BELLA DID THIS ~~~~
Melanie held herself perfectly still, hoping he would change his mind and leave. She didn’t want to look directly at him, fearing that his mahogany eyes would be looking straight back at her. She didn’t want to cry, nor did she want her anger to get the best of her. Still, she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
“Hi,” Adam said softly, sliding into the empty seat on her right.
Let the family meeting start already she thought. Then there would be no chance for conversation, and I can pretend he’s not there
She could tell by the tension between him, that he was deciding whether to continue or not. Despite everything that happened, there still was an inevitable connection between them. Maybe that explains why she longed to be in his arms, to see the love and protectiveness in his eyes that was only meant for her.
With a few words, she could have him back.
“I forgive you,”
That’s all it would take, then she could lean on him, and she could feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers gently.
But she promised to herself she wouldn’t, rather couldn’t, forgive him. And unlike Adam, she kept her promises.
“You’re not going to talk to me?” he asked.
Let him figure that one out himself.
“At least look at me!”
Melanie’s lip trembled.
I will NOT cry she told herself.
“Fine then” he spit out. She could tell he was struggling against his temper.
“Then just listen,”
As if I have a choice she thought.
It was a long time before he spoke again.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say,” he whispered, and even in that whisper, she could hear the pain and longing in his voice. Adam reached for her hand; she whipped it away, afraid that if she let Adam touch her, her anger would fade away.
“What do you want from me?” he pleaded. “I said I was sorry and that it’s not my fault-“
“Then whose fault was it?” she snapped.
“Renée’s” he choked out. “Dawn,”
Even though Melanie had a weakness, obviously something Adam could do, he didn’t use it against her. Even Renee and Dawn couldn’t be blamed for what happened; after all he was the one who chose to start dating Renee in the first place.
I was simply a rebound she thought hopelessly.
“Is that supposed to fix everything?” she finally asked in a small voice.
“I don’t know.. I just.. I wanted you to know, that.. I mean, if we could just-“
He suddenly stopped, and Melanie faced toward him. She wanted to hear more, more of the voice she missed whispering in her ear at night.
She looked to see he was doubled over in his seat; his head plunged into his hands.
“Just stop,” Mel begged. She forced herself not to lay a comforting hand on his broad back, which she knew every inch of.
“I can’t,”
“Why?”
“Because I love you,”
He said it in a pained, choked up and strangled voice, without lifting his head. Once, those words were able to fix everything. Now they just made her feel more hollow and empty.
“I love you,” he chanted again, as if he missed those words himself.
And now, Melanie did something she vowed never to do. Not to Adam.
“I don’t care.”
She lied.
---
Mel lay on a cool blanket, facing the stars on a full moon night. She thought back 2 weeks ago.
(2 weeks earlier)
Adam sneaked up behind Mel, sure that she didn’t know he was there.
“You think you’re so slick,” she giggled, without turning around.
“Damn... The 2-eyes-behind-my-head thing is getting really weird now,” he replied.
He came up behind her and hugged her by her waist. He buried his face into her neck, inhaling deeply.
“I love you, nevertheless,” he said simply.
Melanie turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I know,” she said.
She wriggled free from the embrace and grabbed his hand. She pulled him downstairs and outside.
“Where are we going?” he asked curiously, as she walked with haste down the sidewalk.
She shivered once from the cold, and Adam swiftly took off his sweater and wrapped it around her. She looked at him gratefully and started walking slower, enjoying the still of the silence beside him. Adam pulled her closer, and held her hand tightly.
“Home,” she replied after a long moment.
He understood almost immediately, she was leading him toward her mother’s house, where she used to live a mere 2 months ago.
When they got there, they crawled through the little hole that led them to the back lawn.
Adam suddenly swept her off her feet, literally, and she let out a surprised yelp. He pretended she was a football and ran where they always lie down and let her down.
“Touchdown” he said with triumph.
She smacked him playfully and sat down, dragging Adam down with her.
“You’re leaving soon,” she said.
“Yes,”
Adam looked toward her thoughtfully. Mel was gazing toward the stars, her expression blank. He rolled over, so that he was on top of her.
“Looking toward the stars?” he asked.
“Do your eyes count?”
He smiled. Mel turned around so that she was facing him and leaned in closer.
“Do you really have to go?” she said half-heartedly.
“Yeah, coach expects us to have some fun with the team after a long season.”
She bit her lip and lay down again.
“How about we just-“
“Not talk?” he finished for her.
She rolled so that she was on top of him and opened her mouth, meaning to say something, but Adam silenced her with a look. Then, he leaned in, with another look that she knew very well. She closed her eyes and waited for that moment that their lips would meet-
(Present)
Melanie stopped herself from thinking any further, but she knew exactly how his warm and soft lips would press gently against hers, and she knew exactly how they’d feel. She closed her eyes and tried to block the image, but she couldn’t. With her eyes half open, she squinted toward the sky and a little tear trickled down her face. She felt a hand she knew very well, wipe the tear away and she propped herself upright instantly.
“Don’t touch me!” she hissed with as much venom as she could.
Adam leaned back and stood up.
“I always wondered how you could keep yourself together for so long,” he said thoughtfully.
“Go away,” she repeated in the same voice.
“I need to talk to you,”
“I don’t care, go away,” her voice cracked on the last word.
They stood there, looking at each other for awhile. Adam saw that she couldn’t hold her anger, never mind her depression, in for much longer. He closed the distance between them, and hugged her tightly. He knew she wasn’t strong enough right now to break away from the embrace, and that was the purpose.
“Get off me!” she started hitting and thrashing against his chest, and could feel him flinch whenever she threw out an insult. Eventually, she stopped and started crying. Her hands went limp against his chest, and her legs sagged. Adam held her weight and carried her to where she was laying down before. He sat down with Melanie in his lap, holding her and saying nothing. Mel’s face was buried in Adam’s neck, and when she didn’t have anymore tears in her, she just sat there silently. Adam must’ve felt when she stopped, because he suddenly raised his head and let go of his grip holding Melanie where she was. Mel sucked in a sharp breath. Her head cleared and she knew what she had to do, but before she did… She leaned in toward his neck once again, inhaled deeply of his rich scent, got up and walked steadily toward her room. She didn’t look back, and she knew Adam didn’t look back either. She trudged up the stairs and headed toward Adam’s room, looking toward the window once, he was still sitting down in the same place, except his head was tilted toward where her face was. She looked back into his room and started looking for what she needed.
BELLA DID THIS ~~~~
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Subject: Just a day.. in the shoes of __________ . 
Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:42 pm
