ADRIAN'S PAST
1217 Words
Adrian Kingston sat in his car a few minutes after he returned. He wasn't joyous as usual. Scarlett has spoiled his mood. Afterward, he gradually opened his car door and majestically walked into his room.
After dinner, he sat on his bed comfortably. His mind was elsewhere - on her.
This time he was thinking of someone different,
Salome Jazz. Adrian's first love and fiancee. The lady who died in a ghastly motor accident.
The woman he once believed would be his forever.
Salome Jazz.
Her name alone sent a sharp ache through his chest. He could still see her. He recalled how her honeyed curls danced with every laugh, even those mischievous brown eyes daring him to chase after her. He also remembered the way her delicate fingers fit so perfectly in his. She was his wild storm and his calm after it.
He shut his eyes and allowed the memories to pull him back to a night that felt like a lifetime ago.
Two years earlier
"Adrian Kingston, put me down now lest I fall, please" Salome screamed. She laughed as he carried her effortlessly through the spacious and upscale beach house.
He grinned and turned a deaf ear to her pleas. Afterward, he kicked open the bedroom door.
"No way, Jazz," he joked, tossing her onto the bed. This made her bounce slightly. Immediately, She frowned as she folded her arms over the smooth silk of her gown.
"Stop throwing me around like I'm some doll that is fragile."
"You’re stronger than you can imagine," he whispered.
He climbed onto the bed beside her. He pushed a wayward strand behind her ear, his touch lingering for a second.
"Nah, You’re fire, Salome. And I will burn for you a thousand times over."
Her lips parted slightly. Throughout the moment, the teasing air between them melted into something deeper. Adrian cupped her face, his thumb tracing the fullness of her lips.
"Marry me." With his knees on the ground.
She stilled, her eyes searching for him. "Adrian……"
"I swear, I mean it," whispered. "Whenever, wherever, however—I’m doing this."
I just want you. Forever."
Tears brimmed in her eyes. She was dumbfounded. Afterward, the tears turned into laughter. As she disbelieved the laughter, she nodded furiously. "Yes, Adrian. A thousand times, yes!" “It's either you or you.”
He kissed her then, pouring every bit of his love into it. He gave her his ring, a cake, and other beautiful things inside a parcel she would have to uncover to know.
Not knowing it would be one of their last, he opted for a sit-out, an evening dinner to celebrate their new status.
As they stepped out of the house, they saw a heavy downpour. The rain is pouring heavily. But out of joy, they entered the car.
The sound of rain drumming against the windshield. "Adrian Kingston, put me down now lest I fall, please," Salome screamed. She laughed as he carried her effortlessly through the spacious and upscale beach house.
Breathless with excitement, she said, “This is crazy,” “We just got engaged. We need to celebrate. A day I have ever longed for”
Adrian glanced at her, his heart swelling. “We could turn back.”
She shook her head. “No way. Tonight is ours.”
He smiled, shifting gears as they drove off. The city lights shimmered through the rain. It was casting a golden glow on the wet roads. It was supposed to be a perfect night for us. A day to celebrate their love and a beautiful future.
Halfway there, Salome’s laughter turned into a gasp. “Adrian! Watch out!”
Before he could react, bright headlights blinded them. A truck was Jinking sharply. Because of the slippery road, it was losing control. Adrian’s instincts kicked in. He thought of what he should do but only remembered gripping the wheel, trying to steer them out of danger, but the truck was too close.
A shattering explosion. The sickening sound of metal twisting.
The world spun. Dude got slammed, leaving him struggling to catch his breath. Glass shattered, slicing through the air. His body was thrown forward, pain exploding in every nerve.
And then—nothing.
Hours Later……
A steady beeping filled the air. Damn, that hospital smell was strong. It burned his nostrils. Adrian’s eyes fluttered open. His body ached, every movement sending a wave of pain through him. But none of it mattered.
“Salome,” he croaked. He could barely talk, voice rough as sandpaper. 'Where is she?
No one answered right away. The doctor sighed and glanced away.
He doesn't know how to explain things to him. So, he remained silent.
The silence was intolerable and painful to Adrian.
His heart pounded. “Where is Salome?” This time his voice became louder. He demanded desperately. I want to see her right now.
Still, no answer.
And then he saw it.
On the bedside table, untouched and waiting, was the small parcel he had given her. The ring. The cake. The little surprises he had planned for her to open, one by one.
Tears blurred his vision as the truth sank in.
Salome was gone.
Forever.
He cried bitterly. “I just lost my first love.” He muttered.
He had zero option but to board an Uber because his car was brutally destroyed. He thanked God for surviving the whole shock.
A few minutes later, he got home furiously angered.
He stepped into the house breathing hard. His chest is heaving in rough and uneven waves. His fingers shook slightly as he detached the buttons on his shirt. Yet it fell short.
His anger burned like an inextinguishable fire. It consumed everything in its path.
He ripped the shirt off completely. Afterward, he flung it onto the floor. His body ached. The bruises from the crash were too much, but none compared to the gaping wound in his chest.
His first love. Gone. Forever.
He shot a glance at the grand piano tucked in the corner, the one Salome used to play every Sunday morning. His vision blurred as he imagined her there. His head tilted, and his lips curled into that teasing smile she always gave him when she caught him staring.
But she is no longer there as usual. She never would be again. Nay, not in this life again.
A sharp breath left his lungs as he ran a hand through his ruffled hair. He needed air, something to stop the walls from closing in.
Then his phone rang.
He ignored it.
Buzz.
Still, he didn’t move.
Buzz. Buzz.
With a grunt, he snatched it from the table, glaring at the screen. His dad's number.
Normally, he wouldn’t answer. But tonight? He had nothing to lose.
"Hello?" His voice was raw, edged with frustration.
A pause. Then a low and unfamiliar voice.
"Dad, I would tread carefully if I were you. Salome is gone forever. I haven't been myself. My heart is chartered"
His grip on the phone turned to steel. His heart slammed against his ribs.
The rage in his veins ignited into something colder. Sharper.
My love is gone.
Why on our engagement day?
Dumbfounded, he kept staring at her picture on his wallpaper.
- Writer
