A new day, a new beginning
"Are you awake already?" A voice called out, causing him to stir slightly, "huh?" He muttered groggily, slowly opening his eyes and finding himself lying on the soft bed. "Good morning," she greeted cheerfully, smiling warmly at him while embracing him on her side.
Still fully clothed, he sighs tiredly before answering, "Yeah, good morning to you." Returning the gesture with a smile of his own, he asks, "How long have you been awake?" He asked curiously, noticing that she was ready for work. "A few hours now," she replied honestly. "I wanted to let you sleep longer but I couldn't resist," she admitted sheepishly.
"Admit what?" Smirking at this notion, "that you couldn't resist my charm?" Jokingly said, causing her to laugh heartily, "something like that," she confessed playfully, "and now I have no choice but to kiss you." She teased back at him, leaning forward and planting a quick peck on his cheek before pulling away, "What a lucky day to be alive, isn't it, Adam?"
Alive huh? Is he supposed to be lucky to have survived against impossible odds when he should have normally died on the spot? Plot armor is really something else to be feared for something that is the work of a person, a being who can bend and twist the very rules and world around him in their own favor.
And that someone is him, being guided by the story or some unknown force of nature that has decided to follow him and his journey as the main protagonist. He doesn't know why he is given this special treatment, but one thing is for certain: he will not let some omnipotent entity control his life.
Because he will always be the man he wanted to become—someone who would make his own destiny and not rely on others for help—he will be the one who saves himself, his friends, and his family. That is what his heart desires the most—to be able to protect the things that he holds dear.
"Something wrong?" Her voice was concerned. "Nothing," he answered shortly, shaking his head, "just thinking about stuff, that's all." Further from the truth, he is more troubled with the current situation; he is currently some kind of protagonist.
"Hey, uh, Meridana?" Asking out loud, causing her to raise an eyebrow questionably, "yes?" She inquired curiously as Adam spoke afterwards, "Can I ask you something?" He hesitantly said so, unsure if he should continue or not.
"Of course you can," she assured kindly, "but what is it?" She is curious to know what he wants to say, as she is always willing to lend an ear to him. Their friends were likely more than that, and it was her duty to listen and understand him.
"Could you let me go?" He requested gently, "I need to go somewhere." He responded carefully, hoping that she would understand his reason for needing to go somewhere, not even wanting to dream of his boss being worried and mad at him for his long absence.
"I see," she said simply, nodding her head in understanding, "well, alright then," having agreed amicably, "But promise me that you'll come back soon," she added hopefully, "and please don't do anything stupid," pleading with him while giving a stern look, "okay?"
"I promise," he replied honestly, smiling reassuringly at her, "I won't get myself into trouble," he assured confidently, even though that is a lie, "don't worry about me," adding reassuringly, "I'll be fine," another lie once again.
"You better," she warned sternly, "or else I'll hunt you down," threatening playfully, causing him to chuckle lightly, "yeah, yeah," waving his hand dismissively, "I'll keep that in mind," he replied nonchalantly, grinning widely from ear to ear.
As she retreated her own arms, allowing him to finally get up from the bed; sitting on the edge with his eyes focused on the ground, Adam had something else to speak off, "don't forget to take care of Pumpkin while I'm gone," reminding her, "I trust you to take good care of him," he stated firmly, glancing at her from behind momentarily before averting his gaze back downwards.
"Don't worry," she said kindly, "I won't let anything happen to your pet," promising sincerely that nothing bad would happen, "its a promise, Adam," she declared seriously, "so please believe me when I say this," she answered softly, looking at him pleadingly with her beautiful green eyes, "I will protect your beloved pooch."
"Thank you," he murmured gratefully, standing up from the bed and walking towards the door, "I'll remember that," smiling under his breath as he opened the door, ready to step out of the room and head back to Miller's home in regards to their mission.
"Oh, and one more thing," she called out suddenly, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. "What is it?" He asked curiously, turning around to face her, "just remember that I love you," she confessed lovingly, smiling warmly at him, "and I always will."
"Yeah, I know," he answered simply, nodding his head in understanding, "and I love you too," returning the affectionate gesture with his own, "goodbye Meridiana," he spoke quietly, turning around once again and leaving the room.
The door closed behind him, leaving his thoughts in the brightened hallway as the sunlight pierced through the windows, illuminating the entire corridor. He felt somewhat strange after hearing those words from her mouth, but he couldn't deny the fact that he enjoyed it.
He loved her, she loved him. It was a mutual feeling between them. Genuine love and he couldn't believe himself that his actually going to betray Eve's trust even though she is already dead. Is it alright to simply moved one in finding another spouse and lover?
Leaning on his back at the door while allowing his body to slowly fall on itself; Adam questioned if what he was doing was right or wrong, "maybe I shouldn't have said that," he muttered quietly, closing his eyes as he thought about what might happen if he continued to have her win his heart.
"But then again," he said to himself, opening his eyes and staring blankly at the ceiling, "finding another person to love again isn't out of the question," musing thoughtfully, "if anything, I think it would be good for me," he reasoned calmly from this, "it would help me get over my past," softly said, sighing heavily as he stood up from the ground, brushing off the dust on his clothes.
Now he has to get out of this house and head back home, preparing to meet Miller once again and continue their mission of finding the serial killer mutilator responsible for ruining innocent lives in Hope City. Walking down the hallway, he eventually found himself in the living room.
Where his precious corgi is still asleep at the corner, happily dreaming away without a care in the world. Smiling fondly at the sight of his beloved pet, Adam decided to quietly head over him and kneel down at his level, giving him a gentle smooch on the furry head.
"Dad will be back, don't you worry little guy," saying those farewell words, he got up and exited the house while producing as less noise as possible, not wanting to disturb the sleeping pooch from his slumber. Once he left the house, the warm rays of the sun greeted him, causing him to squint his eyes momentarily before adjusting to the bright light.
The wind blew gently, causing his long coat to flutter slightly from the reaction, "time to get going," he murmured quietly, inhaling the fresh air deeply as the chilly oxygen entered his lungs. He took one last look at Meridiana's house before turning around, walking away from the place with a heavy heart.
He wasn't sure how long it would take for him to return, but he knew that he couldn't stay here forever. There are places to go and people to met as they say, but Adam wouldn't forget her one bit; she is one of the most beautiful women both inside and outside.
Society always despise the outcasts, treating them harshly and cruelly for no reason. They were rejected by society because of who or what they are, but Adam doesn't think that way. Every single person isn't born to be perfect; everyone is flawed in some way or another.
Sighing once again as bystanders passed by him like usual, he decided to take a cigar in this moment of peace. Producing a lighter from his pocket, he lit up the cigar and placed it between his lips, taking a deep breath of the smoke before slowly exhaling it out.
Smoking was never healthy for anyone, but it helped him calm his nerves whenever he felt stressed or anxious about something. However, the damn nicotine is so good that he can't help himself from smoking every now and then.
Pulling out the cigar from his mouth, he examined it carefully before putting it back in. "Well, I guess I couldn't stop myself from doing this," he said quietly as he continued walking, not bothered by the addiction that is slowly killing him.
Humming quietly to himself, Adam began to wonder what Miller was doing right now. He's probably still sleeping or maybe getting ready to head out as well; either way, his boss is clearly upset about being this late as usual. "Oh well," he muttered silently, shrugging his shoulders indifferently, "better get going." He spoke softly, picking up his pace as he made his way towards the location.
The calm, chilly, and cold wind passing whooshed through the people around him, crowds of folks walking along the sidewalk with their daily lives while some were busy conversing amongst themselves. Cars zoomed past him without stopping, honking loudly as they did so.
It was a typical day in Hope City; nothing unusual happened except for the occasional traffic jam or likely fights at the local convenience store. Especially when there is a homeless man dressed in rags begging for money on the street corner, "Give me money!" The ungrateful person shouted angrily, waving his hands frantically as he tried to get people's attention. "I need money!" He yelled louder, glaring at everyone who passed by him.
On the other side of this sidewalk is another homeless person; this time, the guy is clearly on some kind of drugs, clotheless, and dancing in all of his magnificence; the only thing he has is a dirty, dark, brown trench coat along with his exposed genitalia being visible to the public.
"Hey baby! Wanna dance with me?" The drug addict called out to nearby bystander, grinning widely as he swayed his hips seductively in her direction, "I bet you do," confidently saying in a manner that made him look like a creep before winking suggestively at her.
The woman scowled in disgust and anger, slapping him across the face hard enough to send him stumbling backwards, causing him to land on the ground with a loud thud. He groaned painfully, rubbing his cheek tenderly as he glared at her, screaming, "bitch!"
Adam rolled his eyes at this and chuckled, finding this city amusing despite its flaws. "Well, I guess not everyone is perfect," he said quietly, shaking his head in amusement as he continued walking down the street, ignoring the growing crackheads appearing out of nowhere.
Making Hope City almost like New York with all the crazies and junkies roaming around freely, but it's still better than being stuck in a place full of criminals and murderers. It's not every day he would expect any city to have them around.
Metropolises are really different compared to small towns; they're always bustling with activity and full of life. People come and go, living their lives to the fullest while enjoying everything they can possibly get. However, Adam didn't care about any of these things. Because in the end, he has other things to do.
