by V. H. Luis
Taking a deep breath and with a resolve month ago I would never have had, I wipe away the tears pooling in my eyes and head to the elevator. I press the button and fortunately it’s still on this floor. It opens immediately.
I enter the elevator and as the doors close I see his panicked face.
“Evelyn!”
“Goodbye, Adam.” My voice is so faint I doubt he can hear the words.
I take the beach exit out of Eden Beach. Adam will rush toward Collins Avenue. He’ll assume I’m going home. His expression as the elevator doors closed made it apparent he wasn’t going to let me walk out of his life easily. As the sun sets, I run down the coast.
When I show up at Tina’s apartment, my shoes are in my hands, my hair’s a tangled mess and I’m in pieces. Only this time I’m going to pick them up. I’m going to seize the day.
Throughout the next few days Adam calls me constantly, but I refuse to answer the phone. Though I want to explain why I had to leave, I know if I hear his voice, I’ll submit to my desires. I’ll immediately do what he wants, even if it’s not the best thing for us both. He has a control over me, that both excites and scares me.
Adam deserves a woman who can handle her shit, who’s successful in her own right. And I deserve a man who will be patient and will wait for me… By his own admission, he’s not a patient man.
I’m not ready for love.
The day I was in a bank hold-up, I began to live. After tasting the sweet nectar of happiness, I’ve come to realize that to truly own that feeling a person needs to be the master of their demons. I will never be able to offer someone selfless love if I don’t learn to stand on my own two feet.
Tina is right. I don’t want to start the year in shambles, grasping at the tattered shreds of my life, tying them together in the hopes that I can make myself whole. I’m not that good at mending—I doubt anyone is. I need to do what any true artist would do with a million broken pieces—make a mosaic, a masterpiece.
While Tina drives us to my house, I think of everything I want to do with my life. I want to commit to my art and create an exhibit. I want to reach out to artists, establish new friendships, and work on a new beginning.
My musing is short-lived, because as we pull up to my driveway we’re both awestruck by the sight of my lawn. Thousands of flowers have been planted in intricate patterns. Every color I can imagine is in a magical rainbow of petals and pollen. It’s a glimpse of Eden.
I paint flowers because they can tell all types of stories. A flower can make you smile, it can make you cry, and it can even be an unspoken promise.
Adam has always been able to see straight into my soul, as is testament by the beauty before me.
Surrounded by this garden, which is undoubtedly a gift from the man I’ve left, I find myself drowning in emotions.
“Wow,” Tina says as she shifts the car into park.
“He’s making this so hard.” I whisper while exiting the car. Tears are blurring my vision, threatening to fall and then my phone vibrates. As I look at the screen I lose the battle—I’m crying.
THEY SAY ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT…
DON’T KEEP ME WAITING LONG.
Adam Black, Mr. East Coast, who has often claimed he doesn’t possess patience, isn’t a man who makes concessions, and yet he just did—for me. It’s an ambiguous statement, because I’m not sure how long he’s willing to wait and yet, his words leave me full of hope.
Thousands of unspoken promises are lingering in the air. My future is, for the first time in years, filled with possibilities. I don’t feel pessimistic or scared as I stand there surrounded by perfection, because I know without a glimmer of doubt, one day I’ll fall back into the arms of the man who awakened me from the black.
Adam and Evelyn’s story continues
in the emotionally intense sexy sequel in the
Uninhibited Series,
FADING to Black
Coming soon!
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Author’s Note
Thank you for reading WAKING to Black. I hope you have enjoyed Adam and Evelyn’s story so far. If you have a minute to spare, I would really appreciate a short review on the Amazon and Goodreads websites. Your help in spreading the word is invaluable and appreciated. Reviews from readers like you make a huge difference to helping new readers find stories similar to WAKING to Black.
*Link to my Amazon page:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C9CBV67/
*Link to my Goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39670435-waking-to-black
Thank you!
V.H. Luis