Affinity

Come With Me

The rest of Christmas Day floats by in a state of bliss. Adam loved his gifts, including a brown leather jacket and the silver chain necklace I had gotten him. He said I did too much, but I don't really care. All the things he does for me can't equate to gifts.

Today, we accompanied my parents and Austin to their separate terminals before heading back to the apartment. It wasn't particularly a adventurous day, it felt more relaxed, more chill than the usual.

Adam sits at the typewriter, gnawing away at a pencil that had no real purpose except the occasional side note. He was working away at his novel, creating a pile of past papers next to his elbow on the desk.

I, on the other hand, have been absently baking. Some people sleep when they're bored, some shop, some eat, but no, I bake. Cookies, cakes, chicken stir fry as a side activity. It was just as to who was going to eat all this, that was the question. I'd get through at least half, give me a few days. But if I could ever tear Adam away from his typewriter as he's been all day today, he might get a chunk out of it.

I persuaded him earlier to try a cookie amidst his trance and he hesitatingly agreed after I heckled him with neck kisses and pushing the cookies around his mouth. He simply said it was good and continued onto his spur of writing.

I guess I could make gift bags for people. Christmas gifts for my friends I haven't given presents yet, yeah. Or send them along in a fan package or something, Karlie had made some and added it to my bundle once. They surely took to the idea fairly quickly.

"Adam, are you hungry?" I call out, not really expecting much of a response.

"Uh, nah babe, I'm good. Come'ere," he replies and I circle the corner of the kitchen to find him as I left him, only this time, his face was covered in a huge childlike smile, and he looked at me as if he hadn't seen anything greater in his life. My heart beats harder in my chest and does a semi-flip.

He stands suddenly, and reaches for the pile of papers lining the desk, then holds them out to me.

"I wrote you a story," He says simply, clearing his throat a bit and moving his arm a bit to gesture for me to take it. I do, my hands feeling numb as I bring it up. "Also, I want you to come to Maine with me."

When I don't respond, he adds, "For a week or two. Not long. Just to see things, see where I grew up."

He shifts on his feet.

"Anything else?" I find myself saying, a short laugh escaping my lips. The title at the top reads 'Between the Two of Us'. There was no way he just started it from the time we met, he told me he's been working on it for months now. He had to have just finished, but there's no way it could solely be about me.

"That's about it." He examines the floor as if it's suddenly the most interesting thing in the world, a hard set, focused look on his face. I walk closer to him, close enough to touch, then lay both hands to his chest.

"Yes." I say. I don't know particularly where it came from. I can't go to Maine, the amount of meeting for tour preparation I'd miss is outrageous. Not to mention potential interviews, my break was almost over. "I'll go to Maine with you."

He looks up then, a smile tugging up his chapped lips, then reaches for my waist to pull me closer, into his arms.

"Thank you," He whispers through my hair, a silent weight on his voice sits throughout the room.
•
The time from the proposition to us leaving seemed to fly by, and soon enough, we were landing in Maine. Our hands were laced together, and my eyes were red from crying.

Adam's book, 'Between the Two of Us', was basically his life, as it went, using alias' Weston and Beth in place of our names. It told the story of how him as a kid, growing up, fibbing some details for affect, then how he got his break, moved to New York, and met me- or Beth. How she was an actor- instead of a singer- and besides the basics, had went on and created a full novel filled with more tragedies and heartbreaks throughout the book. Hopefully, the things that afflicted Beth and Weston wouldn't become of us the same way, but in that way, they ended up okay. They were happy, living in Weston's house in Maine, with kids in the yard, with dreams of what we may have for one day. But that's too far ahead to think, I still don't know what we have here.