Page 102 of Missing Piece
The cravings for pills still crept up on him occasionally, but he’d begun seeing a new therapist who came highly recommended by one of Vincent’s vampire friends. Though he’d never outright asked if she was a vampire, he figured she must be—what with their nighttime appointments and her unflinching acceptance of his stories about living with vampires. Talking to her hadn’t completely banished the nightmares about Richard, but at least they didn’t control his entire day anymore.
Vincent had started seeing her too, which was an even bigger surprise than when Adam admitted to himself he needed someone to talk to. It had been like watching a storm calm; Vincent was more open, less on edge, and less prone to breaking things while trying to hide the fact he was uncomfortable.
Adam felt the smile fade from his face as he flicked ash from his cigarette. Despite everything feeling like it was okay, there were still things that gnawed at him, like tonight’s party. The apartment teemed with vampires: some familiar faces, others strangers. But what really unsettled him was Caleb.
Marcus and Caleb were officially a couple now, and while Adam’s therapist had suggested reaching out to Caleb forsome human connection within their unusual world, he’d been hesitant. Guilt over the car accident that left Caleb scarred gnawed at him constantly. And then there was everything Caleb had just endured—torture at the hands of hunters—a fresh layer of trauma that Adam felt guilty even thinking about comparing to his own.
Finishing his cigarette, Adam’s eyes drifted back toward the French doors leading into Ophelia’s room. Through the curtain, he could see her outline along with another person’s shadowy form.
“Don’t hide out there all night,” Ophelia’s high-pitched monotone voice carried through as she opened the door slightly. “And give this to him.”
Caleb Walsh stood there, a nervous smile on his face as he held out a beer in Adam’s direction. Adam’s eyes flicked to the scar that ran from Caleb’s forehead down to his chin, quickly averting his gaze to avoid staring. A pang of guilt twisted in his gut as he reached out and took the beer without standing up, nodding his thanks, suddenly lost for words.
Caleb shoved his hands into his pockets and moved over to Adam, leaning on the rail and looking at the sky. “Sorry to intrude, I just needed to get out of there for a bit.”
Adam took a sip of beer. “I get it. It’s hard to tell when they’re just being normal creepy or hungry creepy.”
Caleb’s frowned. Adam quickly backpedaled, “I’m joking. I know they can be intense.”
They fell into an awkward silence.I should say something. Anything. The longer I don’t say something, the weirder this is going to get.
Caleb broke the silence first. “Adam, I know this is forward of me, but if you’re in trouble, you can tell me. I’m sureMarcus can help.”
Adam furrowed his brow. “Trouble?”
“Yeah, you know, if Vincent is hurting you…?”
Adam laughed, touching his neck where Vincent had bitten him. “Hurting me? Oh no, no that’s…this isn’t that.”
Caleb remained earnest. “I’ve seen the marks…the bruises. And bites. How he treats you…”
Adam shook his head. “No, I’m serious, what you saw before wasn’t Vincent, not really. Well, most of it wasn’t.”
So he laid it all out. The kidnapping, the failed trialing, everything with Richard, it all poured out of him like a firehose, though he was strangely detached from the words as he spoke them. Caleb sat down on the fire escape with him, listening, silent and hanging on his every word.
Caleb glanced down as Adam finished telling him about Vincent’s vow to stop being a chest-thumping dick, his eyes darting back and forth, unfocused like he was processing the information he just took in. “So…that first day back in the club, when I saw Vincent hurting you, it was all because of this other vampire? And the marks on your wrists…do you just heal slowly?”
Adam pulled the sleeves of his coat back down, having forgotten that restraint marks were generally frowned upon in polite society.Living with vampires warps what is considered normal,his therapist always reminded him. “Um, no, that’s recent. We tend to play rough over at the farm,” he chuckled before taking another sip of beer.
Caleb’s cheeks flushed even redder than the icy air had already made them and he buried his face in his hands. “Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
Adam gestured at the bright red bandage on Caleb’s neck, “It looks like Mr. Graves plays a little on the rough side too. Or you suck at shaving and like to do your hair like you’ve just been fucked silly on a daily basis.”Foot. Meet mouth.“Sorry, I, uh, have issues with controlling my inner filter. That wasn’t nice.”
Caleb’s bright smile lit up his face. “It’s okay, honestly, it’s a relief. Every time I tried to ask Marcus or Tariq what was going on with you and Vincent, they would always say ‘it wasn’t their story to tell’. I know we haven’t always gotten along, but I’m genuinely glad you’re not in any danger.”
It would have made sense for him to say ‘thanks’ and be done with the conversation, but every terrible, foul thing he’d ever done to Caleb in high school flashed through his mind, teasing his shyness, bullying him, making fun of his scar. Shame twisted in his gut, a heavy ball of barbed wire as he began to pull his legs back through the bars of the fire escape.
I have to say it.
He handed his beer to Caleb, taking in a slow, deep breath as he mentally prepared himself to do something he’d been terrified of for years.
Caleb glanced at the offered beer. “I’m good. Ophelia made me some horrible drink that contained way more alcohol than any human should consume at once—”
“I need to apologize to you,” Adam cut in, his voice tight.
Confusion clouded Caleb’s features. “About that night at the club? It’s okay, I know things were weird—”
You could stop here. He doesn’t know. He could be a friend if you keep this to yourself.
