Adrian didn't go to school the next day.
No one forced him.
No one even suggested it.
When he came downstairs that morning, he was already expecting a question, but instead, Marco just looked up from his seat and said, "You're staying home today."
Adrian paused for a second, then nodded. "…Okay."
It felt strange.
Not going to school.
Not having to prepare.
But at the same time, he didn't argue.
Part of him was relieved.
—
The house was quieter than usual.
Most of his brothers had things to do, but they didn't leave him alone.
Not completely.
Alessio stayed.
Nico moved in and out of the room.
Even Dante checked in once, even though he didn't stay long.
Adrian noticed.
He didn't say anything about it.
But he noticed.
—
He sat in the living room for a while, doing nothing.
Just sitting there.
Thinking.
The memory from yesterday didn't come back fully.
But parts of it stayed.
The table.
The voice.
The pressure to be fast.
He rubbed his hands together slowly.
"…Too slow," he muttered under his breath.
"You're not," Alessio said from across the room.
Adrian looked up.
"I didn't say anything."
"You did."
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…I didn't mean to."
Alessio shrugged.
"You don't have to mean to."
Adrian leaned back against the couch.
"…It's stuck."
Alessio didn't ask what he meant.
He already knew.
—
Later in the day, Marco called him into the study.
Adrian hesitated outside the door for a second before knocking.
"Come in."
He stepped inside slowly.
Marco was standing near the desk, not sitting this time.
"You okay?" he asked.
Adrian nodded automatically. "…Yeah."
Marco didn't accept that right away.
"You don't have to say that if it's not true."
Adrian looked down.
"…I don't know what I am."
That was more honest.
Marco nodded.
"That's fine."
Adrian stayed near the door.
"…Why didn't you send me to school?"
"Because you needed time."
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…I could've gone."
"I know," Marco said. "But that doesn't mean you should have."
Adrian didn't argue.
He just stood there for a moment before asking,
"…Did you know it was this bad?"
Marco's expression didn't change much.
But his voice was quieter.
"…We knew it wasn't good."
Adrian looked up.
"That's not the same thing."
"No," Marco agreed. "It's not."
Adrian swallowed.
"…There's more."
Marco didn't interrupt.
"…I just haven't remembered it yet."
Marco nodded slowly.
"I figured."
Adrian looked down again.
"…I don't know if I want to."
"That's your choice."
Adrian shook his head.
"…It doesn't feel like it is."
Marco didn't disagree.
"…It might not feel like it," he said, "but you still decide how to deal with it."
Adrian didn't respond.
He wasn't sure he believed that yet.
—
After leaving the study, Adrian didn't go back to the living room.
He went outside.
That was new.
The garden behind the house was quiet.
Not like the one in his memory.
Different.
But still open.
Still calm.
He walked slowly, his hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the space without really focusing on anything.
"…It's not the same," he said quietly.
He didn't expect an answer.
But after a few seconds—
"No, it's not."
Adrian turned slightly.
Alessio was standing a few steps behind him.
Adrian didn't look surprised.
"…I knew you'd follow me."
Alessio shrugged.
"You walked out without saying anything."
Adrian looked ahead again.
"…I just needed space."
"I know."
They stood there for a moment.
Not talking.
Then Adrian said,
"…I remembered something else."
Alessio didn't react immediately.
"What?"
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…Not clearly."
"That's fine."
Adrian kicked lightly at the ground.
"…He didn't like mistakes."
Alessio's jaw tightened slightly.
Adrian continued,
"…If I got something wrong, he would…" He stopped.
Then shook his head.
"…I don't want to say it."
"You don't have to."
Adrian nodded.
"…But I know it wasn't just the table."
That was enough.
Alessio didn't need more details.
"…Okay," he said quietly.
Adrian glanced at him.
"You're doing it too."
"What?"
"Just saying 'okay.'"
Alessio exhaled slightly.
"…I don't know what else to say."
Adrian looked down.
"…Me neither."
—
They stayed outside longer than expected.
Not talking much.
Just being there.
At one point, Adrian sat down on the low step near the edge of the garden.
Alessio sat beside him.
"…Do you remember everything from that day?" Adrian asked suddenly.
Alessio knew what day he meant.
"…Not everything."
Adrian nodded.
"…Do you remember when we got separated?"
Alessio hesitated.
Then nodded once.
"…Yeah."
Adrian didn't look at him.
"…Was I scared?"
Alessio didn't answer immediately.
"…Yeah."
Adrian's fingers tightened slightly.
"…Did I say anything?"
Alessio looked ahead.
"…You kept calling my name."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"…I don't remember that."
"I know."
Adrian swallowed.
"…Did you answer?"
Alessio shook his head slightly.
"…I couldn't."
That answer stayed between them.
Neither of them added anything else.
—
When they went back inside, the house felt the same.
But Adrian felt different.
Not worse.
Just… aware.
He understood more now.
Not everything.
But enough.
Later that evening, he sat in the living room again.
Nico was there, flipping through channels.
Dante was leaning back in his chair.
Adrian sat quietly for a while before saying,
"…I remembered more."
Nico glanced at him.
"Yeah?"
Adrian nodded.
"…He didn't like mistakes."
Dante's expression shifted slightly.
"…Figures."
Adrian looked at him.
"…What does that mean?"
Dante shrugged.
"People like that don't like anything they can't control."
Adrian didn't respond.
But he thought about it.
—
That night, Adrian didn't wait until it got bad.
He didn't wait until the memories came back stronger.
He just stood up from his bed, walked down the hallway, and knocked on Alessio's door.
When it opened—
"…I'm staying here again," Adrian said.
Alessio stepped aside immediately.
"Yeah."
Adrian walked in and sat on the bed.
He didn't explain.
He didn't need to.
After a few minutes, he said quietly,
"…I think I understand it a little more now."
Alessio looked at him.
"Yeah?"
Adrian nodded.
"…Why I react like that."
Alessio didn't interrupt.
"…It's not random," Adrian added. "It's because of him."
Alessio's expression hardened slightly.
But his voice stayed calm.
"Yeah."
Adrian lay back on the bed.
"…I don't like that he still affects me."
Alessio sat down nearby.
"I know."
Adrian stared at the ceiling.
"…But I'm not there anymore."
Alessio nodded.
"You're not."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"…Say it again."
Alessio didn't hesitate.
"You're not there anymore."
Adrian exhaled slowly.
And this time—
He held onto that.