After breakfast, Azora and Lamech said their goodbyes and set off for the famous beach resort in Santander. Like the previous night, Hana was observing Azora closely. Azora didn’t notice this as she was busy eating and looking at Lamech, but he certainly did.
It was nine in the morning when they left the building. The sun wasn’t too high yet, but its rays were already strong. Luckily, many large trees surrounded the building, so they didn’t need umbrellas. Nevertheless, Lamech brought an umbrella and a backpack containing some of Azora’s dresses as well as his shirts and pants.
They silently walked along the path lined with trees. Before long, they reached the entrance where the parking lot was.
Lamech opened the car door for Azora. She immediately got in, and he walked around to the front and got in as well. He started the car and drove towards the entrance of the large grounds of the mental institution.
“Where are we going?” Azora asked with a smile, looking out the window and admiring the nearby sea. They were traveling along a coastal road.
“Peeble Beach Resort,” he replied.
“Oh.” Azora searched the pockets of her dress but realized it had none. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw Lamech’s backpack there. “Can I check your backpack?” she asked.
“Sure.”
Lamech let Azora reach for the backpack on the backseat. When she got it, she immediately opened it and began searching. Lamech noticed this and cleared his throat. “What are you looking for?”
“My cellphone.”
He glanced at Azora in the rearview mirror, then returned his gaze to the road. “You can use mine,” he said.
“I want to use my cellphone. Where is it?” Azora turned to him.
“You don’t have it with you.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No. Your cellphone was not with you.” She was silent for a few seconds, so he spoke again. “On the bright side, it will help you recuperate better. Less stress for you.”
Azora narrowed her eyes at him. After a moment, she held out her hand beside him. “Your cellphone then,” she said.
He glanced at her briefly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “In my pocket.”
Azora’s brows knitted tighter. “You shouldn’t put your cellphone in your pocket. It’s not healthy,” she said, reaching for his pants pocket.
He cleared his throat at her action, frowning. He felt her hand slide into his pocket and then pull out the cellphone.
Azora smiled. “What’s the password?” she asked as she settled back into the passenger seat.
“Your name.”
“No, it’s not the password,” Azora disagreed while typing on the phone’s screen, her brows furrowed.
Lamech raised an eyebrow. He didn’t recall changing the password. “Your name is the password, Azora.”
“No. I said it’s not,” she insisted, annoyance in her voice.
Lamech frowned. “Just type your name in there,” he said.
“No. It’s not unlocking! See!” She showed him the phone. The screen displayed a wrong password message.
Lamech’s frown deepened. Had someone tampered with his phone? Then he noticed some dots on the screen. His frown eased. He knew why Azora couldn’t unlock the phone.
“Azora.”
“What?”
“Type Azora on the screen.”
Azora did as he said, and her lips parted when the phone unlocked. Lamech laughed. He knew he hadn’t changed the password.
“It’s my name!” Azora exclaimed hysterically. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
He shrugged and stayed silent. He had been telling her the password was her name, but she seemed to have misunderstood. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face at her antics.
The car continued down the coastal road toward Pebble Beach Resort. Azora kept her eyes on the phone, piquing Lamech’s curiosity. “What are you watching?”
“My photos,” Azora replied, still looking at the phone.
Lamech paused, then cleared his throat. He occasionally glanced at Azora. “Don’t look…” He stopped himself.
It wasn’t weird, but he admitted to having some photos of Azora hidden in his phone gallery. He had taken them when he noticed her staring off into the distance.
“I don’t remember you taking my pictures, though,” Azora murmured, but he heard her.
He wondered if it was better to tell her about her condition or not. Finally, he spoke, “I’ve taken those shots whenever you spaced out in front of me.”
He saw Azora glance at him from the corner of his eye. “What do you mean?”
He briefly glanced at her before speaking. “You always space out, which is why you don’t remember some events.”
Azora fell silent, her brows furrowing as she looked at the phone screen. He couldn’t gauge what she was thinking, so he stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak.
A moment later, he heard music playing from the phone. Azora had played a song, and he guessed that was why she wanted to borrow his phone.
They didn’t speak anymore and just listened to the music. After a few minutes, the car reached Pebble Beach Resort. Azora got out first, followed by Lamech, who was still carrying the backpack, while Azora carried her shoulder bag.
They checked into a room with two separate beds. Azora glanced at him as if questioning why he had checked into a hotel at the resort. He responded with a smile.
If Azora liked the resort, he planned to stay for a few days. He would inform Hana himself. Lamech thought it wasn’t good for Azora and Japen to see each other frequently at the institution. It might hinder Azora’s recovery, especially since something unpleasant happened when they said goodbye to each other.
“Can you see the sea?” he asked as they walked toward the building from the reservation area.
Azora looked at the vast ocean not far away. The beach was just a few steps from where they stood. Lamech could see the small white stones on the shore.
“Am I blind?” Azora retorted sharply.
Lamech laughed and guided her to the hotel room he had prepared for their stay at the resort. The crew greeted them and gestured for them to enter.