Chapter Eleven : "Beep"
October 20th, 2006 - very early morning
It took me about an hour to make my way home. If any muggers thought about jumping me, I'm sure they changed their minds when they saw the rapier hanging off my hip. I guess that was a bonus to the pain in the ass that the VWL was. I actually kind of wished someone WOULD attack me. I had a lot of adrenaline left over, the kind that I needed to waste on either a fight or a fuck. I also had a lot of stupid left over too, from the martinis.
I'd had what... four? I couldn't remember. And a beer.... or two? God bless the Immortal healing factor. I was sober by the time I reached the front door of my apartment building, and fresh out of stupid. It was good that I hadn't been accosted on my way home. I probably couldn't have defended myself worth beans. That, and if the guy had been remotely hot, I probably would have jumped him.
God, WHAT was I going to do about Adam and Garret?
I banged my head repeatedly against the wall of the elevator door on my way up to my floor.
Okay, so I'm not a slut or anything, (although I was a whore for a bit when I was hard up for finances. But, c'mon, what's a girl to do in the middle of the Industrial Revolution when she's jobless?), but I enjoyed sex just as much as the next healthy adult female.
Actually, I had a theory that Immortals had higher sex drives due to our perpetual youthfulness and prime-of-life-ness, but I'm sure someone else who cared more had already written a paper in an academic journal about it.
So yes, if I didn't have this dilemma with Garret, perhaps Adam and I would be boinking like bunnies. And maybe if Adam wasn't here, it'd be Garret I'd be wearing out.
Unfortunately, both my heart and my libido were walking a tightrope between my best friend and the person who had just breezed into my life. I would give that the person who had just breezed into my life understood me and my Immortal tendencies far better than any mortal could... but Garret had been by my side for the last three years and knew ME.
I jammed my key into the lock on my front door, slammed it open, then kicked it closed.
I tossed both my sword and my keys onto the coffee table on my way past the living room to the answering machine. The red light was blinking, telling me that I had messages.
I plopped down in my armchair, toeing off my boots and running my fingers through my wind-blown hair as I listened.
Beep Hey... Abby... it's, uh... Garret. Um. I guess you're ... out with... uh, Prof. Pierson. Just... uh... call me, okay? I mean... I guess I ... I've been a bit of a jerk. I mean, I guess I should have told you - but, you know, you KNOW, I wasn't allowed to. So I... I guess you're mad at me. And I guess you're... out... with him. Doing... whatever it is that... Immortals do. Aw, fuck me. Call me, you dumbass, okay? This is bullshit.
I sat back and stared at the ceiling. A little more blunt that usual for Garret, but effective nonetheless. This WAS bullshit. I was mad at him for him keeping secret what he was supposed to keep secret. He was mad at me for not trusting him with the secret I was supposed to keep secret. What was I doing, treating him like some sort of traitor?
Okay, so I'd been hurt. I'd been scared too. I've never liked the idea of watchers. It terrified me to think that I had one - and that he was the person I thought I could trust the most. I'd felt betrayed. After speaking to both and Garret about Watchers, I still am not entirely comfortable with it. But it was a fact of life now, wasn't it? Along with Immortal IDs, Formal Combat Areas, and the VWL.
I'd just have to suck it up.
The answering machine beeped again and I turned my attention back to it.
Beep Abigail? It's Professor Martin. Er - call me? I heard about F.O.I. I'm sorry. If I had known... anyway, there's some stuff I'd like to hash out with you for next week, if that's okay. Guest lectures and stuff, if you're interested. Get back to me tomorrow, or catch me after class Monday. My number's on the syllabus.
I snorted to myself. Guest lectures, eh? Why the Hell not. Cant've been worse than the F.O.I meeting. And by the way, thanks for reminding me. Like I really WANTED to remember the disaster that was the F.O.I. meeting.
I groaned and covered my face with my hands. What the FUCK had that been about? FREAKS.
Beep Abs? It's Adam.
He sounded totally wasted. He must have called as soon as he got home. It occurred to me that I didn't remember giving him my phone number, but hey, he was a prof and an ex-Watcher. He probably had access to that sort of thing through data bases and stuff.
I made a mental note to call Bell Canada in the morning and change my number.
I had a nice time tonight - really nice. I want to cook you dinner. Tomorrow night. That being Saturday. Call me? 905-682-6532. Sweet dreams.
"Well, fuck me," I said to the ceiling.
What to do, what to do...
I decided to worry about it in the morning. I was bone-tired and really just wanted those Sweet Dreams Adam had wished me.
I slept lightly and late into the morning.
Sometime around noon I finally hauled my butt out of bed and into the shower. My teeth and my tongue felt fuzzy and my throat felt like sandpaper. As I scrubbed the shampoo through my hair I made a mental list of what needed to be done today.
I needed to call Prof. Martin about these 'guest lectures'. I had a paper I needed to finish for my Romantic Literature class on Lord Byron, but that could wait until tomorrow. I had to do at least an hour of sword work sometime today or I would start to get fat and lazy.
I needed to call Garret and have a nice long chat.
And I needed to call Adam and tell him wether or not I would be joining him for dinner.
... hm. Dinner. At Adam's house. Made by Adam. Probably including wine. And Candlelight. And more wine. Maybe some music. Maybe some flowers. Probably more wine with a really chocolate-y desert, followed by... whatever our dirty little minds could come up with.
I reached out and turned the water knob, opening up the cold. Brrr. Yes. Cold shower. Useful.
Alright, I'll admit it. I liked Adam.
I think I liked him a lot.
He was clever, he was funny, he was great at giving massages and his accent was cute. His nose was adorable, he made fantastic coffee, and he knew what it felt like to be me. He used to be a Watcher, so he could be a good person to confide my fears in, and it would be nice to have someone to spar with every once and a while. He also had a solid profession in the same University I was attending, so we would definitely see each other every day. Hell, even his apartment was close to mine. And yay, Immortal stamina.
On the other hand, maybe all his kindness was some weird way of getting me to drop my guard so he could take my head.
Hm... no. He'd had his chances at that already. If he wanted to formally challenge me, he would have the minute he'd gotten to town. If he had wanted to be sneaky about it, he would have done it last night when I was dead stinking drunk.
So there is was. I had no qualms whatsoever with having a relationship with Adam ... except: Garret.
Garret was my FRIEND. As pissed as I'd been with him the last few days, I owed him more than a metaphorical punch in the chops by suddenly hoping in the sack with the first Immortal to show up. Garret had confessed his feelings for me, laid his heart out on the line, given me a very sweet and very memorable kiss. Garret cared about me. Garret KNEW me. It would be so easy to bring our relationship that step closer.
Did I like Garret? Well, in my mind he was still just my friend. I had never thought of him as a potential love match, so I had never considered what it would be like to be with him. Maybe I could love Garret. I didn't know. That was something I was going to have to find out.
But was it fair to me or Garret to test out the waters, to let him think that there was maybe a chance, when I knew full well that I would be happy with Adam.
I banged my forehead against the side of the shower and shut off the water.
This was really starting to be more mental work than it was worth.