Somebody That I Used to Know Ch. 05

"You know my brother wanted to kill you, I pretty much had to pull him away from the airport to stop him from flying over there and hurting you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's why Pika isn't here, he still hates you."

There was another silence that took over the two of them, neither of them could look the other in the eye.

Kay broke the silence a second time. "Why did you do it? Why did you sleep with her? Again?"

"It wasn't planned Kay, we ran into someone from Lexi's past, she needed help, I was there and it just sort of happened."

"You're not in love with her, are you?"

"No way, yeah I love her, she's my cousin and we have a history together, but I'm not IN love with her."

Kay shook her head. "I don't know who you're lying to here, me or yourself."

"What?"

"Adam you are in love with Lexi, like it or not that history you share is going to hurt every relationship you have from here on out because you can't let her go. You could have a new girlfriend, a friends with benefit or you could even get married again but you will always end up with Alexandra and it will destroy that relationship leaving you alone and hating Lexi when you actually love her."

"Is that what you think."

"That's what I know, I didn't mind your past with your cousin because I thought you were mine, I thought you would forget her and stay with me. But when she turned up with Nikki, I knew that I and everyone else you start a relationship with will be second fiddle to her."

"Kay I swear I didn't know about Nikki."

"I know you didn't, but that's not why I left you,"

"It isn't?"

"No. Adam it hurt that you cheated on me, but what was worth was the fact that I didn't even suspect it, for six years you didn't even show a single sign of guilt, you just forgot about it, like it was nothing. That's all it was to you, a simple one-night thing and you risked our lives together for that. That's what hurt me Adam."

Adam hung his head, he knew she was right and was ashamed of that. "I never wanted to hurt you Kay, I did love you, I do love you."

Kay got closer to Adam, placing her head against his. "I know, I feel the same."

Adam looked up at his wife, their eyes caught and the tension tightened as they saw how close they were to each other.

"You do?" He asked her, his voice barely a whisper.

Kay nodded. "I still love you as well."

Neither could remember who made the first move but before either of them realised they were kissing, deep passionate kissing, their time apart had made their hearts grow absent without each other. Adam pay Kay down on the sand, his hands feeling all over her body, her smooth, tanned skin contrasted perfectly against white hands. Adam pushed up Kanani's top and kissed her navel, feeling it's silk-like texture against his course, unshaven chin.

As his face got lower on her and his hands got higher, kneading her breasts, Kay suddenly started shaking, and not in pleasure, she was having a panic attack.

"Adam, Adam stop. Stop please."

Concerned Adam got off Kay and moved away as she curled into a ball and cried, Adam meant what he said earlier, he did love Kay and knowing he was the reason she was crying broke his heart.

"Kay, I'm... I'm so sorry."

"I think you should leave Adam."

Saying nothing he nodded in agreement, almost in a dream-like state Adam gathered his belongings and made his way outside, passing by Ray's house where Kevin was sitting at the table, smiling and laughing as everyone sang Happy Birthday. No-one saw Adam there, nobody but Kale, the old man watched Adam walk away, his one good eye fixed on Adam's one remaining eye. Neither man said anything but their body language said it all, Kale went off down the beach while Adam made the walk to the airport, he didn't care how long he had to wait, he was leaving as soon as he could.

He'd been sitting on the same seat for the last hour and a half when he saw someone rush through the airport door, his tired mind tried to place who it was, it wasn't until the figure was only a few steps from Adam that he saw it was Pika, Kanani's older brother. He figured it out just as Pika raised his fist and punched Adam in the face.

Adam tasted blood, his lip had burst and was bleeding badly, he looked at Pika, he was ready to hit Adam again at a moment's notice.

"Dad told me what you did to Kay. You go home and you never come back here or I'll take your other eye. You got me you piece of shot?"

Adam spat some blood into a nearby bucket. "Yeah, I got you."

Pika looked like he wanted to punch Adam again but since he understood the message he had no reason to, instead he just turned and left before the security guards arrived. One of the guards handed Adam some ice in a cloth.

"You alright buddy?"

"Yeah, I've had worse." Adam pointed to his eye patch. "As you can see."

"What was all that about."

"Nothing, just... just some shit I did caught up with me. I deserved it."

The guard saw Adam didn't want to talk anymore and left it at that. Adam was on the plane within the hour and back home just before midnight the next day where he promptly found his bed and slept for 16 hours.

A week later Adam received some papers in the mail, Kanani was divorcing him. She said she tried and he could still see Kevin but she couldn't be with him anymore.

He signed the papers without complaint. A relationship lasting nearly ten years, gone in seconds. It was so surreal and yet there it was, gone.

Adam didn't sleep that night.

*

2007

*

"Oh god, oh god, yes... yes... YES."

Adam held tightly to the young blonde bouncing on his cock, he felt like she was going to jump right off him and through the ceiling, he didn't care, he was just getting his rocks off and the lassie was pretty, stacked as well.

Over the last year Adam had become somewhat of a recluse, he barely left his house except for college and work, the rest of his time was spent in his apartment in the dark. He would've become an alcoholic if he could afford it.

There really wasn't much point going outside anymore, he was a nearly 40 year old divorcee with a son he never saw, a daughter he hadn't seen since finding out she was his, his mother had her life with her new boyfriend - manfriend? Whatever - Jonathan and Alexandra... she was god knows where.

No Adam had no family, no friends anymore, too old and too much of a runaway to keep in touch with anyone. Hell the only reason he went out today was because the little blonde honey on his cock had been flirting with him in class, she was young, just over 20 - God, half his age - and made it clear she just wanted a quick fuck so he figured why not. After a couple of drinks they were back at her place and fucking hard.

Blondie rolled off Adam, panting heavily. "Wow, that was incredible, I swear I came so hard. You know I'm on the pill, you didn't need the condom."

"Sorry, not taking any chances."

"Whatever, want a smoke."

Adam shook his head no and watched Blondie - he really needed a name for her - get up and grab one from the packet on her desk. Adam looked her over once more, he'd definitely paid attention to her n class, long legs usually in a short skirt, a tight ass he had some fun grabbing onto, a good set of tits on her for a girl as young as she was and the stereotypical bright blonde hair.

She was definitely gorgeous, on the outside at least, Adam could tell she was just a vapid attention seeker on the inside and wanted nothing more to do with her. As it turned out she felt the same about him.

"You need to leave soon." She told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "I need to clear out the air and clean this place up, get dressed and get going."

Adam didn't need telling twice, as quick as he could he got dressed and left, no goodbye, no see you later, just gone. It was a booty call and he needed it just as much as she did.

It wasn't a long walk home so Adam decided to skip the bus, preferring instead to go the quieter way home. He was going through a tunnel when he saw a hooded figure approach him, suddenly the Hood brought out a knife.

"Alright mate, hand over everything."

Instinctively Adam put up his hands. "Whoa easy there, alright I don't have much but you can have it. Let me get my wallet out."

Inside Adam was pissed but he didn't want to fuck with the guy with a knife, especially not one strung out on whatever this guy was smoking. Adam fished out his wallet and gave it to the mugger who snatched it out his hands.

"Is this all you have in here, fuck. Alright I'm reading your licence, I'm gonna remember where you live and what your name is Mr..."

The mugger stopped, seemingly shocked by the name in front of him. "You're fuckin kidding me. Adam?"

The mugger pulled down his hood and Adam saw his face for the first time, it was pale and skinny and dirty but he still recognised the face.

Liam Nelson.

*

Liam stormed ahead, he knew Adam was behind him and he knew he was following him, he did afterall suggest it, but he'd just fucked up getting paid that day by running into the only person in the world he never wanted to see again. Now he just wanted something to calm him down and that was back home.

Trying hard to keep up with him, Adam saw the Liam was living in an abandoned house in a rundown area, windows smashed and doors broken, it was cold, wet, disgusting and miserable, he had no idea how Liam lived like this.

Adam followed Liam to what he guessed was the living room where upon he saw a man, in a wheelchair, snorting a line of coke off a glass table. The man wiped his nose just as he noticed Liam and Adam.

"Hey Liam, who's this fuck?"

"This is Adam, remember, the guy I told you about."

The man, Trent, started laughing. "Oh shit, Adam, the guy who fucked his cousin and knocked her up. You crazy bastard. The fuck happened to your eye?"

"His father-in-law smashed a pint glass in his face because he had a kid with his cousin and not his wife. Is the whole eye gone or just sliced to shit."

"It's gone, they took the whole thing out."

"You are one fucked-up guy Adam, ha. Name's Trent Martin, this is my home, well kinda, I'm just a fuckin squatter. So what brings your cousin-fuckin ass here to my neck of the woods?"

Adam didn't know what to make of Trent, he seemed quite lively and friendly but with a look in his eyes that said he would kill you in a second. But since he knew Liam Adam decided to trust him. "Liam was mugging me before he found out who I was, brought me back here, I think we've got some stuff to talk about."

"Too fuckin right, if half of what Liam told me is true then I'd best get out your way. I'll leave you two fuckers to it Liam, I'll be at Lizzy's, call when you're done."

And just as quickly as he came into Adam's life he was gone, Adam watch Trent wheel himself out the house and down the road.

"He's something else."

"Yeah, got a mouth like a drunken sailor but he's a good mate, loyal, unlike some people."

Adam rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch opposite Liam, he watched as Liam licked his index finger, dipped it in white powder on the glass table then rubbed it on his teeth. Adam knew immediately what it was.

"Jesus Liam."

"Relax, it's Trent's. I'm just using it to wake myself up, I'm still fucked over from the hit I did a couple hours ago."

"A hit? What, you're back on heroin?"

"The fuck do you care Adam, you never gave a flying shit about me before why start now?"

"Liam, you were my friend, you are my friend, I was with you through college, I was there when you met Maggie, when she got pregnant."

"Yeah well that was twenty years ago, shit changes. Maggies's gone, the kids gone, you've been gone a couple times yourself, now Lexi and Nikki are gone. There's no-one, just Trent and the fuckin smack."

A silence passed between the two men, they felt themselves revert back to their younger years, both insecure, timid and scared of what was happening between them.

Liam broke the silence. "Why'd you do it Adam? Why'd you take my daughter from me?"

"She wasn't your daughter Liam."

"She fucking was, more than she was yours. I raised her, I looked after her, I took her to school, to the cinema, to friends, I taught her to ride a bike, to write, to use the skipping rope. She's mine Adam, Nikki is my daughter and you fuckin ripped her from my arms when you didn't even fuckin want her."

Liam turned away from Adam, he was so close to bursting into tears and didn't want to do it in front of Adam. For his part Adam was so surprised at seeing his friend so weak, so emotionally about Nicola not being his daughter. It seemed like losing her hurt so much more than losing his kids with Maggie, Adam didn't know why but he could see that clearly enough.

Liam wiped his eyes, still not looking at Adam. "You know what her first word was? I was there with her when she said, it, she was nearly two years old and we were playing with her building blocks. Then the phone rung, I went to answer it and Nikki puts her arms out, wanting me to pick her up and she says 'Daddy'. You hear that Adam, she called me 'dad', her first words and she knew I was her father. I don't care with Lexi says Nikki is my daughter, it's my name on her birth certificate. She didn't even know you existed until you met her."

"Liam I didn't know she existed until I met her, I had no clue about her. Lexi and I had sex on New years then I never heard from her again, I didn't know about Nikki until I saw her. That's why I freaked out, I figured out Nikki was my daughter and I confronted Alexandra about it. That was the dumbest thing I've ever done, cost me my wife and son and now apparently my daughter."

Liam snorted. "That was always your problem Adam, you could never get a handle on your emotions, you always overreacted on everything. For fuck sake when you found out Lexi was fucking that blonde cunt you ran away to California. For five years. You never could keep your feelings bottled up, it's always fucked you in the end."

Liam chuckled quietly but there was no happiness in his voice, he took a sigh and looked down at the glass table, at the faint reflection of himself.

"I was going to marry her, Lexi, I was saving up to buy a ring just before you fucked things up. We'd been together six years, she told me she didn't want to get married, but I loved her and I figured what was the harm in asking? Even if we never had a wedding or whatever, just letting her know I wanted to be with her was enough for me."

Adam understood now, Liam was in love with Lexi, he had been for a long time, it wasn't just Nicola he took from Liam, it was Alexandra. Liam held his head in his hands, exhausted and emotionally drained.

"Just fuck off Adam, there's nothing more to say to you, you've hurt me all you can, this is where I am now and I can't change that, just... just go."

Adam stayed still, trying to figure out if he should leave his friend like this or not. In the end he knew staying would make no difference and got up, he paused, thinking if he should say anything, but couldn't think of anything, instead he just turned and walked away, leaving Liam to find a needle and a lighter.

*

A few weeks passed, Adam never saw Liam again, not for lack of trying, every day after school he'd walk down the same path Liam tried to mug him on, just for the chance to see him, it never came.

By the time Adam knew what had happened to him it was his birthday, but he didn't feel like celebrating, he was 39 years old, had two children he hadn't seen in years by two different women, neither of whom wanted anything to do with him, and he was missing an eye, no matter what he did that constant blind spot reminded him of how badly he fucked up.

Not feeling particularly celebratory, Adam decided to drown himself in whatever bar he could find in the city, after wandering around aimlessly in the cool night he came across a small place called Dreyer's, it wasn't a fancy club but it was far from a dive-bar, it would do fine. Walking in Adam noticed the place to be relatively empty, there was more than a few people round the place but nowhere near a crowd, nobody paid any attention to him, some glanced at his eye-patch but no-one said anything. Adam found an empty bar stool and sat at the counter, the pretty bartender came up to him.

"What will it be Captain?" Her voice was distinctively foreign, South African maybe.

Adam gave her a fiver note. "Whatever's on tap."

"Aye aye sir."

The bartender quickly poured him his drink and got it back to him within seconds, he was impressed by her speed.

"Keep the change, pour me another when I'm done."

"Sure thing."

"Hey Paige, you got a moment."

One of the other patrons called out to the bartender, she took Adam's money and left him. Drinking down the cold beer Adam looked back on how his life ended up here, but the memories depressed him so instead he looked forward, he was almost finished his first year of university, his first year on the way to finally becoming a lawyer. Thankfully this being his third attempt he'd already gone over most of the work beforehand so he was finding the course easier than before, even if a lot had changed.

Adam was so engrossed in his own little world he didn't notice the young woman slide up next to him, as she came into view he saw her in the corner of his good eye, her heavily made-up and obviously tipsy face smiling at her

"Ahoy there."

Adam looked this girl over, she had to be half his age, easily, but she wasn't unattractive, obviously trying hard to appear drop-dead gorgeous (and failing by his standards) but under that fake face she looked pretty enough, her messy blonde hair added and animalistic quality to her and her tight dress emphasised her curves which she did have. He figured what would be the harm in talking to her.

"That's a sailor, sailors don't have eye-patches, pirates do."

"Well then I guess it's land-ho for you then Long John."

"Is that what you call yourself."

The girl sat down on the stool. "You're mean, I like that. But still, you've hurt my feelings now and I'd like an apology."

"What are you drinking?"

"Vodka and energy juice."

"You fuckin kids, hopped up on that shit, it'll kill you."

"Well sorry if I don't plan on making it to your age gramps, no way am I gonna let myself get that old and start complaining about 'The Kids'."

"My age, I'm only 39, today in fact."

Paige came back and the girl ordered her drink, making sure Paige knew it was Adam who was paying.

"Well congrats to you then, so what brings you down to our level of scum and villainy during this joyous day."

"Just a lot of shit I'd rather not talk about, we're getting on far too well to ruin it with the past."

"If you want to fuck me just ask."

Adam chocked on his drink, shocked at the girls' openness.

"Fucking hell, what brought that up."

The Girl was undeterred. "Just putting my cards on the table, letting you know where I stand. I've learnt not to piss about and just jump straight to the point, left a lot of people happy like that."

"Christ, I don't even know your name."

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

Adam chuckled despite himself, this girl was something else, in an odd way he like it. "Adam, Adam McAllister."

The Girl smiled at him, still tipsy but the smile at least seemed genuine. "Katie Gallagher."

That name made Adam freeze, he'd heard that name before, but could it really be the same person. "Did you say Gallagher?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"What's your mother's name?"

"Maggie why?"

Whether it was the shock, the drink or just because he didn't know what else to do, Adam started laughing, it wasn't a loud laugh but it was more heartfelt than he had laughed in years. Obviously Katie was confused.

"What's so funny, stop laughing you cunt."