The Assassin ✓

Chapter Twenty Five

Tom opened his eyes and then shut them again. His face was illuminated by the moonlight and he realised it was still dark outside. He yawned and remembered why he woke up - he had to go to the bathroom. He kicked himself out of the blanket he was tangled in and almost fell off of the couch. He managed to latch his fingers into it at the last moment and put his feet to the ground as not to wake Adele or her neighbours.

Ah, yes, Adele. He was with Adele.

He got out of the bed and slid his hand through his hair that was dry now. He must have slept for a good few hours then. He started walking towards the bathroom without turning the light on. The moon was illuminating his way and he did not want to wake the girl.

After doing the deed, he went back into the dark hallway and made small steps towards the living room, until he heard a quiet noise. He froze, still clinging to the wall, as if scared that he will lose the ground beneath his feet if he let it go. He held his breath but quickly realised what it was - it was Adele. And it was a sniffle.

He let go of the wall and made a few more steps forward, in the probable direction of her bedroom. Her window was not turned to the moon, so it was pitch black in there. He felt the door at the end of his outstretched hand and made a few more steps forward.

"Adele?" He quietly whispered, just in case she was asleep and he was hallucinating.

"Tom?" She wasn't. And her voice was .. different.

"Are you okay?" He asked and stepped into the room. He could not see her, but he could hear her breathe. And before she spoke, he heard her draw a breath.

"Y-yeah. I'm good." He heard her smile.

"I don't see you, but I have a feeling it's not true," he quietly said and tried finding the light switch. As he shuffled, the floor creaked and Adele probably realised what was happening; he heard her shuffle.

"Don't!" She spoke louder and then shut her mouth, as if she had said too much. Tom chuckled and lowered his hand.

"I knew it." He made another step forward. He heard her sigh heavily and some more of that blanket shuffling. The room was silent and nobody moved. He just glanced at the darkness in front of him, where he could barely make out the shape of her bed and the spot where someone was sleeping under the blanket.

"Tom .. go to bed." She said after a while, somewhat hesitating, as if not knowing what she wants. Tom knew he could do as she said, but did not want to. It would definitely be easier and he was sleepy, but what if he was right? What if something had happened? He felt it would be a dick move if he would actually go to bed.

"What happened?" He quietly asked and walked until he felt the edge of the bed, where he sat down. Adele said nothing and he felt pointless at this point, but he refused to give up, so he just sat there, involved in this silent exchange.

Suddenly, she spoke. "Go to bed, really. At let me sleep." He thought he heard a smile. Deciding she was in a better mood, he sighed and got up.

"I will remind you of this in the morning," he chuckled and started to slowly walk out of the room.

"Goodnight," Adele whispered behind his back and he spun around and smiled at the dark. "Night."

He slowly walked back to his sleeping spot, got back under the blanket and closed his eyes.

He was asleep in seconds.

"Tom." Someone spoke behind him. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked. It was still dark outside, so he must have not been sleeping long. After a few seconds he remembered where he was and who was speaking to him. He turned his head towards the door and saw Adele standing there. She was leaning into the wall and though he could not see much of her face, something in it reminded him of sadness.

"Yes?" He whispered. He was afraid to interrupt the silence, but the situation seemed important. He drew a breath as quietly, as he could.

"You're .. leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" Her voice was tired and painful. He sat up and turned to face her completely. What should he say? He was leaving, but it seemed to him Adele would be struck by his answer. He sighed.

"Yes." As he said that, he heard another sniffle. Also, Tom sometimes lacked inner control, so the next was blurted out.

"Are you crying?" He immediately bit his lip. But she was definitely crying. And he felt like slapping himself for him being so insensitive.

"I'm sorry.." she muttered and disappeared. Tom kept sitting there, more confused than ever. He spent a good moment, trying to grasp what just happened, and then kicked the blanket off of himself and went after Adele. He had done it once in the dark - the second time was much easier. He reached her room in seconds.

"Adele?" He whispered, but heard nothing. He held his breath and stepped into the room. Once again, he reached for the bed and sat on it's edge. He let his hand slowly slide forwards, to find if she was even in the bed. And after a moment he got his answer as he stumbled upon her, probably, leg. He pulled his hand back and heard her draw a breath.

"Adele, what's wrong?" He asked. He had no idea what it possibly could be, but it was obvious it was something that had affected her. She seemed sad, if that was even the right word. He tried containing his own nervous breathing, not wanting to scare her with his own panic. There was silence around them for a moment more.

"Adele...?" He spoke again and it was probably then that Adele lost it, since she started to quietly cry. He just heard her breathing, before contained and now wild, and her sniffles. He reached forward, until he found her hand in the dark and he held it.

"It's silly. Go to bed, I'll be alright," she managed to say, but he still held her hand, and she didn't pull back either. She did the opposite - she dug her fingers into his hand and held onto it, like you hold onto life. And then she stopped breathing and Tom held his breath, too.

"Tom.. I don't want you to leave."