made by LunaKnight145, thanks for this awesome piece of work!
made by LunaKnight145, thanks for this awesome piece of work!
There was a certain painful ringing in Adam's ears that simply would not turn down. Not to mention his brain tried to escape from his skull through the back of his head, pounding again and again.
"No… why…" he moaned.
The horrid taste in his mouth did nothing to alleviate the pain. Not once did Adam wanted to simply empty his stomach in the nearest dumpster.
Adam opened his eyes and immediately regretted doing so. The sunbeams were like knives piercing his sockets and burning what is left of his unused brain.
"Stupid ringing…"
After the horrid light had subsided, Adam managed to get out of his bed and turn off his ringing phone.
Groggily, Adam made his way to his bathroom and took a long and thorough shower. Once he was squeaky clean, Adam turned off the water and stepped out from the shower. He still felt like shit, but at least the worst part was over. He took a toothbrush in one hand, and toothpaste in the other, and started his morning.
Adam could still feel the taste of alcohol in his mouth even after three whole minutes of brushing teeth, so he took a single ibuprofen pill in the hopes he will get better before meeting Elena's parents.
He sat on the cheap chair next to the dining table, black tea in his hand and a plate with poached eggs as he read the newspaper. It was a new habit he developed, thanks to Elena. Adam was not into newspapers before the two met, but after so many mornings spending together, Adam started reading them too.
Something furry moved next to Adam's feet, and as he lowered his head to see what the disturbance was, he was assaulted by a barrage of wet licks.
"Puca!" Adam called, surprised by the unexpected attack. His head hurt too much to handle Puca right now, but by the way she was whining and scratching his leg, Adam knew that Evie forgot to take her out for a morning walk.
Again.
"Well, I can always kill two birds with one shotgun," Adam murmured to himself as he rose from his seat and moved back to his room. He came out wearing a black suit, his hair was combed, and he smelled of Old Spice body wash. Why? Because he is a man, that's why!
As for the suit, meeting Elena's parents was no joke. They knew of her relationship with him, and this will be the first time Adam will meet them, which raised the question in his head, why did he have to go partying with alcohol last night!?
Adam was careful when taking the leash from the stand. He did not want Puca rubbing herself against his suit, and showing her the leash made her go frenzy, so after Puca calmed down, Adam took the leash, and an umbrella –just in case- and stepped out from his house.
Adam stopped at a local park to let Puca do her business. A husky in Britain is not that common due to the fact that these types of dogs were pretty hairy, but luckily for Puca, Britain was not famous for its warm climates.
After that Adam decided to take a small detour through the Hyde Park with Puca. Once they reached the park, Adam released Puca and let her roam around it. He trusted Puca, she won't stray too far from Adam, and if she did, Adam would whistle to her and she would come back running, usually with a peace offering that consisted of dead critters.
Adam checked his watch and saw that he was running out of time, so he whistled for Puca to come back. This time luckily, she hadn't brought anything with her.
After leaving Hyde Park, Adam decided to stop next to a flower shop. He still had some money left, and he thought it would only be appropriate to bring Elena some flowers. Adam tied Puca to a pole next to the flower shop and walked through the doors. A bell above the door dinged as Adam was bombarded with the scent of a hundred different flowers. The shop itself was not that big but it was just enough for Adam to walk normally through the different pots containing exotic as well as common flowers.
A woman came from a back wearing green uniforms and a soft smile, though the smile quickly changed into surprise once she saw Adam.
"Umm… hi?" Adam said.
"Ohh excuse me. We usually don't see a lot of young lads in here," she replied.
Adam refrained from rolling his eyes as he browsed through the different assemble of flowers.
"Are you looking for a specific flower mister?" the woman asked.
Adam nodded, still looking at the different flowers. "Yeah, do you have Spiked Speedwell? It's for my girlfriend."
The woman nodded excitedly. "Yes, just got a fresh batch from Wales."
"Good, then I want a whole bouquet of them."
"Right away sir."
The woman went through the back door and a few minutes later, came back with a beautiful bouquet of Spiked Speedwell with a few red roses interwoven between them.
"Umm, I didn't order the roses," said Adam.
"Oh I know, but I just thought it might compliment the overall look, don't you think?"
Adam gave the bouquet a once over and nodded. "It does, but I don't think I have the money to pay for it."
"Think nothing of it sir. Consider it a gift from us to your girlfriend," the woman replied.
Adam was hesitant. It would not be the first time someone would try to extract extra money from him. After a few inner debates, Adam decided that it was for Elena, and she deserved only the best, so he paid to lady and took the bouquet without questions.
After bringing Puca back home and hailing a cab, Adam reached the big house that was Elena's, or more precisely, her parents'. It was huge compared to Adam's humble abode.
Adam approached the black gate and pressed the button to the side of it. While he waited, Adam looked around at the familiar scenery. The house was surrounded by a wall across the entire property. The only way in or out was through the gate he was standing at. The mansion itself was pretty damn big, though all the times Elena invited Adam in, he could walk down its halls with a blindfold.
The gates buzzed and Adam hurried to open them before they lock again. As he walked down the familiar road to the front entrance, Adam couldn't help but feel anxious. This was the first time he would meet Elena's parents, and he was afraid they will resent him.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Adam reached the front entrance and buzzed the door bell.
A few moments later, Adam heard the shuffling of shoes from inside the house and the door opened wide, revealing a tall man in his mid-forties. His blue eyes seemingly pierced right through Adam's as he gave him a once over.
"Mr. Collins I presume?"
"Only Adam. Mr. Collins is my dad… umm, sir."
The man quirked an eyebrow before a thin, barely visible smirk adorned his face. "Sir. How quaint." The man extended his right hand and Adam shook it. "I'm Duncan. A pleasure meeting you at last, Adam. Despite the circumstances."
"Yeah…" Adam responded. Not meeting Duncan's gaze.
"Hey…" Duncan put a large hand on Adam's shoulder. "You did nothing wrong. My wife and I are not blaming you in the least. But, if you ever feel the need for some peace and quiet, you're always welcome here."
"Thank you sir." Adam shrugged his shoulders, still not looking up at Duncan. "Shall we go now?"
Duncan sighed before nodding. He led Adam towards the garage. A few sport cars lined the sides of the overly large garage. Duncan fumbled with a bundle of keys before stepping towards the closest one, a blue Ford Mustang, and opening the door. He sat comfortably in the driver's seat before turning towards Adam, who stood still next to the car. "Well, come on, lad. Hop in."
Adam did not say anything. Instead, he opted to just follow Duncan's orders.
The drive was mostly silent. Duncan tried to strike a conversation with Adam, but the boy purposely answered with short, meaningless answers. It was obvious that he was distraught, and who can blame him.
"Look," Duncan sighed. His eyes were constantly on the road but he still glanced towards Adam every once in a while, "I understand how hard it is for you. No one should deal with what you went through at your age. I just-" Duncan stopped when he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.
Adan glanced at Duncan's direction and saw the older man on the verge of tears. Adam closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, clutching the bouquet in his hands. "I don't deserve this," he finally said after a long pause.
"Pardon?" Duncan replied. Still a little teary.
"I don't deserve this," Adam replied. "I'm not special or good at anything. I'm just another face in the crowd. And yet-" Adam stopped as well as he felt his throat constrict. A large hand has found purchase on Adam's shoulder as he fought a losing battle against the tears.
Finally, the car stopped in front of large, black gates, both similar and yet so different from the ones in Elena's home.
The comforting touch of Duncan left Adam's shoulder as he stepped out of his car, Adam following suit.
"Come now, lad," said Duncan, "The others are already there."
Duncan started walking while Adam stood still in front of the large gates.
With a final gulp, Adam clutched the bouquet of flowers one last time, mindful not to crush the flowers, and entered the cemetery…