Chapter seventy nine

Adam

Adam glanced around the now almost silent bar, searching for the sodding scarf left behind by Robin. Most people had disappeared to bed ages ago, leaving only a few celebrating stragglers behind in the main restaurant area. He was knackered, the day had been long, and he just wanted to go to sleep.

“Who wears a scarf indoors anyway?” He muttered to himself.

One day he had been living with this woman, she hadn’t even moved in all her stuff yet and already he was regretting the stupid impulse decision. He was about to give up on it being downstairs at all, when he spotted it draped over a stool in one of the smaller side bars. He sauntered over and grabbed it. He was about to head back when a movement in the far corner of the little bar caught his eye. Looking closer, he realised it was a person. They were keeled over themselves, clearly drunk out of their skulls and falling asleep at the bar.

As he got closer, he noticed that it was Christiana. Immediately he ran to her side. She was sitting in the shadows, her vomit surrounding her section of the bar. She clearly had no idea that she had thrown up however, because she was practically laying in it.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked, although his voice was full of concern. “Who let you come out alone?”

He lifted her out of the mess she was laying in. Christiana shook her head drunkenly and tried to push herself away from him. She was clearly in no state to be able to correspond with anyone. He sighed and began to wipe her face and arms with Robin’s scarf.

“N-no.” She murmured. “D-don’t.”

“Ssshh,” Adam soothed her.

As he wiped the vomit from her cheeks, he saw the fresh tears falling. He sat down on the stool next to her and turned her to face him.

“I am so sorry for your loss.” He said.

She shook her head again and began to cry even harder. She pushed him away and reached for the bottle of wine on the bar. Adam immediately reached for it and placed it behind the bar and out of her reach.

“N-n-no.” She pleaded, new tears replacing her old.

“Come on,” Adam said. And he reached underneath her, pulling her into his chest as he carried her out of the shadowed area and towards the bedrooms.

When he reached her room, he barely had to knock before the door was opened by a panicked Jason, a mobile phone at his ear.

“Oh thank God.” He said and talked into the phone. “Duncan, you can come back, Adam’s brought her back.”

He moved out of the way to let Adam and Christiana through. Adam didn’t pause, but made a beeline for her bedroom, placing her on the mattress and covering her with the sheets.

“We left her for five minutes.” Jason said, his voice full of guilt. “Daniela and Duncan went back to their room for half an hour and I was only in the toilet for a minute. We looked everywhere. Where did you find her?”

“Where do you think?” Adam said, stroking her hair away from her face and ensuring her head was propped up enough. “She was at the bar.”

“We looked there!”

“She was hidden.” Adam said, “I almost missed her, myself.”

Jason brought over a bowl and placed it in front of her. He then got into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“I won’t let her out of my sight now, I promise.” Jason said, his face pale. He seemed to be over-compensating, he looked completely distraught.

“This isn’t your fault, Jason.” Adam said. “She’s Christiana, she’s always going to be able to get to a bar somehow.”

Jason shook his head, unwilling to take the reassurance.

“I shouldn’t have left her. I shouldn’t have… I just shouldn’t.”

And then it hit Adam what the source of Jason’s pain was.

“Anyone could have mistaken Connor being out there.” He said.

Jason shot him a pained look that told Adam he was right on the mark.

“If anything, you gave her at least an hour of peace.” Adam said. “I saw her prior to the news, she was practically giddy.”

Jason didn’t respond but held tighter onto the now sleeping Christiana. Adam gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, kissed Christiana’s forehead and decided to make his move.

Picking up the now vomit soaked scarf, he left Christiana and Jason and headed back to his flat and his new accidental family.