CHAPTER 10
Adam recognized the building where Eva was staying as part of one of the many apartment complexes he viewed before moving into his current rental. He found the natural scenery surrounding the apartments to be beautiful and as rural as could be found in the city. The trouble with nature, at the time he was apartment searching, was that it reminded Adam of happiness. After his wife's death the reminder of happiness, Adam imagined, would have caused greater grief. Being able to see the world as beautiful, and unable to share it with her, Adam thought of all the anger that would flow from him and the alcohol he would consume to dowse the flames of frustration. Instead, Adam decided to live in town and close to work, restricting himself only to the essentials while he brought his life together. Pulling out his phone, during the brief walk from his car through the icy breeze to buzz for entrance at the address Eva had given him, Adam checked for service availability and the time. "Two of five and early enough," he thought. He was curious how late it would become before he was able to call Allen. Reaching the top step outside Eva's door and standing for just a second longer than familiarity would allow, Adam hesitated to press the button. His eyes glanced to his right and a few doorways over an older woman was struggling with the cold while attempting to haul two bags of groceries up her front steps. He looked back to the door he was in front of and realized he was pressing the button as the agonizing wail it released crept into his audio focus. Adam released the button and decided an offer to help would be appropriate before buzzing again. Adam found himself at a slight jog; he reasoned it was an automated response to make amends for the initial delay in reaction to help when the woman, startled by his approach, dropped her keys. “Sorry, can I give you a hand?” Adam inquired while he noticed she was younger than he thought; the cold had distorted her features as she huddled for warmth and squinted to keep the wind from her eyes. She picked up her keys and was looking behind him as she answered, “No thank you, I think you’re wanted next door anyhow,” the woman smiled then opened the door and abandoned the conversation while lugging both bags of groceries in. The door slammed near Adam as he turned to see Eva using her back to hold open her own door. In the moment he watched as she tucked herself together for warmth while waving him in. Moving quickly to Eva, Adam was trying to uncover all the details of what was to come. He saw her frustrated and in a hurry but this was likely due to the wind sweeping beneath the door and hitting her legs, he also noticed her slippers instead of shoes which he imagined meant she had been in for some time and had no intent to leave any time soon. Adam then compared attire formality to be sure he wasn't under dressed for the seriousness of what Eva had wanted to speak with him about. It was at this moment, arriving at the top step and pausing to look into Eva's eyes through the cold hatred they shared for this wind that Adam found himself caught by the snug winter-red turtleneck Eva was wearing and he began to enjoy the perplexing ability it had in forcing her hair to seem slightly different than he remembered. Adam placed his hands in his pockets and hustled through the doorway only to stop and turn back, “Thanks.” He said with a smile and shaking off the cold. Eva let the door close gently behind her, “Ms. Waterloo likes to do everything herself, sweet of you to offer though.” She reached forward and warmed Adam’s arms with a short up down brushing before tugging the back of his left arm down to her apartment. Adam wished he could feel the contact through his coat, but without it, he felt the urgency she was implying.
Time warp
The cold was helping Mark become more furious than usual, “Where the hell is he?” Eva was supposed to meet Adam at Adam's apartment to break up with him but Adam hadn't even come home from work yet. Mark wanted to witness Adam's reaction to the break up, see the last of his hope crushed before being brought back from the ashes to a rebirth and a new beginning and understanding of the world around him. Mark would follow him and find out all of the details of his emotional state as he approached collection; Mark considered it very important and dangerous that Adam and Allen had grown closer recently. Adam needed to be as disconnected from those without understanding as he could. If it came to it, Mark determined he would personally intervene in Adam's grieving if he reached out to Allen. Eva had detailed in reports and Mark had witnessed himself on several occasions that Allen was Adam's only connection to the outside world from 'City'; this association needed to be severed. Mark checked his phone while he thought, “Eva wouldn't have changed plans; she knows how critical it is to create absolute zero suspicion at this point, that Adam needs to be unaware so to be completely destroyed by the information.” Just as he looked, a message came in, ‘my place, change of plans.’ Mark shoved his phone back in his pocket and pulled the collar of his shirt under his coat trying to let off pressure from being so infuriated. It was a two minute walk to his car and a twenty minute drive, “Too much time alone,” Mark imagined how much was being said as he pushed people out of his way with his determination. His suspicions were solidifying one after the other in his mind; "Eva was betraying ‘City'. She had no intention of taking Adam as her companion. She was using him as an escape. Blind Fool thinking Eva was so close. Adam was a person with deeper strength. Only Eva had been able to read Adam. None of it was true - all of it was true - Eva...Eva was in control." Mark began to run letting his anxiety about ‘losing his position’ get the better of his mind. In Mark's mind, Adam would walk away with Eva and he would have less than four hours to, "What the hell will I do?" Mark was beginning to panic even more as his fears slowed into a single hallucination of Adam slipping away and the Directors acting without hesitation. "They must be watching closely by now," Mark breathed deeply as he crashed into his car door; the fear of death in combination with the running was causing him to hyperventilate. Checking his heart he felt something in his pocket, Mark sighed a little, his insanity fully taking over, it seemed he had one last opportunity. In the last fragments of reality he determined if he were to stay alive he needed to act cautiously but first every moment would be precious and this would help, at least he still kept the keys to Eva’s apartment. Mark's blank stare with twisted smile settled back into reasonable frustration as he opened the door. There would be reason for his actions- motive. Mark closed his car door and pulled out his phone once more before pulling out and driving to Eva's apartment.
Time warp
Allen assumed that Adam wouldn’t call for at least an hour or two, so he helped Mallory make dinner in order to leave the evening open. Megan and Ryan were coloring at the table enjoying the colors spreading slightly outside the lines. Mallory was watching them color as she asked Allen more, “So he didn’t say why it would take a long time, is everything okay?” Allen didn’t want to let ideas take form in either of their minds so tried to keep it as calm as possible. “I think everything is alright,” he lied, “Adam seemed fine, just wanted to talk and I guess was hoping I’d be available IF it would be a long conversation.” Allen’s calm attitude didn’t help Mallory as she looked back to the cutting board, “I would hate to think you set him up with someone who would hurt him … more.” Shifting a little but not losing focus from the sauce he had been stirring, Allen reassured her, “No, I think he’s okay, I wouldn’t have pushed him into something if he couldn’t handle it, and I’m willing to be there for him when he needs it.” Mallory stopped what she was doing and Megan and Ryan looked up as they could feel the frustration in their mother building, “Like you were ...” Mallory paused and motioned for Megan and Ryan to leave the room before continuing in a much quieter voice but one with a heavy edge, “Like you were there for him after Sarah’s death?” Allen put his head down, “I will be there this time; I didn’t know how to handle him shutting down like that, avoiding the world.” He breathed and regained some confidence, “This is much different anyhow, I don’t know what is going on there, he seems happy, and he asked me ahead of time, he's reaching out and I know how to be there when someone is asking, so I know I’ll be there for h
im to the end.” Mallory realized she had made a bigger deal of this than she needed to but it helped her vent previous frustrations, she leaned over and kissed Allen, “I know you will. I’m sorry.” Of the two, Ryan peeked around the corner first, “Can we keep coloring now?” Before Mallory had a chance to answer Megan ran by Ryan and was already grabbing ‘blue’, Mallory smiled letting Ryan know it was alright to come back in.
Time warp
Eva poured from her red kettle while Adam analyzed her apartment stepping through the doorway. Hot chocolate without marshmallows he noticed, thinking about how he loved the idea of two, not the cluster of sugar cubes, but two soft and chewy small marshmallows. Eva lived in color not clutter; there was nothing on the walls except for paint, each wall a different color, and he suspected she had recently repainted to the current colors. Adam briefly touched the wall in the entryway as he waited for Eva to direct him to where they would be sitting. She tilted her head in the follow motion carrying two simple coffee mugs. He was hoping to sit on either her two person couch or in a rocking chair off to the right. Either place would be comfortable but both would give clues as to what was going on. Should he be placed in the rocking chair, he would be given direct information while he listened to all the details of what she described. If they sat together on the small couch, they would undoubtedly share feelings; she would console him as his anxiety rose about the information she gave him. Instead, she led them to a small dining room table that was more similar to an outdoor café table. It was pleasant looking and gave a certain feel to the room overall, however Adam recognized this to be more of a formal business setting, which meant it was likely that Eva was in trouble and would be asking for help. Adam sat down with Eva and she set a mug near him, he waited for a clearer picture of what she had in mind for the evening before expressing anything more than gratitude for the hot chocolate. Eva blew the steam away before starting, “I wish I could go into everything right now, but we have limited time.” She waited for an expression from Adam to indicate his mood or thoughts; he remained patient and unchanged so Eva continued. “You were supposed to be followed after work, and now the person who would have followed is coming here…he is my handler.” Eva was waiting for anything from Adam and was only slightly surprised that he was maintaining patience for more information; she could see how his mind was working and relaxed, hoping she was right to think they might just come out of this alive.
Final Collection Page 10