The Bedrock Series

Chapter Three-1

Patrick picked Addie up outside her dorm exactly as he had said, promptly at seven o’clock. It was a warm fall night, she recalled that the air smelled of fresh cut grass, these were things she knew she’d never forget. Seeing him standing there waiting, leaning against the stoop waiting on her, well, that was almost too much. Damn. She took a deep breath and paused, taking him in.

herDamn. While she stood there mesmerized, wondering whether to run for him or head for the hills, pondering how she could keep from messing this up, Patrick looked up at her and smiled. Her heart sank; the butterflies in the pit of her stomach churned and she was certain she hadn’t felt these feelings in a very long time, if ever. So, this is what love feels like, she thought throwing up her hands, rushing down the stairs toward the future. Stopping just in front of him and c****d her head. She hadn’t planned what she might say.

So, this is what love feels like, Thankfully, Patrick bent down and hugged her. “You look nice,” he whispered in her ear. She pulled away first. At 6’4”, Patrick towered over her. Feeling his breath on her skin made her dizzy but it was the dimples she saw when she looked up at him that nearly did her in. I hope our children get those dimples.

. I hope our children get those dimples.“What now?” she said unable to think of anything else.

“I’m taking you to a local restaurant that I’ve heard good things about… it features fresh, local food,” he told her studying her face. How am I supposed to eat at a time like this, she thought.

How am I supposed to eat at a time like this, “I hope that’s ok,” he said, holding the passenger door open as she climbed in.

Unable to believe her luck, she smiled, feeling incredibly grateful for chance meetings. “That’s perfect.”

* * *

As far as first dates go, theirs was flawless.

It felt different for Addison; this time she actually cared. Patrick seemed genuinely interested in her, asking questions in all the right places. She was sure of herself, he’d said, and he liked that about her.

Still Addison didn’t want to get her hopes up, so when she sensed a little hesitation on Patrick’s part, she decided to give him an out. “You know, I have to be honest —”

"I like honesty,” he said.

She looked up and swallowed. “Good. It’s just…well…I’m pretty happy with life as it is and I don’t want to mess it up. I’m not really looking to date, and I’m sure as hell not looking for anything serious. Not right now.”

Patrick picked up his wine and took a sip, his eyes never leaving hers. “That’s the best thing you could’ve said, actually.”

* * *

Although neither of them was willing to label their relationship one way or another, Addison and Patrick found themselves pretty much a couple from that first date on.

They dated smoothly for two years, becoming almost inseparable. For the most part, their relationship was ideal. They were the best of friends, and, as Jessica liked to remind her, their s*x life was “to die for.” For the first time ever, if Addison were being honest with herself, she felt loved. Patrick adored her, perhaps even more than she adored him.

Then came their senior year. It was the year that would put them to the test. Though it was never really said, Addison knew that Patrick’s family didn’t approve of her, and she suspected that this was the reason Patrick didn’t speak much of the future or specifically, of their future beyond graduation. Patrick had mentioned a few times that his parents had a girl picked out they hoped he’d marry. But that he wasn’t thinking about marriage. While she didn’t know much, she knew from the beginning that Patrick’s childhood was very different from her own. He grew up in an upscale-gated community in Dallas, Texas. His father was a doctor and his mom a housewife, who according to Patrick, mostly played tennis and planned exclusive dinner parties. He had an older sister, Jennifer, although he spoke even less about her than he did his parents. Needless to say, if Addison knew why Patrick’s parents disapproved of their relationship, she didn’t say.

But also, fair was fair. She didn’t want to talk about her family and she never felt like forcing him to talk about his. In fact, she put off telling him about her parents, or lack thereof, for as long as she possibly could, finally only telling him that her mother had died and that her grandparents had raised her. Patrick didn’t pry or ask further questions, and for that she was grateful. As time went on, she gave him pieces, brief snippets of her life growing up, but never the whole truth. That was the thing about people like Patrick and Jessica, they were idealists and Addison didn’t want to be the person to shatter those ideals.

* * *

Eventually, Patrick invited Addison to dinner with his parents when they stopped into town. Still, she hadn’t really spent any significant amount of time with them and so when Patrick informed her that his parents had invited them to their lake house for the weekend the summer before their final semester, she was ecstatic insisting that they were finally coming around. But she read otherwise in his demeanor and so she hesitated, making excuses as to why she couldn’t go. In the end, however, she gave in, knowing Jess was right when she told her that it was now or never.

The lake house, like the Greyer’s, was immaculate and formal. While the Greyer’s put on a friendly face in front of their son, Addison was otherwise given the cold shoulder. To add insult to injury, she couldn’t help but notice they went out of their way to make sure that whenever they spoke of Patrick’s future, she wasn’t included, which they did, a lot. It was clear pretty quickly why she’d been invited. They wanted to put her in her place; they wanted to let her know where things stood.

On their second night there, after an uncomfortable interrogation about her childhood and family at the dinner table, courtesy of Jenn, Patrick’s older sister, Addison and Patrick had it out. She requested they leave the following morning and accused his family of insinuating that she wasn’t good enough for him, which Patrick flat out denied. To make matters worse, Patrick was different around his family. He was quiet and distant when it came to her and yet needy and child-like in the face of his family. This made her question whether she knew him at all.

When he called her crazy, she began throwing her things into her bag. He surveyed the room. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m leaving.”

Patrick sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. “Stay, Addison,” he sighed.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t stop packing.

“They’ll come around. But, I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing...”

Her face grew red and she threw her hands up. “Of course, you do. Don’t accuse me of being crazy. I know that your parents think I’m not good enough for you. I know exactly why they invited us here…”

Patrick didn’t argue. “Let’s just sleep on it, ok? We can talk about it in the morning.”

But they didn’t talk because Addison had slept on it and the next morning, she called a cab, and didn’t look back. She had spent her whole life feeling unwanted, and now that she was an adult, she had a choice in the matter.

* * *

“You know what I find interesting,” the deep voice called from the darkness. “That you thought you had a choice in the matter.”

Addison wanted to wake up, to open her eyes, to ask what he meant, but she couldn’t. She was too tired, too out of it. “Look at you,” she heard him say. “You’re filthy. No one is going to want you like this…”

The next thing she knew she felt a cool spray hit her skin. It prickled at first, but then the pressure grew. Still, she couldn’t open her eyes. She couldn"t face him, even if she"d wanted to. “I hope you like water,” he said. “By the look of you, the drugs haven"t worn off yet." He laughed. "This should help...”

She’d always heard drowning was a quick way to go, now she hoped it was really true.

* * *

Addison felt like she was drowning without Patrick. They went two weeks without speaking before finally running into each other in the library. Patrick apologized for the way his family treated her. He told her that he was sorry with the way that they had left things and asked her to meet him at his apartment later that evening to talk.

She didn’t agree but she didn’t tell him no, either. The truth was, she’d been a complete mess since walking out on Patrick. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t do anything but think of him and wonder if she’d done the right thing. Jessica tried to cheer her up by ordering takeout and renting sappy movies but none of it worked. She worried that Addison might be content just sitting around in her pajamas forever, staring into space. In a matter of a week, she had become different, lifeless. She’d only gone to the library because she had to return a book; she couldn’t afford the late fees.

Jessica walked over, flipped the TV off, and pulled the covers out from around her.

“Get up,” she ordered. “The shower is running. And you know how I hate to waste water.”

“What the hell!” Addison said, throwing her hands up. “Since when have you cared about wasting water?”

“Since right now,” Jess said tugging at Addison’s arm. “GET UP! You’ll feel better once you don’t smell so bad. Seriously. You can’t just lie here forever.”

Addison frowned as she searched for the remote. “Maybe I can.”

“You’ve missed classes, Addison. This isn’t like you.”

“Fine,” she said eventually, considering Patrick’s offer.

Once showered and dressed, she realized Jessica was right, she did feel better. Also, what could it possibly hurt going over to his place to talk things over?

* * *

It was different being in his apartment after everything. Neither of them spoke much, treading carefully, and tiptoeing around feelings like performance artists. It wasn’t just that something was different. It was that everything was different.

After dinner they sat on the sofa, Addison sipping her wine, Patrick water. Finally, when she’d had enough of the tiptoeing, when she couldn’t take it another minute, she spoke up. “Ok, Patrick. You invited me here. I’m here… so spit it out. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

“Spit what out?”

“Whatever it is you need to say.”

Patrick turned toward her, eventually taking her hand in his. He didn’t meet her eye. “So . . . Ok . . . I . . . Um . . . I can’t do this anymore. Being apart has given me some time to think, and, well, I realized I just don’t want anything serious right now. We’re so young, Addison.”

so She felt the blow in her stomach. She wanted to cry. But tears wouldn’t come. She wouldn’t let them. Instead, she put on her best poker face, careful not to give anything away. Knowing that there wasn’t anything left to say, she placed her wine on the coffee table and stood, before brushing her hands on her jeans. “Ok,” she said, looking back toward Patrick. He grabbed her wrist.