A Christian Romance

Chapter 27 - The revelation

Adam was committed and he cared about the appearance of things, so even though the service was awkward, he couldn't just leave, but he was struggling very hard to control his legs from leaving that stage and never return.

There were no conditions to keep that service going, couldn't his father sense that? People were too distracted! But as soon as Adam's part of the service was finished, he managed to walk out of the auditorium, as camouflaged as he could. Debora noticed him leaving and informed Joel, to which he replied:

"Yeah, he needs his time to process things."

Debora was moved by the desperation she sensed in Adam, and went after him, ignoring Joel's advice. Her appearance was so distracting that she turned a few heads around on her way out. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Adam when she arrived at the lobby. However, the receptionist could know something:

"Excuse me," she approached the receptionist. "Have you seen Adam Larking leaving the building?"

"No one left the building."

"Are you sure?" She didn't mean to disrespect or anything.

"I'm sure," the woman smiled at her. "The door is closed during the service."

Debora felt stupid! She prepared to go back into the auditorium when Adam came walking from the corridor. She stopped and looked at him. By the way, his glance met hers, she expected him to stop and talk, but he walked past, without emitting a single word. She was indeed stupid because she still decided to go after him on his way out of the building.

He was just about to push the door when she interrupted him.

"Adam, I'm so sorry!"

He unlocked the door without even giving her a decent reply and walked out. She still insisted.

"Please, wait!"

He stopped and looked back, unwilling to give her a reply.

"What is it?"

She walked towards him:
"Is there anything I can help you with?"

He wasn't in the mood for talking, so he sighed instead, and looked at her hinting a response as if that was the most obvious reaction in the world. Whether she understood him or not, he walked out on her, and searching for the keys in his jeans, he headed to his truck and left in that hour, not sharing another glance with Debora, who looked at him in expectation the whole time until he was out of sight.

Defeat and disappointed, Debora walked back into the auditorium. As she was taking her seat next to Joel, she involuntarily exaggerated the expression of sadness on her face, hoping to be noticed by him, but that didn't happen. When that odd service came to an end, her face still didn't show any contentment, and he finally noticed her sadness, but it felt that she was forcing those feelings just to call for his attention.

"Joe!" She mumbled.

"What?" He had his arms crossed to his chest, blatantly cold and impatient.

"It was awful."

"Come again?" He couldn't believe that he was actually proving his point by her question.

"He treated me so bad."

"I'm not surprised. In fact, I warned you." He had a sound of victory in his voice.

"Is that all you care about, that you were right?"

"Oh, of course I don't care about being right. But Adam is my mate, Debora!" He tried to encourage her consideration. "I know him, and right now he is hurting and faced with many interrogations. The whole thing is very fresh and he needs his time away to process." He explained carefully. "The way you're talking sounds like you're making this about yourself." He was talking to her in a well-humored way.

"His hurt doesn't exculpate his mistakes though, Joe!" She tried to defy him.

"So you're trying to put on a show for me, with all that sulky pouting?"

"Of course not." She was in fact, and realized it just then, but couldn't concede to the mistake.

"I'm not so sure," He started. "you do sometimes forget that the world doesn't revolve around you." He stood up. "Don't be so self-absorbed, Debora. This time the thing is about Adam." He had to call her on that one, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to cope with life and people. Before she could emit a word in her defense, he rushed: "Should we head home?" He asked her.

"Yeah... " She just mumbled, confused by his correction, trying to justify her heart, and prove that she wasn't like that.

"Great, I'm starving! I don't even know what to do for lunch." As he said this, they headed out of the building. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really..."

Being self-absorbed wasn't exactly a quality and to realize that Joel saw that in her was very frustrating. On their way home, she forced herself to smile and actively participate in their conversation about that odd service. But when they were home, as she removed her shoes and headed to her room, Joel stopped her by calling her name.

"Debora, you okay?" He involuntarily held her hands.

"It's nothing." She wanted to prove to him that she wasn't all that absorbed. "Do you want me to prepare something quick for lunch?" She quickly changed the subject.

"It's my turn, you don't need to worry about it." He smiled. "Do you have something you wanna talk about over lunch or do you prefer to watch a movie?"

She was numb with all the care he displayed for her.

"Debora, is everything alright?"

Suddenly, that scene became all too familiar to her, it felt like a déjà vu. She goggled her eyes in surprise.

"What?" He wondered, looking at her with suspicion and intrigue.

"This has happened before." She declared.

He giggled in reply and left her to take care of their lunch, and she followed him. As she was leaning onto the counter and observing him, some transcendental thought came to her mind, and it overwhelmed and immersed her with the conviction that Joel was the man God had set apart for her. It was so clear that it didn't even make rational sense.

In that instant of clarity, her eyes were blatantly glued to him. Joel felt the energy of that gaze and looked back, confirming that she was attentively observing him, and had, apparently, realized something in that process.

"Debora?"

"Yeah?" She was content with her realization.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He dared.

She wasn't expecting such a question, thus she didn't know how to respond.

"Because you are entertaining." She came up with something.

"I thought you hated to see the mess I make in the kitchen while I cook."

"Actually, it entertains me."

She was speaking to him casually, but the attractiveness he saw in her made him think that she was being flirtatious.