Wonder managed to keep the tears at bay until Anandur dropped her back at home. But the floodgates broke free as soon as she closed the door behind her.

“What happened?” Gertrude asked.

Shit on a stick. She hadn’t noticed the nurse sitting on the couch. If she had, Wonder would’ve held off the crying fit until she reached her bedroom. Now she was stuck having to explain something she didn’t understand herself.

“It’s complicated.” She wiped her face with the sleeve of her blouse.

Gertrude frowned. “Did Anandur say something to offend you? Because if he did, he probably didn’t mean it. He just likes to joke around and sometimes it comes out the wrong way.”

Wonder shook her head. “Can we talk about it tomorrow morning? I just want to take a shower and get in bed.”

“As you wish. But I think that getting whatever troubles you off your chest will help you sleep better.”

There was truth in that.

Wonder was so used to being alone that the idea of sharing her troubles with anyone was foreign to her. But Trudy and Hilde had made her feel so at home with them, that she was starting to think of the nurses as her family. Especially since she didn’t have a real one of her own.

“Okay.” Wonder sat on the couch and kicked off her sandals. The straps were pretty, but they were starting to pinch.

Trudy rose to her feet. “Let me make you some calming tea first.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later the nurse returned with two cups of steaming, weird-smelling tea.

Wonder lifted the mug and scrunched her nose. “What’s in it?”

“It’s a secret recipe. If you want to know, you’ll have to become my apprentice, and I’ll have to swear you to secrecy.” She winked. “Let it cool a bit and then drink up.”

“Okay.” Wonder put the mug down on the coffee table.

“Let’s hear it. What did the big oaf do to upset you so much? Is he still playing hard to get?”

Wonder wasn’t too happy about letting her roommates in on her secret infatuation with Anandur. As far as they were concerned, he’d been supposed to be a friend or a big-brother style mentor.

Except, whether they’d believed her or not had become irrelevant after the makeover. Naturally, it had been impossible for Amanda to keep her mouth shut about what had prompted the beautifying session, and both Gertrude and Hildegard had voiced their opinions on the subject of Anandur’s reluctant attitude.

Or stinky attitude, as Hilde had called it.

Trudy had called him a condescending prick and had suggested Wonder hit him over the head with her sandal.

“I confronted him and told him to kiss me.”

“High five.” Trudy lifted her hand. “Good for you, girl.” She smiled and leaned forward. “How was it?”

“Amazing.” Wonder sniffled.

“What’s going on?” The blurry-eyed Hildegard walked into the living room in her Hello Kitty sleep shirt. “Why are you crying?”

Trudy wrapped her arm around Wonder’s shoulders. “Anandur kissed her.”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?” Hilde plopped into an armchair.

“Yes, and it was a great kiss.”

“But?” Hilde made a circular motion with her hand.

“It brought back a memory of another kiss.”

As Wonder wiped her tears away with her sleeve and picked up the mug, her roommates gaped at her with their eyes peeled wide.

“That’s excellent news.” Trudy clasped Wonder’s hand. “If one memory resurfaced, then there is a good chance others will too. It means your memories are not lost forever.”

“I think that calls for a celebration.” Hilde rose to her feet. “Wine, anyone?”

Wonder shook her head. “No, thank you. I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Right. What about you, Trudy?”

“I’m always game for wine.” She turned to Wonder. “I understand that having a memory come back can be emotionally laden, but I have a feeling these tears are the sad kind, not the relieved or grateful kind.”

Wonder closed her eyes and groaned. “I finally got Anandur to kiss me, and then I moan another guy’s name into his mouth. You should have seen his face. He looked as if I punched him in the stomach.”

“Ouch.” Gertrude grimaced. “That’s bad. You’ll have to reassure Anandur that the other guy is just a memory. Tell him that his kiss was so electrifying that it helped reboot your brain. That should mollify him.”

Another tear escaped the corner of Wonder’s eye and made its way down until it detached from her chin and landed inside the tea.

Great, now the tea was going to be salty.

“What? You don’t like my idea? Guys have fragile egos. It always helps telling them how great they are, especially as lovers.” Trudy winked.

“I’ll drink to that.” Hilde handed the other nurse a wineglass. “There is nothing wrong with a little white lie if it makes someone happy, right?”

“It’s not that,” Wonder said. “I think I was in love with the other guy, Esag.”

Hilde frowned. “Esag, that’s a name I’ve never heard before. Are you sure you remember it right? Maybe it was Esau? Not that Esau is popular nowadays, or ever. He wasn’t exactly a hero to name your little boy after.”

“On the other hand, Wonder can use Esau as a good excuse. Wasn’t he a big redhead too?” Trudy asked. “You can say that Anandur reminded you of the biblical Esau.”

“That’s not a little white lie, Trudy,” Hilde said in a stern voice. “That's a big fat one.”

Gertrude shrugged. “All is fair in love and war.”

“You’re missing the point,” Wonder said quietly. “Before my coma, I was in love with another guy. Maybe I’m still in love with him but can’t remember it. What if more memories of him resurface?”

Hilde lifted her wineglass. “That’s a good problem to have.”

“I’m not sure about it. I have feelings for Anandur. I want to see where it could go, but not if I have a boyfriend somewhere who’s waiting for me, and worries about me, a boyfriend I still love.”

“Or a husband,” Trudy said.

Wonder shook her head. “No, not a husband. Bridget says I’m still a virgin. But it doesn't make a difference. Shouldn’t people be loyal to the ones they love? Shouldn’t my heart stay true to Esag?”

Hilde finished her wine and put the glass on the coffee table. “Not if he’s dead. Maybe whoever or whatever put you in a coma has killed Esag. Otherwise, he would have been searching for you. How long did you stay in Alexandria after waking up?”

A feeling of dread gripping her insides, Wonder put a hand over her heart. “For about six weeks.”

“If he were alive and in love with you, don’t you think he would’ve found you by then?”

“It’s a big city.”

Still, she’d spent many hours of every day at Alexandria’s central market. Anyone looking for a lost person would’ve started there. It was the city’s hub.