While I Was Away(23)

In her old life, Adele was pretty sure she'd never been a particularly bold person. But she wasn't in that life anymore, and could barely remember it. Didn't even want to, not if Jones wasn't in any of those memories.

So screw it – here, in this world, in this time, in this now with him, she was a bold person. Had always been one, as far as she was concerned. So without sparing it another thought, Adele stood on her toes and kissed him, hoping he could feel just how much she did understand what she was saying.

I'd stay here forever with you.

She expected him to stop her. To tell her it was against the rules, or not allowed, or only when it rains upside down – some ridiculous made up rule for their ridiculous made up world. But Jones didn't do any of that. She felt his fingers clench against the back of her dress for a moment, and then he was kissing her back.

Sometimes, a thing can just feel right. A perfect sunset at the end of a perfect day, a beautiful song played by a beautiful musician. It resonates with your soul. Kissing Jones ... it was something she'd been missing for most of her life, and she hadn't even realized it.

It resonated.

Adele didn't want to let the moment go. So much time in that place felt like it was standing still, so why couldn't their kiss? She sighed and pressed herself against him, opened her mouth, traced her tongue along his lips.

When he returned with double the intensity, it felt like fireworks started going off. Hell, maybe they were, who knew what was possible anymore? She'd held the moon once, now she was kissing perfection. She would never doubt anything ever again. She moaned, pressing her tongue to his, forcing their bodies flush together. His hands wandered over her back, holding her tight against him.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it was all over.

“We can't do this,” Jones pulled away from her and whispered.

“No, no, no, we totally can,” she replied, already leaning back in for another kiss.

“Oh my god. Adele, look.”

She followed his gaze and looked up. Her eyes opened wide and she turned away from him as she tried to understand just what it was, exactly, she was witnessing.

Pink. Coating the ceiling, dripping down the walls, running along the stairs. Like someone had dumped a big can of paint over the whole building. Stone and mortar and steel, they all absorbed the color, turning different shades of blush, magenta, and rouge.

It was amazing.

And it wasn't just confined to the walls and stairs – big drops fell from the ceiling, landing on the people who were flying around. Their gray costumes all turned pink, just like the walls around them. A woman near Adele laughed as a fat bead of pink dropped right on her head. As the color dribbled over her body, her outfit changed color along with it, going from a smoky charcoal to a dusky rose.

Adele looked down at her feet as the liquid started pooling around her, and as soon as it hit the hem of her dress, the color was absorbed. Pink slashed its way up the the gray satin, taking it over, and when she held out her arms, she watched as even her gloves transformed to a happy shade of bubblegum.

“I just can't get over this – pink is my favorite color! What is going -”

Adele stopped when she looked to her right. Jones wasn't there. She turned in a circle, but he wasn't anywhere nearby, either. Frowning, she pushed her way through a crowd that was getting pinker by the moment. She peeked around fans and even lifted a few masks, but all she found were blurs. Jones wasn't there. He'd disappeared.

While vanishing was something Adele did regularly and often, she'd never seen Jones do it. He would appear out of nowhere, but he never disappeared. He was always close by, always.

Except for now.

Now, he felt very, very far away, indeed.





11




Maybe if I close my eyes right now ... I'll go into a coma, too ... then I can see Adele again.

Ocean Reins closed his eyes, but he didn't feel like he was slipping into unconsciousness.

No, all he felt was dizzy and a little like puking.

“Alright,” August's voice sighed from next to him. “Let's get him up.”

“Do we have to?” That was River chiming in. “He's probably fine.”

“Are you kidding? He's fucking hammered. Let's move him into the bedroom.”

“I'm not hammered,” he grumbled, lifting his head and opening his eyes. “I'm ... drunk. Yes. Okay. But definitely not hammered.”

His brothers laughed, then helped him climb to his feet before guiding him towards his bedroom.

It was River's birthday. Normally when one of the brothers celebrated a birthday, it was a raucous occasion. The festivities were always filled with debasement and debauchery, dive bars and night clubs. Sometimes there were even strip clubs, and always lots of alcohol.

This year had been different, though; there didn't seem like much worth celebrating. So they'd decided on a small gathering at the Reins' vacation rental. The party had been comprised of family, Charlie and Zoey, and a couple of River's new coworkers, and that had been it. Their dad had barbecued in the backyard, and for a brief moment in the afternoon, it had almost felt like the family barbecues they'd had back home.

But then Ocean had looked around for Adele's smiling face, and reality had come crashing in. They had a huge gaping hole in their family, and until it was filled, no birthday – no event, period – would ever feel the same again.