The midterm exam was a blur.
Archie scribbled answers furiously, heart still hammering from the chaotic morning. His hoodie was on inside out. His hair stuck up in five directions. His sneakers were mismatched—he hadn't noticed until halfway through the exam when someone snickered behind him. He didn't care. He barely registered the questions, barely heard the ticking clock, barely noticed when the professor called, "Five minutes left!"
All he could think about was William.
William, who had raced across campus with Anne yelling directions like a frenzied GPS. William, who had looked oddly calm despite the insanity, who had talked to his professor to give them consideration. William, who had kissed him on a rooftop under the stars like it was the end of the world and the beginning of something else entirely.
Archie turned in his test with seconds to spare, hands shaking slightly. He stepped out of the lecture hall into the crisp afternoon air and let himself breathe for the first time all day.
Anne was waiting by the bench outside, sipping an enormous iced coffee like it held the secrets of the universe. "Survived?"
"Barely."
"You looked like a walking hangover in there."
"I feel like a walking hangover." Archie collapsed beside her. "But at least I didn't die."
"I'm proud of you, dummy." She paused, then added, "Also, I texted Marco and he thinks it's hilarious that you finally made out with 'Mysterious Dream Guy' and still almost flunked out of college."
Archie laughed, "How did you got out of the club last night anyway?"
"I flew" Anne giggled , "I'm wonder woman".
"But wonder woman doesn't fly, does she?"
"Whatever smart-ass. Marco just dragged my dead-ass when I passed out."
They both laughed for a moment, watching the wind shake the trees, students trickling out of buildings in a haze of post-exam relief.
Anne nudged him. "So... how do you feel? About him?"
Archie stared down at his hands. "I don't know. Like everything's spinning and floating all at once. I mean, I dreamed about him. I felt something about him before I even knew him. And now... it's real. He's real. But he doesn't remember."
Anne's voice softened. "But you do."
"Yeah," Archie said quietly. "And that's the part that hurts."
-
William texted later that evening:
"Meet me at the library rooftop at 9. There's something I want to show you."
Archie stared at the message for ten minutes before typing back a simple:
"I'll be there."
The library rooftop was quiet at night—most students didn't know it existed. The sky was unusually clear, the stars scattered wide across it like someone had spilled silver ink across black velvet.
William was already there, sitting on a blanket with two thermoses beside him. His hair caught the starlight, and for a second, Archie had to stop, just to look at him. Like maybe if he stared long enough, everything would fall into place.
William looked up and smiled—tentative, soft. "Hey."
"Hey."
"I brought hot chocolate. Thought you might need it after, you know... nearly missing your exam because you were in bed with a scandalous socialite."
Archie snorted, sitting beside him. "A scandalous socialite who snores like a chainsaw."
William smirked. "I do not snore."
"Elliot confirms otherwise."
They both laughed, and the tension melted a little.
William handed him a thermos and let the silence stretch for a minute.
Then, quietly: "I've been thinking about what you asked. If I recognized you."
Archie looked at him, heart in his throat.
William's voice was soft, hesitant. "When I told you I lost my memory... I meant it. There's this whole year—around the time of the car accident—that's just... blank. My family says I was lucky. That I hit my head but didn't suffer 'major' damage. But I've always felt like I lost something important in that blank space."
Archie didn't speak. He just listened.
"There are moments," William went on, staring up at the sky. "Dreams. Feelings. Songs that make me feel like I'm standing in a place I've never seen before but somehow miss. I used to think it was just my imagination. I remember going to the park with someone, buying strawberry ice cream. I remember going to Pepperpot. Like a lot. With someone I can't remember. But then I saw you."
Archie's breath caught.
William turned to him, eyes searching. "And everything shifted. Like a piece clicked. I didn't remember your name. I still don't remember the details. But being near you... it feels like something coming home."
Archie blinked hard, the stars blurring.
William looked down, twisting the cap of his thermos. "My parents keep telling me to move on. To stick to the plan. The business. The marriage."
"To Amanda," Archie said quietly.
William nodded. "She was there when I woke up. Our families have known each other forever. But even she knows I'm not in love with her. We both feel trapped in something built on expectations."
"And what do you feel when you're with me?" Archie asked, barely above a whisper.
William looked up, eyes gleaming. "Alive. Like there's a story I've forgotten, and you're the one who started it."
The silence that followed was heavy with emotion. Archie turned to look at the sky.
"I used to watch the stars every night as a kid," he said. "It made me feel small. But in a good way. Like there was something bigger out there... waiting. Something beautiful."
William's fingers found his.
"Maybe we both got lost somewhere," he said. "And maybe... maybe we're just starting to find our way back."
Their fingers tightened.
And as the stars glowed overhead, quiet and eternal, Archie let himself believe in the possibility that not all broken things were meant to stay broken.
Some were just waiting to be remembered.
Some were just waiting to be found.