Adam's Eve

54

Eva dragged in a deep breath, pressing on the doorbell of her house. She knew she was going to be bombarded with questions and she had to be well prepared for them.

She was just about to press on the bell again when the door clicked. It pulled open to reveal Vicky whose eyes widened before she flung herself at Eva, embracing her in a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh my God!”

Vicky pulled back, her hands stroking Eva's face while her eyes surveyed Eva's body as if looking for a wound. Eva would've laughed at how motherly Vicky seemed right now if she didn't know that her friend had been really worried about her.

Apparently, so had the others, who Eva noticed were making their way towards them. She and Vicky stepped into the hall.

“Oh my Goodness, Eva, what the heck?” That was June.

“Eva, are you alright?” That was Xander.

“Oh my dear, where have you been?” Her mother.

“Eva, everyone was so worried about you!” Guille.

“Eva, you good?” Raul asked. Eva glared at him.

They had all asked at the same time. Everyone hugged her, first her mother, then June after she'd pushed Xander away, then Xander, then Guille. Raul was the last person to hug her.

“You'll pay.” Eva muttered under her breath beside his ear. Pulling back, she offered him a saccharine smile and caught the panic in his eyes.

“Calm down, everyone. I'm okay” She said, throwing her gaze across them all.

“Maybe, but what happened?” Xander stepped forward, his eyes scanning her body as if to really ascertain she was okay which was unnecessary considering she was in a sweater and jeans.

“God you don't know how worried I was. We went to file a police report but the damn bastards said you ought to have been missing for at least three days. Otherwise, there had to be evidence that you were in danger.”

Eva took time to gather some vim, knowing she was going to need it to make her revelation. “I was with Adam.”

As large as the hall was, everything turned silent. Eva scanned their shocked expressions, and nearly flinched when June suddenly stepped forward.

“What? What do you mean you were with Adam?”

Eva swallowed at the bite in her tone. “Uh, he kinda kidnapped me?” She cringed a moment later, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. She wasn't sure there was a better word.

“I knew it. That bastard!” Xander's voice was filled with unfettered antagonism. “Did he hurt you? I'm gonna beat the shit out of that guy.”

Xander seemed just about ready to storm out, and Eva placed her hand on his shoulders, hoping to calm him.

“Xander, he only wanted us to talk.”

“He only wanted you to talk?” Xander looked at her as if stupefied by her defending Adam. “He took you against your will. That's still kidnapping!”

“What about the texts you sent all of us? Was that Adam? Did he take your from phone you?” Vicky asked, anger in her voice.

“No, I sent them myself.” She clarified.

“So why the heck didn't you pick up our calls afterwards. Do you know how freaking worried we all were?” June was glaring at her furiously.

Eva bit down her lip, feeling her cheeks enflame. How was she suppose to answer that? Yesterday, she thought she might have heard her phone vibrating since she'd put it on silent mode, but she and Adam had been too deep in the bowels of passion for her to care. This morning, she'd woken up to a dead battery.

“Guys, take it easy on her, will you?” It was her mother, sidestepping Xander and pulling Eva into a fierce hug. “She's here, and that's all that matters.”

She pressed a firm, loving kiss to her temple. “I love you so much, dear. I don't think I tell you that enough. I nearly had a heart attack thinking something had happened to you.”

After her mother let her go, she looked at Xander. “Can we talk?"

Her heart was beating so hard against her chest she feared it was soon going to create a hole and fly right out. This was going to be hard, but she couldn't have it any other way. It had to be done.

Xander nodded, eyes wary as Eva began to lead the way towards the stairs. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Raul breath a sigh, seemingly of relieve and she suddenly felt fiendish.

Besides, even though she wasn't pissed of about the kidnapping anymore, she was still pissed that Raul had helped Adam.

“Oh Raul?” She said. Everyone turned to look at him. His widened eyes begged Eva to not say anything. “Does June know how you helped Adam with the kidnapping?”

There was a chain reaction of “What?” Eva heard June say “I'm so breaking up with you" and she couldn't help but smile.

In the last five months, June must've broken up ten times with Raul. Yet they always found themselves sharing the same bed the very same day or the next.

She looked at Xander, saw the grim look on his face, and her amusement thawed like ice on fire. She could understand him. She'd been kidnapped, and yet she didn't seem upset or pissed off about it.

When they got to her room, Xander sunk onto the couch that faced her bed, looking at her expectantly as she stood in front of him. Suddenly nervous, she twiddled with her fingers before taking a deep breath.

“Xander, talking with Adam, spending that day with him made me realize a lot of things.” She scanned his face only to find it impassive. “It made me realize that I still love him like crazy, and that's something I can never feel for another man.”

Silence filled the room, stretched for what felt like forever while Eva waited for his reaction. Finally, he looked her in the eye.

“Eva, we just started. I'm not expecting you to fall in love with me so quickly. How can you be sure that you can never love me when we've not really given this a shot?”

“I'm so sorry Xander. You're such an attractive man, and I tried so much to feel something. Something that never came. My heart only belongs to Adam.”

He pursed his lips briefly, before a look of incredulity broke through his facade. “You're going back to that guy? The same one who walked out of your life and didn't give a fuck about you? He comes back and you run into his arms like. . . like a loose woman.”

The insult should've stung but it didn't because she understood Xander's sentiments perfectly.

“Adam stayed away because he thought I'd moved on with you.” She said calmly. She waited for him to say something and continued when nothing came. “He was told the two of us were dating.”

“If he truly felt the same way about you, he would've run to win you back.”

“I'm so sorry, Xander.” She couldn't say more. Explaining would only hurt Xander more than this already had.

“Goodbye, Eva.” Xander said briskly, a quaver in his voice, like he was on the verge of shedding a tear. Without looking her in the eyes, he padded towards her door.

He'd turned the knob and opened the door when he suddenly paused. Without turning to face her, he said. “For all it is worth, I am in love with you, Eva.”

Then her door was banging shut behind him. Eva covered her mouth, feeling her throat tighten as she recalled Brandon saying something similar when she'd called off the wedding. She'd broke the heart of two men for her own happiness.

But it was better that way. So much better than making herself unhappy by being in a relationship where she didn't return her partner's feelings and making her partner unhappy by always holding a part of herself away from him.

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Damn we're so close to the end!
LOL
-E!