Chapter 366: Chapter 366

Shelby sat in the backseat of the car and closed her eyes, signalling that she wanted to be left alone. Ian looked over at her and stretched out his hand, but he let it drop limply to his side, sighing.

Shelby was more shaken by the news that Aliya was alive than she wanted to admit. She closed off herself so that Ian could not even get into her mind. Images appeared behind her closed lids, making her more uncomfortable with each second they got closer to their destination.

The current she was looking at in her mind’s eyes felt more real with each moment. These were some of the memories she had seen from Ian sometime back when he had been flustered and unguarded.

’The late afternoon sun enveloped the garden in a warm golden hue, creating long shadows across the vibrant foliage. Laughter from the two echoed, light and carefree, as Ian dashed behind a beautiful blooming bush.

Aliya chased after him, her steps quick yet gentle, her sundress dancing in the breeze.

"You’re too slow!" he teased, his grin wide and boyish as he held up her stolen sunhat and slippers in either hand.

She huffed, her cheeks flushed more from exhilaration than embarrassment. "Give it back, or I’ll—"

"You’ll what?" he interrupted, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Aliya’s hands went to her hips in mock defiance, tapping her bare feet, but he only laughed harder. Without warning, she lunged forward, aiming for the hat first. Ian twisted away but slipped slightly on the grass, giving her the upper hand. She pinned him down with surprising force, both breathless from the playful scuffle. One could see clearly that he had let her catch him because of the difference in their frames.

Their laughter mingled, joyful and carefree, and for a lovely moment, the world felt like it was just the two of them. She playfully snatched her hat and slippers from his hand, feeling victorious, as she settled back on her knees.

"I win!" Aliya exclaimed with a bright smile, joyfully setting the hat on her head while playfully tucking her feet into the slipper.

"Alright, you got me," he conceded, still sprawled on the grass with a soft chuckle. "But only because I let you."

Shelby felt as if she was standing stiffly at the edge of that garden, maybe even half-hidden by the tall hedges. Her emotions were a mess. She was filled with disbelief, jealousy, and a simmering anger that threatened to boil over. However, this was all in her head. It had already happened years back. Despite this, her nails dug into her skin as she ’watched’ the scene unfold.

She ’watched’ a younger Ian sit up, his hair tousled and his smile radiant, and she couldn’t take it anymore.

Shelby itched to say something to interrupt them. Something that would make them freeze up with guilt and evaporate that happy atmosphere, but all of that was impossible because it was just a memory.

Shelby was unsure where this place was, but it oozed so much happiness between the two that she wanted to tear up. This Ian was different from the one she had met. There were similarities but vast differences as well.

Never had Shelby seen Tyler, Aliya’s supposed fiancé, in any of Ian’s memories, and Ian had never mentioned Aliya’s fiancé, too. It was understandable, but that still left many questions...

Currey’s voice was first heard, and Ian’s followed, permeating and overlapping with his cheerful voice in her thoughts.

Ian gently pried Shelby’s hands open, soothing the bruises caused by her nails.

Shelby managed a small smile at him. A smile that did not reach her eyes, however, she still let Ian guide her out of the car and into the building that she hardly noticed. This was a private hospital that she had never heard of, but that was the least of her issues at that moment.

As Ian gently guided her, Shelby receded into her mind again, just as another memory peaked in:

This time, the scene was a kitchen. It was a chaotic mess of laughter and flour. Laughter seems to have always followed these two wherever they were. What Shelby did not understand was whether this was before or after Tyler had come into the picture. The two looked so close that it was nearly impossible to believe that they never had such relations. What did they have then? Shelby wondered.

In this new scene, more sunlight streamed through the large windows, lightening particles of flour floating lazily in the air. Ian stood at the counter, trying to knead dough with an air of determination that was utterly betrayed by his clumsy technique.

"You’re doing it wrong!" Aliya’s voice, laced with giggles, interrupted him. Her hands were already covered in flour as she reached out to fix his poorly formed lump of dough.

"Am I?" Ian asked innocently, smirking as his hand ’accidentally’ flicked a cloud of flour in her direction.

Aliya gasped, her eyes wide with mock indignation. "Oh, it’s war now!" Without hesitation, she scooped up a handful of flour and threw it at him, her laughter ringing as it landed squarely on his chest.

He could have dodged but what would be the fun in that? He stood there, feigning shock, before grabbing his own handful of flour from the small sack and aiming at her. She ducked, the flour puffing uselessly over her head and coating her dark hair with its particles but the bulk landing on the counter behind her.

"You’re terrible at this! Why do you always insist on trying to cook when you can’t?" she teased, her cheeks flushed from laughter.

"Terrible? My heart hurt. I am not terrible at anything. I just need more practice to be best at it!" Then he stared straight at her,

"Wait, did you just call my precious handiwork terrible? Oh, you’re asking for it now!" Ian said, lunging toward Aliya with another handful of flour and some other powdery spice.

Aliya let out a playful shriek, trying to dart away, but he gently caught her by the wrist, twirling her around as if they were sharing a fun, chaotic kitchen dance.

In the present, Shelby sighed loudly, as she imagined herself into that scene. She thought herself into creaking that kitchen door open in the midst of their flour battle, with her perfectly styled hair and unsullied outfit, a stark contrast to the messy, giggling scene in front of her.

She imagined herself taking in a sharp intake of breath that went unnoticed as Ian laughed, a sound so genuine it stung her. Because she was not really at the scene and it was just a past memory, it continued unfolding right before her eyes,

"Gotcha!" Ian declared, smearing a streak of flour across the bridge of Aliya’s nose.

’Will Ian be flustered if I had stumbled on a scene like that in real-time? Will he falter in his thoughts, words and actions? Will Aliya play the cool friend, or will she attack me with words? Will the room go silent on my arrival? Will-’

Shelby’s thoughts were indeed all over the place as many what-ifs fleeted in her mind, making her feel suddenly so small. She had no idea why she was like that.

She only vaguely registered the pristine halls of the hospital until they arrived in front of a room.

"Maybe, I shouldn’t have come?" Shelby murmured,

"Maybe I should go..."

"No, stay," Ian’s voice penetrated her daze. His smooth voice sharply contrasted with what she had been hearing in her thoughts from those scenes.

With a tight smile, Shelby finally looked up at Ian, who looked worried.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, and Shelby nodded. She did not trust herself to speak then. She stepped into the room and took a casual glance around.

Like any hospital, the walls were sterile and white, yet faintly welcoming. A single bed occupied the centre of the room; its white sheets somewhat crumpled as the patient gathered them tightly in her hands. The only sounds were the connecting monitors lined to her and their silent buzzing.

The room faintly smelt of an antiseptic, but the room was bare of any flowers or whatnot that visitors would usually come with. This made the whole place grey and sombre.

Shelby’s eyes finally settled on the only occupant in the room. The pictures in her memory overlapped with the person on the bed. The only difference was that this person had slightly sunken cheeks and looked very pale. Her skin was almost translucent under the fluorescent lights. Her once vibrant features seemed to have been muted; her eyes looked dull but seemed to come to life as soon as they settled on Ian, and Shelby’s heart clenched.

Ian faltered in his steps, and Shelby only noticed because he still had her hands clasped in his. Her mind was still running miles per second as scenes overlapped.

"I-an?" The voice from the bed, voice came out as barely as a whisper,

Shelby could not help but glance up at Ian, but his face gave nothing away. His mind was blank as well. Just as Shelby had blocked him out of her mind, Ian seemed to. Have done the same, and Shelby did not know what that meant for them and the new person who had come into their lives from the dead.

"I- nev-ver tho-ght that I would get to see you again!"

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