My apartment complex came into view a little while later, a flock of birds taking flight into the sky as we turned into the gated community. The buildings would have been completely shrouded in darkness if it wasn't for the dim lights that littered the parking lot, and the fluorescent glow of the moon.

"Thank you for driving me home. You were right. It would not have been smart for me to walk," I said, breaking the silence that had formed between us.

It wasn't heavy or uncomfortable. Just peaceful.

Elijah smiled, his hand covering his mouth and his arm resting against the windowsill, half of his face shadowed in the darkness. He turned his face towards me. "You're welcome. I am always here if you ever need anything."

"Be careful. I just might take you up on that. Before you know it, you'll be waiting on me hand in foot."

"I wouldn't mind."

I was grateful that it was dark so that he couldn't see the heat of appreciation crawl up to my face.

I needed to tell him today.

Skylar was right. Him not knowing would hurt more in the end.

Elijah pulled into a parking spot, right next to where I had parked my car, as I tried to figure out the best way of breaking it to him. The lot was sprinkled with other cars, no doubt belonging to people who had stayed in to escape the cold. People who were probably smart enough to know better than to brave the cold. Especially at night.

"Do you want to come up for a bit? " I asked, hesitantly, fidgeting with my purse. "I have hot chocolate," I added, cringing almost immediately when the words left my mouth.

Come on, Rowan. Hot chocolate?

Elijah chuckled, with a teasing smile.

"I would love hot chocolate."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I have other drinks too," I said, laughing at myself.

"No, hot chocolate is perfect. But only if you have the kind with the little marshmallows," he said, turning the car off, and stepping out.

He placed his keys in his pocket, and the reality of what I was about to do, pressed down on me once again.

I could do this.

I walked forward.

"You are in luck. I happen to believe that is the only way to drink hot chocolate."

I scanned my key card when we reached the door. Elijah reached for the handle, opening it before I could, and gesturing for me to go through.

"I guess it is my lucky day then."

"That's me a lucky charm."

I cringed inwardly as the statement left my mouth. Elijah didn't seem phased though, entering the building behind me.

I stepped to the right at the same time that he moved, bumping into him. We did an awkward sort of tango, before his arms came up, landing on my arms and stilling my movements.

I stilled, warmth washing over me.

"That you are."

I flushed glancing up at him. He grinned, and a knot coiled in my stomach. Elijah placed a hand on my my lower back and I began walking again, silently telling myself to calm the hell down. When we made it the rest of the way to my apartment, having used the elevator instead of the stairs for obvious reasons, I pushed the door open.

"Well this is it," I said, as I widened my arms, as we stepped in. Now that he was standing in it, his frame towering over me, it seemed less spacious than it had before. I rushed over to the coffee table hurriedly when I spotted an empty chip bag, and snatched it up.

"I like it." His eyes drifted around the space, before landing on the photo of my family that sat on the counter next to a vase of fake lilacs. I couldn't handle real flowers, or my allergies would start acting up. He leaned closer, a soft smile forming. "Is that your dad?"

I watched his eyes scan over the photo before he straightened, his focus on me again.

"Yea." I swallowed, not looking at the picture my mom had placed there at the last minute the last time she was there. I hadn't been able to look at it for more than a few seconds before, but now I couldn't look away. I stared at the image, the singing smiles of everyone in the photo pulling mine upward a tad. " That was a picture we took on vacation at the beach."

"You look like him."

I glanced up, nodding as opposite emotions warred inside me. Grief. Happiness.

"That is what everyone says when they see him." I placed my bag down on the couch and walked over to where he stood. "But then they see my mom and say the exact same thing."

"You do look a lot like her too," he said, his eyes flicking back to the picture and then back up at me.

"I guess I am a good mix." I took off my coat and placed it on a chair, before walking around the counter and into the kitchen. "Now I think I promised you some hot chocolate,"l added, opening the cabinet next to the stove, and pulling out two mugs.

Elijah came up beside me, his eyes lingering. I smiled with a tilt of my head.

"What?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing."

Something about the way he said it made it seem like he had stated the exact opposite.

"You know you can take your jacket off," I offered after a second. I couldn't help but notice the way he seemed completely at ease while doing so.

I glanced away when he looked up, my eyebrows rising when he grabbed a cup and some of the cocoa mix.

"I'm helping. Don't try to stop me."

My mouth twitched upward. "I wasn't going to."

"Good."

We continued in a peaceful silence, Elijah stepping in every once in a while to help, as I finished making our drinks. I thanked him when he grabbed both of our mugs, leading us back out. I sat down, wringing my hands together.

It was now or never.

I took a breath, the adrenaline beginning to surge as my hands grew clammy.

"What is it?"

My eyes flew upward, and I found Elijah's eyes on me.

"What do you mean?"

A light chuckle fell from his lips and he shrugged. "You have been fidgeting this whole time."

Everything in me wanted to flee the scene at the same time that I wanted to stay.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong?" His eyebrows furrowed and he turned toward me completely.

I took a shaky breath.

He deserved to know.

"I'm an anterograde amnesiac."