two's a crowd

Chapter 1

Amanda sits cross-legged outside the warehouse on what could loosely be called the back porch. It's well past midnight but she can't sleep, tapping her fingers absently against her thighs, listening to the sounds of the outdoors. It's a cool autumn night, still early in the season but hinting at the frigid weather to come. She's been out there for what feels like hours before she hears the metal door squeak open and shut behind her and glances over her shoulder to see Adam stepping out onto the porch, giving her a nod before padding over to sit cross-legged a comfortable distance away. They sit in silence for a moment before Adam speaks. "Can't sleep?"

Amanda looks at her hands. "Something like that," she says.

Adam doesn't inquire further, and Amanda doesn't continue, so they lapse into an amiable silence.

"You ever... wonder what would have happened?" she asks, leaving out the unspoken if you hadn't been tested.

Adam takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, shifting so that his legs are outstretched. "Probably nothing," he says, staring out into the darkness in front of them. "Would still be living in my shitty apartment takin' photos for a living." He looks over at her. "Do you?"

Amanda briefly considers how honest she wants to be. "I think I'd be dead," she says. "I was just... nothing. I didn't have a future, and I knew it." She stares down at her hands again. "Didn't think I'd make it this far," she muses.

Adam nods and looks back towards the outskirts of the yard. There's a long pause before he speaks again. "What do you think of her?"

"...Eleanor?"

"Yeah."

"She's..." Amanda thinks of the other woman's bright green eyes, the way she smiles, how her thick red hair frames her face so perfectly. The twining flowers and detailed skull tattooed on her right arm, emphasizing toned biceps and slender forearms. How her soft lips feel pressed against Amanda's. "She's alright."

"That's high praise, coming from you," Adam teases. Amanda cracks a smile, shaking her head.

"For what it's worth, I think she's pretty cool," Adam says. Amanda doesn't look at him, trying not to give herself away, even though she's fairly certain he already knows. She nods in agreement.

"My parents always wanted me to be a doctor," Adam continues, "but I was never good at that medical stuff." He positions his hands like he's framing a portrait. "I always had a better memory for places. Settings." He leans back on his hands, staring out at the open yard. "Could probably recreate that place from memory, if I wanted to," he says, almost to himself. Amanda doesn't have to ask what that place is, and she's following that train of thought before she can stop herself.

"Do you miss John?" The words spill out before she has a chance to think about what she's saying, but by the time her mind catches up with her mouth there's no going back.

"I dunno," Adam says, quietly, and Amanda mentally kicks herself for bringing up a sore subject. "I know he wanted you to save me, but I... don't think he liked me very much." He looks over his shoulder at her with a lopsided smile. "You were always the favorite," he says, and the words are like a knife in her chest. She looks away and digs her nails into her upper arm, ignoring the concerned look Adam gives her when he notices her doing it. It lets the pain and the pressure momentarily distract her from the pang of grief that hits her whenever she talks about John. "I was, wasn't I?" she murmurs. She makes an effort to look over at him and give the most comforting smile she can muster. "I think he did care about you, you know," she says. "Once he realized that you actually gave a shit."

"Yeah," Adam says, but it's clear he doesn't really believe it.

It's quiet between them for a long time. The night outside is still alive, filled with the sounds of singing insects and the rustling of trees. After a while, Amanda hears Adam shift beside her.

"I should, get some sleep," Adam says, clambering to his feet. "Are you, uh, okay out here?"

Amanda shakes her head. "It's fine," she says, keeping her gaze locked on the horizon. "I'm... not real tired yet."

"Okay. I'll see you, then." Adam quietly pads back into the warehouse, but not before glancing over his shoulder at Amanda one last time. The sliding door shuts behind him with a soft clak.