Page 75 of Essa

"I thought you might wish to watch this on your own," Essa says, her tail still tucked tight around her ankle. "I don't want to intrude."

Adam scoffs, his emotions seeming to level out a little bit at the ridiculousness of what Essa's just said. "You're not intruding. Fuck, Essa. You're the opposite of intrusive."

"Well," Essa and I say at the same time, causing us both to let out soft laughs as Adam shakes his head.

"You know what I mean," he grumbles and motions for Essa to join us on her couch. "Get over here so we can watch this."

"Right now?" Essa asks. Her tail's now lazily twitching behind her in a way that means she's done stressing over whether or not she did the right thing by looking up anything about Original Seth and Adam.

I don't blame her for being curious. I've been wanting to start searching, too. I wanted to know if Seth had a life, any life at all, once he was freed from the facility or if he continued to be the nobody, nothing he was before he was taken.

"Yes, right now," Adam growls, tugging her hand when she's close enough for him to lunge for her.

She doesn't have to fall to the couch, but she does because she loves Adam manhandling her as much as she loves manhandling him. Essa rights herself quickly, looping her tail around the high of Adam's thigh as her fingers automatically move to run through my hair.

"Have you watched the video yet?" I ask Essa as Adam fiddles with the comm tablet to pull up the video on the big screen on the wall.

"No, I thought it would be rude to watch moments not meant for me before telling you about them."

What Essa says makes sense, but at the same time, I can't help but worry about what Original Adam will look like in the video. What if he's not in it at all? Since it's his daughter's wedding, I'd like to think he's there and looking well, but he could just as easily not be there. I don't voice those concerns, but it's like Adam doesn't feel them at all. The only thing he's focused on right now is seeing Original Adam's daughters, making sure they're okay.

The screen lights up, and an unfocused camera recording is shown before it zooms out to reveal a small room filled with five young women in various stages of getting ready for a wedding. Adam makes a choking sound before they even speak, but Essa and I don't make anything of it. If he needs us, he'll let me know in our mind, but until then, he'll handle this however he needs.

"Are you sure I don't get to be in the video too?" A giddy feminine voice calls from somewhere off-camera.

"You know it's bad luck for the groom to see you before the wedding," another woman says from behind the camera.

"Mom, I don't think he'll see the video before I walk down the aisle."

Adam's swallow is audible, and I take a second to check Essa's feelings. I'm not jealous of Original Adam's wife. Was my original? Yeah, most definitely, but my Adam chose me. Essa's emotions stay firmly planted in the concerned territory, and I don't think she cares at all about anyone Adam might've been with in his previous life.

The video plays through the five girls–two are Original Adam's other daughters—who take turns telling the camera how happythey are for the happy couple. Adam smiles as he watches. It isn't a big smile but a hint of one that he doesn't try to hide.

When the camera cuts to black, I think that was all that was recorded or found, but the screen does the same blurry effect before focusing on a room of men, much like the women. They all offer their congratulations. The voice behind the camera is familiar, but unlike the grumpy version we get, this Adam sounds like he hasn't stopped smiling once.

Essa moves to cup Adam's hands, and he allows it, twisting their hands until their fingers interlock. It isn't until he's leaning against her that it hits me just how amazing this gift is for Adam.

The screen goes dark again, and the next scene shows a wedding ceremony. The music plays, and various people are guided down the aisles. Adam watches it all in awe. The version of him that walks his daughter down the aisle is older than my Adam. His temples have started to grey, his smile lines are deeper, and he's a little thicker in the midsection. But he's happy. So fucking happy.

We watch the vows and the kiss, and I expect the screen to fade to black again before showing us the reception, but it continues to record as the wedding party walks back down the aisle, everyone happy and excited for the new couple.

And then Adam's mood sours. A dark cloud falls over him, his anger spikes, and it would be comical how fast and hard his brows drop as his lips press tight. Essa also feels the shift in his demeanor, her tail tightening to give him support, her fangs lengthening in case she needs to bite him.

"Who the fuck is that?" Adam asks, pointing at the screen as though either of us knows who out of the hundreds of people he's talking about on the screen.

"Who?" Essa asks, running her fingers through his dark hair in an effort to soothe some of his anger.

Adam jumps off the couch, his whole body tensed like he's ready for a fight. When he turns to scowl at me, I realize he's pissed off at me. What have I done? Essa's already released his thigh, and he's stomping over to the screen, his finger accusingly pointing at someone in the crowd. I have to stare at it for a second before I realize it's me.

My hair has grown out even longer, and my red curls are pulled back in a little bun. I'm older, too, but it's noticeable in all my extra freckles. I don't see the issue with what Adam's pointing out. If I'm at his kid's wedding, it means we stayed friends after everything ended. That should be a good thing, right?

"Who the fuck is this?" Adam asks again, and I realize he's not pointing at me but at the man beside me. The big, beefy, handsome man with his arms over Seth's shoulder. A gold band around his ring finger.

"Oh, you married a very handsome male," Essa says to me with a hint of pride in her voice as she pats my shoulder. "He was a lucky male, I'm sure."

"You can't have a fucking husband!" Adam shouts, his intensity surprising even himself. He clenches his finger into a fist before stomping to where Essa and I sit. Essa doesn't even hide the amusement on her face as she watches this play out.

"I don't have a husband," I tell him, emphasizing that he hasn't asked me anything and that I'm not my Original, even though both of us have great taste in partners.

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