Page 52 of Adam & Eve

Her confession surprised me and filled me with dread. I hadn’t known it was that bad. The

thought of her leaving me, permanently, before I got a chance to be like this with her brought tears to

my eyes. It rendered me speechless. For the first time in a long time I didn’t know what to say, so I

said nothing.

I pulled her closer and wrapped my arms around her. She pressed her face against my chest. I

felt my t-shirt moisten with her tears. I didn’t care. I held her tight and let her cry herself to sleep, all

while fighting back my own tears. I’d never cried before, and I didn’t know if I wanted my first time

to be in front of her. The thought of missing the signs that she had once been ready to end it all and I

hadn’t been there to help her through it filled me with unfamiliar emotions. I fought against them and

concentrated on the feel of her warm body pressed against mine.

It wasn’t too long before my eyes became heavy. It had been years since I’d fallen asleep

without the help of sleeping pills. I wasn’t surprised that all it took was her body heat warming me. I

was lulled to sleep by the sounds of her even breathing.

T H I R T E E N

It felt like I’d only been sleeping a few minutes when Adam violently shook me awake. Groggily I

sat up in bed, rubbed my eyes and tried to focus on his face. When the haze of sleep cleared my head

enough to take in my surroundings, I found him sitting next to me with his jaw clenched. I heard his

teeth grinding. It was obvious he was furious, but why? Panic replaced fatigue.

I tried to think of what I could have done. The last thing I remembered was telling him about

my suicide attempt. Could that have been the reason? I gazed over at the digital alarm clock on the

night stand. It was five in the morning. He wouldn’t have waited that long to say something if that had

been what had pissed him off. Patience was not one of his virtues.

“Who’s Dwight?” he questioned, jealousy evident in his tone.

I groaned inwardly then lied directly to his face without remorse. “Dwight? I don’t know a

Dwight.”

He knew I was lying. The look on his face said as much. I only dealt with Dwight in my

dreams or nightmares.

“Why do you do that?” he asked.

“Do what?” I sucked my teeth, annoyed, and laid back down, hoping this conversation would

end sooner rather than later.