Reese
I woke up to familiarity.A warmth and scent that summoned so many memories.Danny was wrapped around me.Why wasn’t Brandon between us?And what would he think if he came back to this?I gently—reluctantly—extracted myself from Danny’s arms, careful not to wake him.
The clock said it was a little after midnight.I didn’t hear anyone in the bathroom, or any footsteps, though a faint light spilled in under the door.Where was Brandon?
He’d be back soon, I was sure.I couldn’t stay here any longer tonight.If I woke up a second time like this with Danny…
It was easy enough to put the burden on Brandon and say he’d be upset, but I was selfish about this and more worried about me.It would get harder to pull away every time I found myself in Danny’s arms.
I dressed as quietly as I could, and Danny slept through all of it.I crept from the room and toward the light in the kitchen.The light above the basement door was on—Brandon must be in there.
And Adam sat at the kitchen table, hunched over his laptop.
“Did I wake you?”he asked quietly.
I shook my head.“What are you doing?”
“Trying to figure out how to start over with zero capital.”His frustration tugged at my sympathy.
“Do you mind company?”I should be leaving, but I couldn’t make myself go.
He gestured to a chair, and I silently took a seat next to him.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”I asked.
He shook his head.“If I think of something, I’ll let you know.”
We sat in silence for a while as he typed.
“After my dad died, I looked for a long time to find someone who believed in me the way he did.”Adam’s quiet statement might as well have been a scream in the stillness.
“I know that feeling.”
Adam sighed.“When I met Richard, and we clicked on a collaborative level, when he loved my ideas and was willing to invest, I thoughtthis is it.I still want the plans I laid out with him.”
Not quite the same as Plaid Peanut Butter, but close.“I know that feeling too.”
“Yeah?”Adam looked at me with unguarded curiosity.
I tugged up a memory I usually tucked away just for me.I didn’t know why, but with the quiet, contemplative mood in the room, it felt okay to talk about this.“Mom was my biggest fan.When she passed away, she made me promise I’d keep singing.Told me she’d be watching when I made it big.”I was still waiting, and I hoped she was too.
“I didn’t take her death well.”The confession slipped out on its own.“I missed her so much, and I was so afraid of hurting that way again.Plus, I had this big promise to make good on.When Todd came along, offered me fame, and all I had to do was sever ties with the one other person who could hurt me if they left…” I couldn’t finish the thought—my throat was too raw.
“I’m sorry,” Adam said softly.“And I get it.My dad was sure I was going to be something amazing.”
I couldn’t ignore the surrender in his voice.“You will be.”I was certain of it.
“I don’t know that.”
“I’ve got eight years on you, and I know I’m still going to break out.You’ve got plenty of time.”
“Unless I end up like my dad.Brandon almost seems convinced of it.”
I didn’t understand why he phrased it that way.I knew their father had passed away, but I’d always assumed cancer or heart attack or… “What happened to your dad?”
“You don’t know.”
I shrugged apologetically.“Brandon and I aren’t that kind of close.”