Song for this chapter:
Thinking out loud -Ed Sheeran
***
"I know this isn't a conventional love story. I know there are all sorts of reasons I shouldn't even be saying what I am. But I love you. I do. I knew it when I left Patrick. And I think you might even love me a little bit."
—Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
***
Adam's P.O.V
Exams are in a couple of days so Lesley and I have been sprawled on this couch for two days now, each having a pencil clenched between our teeth and a book on our laps.
"This equation is just not working." I toss the book aside and get up. "Want something to drink?" I ask her. She flashes that adorable smile. "Water, please."
"You got it." I smile and head to the kitchen. Several minutes later I emerges with a cup of water and a ham and cheese sandwich. She eyes me curiously.
"Didn't we just have lunch?" She asks.
I shrug. "I'm hungry."
"Where does the food go? You have killer abs." She says.
I smirk. "Fast metabolism?"
She groans. "I eat a piece of chips and the next morning, I swear I can see it in my hips."
"That rhymed." I tell her and she giggles. "Shakespeare has gotten his influence on me."
"Put him a side for a while, will you?" I lean closer. "I want to get my influence on you." She licks her lips and I part her legs and slide in between. I hear her suck a sharp breath in.
I search my pocket for a minute and groan. "You should really start on birth control pills." I tell her, jog to the room, grab a handful of condoms and head back. She is still in the same position as I left her, with those purple shorts, a messy bun on top of her head, and pink cheeks. I go on top and trace my lips across her jaw down to her stomach planting small warm pecks. Without hesitation, I toss her shirt aside and unclasps her bra, cupping her breasts. I suck on her nipples teasing her, she moans and arches her back under my touch as I reach her hips. I clasp my hand on the top of her shorts, ready to slide them down but she takes me off guard when she pushes my hand away. I frown at her.
She stands up. "I... Umm..," her cheeks redden as she stumbles with her words. She sighs and finally says, "It's your turn." I can't help but grin to her innocence. I nod and lean back, letting her take control. She grabs the waist of my pants along with my boxers and slides them down across my leg.
I stare at her, amused by her actions. She seems to not know what to do so I raise her chin and kiss her warmly, feeling her loosen the tension. She retracts from my mouth and places her full lips around my length.
"Here," I demonstrate. "Place your hand that way down, and move in sync." She does what she's told and my eyes roll back as I let her have me. When she peeks from her lashes, I lose it. "Fuck, Lis."
She moves faster taking me all in. "I'm going to come." She ignores my comment as she teases me even more. "If you don't want it to come in your mouth, you better withdraw," I warn.
I come straight into her full lips. She releases me and I come over her chest. She wipes her mouth with the palm of her hand and sits beside me. I'm unable to find the right words as my chest heaves up and down. Her full breasts are shimmering and God, she's beautiful. I just lean forward and plant my lips on hers. "No one ever made me come that fast."
Her cheeks redden to my words as she stands up. "I'm going for a shower now." Before she walks away, I pull her back. "Not so fast," I smirk. "It's your turn now." She licks her lips. I grin.
She wraps her legs around me and I grab her ass. As she starts rocking back and forth, the door bell rings. We stop immediately. "Adam. The door."
I continue undressing her. "If we ignore, they'll go away."
It rings again and again. I groan and she gets off me, grabbing her stuff. "I'll be in the shower."
I nod and wear my pants, making sure everything is in place, tucking the handful of condoms under the couch. The door rings again and now I'm pissed. Whoever is behind that door better have a good reason for coming.
I burst the door open but my anger seem to dim. "Jenkins?" I frown. "What are you doing here?"
A briefcase is clutched to his side as he looks at me. "I tried calling you. Your phone was off."
I run a hand through my hair. "Yeh, sorry. I have my exams so I usually turn it off." I shrug. "Is something wrong?"
He sighs. "May I come in?"
I step aside and watch as he walks by me and sits on the couch that Lis and I were at a minute ago. I join him.
"You're brother hired not just one lawyer, but two. And not just any lawyers, but the best." He rubs his eyes where exhaustion is taking over. I lean back on the couch as my eyebrows frown. "And where does that leave us?"
"That leaves us in a way that they are suing us back for false accusation."
"We have the proof don't we? You saw the evidence. I gave it to you."
"That's the thing, Adam. The judge wants something concrete, something solid and not he said, she said. If we do come down to that, then your brother will pack it in his pocket and walk with a middle finger in the air."
"Fine. What do you need?"
He sighs. "A witness."
I react impulsively. "No."
"Adam, there's no other way. We do have evidence. Is it solid? Yes. But if there is something contradicting it, where to the judge or jury find it to sound logical, it goes to waste."
I hear the water turn off from the shower.
"We took him in for questioning. His alibi was with Jeremy. He said they didn't leave his house that night. We ran the security footage and it was right. Jeremy strolled up in his dodge charger, went in the house and that was it."
"What do you mean by 'that was it'?"
"It means that they didn't leave the house. If he has a secret tunnel or got to know how a transport machine works, then he could've went out."
"He did go. I saw him." I jerk my head at Lesley, who's drying her hair with a white towel, wearing her navy blue pyjamas.
"I can't use what you claim if you don't agree to take on the witness stand."
Her eyes pace between me and him and finally land on mine. I can read worry, maybe even anxiety or fear. I turn to Jenkins. "No."
He stands up and gathers his suitcase. "You're giving me nothing to work with, Adam. I've been studying this case day and night and so far, that's the only solid solution I can grab."
I stand up. "You're a lawyer. A good one. You'll figure it out." I walk to the door and open it wide for you. "Thank you for coming."
He sighs and I can see the exhaustion from his face to the bags laying under his eyes. I appreciate the effort he's putting into this but every time he brings up Lesley being a witness, it's like a defense mechanism wall builds up. It's not as if I haven't been on the case. I have. And every slight detail, Jenkins always passed it by me. The seller of the earrings Lucian bought Aida said that he recalls them, when showed upon him a picture, due to giggles and affection they shared. "They seemed to be very much in love. I thought he'd buy her a ring, not earrings."
We shrugged him off, feeling a hint of betrayal behind his voice. After that, I felt like I couldn't trust anyone, not just because of the fact that Lucian could be behind every false word they'd say. But because, there was no use. Eventually, no matter how honest a person is, there's always a hint of lie behind it. Even for Lesley, I sometimes doubt her. I want to push her away because leaving her is better than her leaving me. At least, she won't be one of the people that walked out of my life. But the other way around.
I watch as Jenkins walks by me and I shuts the door close. I pull my legs on the couch and open my textbook, pretending to be focused. I don't want to look in her eyes. I don't want to be weak. Not now. Not never.
"Adam?" I wince from her voice. It's so fragile that it breaks every barrier I have left. She lifts my legs, as she tries to scoot them away from the couch, to sit. I watch as she grabs my hand and places it in mine. My palm consumes her, being twice the size. I hold it gently, scared that I might break it's delicacy.
"What are we going to do?" She asks me.
"It will all come around eventually," I assure her.
"What if it doesn't? What will happen next?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Adam, I-" her voice starts to crack. She inhales deeply, "I don't want to win the case."
I flinch, startled. "Say that again."
"I don't want to win," she confidently says. "Don't you see it?"
I frown. "See what? What are you talking about, Lesley?"
She gulps back, unsure if she wants to say what's on her mind.
"Tell me," I urge her.
"Why does it feel like there's a deadline for this? For us? In two weeks, whether we win or lose, it will never be the same. I'll always be the girl that helped you put your only brother behind bar. You're already being distant and cold with me. I know you feel a certain rage toward him but I also know that deep down, you're wishing that this isn't true. Trust me, I wish that, too." She's crying now. "What gives me the authority to keep you away from your family?"
I feel this question turned on me. What gives me the authority? Why am I unable to tell her about her father? Why do I have the urge of keeping this hidden?
She sniffs. "Why did we have to meet under this situation? Couldn't you just be my gardener?" She chuckles through her tears. I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to me, inhaling her iris scent from the shower.
"First of a all, wouldn't you need a garden for that?" I mock. She laughs and I feel the tension dim. "And second of all, you're right. This might not have been how I imagined my life to turn out to be five years before. The brother I still have in my memories is the brother that used to crawl into my imaginary tent and sneak peanut butter jar for an exchange of a ticket. Or that rented a Range Rover as we went to the mountains and off road for every Sunday for a month." I pull her away so I can look in her eyes. Her cheeks are pink and her lips are swollen. "He says there's more to it. I gave him so many chances to explain, to apologise or even admit the truth. But he didn't. Some people don't deserve a second chance. I can turn back now, but I don't want to."
"It's not too late," she says.
I shake my head in disagreement. "It will come around eventually." I repeat.