Myths & Rejections

Chapter 22 - We've Got Another Problem

Word Count: 3447

Adam sat in the driver seat of the car and tried to get himself under control before going into the hotel, he hoped he could get to his room without Reese or Callum seeing him. They would know the second they laid eyes on him that something was very wrong, and he wasn't sure he could talk about it yet.

His heart was crushed, and his hope was starting to dim fast, he didn't know what to do now, her words played over and over in his head. For seven years, I've hated you. Fresh tears flooded his eyes, but he fought them back, sniffed and breathed deeply for a second then headed into the hotel.

Luck was not on his side. Of course, it wasn't. Reese and Callum were both sitting in the lobby right in front of the doors when he walked in, waiting for him probably.

They both jumped up and came to him immediately, their expressions worried.

"Are you alright?" Callum asked.

"What happened, Adam?" Reese said, searching his eyes.

"Can we just go upstairs?" Adam said, walking past them toward the elevator. He couldn't do this out in public.

When they got to his room Adam went immediately to the mini bar and made himself a drink.

"I might need a few more of these," he remarked glaring at the miniature bottles.

"Adam, what happened?" Callum asked, sharing a worried glance with Reese.

"I talked to Celie, I went to her gallery to see her and we talked," Adam said slowly. "He was there, that fucking enormous merman guy was in there laughing and painting a shitty fish picture when I got there."

"They're together?" Reese asked carefully.

"No, I don't think so," Adam sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "They don't smell like it; his scent isn't on her at all. But he'd like it to be, I'm sure."

"What happened?" Callum asked again, relieved, Celie getting busy with the giant siren was definitely not what they needed right now on top of everything else.

"I asked her if she had thought about anything I said, about giving us a shot and she... said she..." Adam stopped and took a breath. "She said she didn't think she could, she said all she thought about when she saw me, was me rejecting her and all the pain she felt."

Callum's eyes closed tightly for a second, aching for his friend.

Reese sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and dropped his face into his hands. This was the last thing they were hoping for, but it was the first thing Reese was expecting. After seeing the girls more, being around them, hearing their stories, he realized how far they'd come, how much they'd grown, and how strong they both were. Not just Harper, but Celie too. They were not the broken girls who'd run from the pack, not even close.

"I tried...I tried telling her, that we would make good memories that would outweigh the bad ones. She said it wasn't just about the rejection, but about who I was as a person. I told her I wasn't the person she remembered, that I wasn't some asshole abuser who condoned hurting girls. But she said, that even if I didn't know everything, I knew enough, and I stood and did nothing but laugh when they were hurting and that she would always remember that." Adam sniffed, "she...she..."

He sat still for a few moments, his hand over his eyes, breathing deeply, gathering himself.

"She said she's hated me for seven years," Adam whispered, his voice harsh, and tears rushed from his eyes. "I asked her if she can really just walk away, and never know what it was like to have her mate, and she said...she'll be able to have a mate someday because she gets a second chance."