43. Emily
Emily
I slam my laptop shut with a huff. I’ve gone through several websites to figure out what to get Adam for his birthday. He’s not materialistic and he doesn’t collect knickknacks.
Me: I need help!
Sarah: What’s the problem?
Kam: I have bail money.
Jax: Need a getaway car?
Me: I have no clue what to get Adam for his birthday.
Kam: Damn, I thought you’d need bail money.
Me: You three are terrible.
Sarah: Come back! Does he like baseball?
Me: Seriously?
Jax: Dumb question…
Sarah: I can get tickets for next week.
Me: Make it three tickets and you’ve got a deal.
Sarah: Done.
Me: Thank you. Love you!
With Adam’s present sorted out, I stare at the case on my coffee table. A few days after I got home from New York, my parents had my violin shipped out to me. I’m doing my best to keep my promise to Gloria, despite the ache in my heart when I think about playing.
There has been a subtle urge to play again. It had been an urge for a while, but the funeral was what started it back up.
I take a deep breath and unzip the case. The polished wood and rosin-coated strings are like old friends greeting me home. I unstrap my violin from its holder and rest it in my lap like a guitar. I lightly strum the familiar strings with the sound filling my quiet apartment. My fingers get in position and the welcome tune of a Lana Del Rey song sounds.
I attach the chin rest to the underside of my violin. Plucking out the bow from the holder, I get into position and play.
My fingers are rusty, but after a few passes of the bow and my fingers moving on the strings, it’s as if muscle memory is the motivator. I move from one song to the next. Playing from memory songs I hear on the radio and classical pieces I dabbled in when I was younger. By the time I open my eyes, I see the sun has started to set. Not quite ready to stop playing, I head out to my balcony and play the song I performed at my final recital.
It’s like being taken down memory lane as I play a song I haven’t thought of in almost ten years. My body moves to the music as I remember the long-forgotten music. As I play the final note, I hear a knock on my door.
Resting my violin in its case, I head to the door and check the peephole.
“Hi,” I greet when I open the door, completely shocked by my visitor.
“You said it was okay to visit. So I took you up on that.” Brandon claims as he stands on my welcome mat with, I’m guessing, Angie by his side.
I hold the door open wider for them to pass through. “I meant for you to call or text me first, ya goof.”
“Pish, posh. I thought it’d be better to surprise you. I mean, it’s summer. What else do you have going on?”
“Jerk,” I say and walk into his open arms. “I missed you.”
“Miss you too, squirt.”
Brandon and I separate and I look over to Angie. “It’s good to see you again,” I tell her.
“You, too. I told Brandon we should have called before we even left the airport.”
I look over at the culprit who’s wearing a mischievous grin. “At least your other half is considerate of other people.”
“That’s why I keep her around,” he says nonchalantly as Angie and I both scoff. “Were you playing when we knocked on the door?”
“Yeah,” I say and walk around them towards the living room. “Keeping my promise to Gloria no matter how hard it is.”
“I heard. I’m so sorry,” Brandon says with no trace of humor.
“Thank you. And to respond to your earlier retort, I do have plans. Adam and Dylan were planning to come over for dinner. But I can cancel,” I start and get my phone.
“No, don’t.”
“Again, I told you we should have called.” Angie scolds him.
Brandon looks at her like he can’t decide if he wants to kiss her, choke her, or maybe both. “Why not still have them come over?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. After the way you talked about them, I want to meet them both.”
I flip my phone over in my hand before pulling up Adam’s name.
“Hey, sunshine,” he greets.
“Hi, baby. So listen, I have some friends that just got into town unexpectedly,” I say the last word pointedly at Brandon. “I know the three of us were supposed to do dinner but any chance you want to add two more? If not, I told them I could cancel.”
It’s been harder balancing alone time with Adam now that Dylan knows about us. So I’m hoping he doesn’t cancel. Do I see the three of us living in one house? Eventually, because going to bed and waking up with Adam is a dream of mine.
“Actually, my parents are in town. I’ll drop Dylan off at their house and we can make it a double date.”
“Are you sure?” I ask because I know how much he loves his time with Dylan.
“Yeah, baby. I’m sure. I’ll head over to your place in about an hour,” Adam tells me.
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye, baby.”
“He said he’s good to go. He’s gonna drop Dylan off at his parents,” I say as I face them.
“Okay.”
“So how’s it going with you two?” I ask them as I sit on my couch.
Brandon pulls Angie onto his lap and I smile when I see her squirming to get up. They’re so comfortable with each other and I don’t think it’s any type of trauma bond that connects them. But a soul-deep, this is my person type of connection that connects them.
“We told our families,” Brandon drops like it’s no big deal.
I choke on my inhale and cough. “How did they take it?”
Angie runs her hand through Brandon’s hair and an understanding look passes between them. “They weren’t happy,” she starts with a mournful tone to her voice. “They yelled, told us to break up, tried to disown me–us…but we stood our ground. And we moved in together in March.”
“That’s amazing news,” I tell them. “Have you talked to your families since?”
“No,” Angie admits with tears in her eyes. “Brandon’s brothers have come around to us, so at least I have them. But his parents have basically shut him out and mine don’t know how to act around me. So they stay away. It’s like losing Liam all over again.”
Brandon gently wipes her tears away and places a kiss on her temple. He whispers something in her ear that has her smiling as well as tears falling down her face. Luckily a knock on the door pulls me away from their private moment.
I check the peephole and see it’s Adam on the other side.
“Hi, handsome,” I greet when I open the door to him.
“Hi, baby,” he greets and crowds me against the wall as the door closes behind him. “Do you have any idea how much I miss having you all to myself?”
My hands slide up his torso and tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck. I rise onto my tiptoes and hover my lips centimeters apart from his. When we’re like this the rest of the world fades from existence. Adam erases the centimeter of space and our lips connect. His hands drift. One sliding into the back pocket of my ripped jeans and the other cradling the side of my face.
A throat clearing from the living room pauses our kiss. See? The rest of the world fades from existence.
I lower from my tiptoes and press a kiss to Adam’s throat. “Come meet my friends.” I take Adam’s hand and drag him to the living room. “Brandon, Angie, this is Adam. Adam, this is Brandon and Angie.”
“Hey, man, nice to meet you,” Adam holds his hand out to Brandon who takes the offered hand. “Nice to meet you,” Adam tells Angie and shakes her hand as well.
“So you two started dating in secret?” Adam is baffled.
“Mm-hmm,” Angie starts. “He hated me at first. Or he hated what I represented. Until he didn’t hate me at all.”
“Now I can’t imagine her not in my life,” Brandon says.
“You are such a sap.” I tease him and throw my balled up napkin at him.
Brandon sticks his tongue out at me which has Adam looking between the two of us with humor.
Dinner went well. Brandon and Angie were another piece of my world that Adam got to meet. Plus it was good to see them interact.
“We should head out,” Brandon says and pushes back from the table.
“Where are you guys staying?”
Adam gets up and grabs everyone’s dishes.
“The Rosemont Inn,” Angie announces. “It’s so pretty there.”
“I’ll have to check it out,” I tell her and I mean it. “Have you decided if you’ll let Kamryn know you’re in town?”
Angie chews on her bottom lip and her hesitance is warranted. “I may ask you to be a buffer if I do meet up with her.”
“I won’t blame you if you do.”
Brandon and Adam walk over to where we’re standing. He slings his arm over her shoulder, anchoring her to him.
“Let me know if you two want any company while you’re in town. I’m on summer break and have nothing but time.”
I’ll text you , Brandon mouths to me. “Will do,” he says and leans over to hug me.
I turn and hug Angie then open the door. When they’re down the stairs and out of sight I turn to Adam. “So, what did you think?”
He holds his hands out to me and walks backward. “I’ve liked all of the people in your life. Although I am amazed how you’ve managed to stay in Brandon’s life after James.”
“I almost didn’t,” I confess when we sit on the couch. Adam doesn’t like that I’m not close enough to him, so he manhandles me to straddle his lap.
“It was too hard,” he concludes.
“Yeah,” I say and fiddle with the buttons on his plaid shirt. “It was too hard.”
For a long while I felt I lost not only James but his entire family. We made great strides during Thanksgiving and I call his Mom monthly.
Adam rubs his hands up my thighs, bringing my attention to him. “I heard from my lawyer.”
“You did? What’s the next step?”
“Thankfully, Chelsea hasn’t made any more moves. But we’re looking to file a protective order. So fingers crossed that halts her steps.”
“Do you think that’ll stop her from trying to win you back?” I hate the insecurity that drips into my question. I may have grown up shy, but never insecure.
Adam twirls my hair around his finger and I watch as thoughts swirl through his mind. “I don’t want to say no. Chelsea is more determined than anyone. But you have nothing to worry about.”
“Okay,” I tell him, even though deep down Dylan needs his Mom and Dad. “In other news, I figured out your birthday present.”
“Please tell me it’s us holed up in your apartment all day. Preferably naked,” Adam’s eyes grow wide and I’m almost tempted to make that a date.
“No. But remind me to make that a date of ours. How do you feel about you, me, and Dylan at a baseball game?”
“I say, I love you and I’m so lucky that you’re mine,” he says before pulling me forward and kissing me until I’m panting.
Little did I know that the moment where we spent wrapped up in each other would come with conditions. Conditions I was not ready to bend on. How hard can you love someone until you realize it hurts you more than it heals you?