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She craned her neck to look back at me as I climbed into the bed. “You took your jeans off.”
“Well, yeah. I wasn’t going to sleep in them.”
Adriana groaned, grabbing the bedspread and putting it over her head. “Good night. I’m going to sleep. Get the rest you deserve.”
“You’re so harsh, Ade.”
“Yeah, well, at least I’m not beating people to death.”
I scoffed, my patience wearing thin. “How do you pay your bills, Adriana?”
I felt the defiance in her body disappear as she deflated, immediately making me regret what I was saying. “Right,” she replied. “You’re right. This is why all of this is such a terrible idea.”
“We can talk about it in the morning,” I said. “Get some sleep.”
She nodded, not saying anything. Soon enough, her breathing deepened. Despite everything in me, I kept my promise and didn’t touch her. But it didn’t stop me from watching her.
As I lay in the dimly lit room, I found sleep elusive. I glanced over at Adriana, her chest rising and falling evenly in the subtly lit darkness; she had drifted off almost instantly, the fatigue of the day finally catching up with her.
In contrast, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. A part of me ached to reach out to her, to soothe away the phantom fears that seemed to spill from her even in sleep. But a bigger part held me back; she had made it clear where we stood, and I didn’t intend to complicate matters further.
Midnight turned into dawn as I wrestled with my thoughts. There was so much at stake here; our unborn child, Adriana’s safety...and my own sanity. The lines were blurred, and I couldn’t tell where one ended and another began. Frustrated, I sat up on the bed and ran my hands through my hair, attempting to make sense of this chaos.
I was a Callahan, I was supposed to have answers. But right now, in the quiet of this humble inn, under the weight of her trust, all I had were questions. And doubts.
Sleep was not my friend. My eyes refused to close and my mind refused to shut down. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face, fierce and defiant. “I want to learn how to protect myself.” Her words echoed in my mind, louder with each repetition. I knew she was right, but the thought of her having to use this knowledge filled me with a dread so potent it choked the air from my lungs.
The morning light filtered in through the thin blinds, casting long shadows on Adriana’s peaceful form. She looked so serene lying there: a warrior at rest. The contradiction left me breathless.
Hours passed, slowly. I scrolled through TV channels with the television on mute, not wanting to disturb her sleep. She stirred a bit, murmuring in her dreams. I watched her, the soft glow of the morning sun playing across her face, my heart growing heavier with each passing moment.
Her voice broke through my thoughts, soft and barely audible. “Tristan?” she called out, her brows furrowing slightly as she stirred awake.
“Yeah?”
“I think I want to tell my sister.”
I blinked at her from my corner of the room, caught off guard by the sudden declaration. “You sure?” I kept my tone as steady as possible. I had always known this time would come, the inevitable moment when Adriana would want to share our circumstances with her family. I just hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
She pulled herself into a sitting position, tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear with a certain resoluteness that made me brace myself for what would ensue. “Yes,” she answered, holding my gaze steadily. “She deserves to know. I want to tell my parents too, but…not yet.”
I nodded slowly, making my way towards the edge of my bed and perching myself on it. The mattress sagged slightly beneath my weight, muffling the disquiet rumbling in my chest. “Alright,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “We’ll tell her.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, faint lines appearing on her forehead. “You don’t seem too thrilled about it.”
I met her gaze steadily, trying to keep my own expression neutral. “I just want you to be sure, Adriana. You know what this means, right?”
She held my gaze for a moment more before dropping her eyes to pick at the loose thread on the blanket. “I do,” she said quietly. “And I am.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. “Okay.”
Silence took over the room then, filling every corner with an unsettling stillness. I wanted to say something, anything to break it, but I couldn’t find the words. What could I say? Nothing seemed right.
After what felt like an eternity, Adriana broke the silence. “I know her number,” she said. “Hand me the phone.”
“You want to do this right now?”
She nodded. “While I’m feeling brave.”
