Page 85 of On The Edge
“Hi, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize how late it was. We can talk in the morning if you want?” I step closer, taking in the way her tired eyes watch me with worry. God, I’ve missed her.
“Are you okay? Couldn’t sleep?”
I shake my head. I can’t tell her that I just don’t sleep anymore. I’m sure the dark circles under my eyes clue her in.
“Come here,” Melody whispers, ushering me inside her space, taking me by the hand. “You’ve gotta sleep, Adam.”
“I know,” I agree with her, letting her pull me into the dark room. The white bedspread’s pulled up on one side like she’s only sleeping on one side of the bed. A whole bed to herself and she’s only sleeping on less than half. “Sleep is hard for me. And I don’t like getting high like Markus. Sleeping pills make me drowsy the next day. I can’t keep beat if my head feels like it’s lagging.”
Melody looks at me with a sad, understanding look on her face before her hand cups my cheek.
“When was the last time you slept, Adam?”
She speaks so softly, so lovingly that my heart skips a beat and I lean into her touch.
“I sleep. I do. But I don’t sleepwell.So, maybe… a few years?” I can’t remember the last time I slept well that wasn’t medicated. But I’m not going to tell her that.
“Come here,” Melody says, pulling me into her arms and nestling against me. My whole body lights up as her skin touches mine. She’s fucking perfect; her head lays against my chest and I can rest my chin on the top of her head.
It’s insane. The moment I feel her sigh against my chest, I feel myself relax like I haven’t in years. We’re quiet for a moment, just breathing each other in before she breaks the silence.
“Do you always wear a cut off T-shirt?”
It’s such an odd question, one I wasn’t expecting, that it makes me laugh.
“I usually do,” I say with a chuckle, holding her tighter to my chest. “When you’re playing the drums with as much gusto as I do, you get sweaty fast. This mitigates it. Plus, I get to show off all my tattoos.”
She leans back and looks at me, her eyes tracing over the ink that covers almost all of me.
“They are… very beautiful,” she whispers, biting her lip softly.
Fuck.
“Thank you,” my voice matches hers as I respond. The air around us shifts slightly. The air between us fills with tension.
“Do they all mean something?”
“Not all of them.” I look down, holding out my hand so my arm turns and flexes. “Most do.”
“Which one’s your favorite?” Her question, spoken so softly and so genuinely, makes me stop in my tracks.
I pull the side of my shirt aside so she can see my pec, where a small bird is in flight over my chest.
“This one probably,” I trace the wing softly. “It wasn’t the first one I got, but I got it when I started to feel caged. Like I’d made a choice I couldn’t change and I was stuck. A golden cage is how Kai described what I was feeling.” I speak softly, not wanting to break the tension between us, but wanting to tell her the truth.Melody’s eyes are dark and open, showing me just how much she understands me. “We were making money, doing what we loved, getting our name out there, and suddenly, it felt like we were being put on leashes, not set free. I got this one, this little sparrow in flight, to prove that I’m never stuck. I’m always able to change my life to be howIwant it to be.”
I won’t let someone else rule my life. I’ve spent the last seven years numb and in pain, all because I didn’t listen to my gut. Andnow that she’s here… it’s like I’ve been woken up. I won’t turn a blind eye.
Not again.
“That’s beautiful,” Melody says so quietly I almost don’t hear her. Her breath against my chest as she talks is intoxicating.
“You’re beautiful.”
Melody looks down, her blush visible even in the low light of the room.
“Thank you.”
“I’m just stating the truth, love.” I slide one of my hands up her arm, over her shoulder and gently, slowly to give her time to pull back if she wants to, I cup her chin. “Melody, I’m so sorry.”
