Fortune Favors the Bold

48

"Hey- hey," she tried to stand them both up again, but Adrian knew his limit as he pushed her away.

"Go," he breathed. His arms trembled when he tried to hold himself onto his hands and knees and Adrian cursed himself. He lowered his chest onto the ground, rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh. His eyes reflected the clouded morning sky above the open courtyard in the Intermediacy's center. A stray raindrop fell onto his cheek.

A subtle realization sparked in Kalani's mind, but she forced it away. Even the simple possibility was too much for her to consider. "What are you doing? We need to keep going."

He pulled in a chopped breath. "This is where I stop, Kalani." Adrian's eyes slid to meet hers with no reluctance like he'd already accepted what this meant for his fate. What was worse to the girl was that he hardly seemed afraid; he wasn't even sad.

She watched him, still. Then Kalani shook her head, feeling her throat beginning to close with terrified tears. "No. No, you did it. You finished the plan, Adrian. We can go home now." Kalani reached for his arm, her other hand sliding over his chest to tug on his shirt so he would rise with her.

His hand slid over hers, damp with blood and rough with callouses. "You keep calling me that," he whispered. Only then did the girl realize the name she'd allowed to continuously slip out. Adrian smiled at the way she froze. "You looked into it, didn't you?"

"Before you told me not to."

Adrian's chuckle was interrupted by a weak cough. He no longer flinched at the electric storm that previously victimized his brain and spinal tissue. "So that's it then? My name," he asked.

Kalani bit her lips to keep them from trembling and shook her head. "Let's get out of here and I'll tell you," she gently tugged him.

But the ex-soldier sighed. "I can't, Kalani."

"You can." Kalani refused the idea he attempted to explain to her, not giving him a chance to speak. "You did it, Adrian. That's it. We're done and now we can get out of here. We can go home." Her throat narrowed to control the rising emotion.

He watched the sky, locking his attention on one word. "Home."

She nodded, leaning forward to wipe a rain droplet from his brow as the clouds in the sky began to sprinkle down on them. "We can make it. Together." Adrian's eyes slipped to meet hers, a fondness filling the injured man's gaze. He smiled while looking over Kalani's features. "I want you. Just stay with me."

"You have me," he whispered.

Kalani gulped, wiping the blurriness from her vision. "But I still want you. Just get up with me, okay? We can make it."

He lifted his hand to stop her.

"Why are you just giving up?" She cried out, growing frustrated with the man. Kalani slammed her hand into his shoulder in anger. He flinched in silence but didn't attempt to stop her.

"I've done what I've dreamt of doing for years."

"What about me?" Kalani's voice broke as she pressed a hand into her chest. "If you go away, I'll be alone. Adrian, I don't want to be alone," she dropped forward to wrap her arms around his neck. Her tears fell to the ground. She cried into his shoulder. "Everyone's gone. You were the only one who came back for me. You promised you weren't going to leave me again. Please don't leave me, too. I'll have no one and- and I don't want to be alone. I'm scared."

Brushing her hair back from her shoulder, Adrian let his eyes roll to a close before she could see his own tears. The desperation in her voice, the fear of being left alone again, was the worst part of it all. "I don't want...," he breathed.