The Curiosities Concerning Fate

∷ Chapter 26 ∷

ADINE COULDN'T STOP the nerves from getting to her as she paced the short length of Mr Mint's, arms crossed and head lowered under the weight of her troubled thoughts. A few hours had passed since she'd agreed to accompany Sebastian on his work trip and already she was starting to regret her decision.

She knew her worries were for nought, that the chances of her worse nightmares coming true were slim at best, but it did not stop her anxiety from gnawing at her. The matter was made worse by the accursed location of Queen Island.

"How do you have so much energy to be pacing around at six in the morning?" Mike asked, stumbling into the shop just as a yawn escaped him.

"Good, you're here," Adine said. She trailed along behind him as he shrugged off his coat and slumped onto the nearest chair.

He leaned forward, resting his head on the table and burying his face in the crook of his crossed arms as he mumbled, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

It was a rhetorical question. Of course, something happened. Adine wouldn't have called him at the break of dawn and begged to speak to him in person if something hadn't happened. Her pale countenance and the consistent tremor in her hands proved just as much.

Adine shuffled into the chair next to his, dragging it closer to him before reiterating her troubles; careful not to mention her upcoming medical appointment. Mike straightened partway through her explanation, brows furrowed with a deep frown set on his face.

At the end of it, he said, "You still haven't told Sebastian about what's going on?"

She shook her head, muttering, "I couldn't find the right time to tell him . . . And the longer I put it off, the more difficult it became."

Mike sat in silent contemplation for a few seconds. He was sympathetic to his friend's predicament but at the same time, he couldn't stop himself from feeling equally annoyed. Her tendency to ignore issues she wasn't comfortable dealing with was aggravating and he feared that the circumstances would come back to bite her in the future.

"You can't keep it from him forever, you know?" he said.

"I know."

"I understand that it might be difficult to trust him considering the conditions of your marriage, but the man took an oath to protect you. He may have married you for convenience's sake, but even that has to stand for something, right? And when it comes to what we're up against . . . Another ally wouldn't hurt. No matter how much of a jerk he might be."

Mike's countenance was comforting and his words, more so. They offered her the reassurance and the confidence she knew she needed to tell Sebastian the truth despite the internal struggle she'd have to overcome. But above all, they kept her rooted to reality and presented her with a way to think rationally once more; stopping her from giving in to her panicked thoughts.

Mike yawned, serving as a signal that ended their discussion and a reminder of the ungodly hour of their meeting.

"Tell him, hm?" he mumbled as he trudged up the stairs, no doubt to collapse on her bed from sheer exhaustion.

Adine's mind was still whirling with numerous thoughts, though the sudden dissipation of her panic had drained her of whatever little energy she had left. She glanced at the clock to confirm the time before reaching for her phone and typing out a quick text to Klyde:

Is it that important to get a CT done?

She was startled when her phone buzzed immediately after, the new message reading:

Where are you?

It confused her until she noticed that the text was from Sebastian, not Klyde. Despite having been married for less than a few months, she found herself slowly getting adept at discerning his moods. The text may be straightforward and bland, but she knew he was angry. She did disappear in the middle of the night without a trace, after all.