Keep your eyes open,Hog had said.Know the difference between what you're seeing and what you're being shown.
I was seeing Adrian. Tired. Scared. Holding onto me like I was the only solid thing in a tilting world.
"Okay," I said. "Yeah. I can give you time."
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"But Adrian—" I waited until his eyes locked on mine. "Whatever it is. Whatever's going on. You can tell me. When you're ready. I'm not going to freak out." I paused. "I mean, Imight freak out. I'm excellent at freaking out. But I can freak out and handle things. That's multitasking."
He shook his head. "Just give me a little more time. Please."
"Okay." I lowered myself back down, tucking my head under his chin. He wrapped his arms around me immediately. "If you're secretly a vampire, I want to know soon. Or a federal agent. Or three smaller documentary filmmakers in a trench coat."
He laughed—surprised and genuine.
"I'm not a vampire."
"You'd say that even if you were a vampire."
"I'm also not three smaller filmmakers."
"The trench coat would be a giveaway. You don't own a trench coat." I yawned—huge, jaw-cracking yawn.
"Go to sleep, Pickle."
"I'm just saying, I've seen movies. The love interest always turns out to be hiding something."
"My past isn't dark. It's just sad."
I pressed closer against him.
"Sad's okay," I said. "Sad I can work with, but please don't be secretly evil. That would really mess up my whole plan."
"What plan?"
"The plan where I keep you." I yawned again, the world going soft at the edges. "Very elaborate. Involves Thai food and excellent sex and eventually getting you to admit that Thunder Bay is superior to Chicago in every way."
"It's growing on me."
He raked his fingers through my hair. "Rest," he said. "I've got you."
I let my eyes close, let the exhaustion pull me down.
The last thing I registered before sleep took me: Adrian's grip hadn't loosened.
He was still holding on and still awake.
He's holding me like something's about to break.
I fell asleep anyway because I trusted him.
Eyes open,I told myself.I'm choosing this with my eyes open.
But my eyes were closed, and Adrian was still awake, and somewhere in the distance, Lake Superior lapped against the shore—patient, indifferent, keeping its secrets to itself.
Chapter sixteen
Adrian
