Life Starts Now

Skye was walking home when her phone rang. At first, she thought it was her sister saying it was way too damn cold outside. But the name on the screen made her stop. Her heart skipped a beat and she suddenly stopped breathing. Their conversation in the morning was enough for her, but it seemed like there were still things to be told. She answered after a few seconds, her hands shaking.

«Hey…»
«I need you now. » a deep voice said, leaving Skye with the feeling that something was wrong.
«Where are you? » she asked.
«Will you help me? Will you keep me from going down? »
«Please Adam, tell me where you are. » she said immediately.
«I’m…»

She ran as fast as she could as he told her where he was. Her feet barely touched the ground as she turned on the next street. She knew what was going on; she knew she probably was the only person in the world who could save him. So she ran, even if her lungs wanted to burst in her chest. She ran even if she couldn’t breathe; even if she wasn’t running fast enough.

She finally found him fifteen minutes later. She stopped running as soon as she saw him. He was sitting on the sidewalk, knees to his chest, head down. His hat covered his face. Just behind him, the door to the drugstore kept opening and closing as clients came in and out. Skye sat next to him in silence. She simply took his hat in her hand. He raised his head and looked at her. She saw his red eyes, full of tears.

«I’m here now. » she said with a comforting voice.

Her arm around his waist, she simply laid her head on his shoulder. It felt right for both of them. It has been forever since they were this close. She had been there for him in the ups and downs of his battle against addiction. She was still there when he needed it the most.

«I’m sorry. For everything. I’m so sorry… » he said, sobbing.

Without even thinking, she had her fingers running in his hair.

«It’s okay. I’m not mad anymore. » she said, and it was the truth.
«I have resisted. I did because I knew you would come. »
«I’ll always be there when you need me Adam. » she said in a whisper.

In a flash, she remembered everything they went through together. The first time she confronted him with his addiction. The day she threaten him to tell Naomi about her and about the medicine. The moment he swore to her he would get help. The time she drove him to the rehabilitation center. The second he kissed her right before leaving for a month in rehab. And the feeling that she wanted more from him, right before she felt she did something awful to Andrew. That split second where she felt that Andrew might not be the one; when she had this thought saying that the one might not be enough for her.

She remembered the day he left the center. She showed up but she wasn’t alone. Naomi was there. So she took a few steps back and hid next to a car. She watched him leaving the building and going straight into Naomi’s arms. The pain struck her like never before. The way she felt for the next week made her sick. She asked to meet him. He came. He was mad at her for not being there when he left rehab. She wanted to tell him she was there too, that she felt she shouldn’t be with Naomi when he got out. But he did not let her talk. He yelled. He said things nobody should ever hear. He told her she was nothing to him; she was just a groupie who wanted to get to his pants, that she meant nothing to him. The rest was a blur. She remembered the slap she gave him; she remembered the sound of her heart shattering into thousands of small pieces. She promised herself that day that she would never see him again.

But at this precise moment, she wasn’t mad or angry at him. She was there for him; she was where she was supposed to be. Both their phones rang. They did not answer. They stayed there for what seemed like forever. It was almost dark when he looked at her.

«Do we stand a chance? » he asked.
«I don’t know. After our fight, I promised myself I would run away from anything that was close to you. But right now, I don’t even know what I think of everything. »

He looked at her and couldn’t help it. He slowly got closer to her and kissed her softly. She did not move. She felt the butterflies. She let herself go. She gave herself the right to enjoy every second of it. When he broke the kiss, she exhaled, her eyes still closed.

«Sorry. » he said in her ear.
«Don’t be. I liked it. » she said, opening her eyes to look deep into his.

He smiled and caressed her cheek with his fingers. They both heard the loud footsteps, and the yelling around them. But they kept looking at each other. Lexi shaked her sister and broke their moment.

«Why the hell don’t you answer your freaking phone!? I was scared that you might be dead or something! Don’t ever do this again young woman! » she yelled.
«Come down Lex! I’m fine. » she said.
«Dude! I was worried about you! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! » Neil was yelling at Adam.
«Ah man! Why do you care about me when you’re searching for hours with that hot thing without even making a move on her!? » Adam said with a smile.
«He’s right. Stop worrying about us and just think about you two! » Skye added.

Lexi and Neil looked at each other with surprise and little of shame, which made both Adam and Skye laugh. Lexi shook her head and looked straight to her sister.

«Is everything alright? »
«Yes Lex, I’m fine. We’re fine. »
«So you are a thing? » she asked.
«Are you two a thing? » Skye asked her sister and Neil.

She looked at Neil and blushed.

«Maybe we are… » she answered, barely loud enough to be heard.
«Well we might be in a few minutes… » Neil added with a smile.

Lexi laughed and hugged him. Skye smiled at them and looked at Adam.

«If we take our time, we might end up like them sooner than later. » she said, throwing her arm around his waist.
«I’ll wait for you. » he said.