Between the Heavens and the Embers

Chapter II

Adrien woke up covered in cold sweat, his whole body shaking. He took a deep breath, trying to keep down his meal from last night. His heart was beating so fast, he was half-convinced it was going to burst out of his chest soon.

Whipping his forehead with the back of his hand, Adrien sat up and glanced at the clock. Five forty. He still had hours in front of him before the flight, but he knew for a fact he wasn't gonna get any more rest.

He was used to the nightmares. Not only did they haunt him in his sleep, but they also plagued his waking moments, too. He simply couldn't escape them, no matter how hard he tried. No amount of girls, alcohol, or weed could make them go away.

Speaking of, he glanced at the girl asleep next to him. He couldn't remember her name. Something like Alice? Alicia? Alexa? Coming home with her last night seemed like a good idea. She was pretty, sweet, and clearly not searching for anything serious. The perfect deal. But now sober, the idea didn't sound as great. What was he gonna do, now? He couldn't just wake her up and kicked her out of his apartment at this hour.

Sorry, I had a nightmare about the love of my life dying and now I can't stand to look at you, can you please leave? No hard feelings, though, you truly were amazing last night.

Yeah no, he couldn't really say that.

"Hey, what time is it?" her sleepy voice asked.

"Ridiculously early. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine," she yawned. "I probably should go home, anyway."

"You sure?"

She stood up and picked up her clothes from the floor. Adrien averted his eyes, looking everywhere but at the naked girl. Even though he now knew her body extremely well, it seemed inappropriate to look when Marinette was haunting his memories.

I should be with her. I should have a life with her. Waking up each morning with her in my arms. Not some random women.

"I wasn't even planning on falling asleep," the girl continued while putting on her high heels, "so yes, I'm sure. I'm just gonna call a car and wait in the lobby."

"OK then," Adrien replied and prayed that his relief wasn't too evident. "Uhh ... thanks for last night."

She chuckled. "Thank you. I'm really glad I met you. It was exactly what I needed."

He smirked, pleased by the praise.

"Well, I'm glad to know I helped."

"You sure did. I hope I did a little, too."

"Sure," he lied, forcing his smile and repeating her words back at her. "It was exactly what I needed."

"You know, someday you might learn how to lie."

Adrien's grin immediately dropped. "What gave me away?"

"The look in your eyes. I understand, really. But trust me, time heals everything."

He simply nodded, not having the courage to tell her that in his case, time hadn't healed anything. It had been years now and the pain was still as raw as it was in the first days.

Smiling softly, she waved at him and closed his bedroom door behind her. Once he was certain the girl was gone, Adrien stood up, put on some pajama pants, and went to the living room. He barely noticed Plagg sleeping on the counter next to some Camembert and turned on the television. Even if he didn't really listen to it, he couldn't stand the silence. It only leads to thinking, and thinking never leads to anything good. Therefore, hearing about pop star Reid Kastner was better ... ish.