Big Black Car

Chapter 8

After waking up in Adam’s arms for the third morning in a row, Annik felt a weight settle in her stomach. Today they were going to file the police report.

She wriggled around until she was facing him and looked up into Adam’s still sleeping face. She couldn’t help but wonder how she got here, how she had ended up in Adam Levine’s bed. If someone had told her what would happen when she left home to move to LA, she would have laughed in their face.

It was hard to believe she had only known Adam for four days; he had seen in her in one of the most broken phases of her life. She had never been more vulnerable with another person. This thought reminded her of how she drunkenly kissed him. At this, her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed with heat.

A cool hand touched her face.

“What are you thinking about?”

Annik’s eyes flew open and she blushed even harder at Adam’s teasing smirk.

“Oh, uh, nothing.”

“Bummer. Cause I was thinking about our kiss the other night.”

She pushed him away playfully, “That was so not what I was thinking!”

He raised his eyebrows skeptically.

Annik rolled her eyes. “Are you always so cocky?”

“Pretty much.”

Their was a lightness in their interaction that had not been there before yesterday, and though Annik liked it, she was afraid of how long it would last.

Adam sat up and stretched out his arms, his t-shirt riding up to reveal the tattooed stomach underneath.

“You’re doing that on purpose.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

Annik made to get up from the bed. “Well then, I guess it’s time to go—ah!”

Adam had pulled her by the waist back onto the bed and started tickling her. As she shrieked and wriggled around trying to get free, he bent close to her ear and whispered,” Not so fast, An.”

She shivered and looked up at him, his eyes only inches from hers, his lips looking more inviting by the second. Is he going to kiss me? Do I want him to? What does this mean for--?

She was cut off by his soft lips meeting hers, slowly moving against them and then gone before she could respond.

Adam bounded off the bed like an overeager puppy.

“Time for breakfast!”
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After two mugs of hot coffee, Adam and Annik got in his vintage black Mercedes and headed to the hospital to get Annik’s medical report. Annik could not settle her nervous stomach, and she was unsure if it was because of Adam’s kiss or the grueling day ahead of her.

Probably both, she thought as she picked at the hole in the jeans Adam had given her that had belonged to an ex-girlfriend of his. The jeans weren’t helping her conflicting thoughts about Adam.

As they walked into the hospital, Adam put on his baseball cap and sunglasses and made Annik put on hers so hopefully they wouldn’t be recognized. The disguise only made her more nervous, and she grabbed Adam’s hand for support. As they walked through the sliding doors, he squeezed back.

“We’re here for Dr. George Sherman,” Adam said at the reception desk.

“12th floor. Can you sign in please?” The friendly female receptionist said.

Annik signed her name and the two headed to the elevator.

The 12th floor was silent, a sharp contrast to the organized chaos of the lobby.

Adam navigated them through the halls until they reached the office of Dr. Sherman. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Adam! Good to see you, man. How are you?” The two men embraced, and he gestured to Annik.

“And you must be the girl he brought in on Friday. You look much better, I must say. I suppose Adam has been taking good care of you?”

She nodded shyly and offered her hand for a shake. “I’m Annik Jenkins.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m glad you seem to be healing; Adam was a wreck when he brought you in.”

She looked at Adam and he smiled at her, a hint of red rising in his cheeks.

“I assume you two are here to collect Annik’s medical records,” George said as he shuffled through his filing cabinet. “Here’s two hard copies – one for you and one for the police. Be warned, it has some pretty graphic pictures and descriptions. The hospital has a digital copy for our records. I will add your name to the record since we didn’t know it for sure before. Ah, here it is.”

Annik nervously took the file from his hands, her own shaking so badly she almost dropped it. Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulders, sensing her anxiety.

“Well, I think that’s all we had. Thanks, George.”

Annik nodded in agreement, “Thank you so much for all you did for me. I can never repay you.”

George just waved his hand as if to say it was no big deal and opened the door for them.

“Pleasure meeting you, Annik. I wish you the best of luck.”

She was going to need it.
_________________________________

“Are you sure you want to do this today? I know the hospital visit was hard for you. We can wait,” Adam said when they arrived at the station, unsure if he was saying this for her benefit or from his own desire for her to stay with him.

Annik debated for a moment before squaring her shoulders and stepping out of the car. “I have to do it today or I might never have the courage.”

Adam nodded and took her hand again as they walked up to the reception desk.

“How can I help you?” The receptionist asked in a bored voice.

“Yes, I’m here to report a sexual assault. I have my medical records,” Annik stated, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
“Sign in please and have a seat. I will have a detective come and speak with you.”

The two sat for over an hour until Annik eventually nodded off on Adam’s shoulder.

“Miss Jenkins?” Annik jerked awake to see that a tall, balding police officer stood before them. “I’m Officer Warren. I hear you want to file a report. Can you come into my office please?”

Annik and Adam went to the office and took a seat.

“So, tell me everything.”
___________________________________________________

“Don’t worry, Miss Jenkins. We will find the man who did this.”

Two hours and four Styrofoam cups of coffee later, Adam and Annik emerged from the station emotionally drained yet giddy with relief.

“Let’s celebrate! Where do you want to eat?”

Annik, equally glad to be done with the legal aspect of this horrific experience, grinned at him. “I honestly don’t know anything about LA. You pick. Take me to your favorite restaurant.”

“I know just the place.”

After calling to reserve a table, Adam drove them into downtown and snuck them into the back entrance of a little-known Italian restaurant in the heart of LA.

“Welcome Mr. Levine and Miss Jenkins. We are glad you are here. Our best table in the house is waiting for you upstairs,” the friendly manager said.

Adam thanked him and led Annik to their table.

“This is the best Italian food you will ever have in your life,” Adam proudly stated, his eyes locking with hers.

“I’m looking forward to it,”Annik responded, an easy smiling coming onto her lips.

The atmosphere was relaxed and light, and Annik pushed away any stress she had after giving her testimony so she could focus on this moment. Dinner with Adam Levine, she thought to herself disbelievingly.

“What was your worst childhood injury?” Adam asked, taking a slice of garlic bread from the middle of the table.

Annik laughed at the randomness of the question and thought for a moment.

“Probably when I fell off my bicycle in second grade. I had just learned to ride earlier that summer and was going down the steepest hill in my neighborhood. I lost control of the bike and went slamming into the concrete curb. Got knocked out for a good hald an hour and had a pretty bad concussion,” Annik grinned proudly and brushed her hair aside to reveal a small scar on the edge of her forehead near the temple.

Annik smirked approvingly. “I’ve got one better. My brother and I were fighting on top of our bunk bed. I shoved him and he hit me back, I lost my balance and toppled off the bunk, gashing the side of my face and dislocating my shoulder. Had to get 4 stitches and my mom was furious.”

Both were laughing when the food arrived, and Annik felt warm in a way that she attributed to more than the red wine they had been drinking. Their conversation continued easily for another hour as the two enjoyed the delicious farfalle pasta. Eventually, Annik couldn’t hold back her yawn, and Adam noticed immediately.

“We should probably head back. You’ve had a rough day and need to sleep.”

Annik refrained from pouting, and nodded in agreement even though she thought she might like to stay there forever. He paid for the meal and they walked carefreely through the restaurant and out the front door, forgetting to put on any disguise. They were immediately assaulted by paparazzi.

“Adam, Adam! Who’s the new girl?” “Is she the reason you’re not with Anne or Behati anymore?” “Did you cheat with her, Adam? “What’s your name? How old are you?” The questions were pelted at them, and Adam put an arm around Annik and tried to steer her away, but there were probably twenty people surrounding them, moving with them, relentless. “Don’t say anything. It’ll be okay.”

Annik felt like she was suffocating, the people were closing in around her. What if they knew? What if they hurt her? She clung to Adam’s arm but felt her breath quicken and her head grow light. Do not pass out, Annik. Keep it together. She felt that familiar sense of desperation rise in her throat like bile.

Finally, they reached Adam’s car and escaped into the leather interior. Adam stepped on the gas and drove until no one was following them. He pulled into a nearby parking lot and looked over at Annik. She was distraught, her chest rising and falling too quickly, tears making her mascara run haphazardly down her cheeks. He held her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s okay. We’re okay.” But Annik shook her head, trying to hold her tears inside.

“It was never going to last was it? That feeling of being free, of being safe?”

Adam did not know what to say; he swept his thumbs across her cheeks and kissed her forehead. “It will get better. It won’t hurt like this forever. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Annik laughed bitterly. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You’ve been so nice to me. I don’t know what I would have done without you. But—I need to go back. I was stupid to think I could stay with you forever, ignoring real life. I was stupid to think I could escape the pain like that. Take me back, take me back.”

Adam felt his chest caving, her meaning not sinking in even as he started the car and drove her to the dorm she was staying in at USC. He ignored the feeling inside him as he parked the car and helped her out. They were already distant, apart, a gap he could not breach with words even if he could think to say anything.

They found themselves in front of her door on the sixth floor. Annik was overwhelmed again by how quickly things had changed and felt a desperate sadness well up within her. She should say something, should fix this, but she didn’t know how. Couldn’t deal with her conflicted feelings about Adam on top of her physical and emotional pain.

Annik looked into Adam’s eyes, purposely keeping her hands off him. His face was blank, and she could not decipher what he was feeling. This fact hit her hard; she did not know him well enough to gauge his mood. She didn’t really know him at all. Finally, she lifted her hand to rest on his cheek, feeling the stubble underneath her palm. He put his hand over hers, and she was startled to see tears in his eyes.

“Thank you for everything. I’m sorry.” She pulled away shakily, slowly taking out her key and unlocking the door. She pushed open the door and turned back around to say one last goodbye.

He was gone.