Sin Whispered Love Ch. 03

Adam hated waiting. He was waiting for time to stop slowing down. It was 4:30 in the afternoon on tuesday, the day of the concert. He was sure it had been 4:30 for at least an hour. He had spent the last few days in his studio since Dr. Nakato was on vacation for the last few days and would be until next monday. He didn't know if he was artistic, before the accident. When Dr. Nakato suggested he pick up a hobby, he had tried a few things. Bowling was one of the things he had tried first. He was a terrible bowler. He didn't really get into playing video games, and matchstick houses were beyond him.

What he did like was looking at the paintings in the waiting room of Dr. Nakatos office, so he ended up at the arts and crafts store a block from his apartment. He had gotten a few different types of paint but had settled on oil after trying each kind. His watercolor always ended up looking like a ghostly blob on the canvas, and he didnt like the flat shine of acrylic. After doing a few small pictures he realized he was actually not bad at this, so he had moved from the kitchen table, into the second bedroom he used for storage.

After clearing it out, he threw a tarp down and bought a real easel. Right now he was working on a landscape he had copied from a page in a travel magazine. As he waited for time to pass he stared at the picture, liking the way the tree tops looked with just a sliver of setting sunlight on their edges. The picture in the magazine was from a dense forest in Maine, taken from overhead. He wasn't sure if he was going to add the helicopter shadow into his painting as it was in the original image. Probably.

He turned on the TV in his bedroom as he got dressed. Grabbing his favorite green Tripps, he took the bondage straps off. These jeans were tighter than his others and he didnt like the way they looked with the straps. He threw on a tight fitting long sleeved fishnet shirt, and pulled on his red half sleeves over that. He grabbed a sleeveless red shirt that read 'Mate, Feed, Kill, Repeat' in sketchy black letters. After spiking his hair up he brushed his teeth and threw a scoop of food into Pi's bowl. As he looked at the clock he heard a loud horn coming from outside. The clock said 5:43. Zeke was here. The knowledge made his actions in the shower dance across his mind again, and he was blushing as he locked the door behind him.

Zeke waited out front of the apartment for Adam to come down. He wore his fingerless gloves with a blue short sleeve shirt with a picture of a red and white spotted cartoon mushroom, and loose fitting black jeans. His hair was down as it usually was, and he brushed it from his face as Adam opened the car door and got in. He waited for Adam to buckle up before he pulled out into the sparse traffic. "So how was your weekend Adam?" "Not bad," he said, looking out the side window, finding it hard to look at him, "I spent most of it in my studio. I've been working on a new painting."

"You paint?" Zeke asked, looking at him with eyebrows raised. This surprised him. "Yea, I started after my accident. Doc said I needed a hobby." "Speaking of accidents, how is your hand?" Adam looked down at his hand, having forgotten about the wound there. This question surprised him because usually people wanted to know about the accident that had nearly killed him. "It's fine. Healing and all that," he said with a shrug. They continued the chatter until Zeke pulled into a diner that Adam had never been to before. When he pulled into a spot in the parking lot Adam looked around. "Pit stop?" "Are you hungry Adam?" Zeke gave him one of his sidelong glances, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a smirk. "The concert doesn't start until nine, I figured we could eat first." Adam nodded, pinned by that gaze, he felt like Zeke could read the secret behind his eyes. He was blushing again as he followed Zeke into the restaurant.

They got a table near the back, as the diner was empty if you didn't count the old couple who were eating quietly in the front. As they sat down, Adam picked up the laminated menu and started looking through it. Zeke eyed him with a watchful gaze, not saying anything. "The steak looks good... So does the double bacon burger," he said, mostly to himself, but as he looked up and met Zeke's eyes he couldn't help the warmth that spread through him. He didn't have long to think about it, that was when the bouncy blond waitress came over with her receipt book and a smile for the two terribly attractive guys she was lucky enough to get.

"Hi! What can I get for you guys?" Zeke didn't look at her, his blue eyes were still on Adam and he gestured to him to go first. "I'll have the double bacon burger, no pickles," he said, giving the menu and a polite smile to the girl before he looked across the table at Zeke. Zeke barely glanced at the waitress as he ordered. "I'll have the steak, rare, no pickle, and potatoes instead of fries," he said. The waitress nodded and took their menus, a frown on her pretty lips at the total lack of attention from either of them. They made small talk while they waited for the food.

When it arrived Zeke waited for Adam to begin eating before he spoke again. "So how did you get that scar on your face?" Adam stopped with a fry halfway to his open mouth and looked down at his plate. "I was in a car accident when I was eighteen," he said slowly, as though weighing his words before he spoke them. "A disgruntled cop was drinking while on duty and..." The pause took so long Zeke wasn't sure if he would continue. Then with a sigh he said, "The cop slammed into me head on. I was going thirty five, the cop was going about eighty. It wasn't a pretty sight, he didn't survive. I was in a coma for two years..." His voice trailed off. He didn't feel like talking about the family he had never known, at least by his current standards. Zeke didn't ask him anymore about it and the conversation turned more docile. The hours ticked away easily and then it was time for the concert.

They stood in line for the show. Surrounded by freaks like themselves, they were comfortable, but Adam noticed that Zeke seemed on edge. He kept glancing around, observant as he stood next to Adam. His perfect blue eyes were constantly shifting. "Are you ok?" he asked as the line moved slowly forward. "Of course," he said, meeting Adam's worried gaze. Adam watched those eyes, thinking to himself that he was hiding something. However if Zeke wanted to share, he would. "Are you?" He said instead. "What? Yeah, I'm ok," Adam said, his head tilting off to the side. As they waited, Adam couldn't help but watch Zeke out of the corner of his eye, wondering what was happening to him. They gained entry to the concert and wandered around the crowded warehouse, finding a decent spot to watch from.

It was two am by the time they were on the road again, both were still worked up from the concert. "That was so awesome..." Adam sat sideways in the front seat, his fears of driving forgotten for the moment. "The way she sprayed that fake blood at the end! Wow, That's gotta be the coolest thing I've ever seen," Adam said. Zeke looked over at him, his face blank. "Haven't you ever gone to a concert?" This question dropped the smile from Adam's face and he looked away. Zeke waited patiently for an answer. "Well... You remember what I said about my accident? The coma?" Zeke nodded. "Well, when I woke up... I....I have... No memories. I don't remember anything from before I woke up," Adam's voice was quiet as he revealed this part. "I have no memories of my childhood or my family... I don't even really know who I am..." He shook his head as he looked out the window, watching the dark empty streets as they sped past. "Are you hungry?" Zeke asked him after a moment, his voice quiet. "...Yea... I guess I am," Adam said, the smile returning to pull at the corners of his mouth.

The next day Adam woke to the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head, trying to block out the high shrill as it insisted to be answered. It was too early, he knew that. Zeke hadn't dropped him off until around five in the morning and he had wanted to sleep. He reached with a blind hand past his alarm clock and grabbed the phone, sighing as the obnoxious sound cut off mid ring. He spoke with the cloud of sleep still fogging his mind. "Hello?" "Good afternoon Adam," a silky voice answered.

The fog cleared almost instantly as he recognized the voice. "Hey Zeke. What time is it?" "It's two in the afternoon." "Oh..." "What are you doing today?" "Sleeping." Zeke laughed at this. "Well get up and get dressed. I want to show you something," he said. "I'll be there in an hour," he gave one more chuckle as he hung up.

Adam groaned again, wanting so much to go back to sleep, but he found himself sitting up to put the phone back on its cradle. The movement disturbed Pi, who had been sleeping next to him and she mewed her annoyance as she jumped off the bed. "Yeah yeah, I hear ya." He started with a shower and threw on the first clothes he grabbed. Very tight blue jeans and a black tee shirt. Nothing special. He didn't even bother to spike up his hair, letting it hang messy instead. He happened to glance out the window as he was pouring a bowl of cereal in the kitchen and sighed. It was raining. He didn't have an umbrella.

Zeke showed up as promised and Adam settled into the now familiar front seat. "So where are we going?" Adam didn't worry about car safety like he usually did when he was around Zeke. He found a certain kind of comfort just being near him. He felt safe. He wasn't yet aware of why he had these feelings as he didn't give much thought to it. "We're going to my shop first. I have to check in with Nikky," he said with one of those smiles Adam had become fond of. In the dark of his bedroom he had started to allow himself the thoughts and memories of that smile that he only rarely let slip, and had no more disagreements with himself as to why. He blushed again as he remembered the shower. Adam didn't say much on the drive, only stared out the drivers side window, and sometimes at Zeke, watching him drive.

It only took fifteen minutes or so to get there and Zeke pulled the car into his reserved spot, shutting off the engine. "Here, I brought you an umbrella since you don't seem to have one," he said as he reached behind the seat. He handed Adam the green umbrella and stepped out into the rain, not bothering to shield himself. Adam felt out of place, and left the umbrella on the seat. If Zeke could walk through the rain so could he. He followed Zeke to the door with no problem, but found when it came time to enter the shop he paused.

Zeke watched him for half a second before he grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Adam gasped as he felt the sudden warmth surging through his body, stemming from that small gesture. He didn't notice he had entered Tripper Laina, didn't even hear the jingling bells attached to the door, as he tried to make sense of the sudden onslaught of emotion. When Zeke let go, he felt a moment of sadness though it was quickly erased as he took in the shop. "Wow..." Was all he could manage. There were enlarged pictures of tattoos covering the red walls from different artists, and an entire section was dedicated to potographs taken of work he or Nikky had done. Tattos and piercings alike. Adam looked at these and couldn't help but notice how red and angry the skin looked in each one, though he supposed that was probably normal, considering the sharp objects involved. "Wait here for a second, please Adam? I have to go see if Nikky is busy. I'll be right back," He said as he disappeared behind a curtain next to the counter.

Adam moved to look at all the jewelry in the display case and was looking rather pale when Zeke returned with a girl who looked older than both of them, especially in the long flowing white skirt and purple shirt. She reminded Adam of a hippie except she had short, almost shaved, bright green hair, and dark eyes. Three silver loops laced their way through her left eyebrow and a small blue star was tattooed under the corner of her right eye. She was overweight, and when she came up to him, Adam noticed she was shorter than he was. "It's nice to meet you Adam," she said as she held out her hand for him to shake. As he did he noticed another tattoo on her right wrist, a small fairy sitting on a mushroom. "I'm Nicole, but everyone calls me Nikky." "I like the shop. I would never have come in here if Zeke hadn't brought me. I don't like needles," he said with a sheepish grin. Nikky laughed, causing her oversized breasts and stomach to shake. Adam looked politely away. "No one really likes needles. Well except for this freak right here," she said as she nudged Zeke, "isn't that right Z?" He smiled, but Adam was sure there was something under it. Annoyance perhaps.

"I just came by to check on the sales for last month. The bank called and said something wasn't adding up right. I think I forgot to log a few of them," he said as he rooted around behind the counter. "Hey where is the.. Oh, here it is," he said as he stood up, holding a blue binder with a jolly roger sticker on it's front, "I'm gonna take this with me. I'll bring it back later. We have to run anyway or we'll be late. You good here?" He asked as he came to stand next to Adam. As tall as Zeke was, Nikky looked like a dwarf next to him.

"Yea, I'm alright. Have fun," she said as she turned to head into the back again, waving one hand dismissively over her shoulder. Adam didn't miss the comment about being late. He had to admit, he was curious, Zeke had yet to tell him where they were going. He didn't usually like surprises, but he found himself looking forward to this one with a higher outlook than he would have if it had been anyone else.

It had stopped raining by the time they got back out to the car, and Adam raised one eyebrow as he asked, "What exactly are we going to be late for?" Zeke laughed, shaking his head. "Nothing," he said, "I just didn't want to stay there with Nikky. She's one of my best friends but sometimes she annoys me. Beside that, it's my day off, I wouldn't have come in if I hadn't needed to pick up the sale book." Adam looked at the binder that was tucked between the seats to hide his disappointment. "Oh, ok. I was just curious," Adam wondered if Zeke could hear the change of tone in his voice. "Where we're going doesn't have a time restraint," Zeke informed him with a smirk. "Oh..." Adam didn't ask any more questions about it and stared quietly out the window, thinking to himself.

He couldn't explain the butterflies in his stomach. It's not like this was a date, though that idea did give him a tiny shiver. Adam was slowly beginning to accept the roiling emotions that Zeke set to light in him. He didn't understand them, but he felt so comfortable it was hard to ignore.

Outside the window, businesses gave way to houses. Houses gave way to trees. Soon he was sure they were in some kind of forest. As the houses faded, so did the paved road. Zeke had to put his car in a lower gear and slow down as he made his way down a winding dirt road. Adam was reminded of his newest dream, and looked up through the window to make sure the sky was still visible. It was, barely.

They had spent almost an hour in silence, but once he didn't have to concentrate on the road, Zeke broke the train of thought Adam was lost in. "I used to come here all the time when I was a kid. My dad used to bring me and my sister here before he got sick," he said, and Adam looked over at him, caught off guard by this revelation. Zeke had mentioned before that his father had died of cancer when Zeke had turned 18, but that was all he had ever said about the man. Adam had the impression he didn't like to talk about it. "Oh?" Was all Adam could think to say, and he kicked himself mentally for the stupid answer. He was so distracted that he didn't realize when they pulled into a makeshift parking lot a moment later and Zeke turned off the vehicle.

"You don't mind hiking do you?" He asked. "It's not far, I promise." Adam shook his head. "No, not at all," he said as he looked around. they seemed to be in the middle of no where. Zeke climbed out and went around the car, opening Adam's door before he even had his seat belt off.

He climbed out and waited for Zeke to lead the way. It only took about fifteen minutes of walking before Adam began to hear the sound of water. He would have to ask Zeke to show him to the river. But as they kept going the sound got louder and as they stepped into a clearing five minutes later, Adam's breath caught in his throat.

The scene unfolding before him was breath taking, literally, and Adam couldn't help but feel humbled by the beauty he saw. Before him was indeed a river, surrounded by a small meadow, but the thing that truly awed him was the very high waterfall. Water turned white as it danced down the cliff face, catching on every outcropping boulder and tree root that dared the dangerous life, and spilling back into the calmly churning river. It was somehow chaotic and graceful at the same time and Adam was suddenly very glad he had answered his phone.