“I honestly don’t know,” Eric replied, shaking his head in frustration. “I can’t remember any of it.”

He furrowed his brows deeply, straining to recall even the smallest detail, but…

“If you can’t remember, don’t strain yourself,” Megan said, troubled by how much mental effort he was exerting. He had just endured major surgery, and his body desperately needed rest.

“It’s just a dream. It’s not real,” she added.

Eric nodded in acknowledgment, but his brows remained creased with persistent worry. Of course, he understood rationally that dreams weren’t real. He was experiencing temporary memory loss—it was not a permanent cognitive impairment.

It was just… something felt fundamentally wrong.

He couldn’t remember the dream’s content, but merely thinking about it left his chest feeling achingly hollow, as if an arctic wind were whistling through the emptiness inside him.

He felt overwhelmed by waves of inexplicable sadness and crushing loneliness, as though a vast desert had bloomed within his heart, stretching endlessly—barren and lifeless in every direction.

Megan noticed how heavy Eric looked, as if he were carrying something he couldn’t put into words.

“Eric?”

He made a quiet sound, barely lifting his head. “Hmm?”

Megan looked like she was about to say something, but the words never came. Her lips parted, then closed, and stayed shut. A gentle smile took over instead.

“Anyway, hey—do you want some water? You’re sweating a lot. I figured your throat might feel dry. I can grab a glass for you if you want.”

Eric gave her a nod. “Yeah. That’d be nice. Thanks.”

“How do you want it?” Megan asked, playing it off like a casual question. “Cold or room temperature?”

€$? ￠?€?$ glov?l?o

It wasn’t a strange thing to ask. Some people liked their drinks chilled. Others didn’t.

Without really thinking, Eric answered, “Something hot, I guess.”

Megan’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Wait. Really? I thought you were the kind of guy who only drank ice-cold water.”

From what she remembered, Eric never drank water unless it was chilled to the bone, usually with a handful of ice cubes floating on top. While they weren’t exactly close friends, sharing a few mutuals had taught her a thing or two about his preferences.

And truthfully, she had carried a quiet fondness for him for as long as she could remember.

Eric hadn’t expected that comment. It caught him off guard. After letting the silence stretch a little, he shrugged. “I don’t really know. You asked, so I just said whatever came to mind.”

Megan gave a short laugh and brushed it off. “No worries. I’ll go get some now.” Without waiting for a reply, she headed off.

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