If Walls Could Talk (Adamtina)

Chapter 12

Christina brushed another coat of mascara over her long lashes before her delicate fingers flicked through her hair. Christina winced at herself in the mirror before beginning to brush the bottoms of her loose curls out with her fingers. It had only just hit 11am and she had already been to her hairdresser's and back for a touch up. After hearing Adam's message on her voicemail after work last night she'd woken up at 7am in a sweat-soaked panic, needing a distraction and an excuse to beautify herself.
What had shocked her most was how different he'd sounded. Forever Mr. Cool-and-Casual, this time his voice was strained and emotional. And there'd been something unmistakably urgent in his tone. Christina had listened to the message at least ten times before she'd texted him back after 9pm, too scared to phone him at that late hour. And then she'd sat in her hairdresser's chair this morning, steaming hot coffee in hand, as she read back the messages they'd exchanged:
Christina 9:23pm:

So sorry, only just got your message!!! I didn't know if it was too late to call. I can meet tomorrow if you can?
Adam 9:27pm:

That's ok. Tomorrow is good. Are you working, tho?
Christina 9:29pm:

Not until 4pm.. Time and place? :)
Adam 9:33pm:

About 2pm? And, is your place ok? If there's no bugs to bug people, of course. :D
Christina 9:34pm:

Sounds perfect. And no more bugs... for now ;)
Adam 9:36pm:

Cool. See you, then.
Christina 9:42pm:

Looking forward to seeing you. :)
Christina had cringed as she'd tortured herself by reading her last message over and over again. He hadn't replied to it of course, and she'd questioned her own sanity as soon as she'd sent it.
You're an idiot, Christina. What a fucking stupid thing to say.
But Christina just didn't know what to think anymore. She felt like she was slipping off the bottom rung of a ladder of rationality into a dark abyss with no escape. Seeing Adam on Monday; looking into his beautiful eyes and telling him again how she felt about him had changed her. It was meant to make things easier - to somehow set her free from the hold he had over her - but hearing her own words had only made her love him even more. It was as if they'd both been sitting there listening to her confess the truths of her heart.
And the truth was he was still everything to her. And there was nothing she wouldn't do if given the chance to go back in time and make sure she was the one slipping a ring on his finger this weekend.
Which is why Christina had sat there this morning and let the desperate woman she'd unleashed pathetically ask her hairdresser to make her the prettiest woman. Because she knew how much Adam had always loved her hair. Back when he'd been hers, he'd often told Christina how sexy he found her hair, and he used to run his fingers through it.
And now Adam was coming to Christina's house in three hours and she'd have to stand there and basically say, "Hey, look at me, I'm obsessed with you and I'll do every stupid thing I can to get you back." without even opening her mouth.
Ugh, Christina. Talk about being more pitiful and desperate.
She glanced at the clock that rested on her mantel, which taunted her with its slow movements. 11:12am. Too long to wait. Too much time still left to wander through the hallways of her house like a trapped ghost wondering what Adam wanted to say to her today; why he needed to see her so badly.
When Christina had tossed over the options in bed late last night, her first thought was to worry herself sideways that Claire had found out about their conversations. Her second was to think that maybe Adam was having second thoughts about his wedding and wanted to come over and tell her that he was still in love with her. That thought made her heart burn with a fire so strong she felt it could consume her if she gave it any oxygen. But, deep down, she knew that that was the least likely scenario and so she didn't dwell on it. But her third suspicion was that Adam had finally decided that enough was enough and that the only way he could marry Claire happily was to send Christina and her unforgivable interference packing from his life for good. As soon as the thought had presented itself, Christina decided she was almost sure that's what Adam was coming over for. And she knew she deserved it. She deserved to be sent away.
Perhaps that's why Christina had risen so early this morning and had her hair done, before slipping into her best jeans and most expensive designer top that floated elegantly over her shoulders. Because if this was the last time she was going to see the man that meant more to her than anyone, she might as well look her best. It was a bit like dressing for a funeral.
Christina felt her eyes watering with growing sadness as she pulled her iPod out of her drawer and slipped it into her pocket along with her keys and phone. There was no way she could be in this house for a minute longer when she knew that in just a few hours she'd probably be folded up in a corner, weeping. She felt like taking a brisk walk around her neighborhood with some uplifting tunes to drown out some of her thoughts. Ordinarily she'd slip her hair under a baseball cap to walk around outside, even though her neighborhood felt very safe, but she was vain enough to just leave it loose this morning. The last thing she wanted for her final goodbye with Adam was hat hair.
And it was around 45 minutes later, when Christina's tired feet turned a corner back onto her street that she spotted the tall brunette standing right outside her gate, her face locked to a cell phone as she thumbed something into it.
What the fuck?
Christina gulped in air like she was drowning in it.
Claire.
Claire was standing outside her front gate.
Christina just stood there frozen in shock before nearly leaping out of her skin when she felt the phone in her front pocket suddenly vibrate to life. She stayed where she was as she pulled it out and read the text message.
Claire Scott 12:06pm: