Falling From Disgrace

Jack pulled away from and studied her face. “Why do I feel there’s a ‘but’ that’s going to follow that?”

“Because while I love you we still can’t be together.”

Jack felt like he had been punched in the gut with a sledgehammer. He was too late. In the time it took him to realize he was being a fool, Adrianna had decided to move on from him.

“Why?” he demanded softly.

“Look at me!” Adrianna told him. “I’m a mess and I have been since I left your apartment a week ago. I shouldn’t have reacted this way, I shouldn’t have fallen apart. I shouldn’t need you to hold myself together. I had a fucking drug dealer in my home, Jack! I bought pills and was ready to take them because I didn’t think I’d ever be able to get over losing you!”

“But you didn’t take them,” Jack reminded her.

“No, I didn’t. But I should have never have gotten to this point.”

Adrianna’s words swam in Jack’s head and he struggled for what to say to convince her that she was wrong. Adrianna took his silence to continue her argument.

“I’m not saying it’s completely over for us, but you need to go. I need time to finish fixing myself alone. I need to know I’m strong enough to live my life without you. I shouldn’t need you this much.”

Feeling defeated, Jack turned from her. She needed time but he didn’t want to spend another day without her. But what was he supposed to do, beg? Again, he couldn’t find the words. Jack took one step towards her door and then forced himself to stop. No! He wouldn’t let her do this. He wasn’t going to keep his mouth shut again like a damn imbecile and risk losing the woman he cared for more than anything else in the world.

“Fuck that!” he yelled, startling Adrianna who had just moved to get to her feet. Jack spun around to face her and gripped her by her upper arms. “I need you, Adrianna. I need you, more than I can even put into words and more than you can possibly imagine; and not to feel like a hero but to feel whole. You say you shouldn’t need me this much but what’s wrong with needing someone? That’s what love is! It’s needing that someone to make you feel strong, and good, and complete, and to even be able to breathe! I need you to breathe, Ade. I’ve been in hell this last week, walking around like I was missing a part of me, and that part was you. Please, tell me you want to be with me because without you, I’m only half a man.”

At Jack’s words, Adrianna’s heart melted. He was right. What was wrong with needing someone? Loving someone meant that you had another person to rely on when you couldn’t do things on your own. And maybe Adrianna would be fine by herself and maybe she wouldn’t. But there was no reason she had to find out.

“Yes,” she answered Jack with a small grin.

“What?” Jack wasn’t sure what she had said, his blood was still rushing in his ears.

“Yes, I want to be with you,” Adrianna laughed and then gasped as Jack swept her off her feet in another bone crushing hug. Without putting her down, he kissed her over and over again, this time chanting that he loved her.

Adrianna squeezed Jack back around his neck and smiled broadly as her chin rested on his shoulder. “You went a little Jerry Maguire on me for a minute there,” she teased.

Chuckling, Jack rested her on her feet but kept his arms wrapped around her. “You’re right, I did- shit, what was the chick’s name from that movie?”

“I don’t know,” Adrianna admitted. “I don’t care.”

“I don’t care either.”

“Just kiss me, Jack.”

And he did.