When I met you

The Next Morning

Akermisia Miller

At first, my eyes refuse to open. When they finally do, I recognize that I’m not in my room, or even in the familiar comfort of my bed. When I gather the necessary courage to turn my head, I realize I’m in Adam’s dorm room. Last night comes back to me in flashes: the party, Melchior drunk, me sleeping in his arms.

I look around, but he isn’t there. The spot where he had been before had rumpled sheets, but it was empty.

How could I have been so stupid? It was obvious he would run away the next morning. Who was I trying to fool? I knew exactly who Adam was, so why expect anything different?

I focus on looking for my purse, my phone, and my shoes so I can get the hell out of that room as quickly as possible. Maybe if I left fast enough, the previous night could be ignored more easily. I’m looking at the floor, but I don’t know why I lift my gaze. Maybe I catch a slight movement out of the corner of my eye, I’m not exactly sure, but when I do, Adam is standing in the doorway, staring at me from head to toe.

My eyes widen in alarm. s**t!

— Looks like you’re already awake. — He gives me a dazzling half-smile, his head slightly tilted. — I tried to get coffee and food, but everything nearby was closed, so I gave up. What do you think about going to a diner together? I’m starving.

I’m still in shock. Adam hadn’t run away; he had gone to get coffee. What the hell!

— I have class in the morning, and I’m still wearing my party clothes… — I murmur, pathetically.

— It’ll be quick, I promise. — he assures me. — You took care of me last night, the least I can do to repay you is buy you a good breakfast.

I narrow my eyes suspiciously.

— You don’t need to pay me back for anything, Adam.

— But I want to. — he insists. — Besides, we have to take advantage of how stunning you look in that dress and show it off to the world.

It’s impossible not to smile. What harm could a breakfast do, after all? I was hungry, and I had already crossed the line by sleeping in his bed. A trip to a diner wasn’t going to make anything worse, or better.

— Fine… — I give in, grabbing my things. Adam grins from ear to ear at my answer, as if he had actually won the lottery.

We cross the still-silent dormitory hallway. There was about an hour and a half left before the chaos of students running from one side to the other would begin. It was peaceful to observe that moment of calm before the storm. When we reached the outside area, the pleasant morning weather hit my warm skin with force. The day would be clear and cold.

— Are you okay? — His brow furrows slightly.

The breeze brushes against me once more.

— This dress seems to have less fabric than I remembered.

Adam is amused by my situation. He opens the car door and grabs a jacket, carefully placing it over my shoulders. That was the understatement of the year—Melchior being gentlemanly and romantic.

In the car, I fix my hair with my hands, and a few minutes later we’re sitting at a diner table with five different kinds of food spread across the glass surface.

— Looks like the alcohol hangover left you starving… — I comment, unable to ignore how much Adam is eating.

— Don’t judge me, Akermisia. You demolished more bacon and pancakes than I could count. — he says, amused at my expense. — And, — his eyes arch. — it’s not just alcohol that makes me hungry…

The double meaning makes me grumble something unintelligible. I shouldn’t expect anything different from him; that was very typical of Adam.

— Very funny. — I make a face before focusing on my orange juice. I glance sideways at my phone. No battery. Great.

— You know, you were my first. — he says quietly, drawing my attention.

A laugh escapes me.

— Don’t tell me you were a virgin, Adam. If I had known, I would’ve been more considerate…

— Now you’re the funny one, aren’t you? — his voice is husky. — I meant sleeping. I’ve never just slept with a girl before. You were my first.

My heart instantly speeds up, and I can hear the blood pumping in my ears.

He rests his elbows on the table and laces the fingers of both hands together in front of his mouth. An incomprehensible emotion shines in his eyes, and I try not to freeze.

— Sorry for being so oblivious. — he says kindly, his fingers finding mine across the table. — It’s just that sometimes you confuse me.

He gets confused? My feelings are confused. I am confused. He has kind gestures and says beautiful things to me, then disappears and shows no interest beyond casual, carnal desire. Did he have any idea what all of that did to me? How difficult it was to fight that connection every time we were close to each other? I was exhausted, and alive, and irritated, and excited. Adam made me vulnerable and pushed me to my limits. I had never felt this way before. No other guy had ever taken me so quickly to heaven and hell at the same time, with such mastery.

— You don’t have a very good opinion of me, do you? — he asks, serious.

— It’s not like you make things easy for yourself.

He smiled with a mocking air.

— Yet you still care.

— Who said I do?

— Last night… — he looks at me, and I know what he’s referring to. — You could have left me there, drunk, but you didn’t.

I press my lips together, and his expression changes instantly. He looks at me very seriously.

— I’ve never had anyone who truly cared about my well-being. — he admits, and my chest aches so much that I feel like jumping on top of him just to catch my breath again. I want him. But I’m not foolish enough to let myself fall now.

— I’m sorry. — I say sincerely.

After that, we finish breakfast, commenting on one thing or another that wasn’t so evasive or personal while we enjoyed the meal, sticking to superficial topics that would keep us safely within our comfort zones. We got into the car in silence and drove back the same way. The atmosphere was tense when we stopped behind the dormitories. There was no movement around, and the dark-tinted windows of Adam’s Rover didn’t help much with visibility either.