As I put down the final book, I feel a mighty shove backwards, making me stumble into a bookshelf. Then, before I get to react, someone's arms wrap around me tightly and I feel a kiss on my lips. I look into their eyes and it's all it takes for me to give in.
"I missed you, you know," Jade whispers as we separate. Her black, straight hair shimmers with dark green in the light of the overhead lamps, and her emerald eyes pin me down with their firm gaze.
I open my mouth to say something, but then something in my head flips like a switch and an emotional seal, whose existence I wasn't aware of, opens like a flood gate. This sudden wave makes me drop to one knee.
"Why would I want to forget this?" I mutter, slightly out of breath, but the answer pops up in my mind as if it happened yesterday.

I remember us standing together at the front gate. We're leaning against my carriage, after the third attempt to part our ways.
"It's so hard to just leave you here," I say. "Come with me."
"I can't," Jade replies. "Mother needs my help."
I touch her arm gently and shiver slightly, feeling a touch on my body exactly where I'm touching her.
"I can't live like this," I say.
"I know," Jade says with her head down. I hear her sob softly, and when she looks at me, her eyes are filled with tears. "Which is why you won't remember any of this."
"What?"
"I love you, Carter, but you need to go," Jade looks into my eyes, then leans in for a kiss.
I close my eyes in expectation, but instead I feel a gust of wind on my face. As I open them again, I realize I'm alone, and finally get into the carriage and drive away.

"How are you feeling?" Jade asks, concerned.
I don't reply directly. Instead, I get up and dash towards her, pinning her against the wall the same way she did. I don't stop there, however, pulling her so close we can barely breathe.
"Slow down, Slayer," Jade whispers, and I shiver ever so slightly hearing that name. "Remember what's planned next week?"
Then it hits me.
Jade was - is - my fiancée. Before I left, I promised to fully bond with her next time I return.