In New York City on March 10, 2014, Addie wakes in a boy’s bed and lies still, trying to prolong the moment before he wakes and forgets her. She watches him sleep, noting familiar details, and remembers that she cannot give her real name; she has been “Claire,” “Zoe,” “Michelle,” and now, because of something he once said, she is “Jess.” Addie recalls the “darkness” that bound her fate and teased her about the kind of faces she is drawn to, and she braces for the morning’s inevitable blankness.

In the hallway mirror, Addie sees her seven freckles and tries to write her name in the fogged glass. The letters dissolve before she can finish, reinforcing the curse that prevents her from leaving lasting marks, whether by name, story, or writing. In Toby’s apartment, she notices the traces of a life that persists even without memory—flowers on the sill, a book he does not remember buying—and she makes tea from supplies already in his cupboard, haunted by other mornings in other cities.

To delay the moment he looks at her and fails to recognize her, Addie sits at the piano and plays softly. When Toby appears in the doorway, he is confused but does not interrupt the music, and Addie forces herself to stop and greet him. She supplies the name he cannot find—“Jess”—and tells him it is fine if he does not remember, while Toby apologizes and insists he is not “that kind of guy.” Addie deflects with humor, and Toby compliments her playing, never reaching the obvious question of how she knows his piano or his home.

Addie plays a melody that sparks Toby’s artistic excitement; he says it sounds familiar, and Addie claims he played it for her the night before. Toby, eager and unsettled, grabs a pencil and notepad, then a guitar, trying to capture the song. Addie understands the narrow workaround she has learned: she cannot leave her own mark, but she can place inspiration into someone else’s hands, letting them carry it forward.

When Addie stops and says she should go, Toby follows, frustrated that he does not even know her and wanting to slow things down with breakfast. Addie lies that she has something to do, because she is too tired to restart the cycle in daylight and knows the ending will hurt either way. Before she leaves, Toby invites “Jess” to his gig at the Alloway that night; Addie agrees, even though she knows the venue and their repeated, forgotten meetings. At the door she asks him not to forget her, and Toby promises he could not—while Addie, walking away, knows he already is.