Created

Chapter Twenty-Three

The rest of the car ride to the supermarket was silent. I guess Melissa's last comment about Arta's undying and immeasureable loathing for Adam killed everyone's appetite for conversation. Understandable.
Melissa had rewritten her shopping list, with a few murmurred additions from Adam and I outside the Wal-Mart, and now, we were ready to attack the shelves of goods.
The list wasn't long, but it sure seemed like everything we needed was a good long walk from where we were. Nothing could be conviently placed, of course not. We couldn't even be lucky in the grocery store.
"I feel like we're missing something," Melissa remarked as she studied her list, comparing with the contests of our cart as she went. "Ah, butter. We missed the butter."
"I remember seeing that back there," Adam replied, pointing somewhere far behind us.
"How far back there?" Melissa wearily asked and Adam winced a bit at the thought of the distance.
"Pretty far. Look, you guys just sit tight here and I'll be back soon."
Well, he must have gotten lost, because Adam did not come back soon.
"Oh my gosh," Melissa groaned beside me, leaning on the shelves of cookies behind her. "I can't stand this waiting. I'm going out of my mind!"
"Well," I said, smiling a little and hoping I could get my way. "You could tell me more about your story to, you know, stave off the boredom?" Melissa shot me a knowing glance.
"You're curious, eh?" she asked and I nodded.
"You did leave off by telling me Adam was dying," I said. "You can't blame me." And honestly, I couldn't have him dying on me just yet. He was too... Perfect. I was pretty positive that if Adam were to die, the world would be a darker place. Melissa smiled lightly, almost slyly, as though she knew my thoughts, and pulled a box of cookies out of the cart and opened them.
"Yeah, that was pretty evil of us, huh?" she laughed. "So you want to make sure he's not dead?"
"Oh, of course!! I just, I just got really, you know, really worried and stuff...," I rambled a bit and Melissa giggled.
"Really worried and stuff? Could this be because someone thinks of him as more than a friend?" she said playfully. Huh?! Did she really read my thoughts?!
"S-Someone? I-I, uh, psssh... I d-don't know what you're t-talking about," I stammered even worse than normal, which, as I denied, only proved to Melissa that she was right. She grinned.
"Exactly," she laughed. "Don't be embarrassed or anything. Love isn't a bad thing!"
"Well, yeah, I-I know that, but it's kinda... Private," I mumbled and Melissa laughed again, softer this time and more gentle. She leaned over and gave me a hug.
"Oh Claire," she sighed. "Falling in love with Adam was a bad choice, though. You've got a rocky road ahead of you. After all he's been through, my guess would be that it'll be a long time before he warms up to anyone romantically again."
"What has he been through?" I asked quietly. "What was so awful?"
"It's hard to explain," she murmured.
"Yeah, and you two are sure taking your sweet time," I grumbled to myself and she chuckled a bit and pulled away. "But what about you?" I asked and, looking a bit surprised, she looked over.
"Hmm?"
"What about you? Will you... Will you be okay?" I asked quietly and Melissa swallowed and dropped her gaze.
"Erik," she whispered and looked up as she remembered and spoke his name. She glowed with a sad light as she brought up his memory. "Erik was perfect. And... And he never even noticed me. Not once. Not in the way I noticed him, at least. I... I don't know if I could ever get over him enough to be with someone else." Melissa looked down and gave a sad chuckle. "I can't even imagine anyone more wonderful than Erik was."
I felt like I had entered Adam and Melissa's lives at a really, really bad time. Like walking across the battlefield after the massacre. All I could see were the wounds and the sadness and try to imagine the horror that had gone on. It was awful. Good thing I was a nurse.
"I understand," I told Melissa and wished I could do something for her. Something to ease the pain, even a little. But by the time I'd even starting to think of something good, Melissa had begun trying to think of something else and looked fairly okay as of right now in the heartbreak section, so I decided to ask something that was still on my mind. I just needed to check. "So, um, Melissa," I started.
"Hmm?" she asked.
"He, uh... He didn't actually die, right? In your story?" This made Melissa laugh a little and she shook her head.
"Nope! He's still alive and kicking, you've seen him! He's fine! Well... Sorta," she trailed off a little, which worried me.
"Uh... Sorta?"
"Well, you remember when he, like passed out in the road and had to be taken to the hospital? And when he was running away from Arta's metal ninjas? And when he couldn't run hardly at all?" Yes. Yes, I could remember. And it haunted me every day. But I knew better than to voice that entire thought. "Well, I checked his hard drive and main circuits and it's nothing, you know, major... Well, actually, I take that back. It could be fatal."
"Then how could you say it was nothing major?!" I cried, shocked.
"I took it back!!!" Melissa replied defensively. "Just-Just hear me out. Maybe I can find some good." Did she have to search that hard? "He'll be fine for the next few days, but after that, the simple repairs I made will wear out and he'll need looking at again. But I can only patch him up so much. Adam wasn't made to run from Arta's metal men. Or to rough it like he was trying to do. It's running him ragged and now he needs real, professional work. Like...," she trailed off again and I swallowed.
"Like... What?" I prompted.
"Like, Erik's help. But, obviously, the world happens to be missing that stupid genius, no matter how much we need him. We're kinda... Stuck without him," Melissa said. Man, right when I thought we could forget about Erik, he keeps popping back up in conversation. I really was trying to avoid breaking Melissa's heart over and over again by discussing it, but it seemed like I couldn't pick a safe topic.
"That's...," I muttered. "That's a problem."
"Heck yeah it is. In more than one way," Melissa grumped.
"So what will we do?" I asked warily. I was getting kinda sick of problems.
"I... I don't know," she said softly and I thought for a moment that she might cry, but luckily, she was stronger than I gave her credit for. "I honestly don't know, Claire." This pulled at my heart I pretty strongly and I bit my lip and turned away. I was a nurse! I was supposed to help people! And not only that, I bragged talents in technology. Other than Erik, I should be the perfect person to help fix Adam! But I didn't have a clue where to start! I felt like an idiot, and more helpless than ever. Maybe I could do something if I had the courage to stand up, to try! This wasn't about me, this was about Adam and I couldn't sit by and twiddle my thumbs while he lay on his death bed! I wouldn't have it!! A fierce courage rushed through me, something new and unknown. It filled me with adrenaline and suddenly I felt like a whole new person! I could do something! I could help!!
"I'm back!" Adam's cheerful voice broke into my thoughts of bravery and courage and I looked up.
"Golly, took you long enough," Melissa rolled her eyes playfully. "Did you churn this butter yourself over there?"
"I told you it was really far back!" Adam frowned, taking Melissa a little too seriously. "I went as fast as I could!"
"It's okay, Adam," I smiled up at him, realizing the only thing I could do for him right now to put this adrenaline to good use would be to be kind and supportive. He just needed a good friend right now, and an even better scientist. I could at least fill one order. "Thank you for getting it." Adam smiled back and looked genuinely happy that I'd said something. It reminded me of how he told me Arta's smiles had made him so happy. Self-consciously, I stopped smiling and swallowed a bit. My bravery earlier was gone and was replaced by a sick feeling in my stomach and heart. He talked about her hair a lot, too. It was blonde, to her waist. Uncomfortably, I reached up and fingered my thick and uncontrollable brown curls and, stretching a hair band off my wrist, pulled all my hair into a low ponytail. At least it was out of my face now, and out of my eyes. With the images of Arta's perfection in my mind, my ugly hair wasn't really something I wanted to dwell on right now. It would only depress me.
Luckily, Melissa and Adam were too caught up in playful squabbling over the butter to notice my insecurities drag darkness into my face. I knew it was there by the bitter taste in my mouth and the sick feeling in my stomach. I was horrible at hiding any emotion and knew that if I felt something, it was portrayed in great detail in my features. But before they noticed anything, just in case, I tried on a fake smile and acted like I was at least halfway listening. A smile, no matter how unrealistic, would hopefully be enough to throw them off about my jealousy and insecurity. If only I was as perfect as Arta! If only Adam would think of me the way I thought of him... Walking a foot or so behind the two, I took the opportunity to study his features and try to steady my heartbeat. Golly, he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. How he did not put this Arta to shame, I didn't know. For a moment, I wondered how much influence Melissa had in designing Adam's looks. From what I'd heard of Erik, he didn't seem the type to be an expert on what made a guy look good, but Melissa would definitely be qualified.
We reached the check-out stand and I began helping pile our ingredients onto the conveyer belt. Honestly, I just wanted to go home. And, oddly enough, when I thought of home, my first thought wasn't my mother's house. It was Erik's. I swallowed. How awkward!! I'd only been at the place for so long, hardly a day, and already I was ready to put down roots there. The cashier rang us up and sent us on our way, but I barely noticed as I followed Melissa and Adam out to the car. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts.
'Gosh,' I thought to myself. 'What an awful guest you're being. Erik's house isn't your permanant home.' A phrase I'd heard years ago popped into my head. Fish and guests stink after four days. I'd imagine the phrase was mostly meant to be silly, to make one laugh, but it struck momentary fear into my heart. How long would Melissa and Adam want to put up with me? We would, according to Adam, be leaving as soon as possible, and would they want me along? I wasn't a part of their trama-I'd only barged in. Biting my lip, I shoved the fears aside and tried to be strong. They were my friends, they'd said so themselves!! They'd be happy to have me along and I'd better not try to appeal to my antisocial side and ruin that for myself. It was a first time for me. I really didn't want my many insecurities to mess it up.
We were at the car now in the parking lot. The sun beat down, a typical summer day, and I should have been sweating, but I felt cold. Cold and drowning in the sadness I was bringing upon myself. As I mentally chastised myself for being antisocial and over-dramatic, something unexpected happened. Adam reached over and gave me a hug.
My first reaction was happiness and major blushing as I hugged him back. My second reaction was... Why?
"Um... Hi, Adam," I said and giggled a bit as I hugged him. He pulled back just a little and smiled at me gently with those innocent, sparkling brown eyes and beautiful mouth.
"Hi, Claire," he responded quietly. "Feeling better?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"Don't try to deny it," Melissa rolled her eyes. "You looked like you were first up on death row. Why the long face?"
"Just... Thinking," I said and, realizing I was still in Adam's arms, started to pull away until a thought hit me. Well... Adam hadn't let go, right? So maybe that meant he didn't want to let go... Glee filled me as I eased gently back into his arms and let myself be held, a smile spreading slowly and shyly on my face.
"Thinking?!" Melissa scoffed. "Well, we'd better stop that, eh?" She chuckled and unlocked the car. Letting go of me, to my dismay, Adam reached out for the passenger seat door and offered it to me. 'Omigosh! How gentlemanly!' I gushed mentally and tried not to blush any deeper, but I could feel the heat spreading as I clumsily crammed myself into the car, failing at trying to look smooth. But Adam only smiled, gently shut the door behind me and (ten times more gracefully than me) seated himself behind me while I exploded inside. 'He held out the door for me! And he gave me the front seat!' I decided at that moment as I tried to calm my speeding heart that those actions were the sweetest things anyone had ever done for me. I was pretty sure at that moment-I was in love. I knew it was kinda silly. I'd had crushes like this before and I knew they went away, but still... It seemed more special. I felt like we had... History together, even though it was history made in only a few days, but that was a few days more than all my past crushes. And he was special. I'd never met anyone as amazing as Adam, which should have been a hint right there that I would never get him. But I brushed off the thought to keep my elated mood up and simply giggled.
"I hate the stations around here," Melissa grumbled as she flipped through radio channels. "They're all crap. Good thing I have my Owl City CDs in here, eh?" She laughed and waved a colourful CD case in the air. I was a fan as well and happily listened to the bubbly, peppy music, letting it lift me even higher. He sang of love and happiness and sweetness and I allowed myself a small giggle as it reminded me more and more of what an imaginary relationship with Adam would be like. Daydreaming, I leaned over with my chin in my hand and remembered the colours in his eyes and the shape of his lips. How perfect we would be...
Melissa's awkward cough brought me back to reality and I looked up. "So," she looked from Adam to me. "We never really finished that story, eh?" Oh, yeah.
"No," I admitted. "You left me hanging."
"Okay, let's finish now!! Hate to leave a good story off!" Melissa cried and asked where she and Adam had left off.
"Um, I think Adam was dead," I said, worry creeping into my voice. I know Melissa had assured me of his (temporal) health, but I couldn't help but be a bit anxious.
"Haha," Melissa laughed but her smile lacked a bit of her usual happiness. "Yeah. Adam, you wanna start?"
"No, no, you tell it better," Adam slipped quickly from the responsibility of telling his story. Melissa rolled her eyes, smiling a little to herself.
"Fine, fine," she began. "We left off right when he passed out, right?"