly, Sophia made her way back into the room and she sat down on a chair near the wall.

Except she realized that what was probably making her feel uncomfortable was John's eyes fixed on her no matter what she did. 

"I guess you are coming home with me," she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing away. "Except I have to lay down a few ground rules before we proceed. Is that alright with you?" 

"Do I have much of a choice?" John responded. 

Sophia pressed her lips together and resisted a sigh. She was the one who didn't have a choice, not him.

"First, you will respect my roommate. He gets the final say in whether or not you get to stay," she said, making eye contact with the man so he knew she was serious. "Second, you will clean up after yourself. I can't stand clutter in my environment. Third, you will work in my bakery until your memories return." 

John stared at Sophia as she listed down the rules. They seemed standard and obvious, but when she got to the third point, his dark eyebrows lowered and the intimidating expression that seemed to be what he wore the most appeared on his face. 

"Your bakery?" he echoed, disbelief evident. 

Sophia gingerly tucked a strand of light brown hair behind her ear and shrugged. 

"The guy who normally unloads my deliveries had to go back to school," she said. "And if you haven't noticed, you look like someone who can lift at least a few pounds." 

Plus, she wanted to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't go through anything in her house. Even if he just sat there quietly in the bakery, it would be better than leaving him in her house where she kept all her secrets and special items hidden away. She still didn't know if he was a good person or a bad person, but this was a problem she had brought on herself. 

"As far as you know, I'm a drug addict," John said, challenging her logic. 

"As far as you know, I could really be your fiancé and your name really could be John," Sophia shot back.

His lip curled and he looked annoyed but he couldn't refute what she was saying. 

As he looked at her, he knew immediately that she was his type. He found her beautiful and endlessly amusing. If they didn't know one another at the end of all this, what kind of person was she to open her home up to a stranger? 

"Fine," he said. 

This tough facade she was using dropped for a moment and she looked at him with concern. 

"I need to call a ride and go home," she said. "Will you be alright until morning? Otherwise, you can ask to use a phone and call me if you get discharged before then. I'll leave my phone number behind." 

The way she became gentle made him wonder about her more. Perhaps that was closer to how she truly was. She looked innocent enough like someone who might get scammed easily because she felt bad for them. It would make more sense for her to be sweet. Whenever she approached him, something sweet overwhelmed him. 

Sophia departed, exhausted beyond belief but grateful there were still drivers in her area so she wouldn't have to walk home. Normally she had to be at the bakery at five to start baking all the various treats for the day and decorate cupcakes or cakes. Her bedtime was much earlier. 

As she left the hospital room, she was met with a man in a suit who had his eyes fixed on her. Even when she glanced away, his gaze burnt the side of her face. She had gotten her grey sweater back from John and held it tightly over her body. The guy unsettled her but it was a feeling she was used to after living in the city center for such a long time. 

After fighting sleepiness on the ride home, she climbed into bed after a hot shower. Despite how tired she was, she tossed and turned for a while thinking about how crazy she was to have lied like that. Was she really going to bring him home with her? What if he turned out to be a horrible person? 

Sleep came to Sophia for a few hours.

Since her schedule was thrown off, she didn't hear her phone buzzing at 6 am. If she were awake, Sophia would have seen the contact "Grant" flash across her screen - the decorations around his name having been removed after she caught him giving his love to another woman. 

None the wiser, Sophia woke up with her alarm that was set for 7:30 am. After a huge stretch and yawn, she checked her phone and paused for a moment. 

"Why now, Grant?" she uttered, noticing the missed call.

Except there was no time to waste. She had someone else waiting for her. Someone else to give her attention to for now.

Was it wrong to feel like that? She couldn't help wondering if she was getting back at him in some small way. She wanted so badly to return to the times when he was sweet to her. It felt immature to think he might promise to change his ways if he realized she could do better.

Never would she think she was stupid enough to take someone back after they cheated on her but her other option was being completely alone. She felt helpless and forced into a decision.

Before getting out of bed, Sophia texted her part-time worker, Rosa, saying that the bakery was going to be closed for the day because of an emergency. She apologized and tossed her phone across her bed after sending the message.

Her eyes hadn't adjusted to the late summer morning sun and she shut one of them as she looked around her room. With a bit more convincing, she got up and remade her bed, tucking the light sage green bedding neatly into the bed frame and letting the top blanket hang evenly on both sides. 

Walking into the bathroom that connected to her room, she slowly got ready.

There was no way to prepare for the day ahead but she was going to do her best just like she did every other day.