"That would be petrichor," Cobie says, slipping the last stack of yellow roses into her mom's vintage porcelain vase. When her mom tilts her head, she adds, "The smell of rain, nine letters, ends with 'r'."

"Ah." A bright smile breaks across her mom's face. She looks down and enthusiastically jots down on her crossword puzzle book, her straight hair cascading and covering her face. She has to brush it back a few times before she can finish writing down the rest of the letters.

"You need a haircut." Cobie walks over to the window and places the vase on the window sill. "Let's see if we get you to the nearest salon next week."

"My hair always grows faster in summer. Mom always cut my hair short in July. She said she could use it to make wigs for poor girls who lost their hairs from chemotherapies." Her eyes twinkle at the memory. "One night, I curled my hair before I went to bed, knowing that Mom would cut it the next morning. I hated my boring straight hair, and I thought by curling it up, whoever wore my hair later would be happy with the beautiful curls. But then I cried when the curls didn't stay."

"Your hair is beautiful regardless, Mom," Cobie replies as she plops down on the desk before her.

"Thank you."

Looking at her mom, Cobie's chest tightens. She has lost weight since they brought her in over a month ago. The first two weeks were very difficult for Mom to accept that she was no longer living at home. She refused to eat, to take her medicine, or even to leave her room. She just wanted to go home. The worst part was Cobie and Rose were not allowed to visit since it would make her mom's anxiety level even higher.

The storm died down after three weeks, but Cobie could tell that her mom's dementia had progressed faster than when she was home. She talked about her childhood more than her later life. And Cobie can sense that she and Rose are gradually slipping off their mom's memory.

"I should get going now, and it's almost dinner time for you. Rose will be here tomorrow in the morning, okay?"

"Tell your sister that she shouldn't let that boy walk over her head."

"Who? Oh, Harry do you mean?" Cobie clicks her tongue. "Guess what? They broke up for good now. He can't hurt her anymore."

"Good." Her mom nods, but then she frowns. "She must be sad now. Poor girl. I will cheer her up tomorrow."

Cobie grins. "You do that." She leans over and kisses her mom's cheeks. "I will bring over your favorite food tomorrow afternoon, yeah?"

Striding along the stone path in the nursing home's front yard, Cobie comes to terms that her mom will not go back to how she was. But until the day Mom addresses her and her sister as "girls she hasn't seen before", she will hold on to the last beats of their mother-daughter moments. There is no time to cry or be miserable at the moment.

When Cobie enters the parking lot, Luke is already leaning on his car and smiling at her. His hair looks noticeably lighter, yet her skin tone has gotten a few shades darker. They've been spending a lot of time in nature since Luke is not a 'stay home and watch movies' kind of guy. He and his outgoing upbringing fit her introverted personality perfectly. He is a yin to her yang.

"Have I told you that dress drove me crazy that morning in that hotel restaurant?"

She glances down at her outfit. Her royal blue summer dress snugs perfectly on her petite posture, bringing out her glowing tanned skin. The V-neckline falls a bit low, slightly showing her cleavage. Unlike that day on their business trip, she's not wearing her white blazer at the moment.

"No, you haven't told me," she replies, walking closer to him. He extends his hands to hold her around the waist. "Too bad you pissed me off the night before on that balcony."

"Yeah. Though I wonder what if I didn't piss you off that night."

Cobie bites her lower lip, prompting his eyes to travel down. "I would still say goodnight and go to bed because I knew you were trouble."

Luke barks his deep laughs. "Maybe if I didn't push that hard, you would tell me secret rules on how to not fall for your boss."

"Don't you dare–"

"Rule number one: stop daydreaming about him."

"Luke." Cobie glares at him.

"Two: do not stare at him longer than necessary. Nuh-uh. You failed." Luke squeals and jerks away as Cobie attacks his waist; he's always ticklish there. "Three: keep your proximity because he smells too good." He prolongs the word good.

"Stop! Come here you, cheeky devil!" Cobie jogs to him but he keeps his distance by making a loop around his car. "Come here now, or our date is canceled."

Luke whines. "Come on. You're not playing fair."

"Who cares about being fair? You stole those notes in the first place, and I still haven't decided how to punish you for that."

"What about a kiss?" He grins, catches her waist, and leans in to steal a kiss on her lips.

Cobie narrows her eyes at him. "You're so annoying I can eat you right now."

"Even better." He kisses her again, gentler this time, urging her to respond to him. Despite her attempt to push him away, she presses her palms against his chest, savoring his warmth as she kisses him back with everything she has.

Luke pulls away and smiles. "So, tell me. How was your afternoon with Eliza?"

"It was very nice. She was very calm today."

"That's great. It seems like she's starting to get used to this place."

Cobie nods. "Yeah. They said she spent more time outside her room lately."

"It's good progress." When Cobie's mind starts to drift away, Luke's voice pulls her back to the current moment. "And we should go now. Or they will give away our table to another couple."

"Yeah. Let's."

Luke opens the passenger's door for her. "And I have to say, I'm glad that I passed your fourth-date screening."

She chuckles before giving him a peck on the lips. "Me, too."

It's twelve past two in the afternoon, and Cobie has been sitting here for a good forty minutes, unable to answer the very question her therapist gave her half an hour ago. Instead, she talked about the weather and her plan to travel across the world.

But the clock is ticking and Cobie knows she can't stall anymore. Her mom doesn't have much time left, Rose is now even more dependent on her since their mom moved out, and she will not make Luke carry her whole baggage.

The most important thing is it's time for her to move forward.

Straightening her sitting posture, Cobie takes a deep breath. "I went through bullying back when I was in high school because I had a teenage pregnancy, but I lost it right after I entered the second trimester. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that now because I can't bring myself to connect to the younger me around that time. I can't even remember if I have overcome my grief or if I had it at all. My mind is just blocking me from going there. And I need help."

🔹🔹The End🔹🔹