Country Mile

HOPE I'M WRONG

Adam had slept for a few hours but still managed to rise before the sun.

Upon waking, he laid still, mulling over whether or not he should tell Anne about the message he read. In the end, his need to address it wasn't quite enough when compared to how badly he wanted to see things play out on their own.

The one thing he knew for certain was that he needed to know if he was still Covid positive. He was hoping he had contracted it around the same time as Anne and would now produce a negative test result like her, just in case the need to go to that hotel room overpowered his will to let the chips fall where they may.

Dressing quickly, Adam grabbed his things and left under the cloak of darkness. He sat outside the closest clinic that offered walk-in services, and the moment they opened, he requested a test. His knee bounced nervously and his hand wouldn't leave his chin as he awaited the results.

Finally the doctor returned. "Hi, Mr. Prescott, I'm pleased to inform you that your results came back negative for Covid-19 and you're now able to return to work."

He smiled broadly beneath his mask. "Thank you, sir."

When he returned home, he quietly entered the bedroom to find Anne still in bed. He placed his belongings on his dresser and went to the bathroom to shower. Both so he wouldn't risk reinfecting everyone, and because he still needed some time to calm his mind.

Twenty minutes later, he left the bathroom with a towel hanging low around his hips. He sighed finding the bed empty yet again. Making quick work of getting dressed, he strode out of the bedroom only to stop at the end of the hall.

He found Anne exactly how he had expected to find her last night: sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of hot tea in her hands. She was looking out at the pasture, her face pale and fatigued.

Adam cleared his throat and her head snapped to him.

"Mornin'," he greeted.

"Good morning."

A hand raised to the back of his neck as he stood awkwardly in the hallway. "I, uh.. I suppose my behavior yesterday was a bit confusin' to you."

Anne's eyes shifted to the steeped tea before her. She ran her thumb along the smooth porcelain mug as she fought the urge to spill everything to him. But it wasn't time. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked back up at him.

"It's okay," she smiled softly. "Things have been really stressful for everyone lately and we all have the right to feel out of sorts."

Adam's blue eyes assessed her as he nodded. "Still don't make it right. So I.. I'm sorry."

"No apologies necessary," she assured him.

Biting his tongue, he nodded and moved to the cupboards to find himself a mug. The silence in the kitchen was unbearable. Both knew the other was holding back something, but both were too unwilling to speak on it.

The sounds of the Keurig pouring Adam's coffee and the tune of an incoming text simultaneously chased the silence away.

"I, um.. I've got a meeting this afternoon," Anne said after reading the text, eyes watching as Adam's back went ramrod straight. "Now that I've tested negative, this can't be put off any longer than it already has."

His shoulders rose and fell a few times as he took deep breaths before he picked up his mug and turned around to face her.

"Alright. Will you be home for dinner?"

"Yes," Anne said softly. "I can pick some stuff up from the grocery store once I'm finished with my meeting."

"Alright," he drawled as he strode across the kitchen and right out the back door without sparing another glance her direction.