Chapter One Hundred And Fourteen - Look Into My Eyes

Parting is bittersweet, but daily life will intrude on all moments, be they healing or harming, happy or sad.  Adam had to return to his hometown as he had to work for the next five days, plus there were the three evenings he had to spend at his other job.  He would make the journey to see his lover the following Sunday afternoon, though it would only be for a short time.  Owen kissed his lips in farewell, reminding him that they could still text and meet in the game.  He shared the name of his secondary account that they might not be found out by their Faction mates who would likely struggle to comprehend this turn of events.

"I can always just say that I fell in love with you at first sight," Adam had pouted, causing Owen to laugh and shake his head.  Was this going to be his answer to every awakening from now on?

His half-brother, Mark, left the house quietly, returning to University, where he was studying business management.  He was expected to help his brother in Jackson and Miller when he graduated with his degree.  He did not apologise to Owen and frankly Owen did not care.  If the boy had any regrets, it was simply his own attitude to Karl, Mark and Francis, insisting to everyone they were step siblings, not related by blood.  But he had better things to think about than that family.  His future was with Adam.

The true stumbling block in their happily ever after was not his stepmother or father, but whomever Nellie had been reborn as.  The madness had consumed her in their last life and they had had to sacrifice much to put an end to it.  However, in doing so, she could simply be reborn elsewhere.  Who knew how much of her crazed nature lingered?  Was she still holding onto her obsession? What desperate measures would she use in this world to separate them?  Was she still connected to the System?  Would they be able to send her back into the physical world?  Too many unanswered questions.  They also knew that the System would likely be somewhere in this world as well.  The Master had told them that it hid in these worlds so that the Master could not capture it.  In their last life, it had been a part of The Queen's nest, before it had abandoned her to her demise.

Owen sighed as he watched Adam drive away down the street thinking that what was probably more annoying, was that he had his final physics exam tomorrow.

*****

Once a month, on Thursday night, Night Life usually held some sort of an event, to raise interest.  After all, it was not as if Thursday's were a popular night to go out, drink and party.  They had had theme nights, such as 70's and 80's nights, Halloween, Christmas etc and youth nights, where no alcohol were served and kids of sixteen and seventeen were allowed to enter.  And of course there were hen nights, strictly ladies nights, which were naturally popular with both single, partnered and married women.  During these nights, the female employees worked the bar, the male employees worked the floor.  Adam felt more like a host from one of those type of bars, displayed, paraded and having to deftly avoid being pinched and touched on more than one occasion.

His 'fan club' always attended Hen nights and always got a little hands on when the alcohol flowed to freely in their veins.  One, a feisty brunette was squeezing his bicep with her manicured fingers and commenting on it's thickness and firmness.  Things went down hill from there.

"Ooo! Let me feel too!" Her freckle faced friend grinned.  He inspected her left eye as she leant forward to stroke his arm.  "Phwar! So hot!"

"Quit hogging him!" pouted the girl with the round face and large blue eyes.  Nope, she didn't have the mark either.

"Say," the well endowed friend queried, "is down there as thick and firm?"  Adam simply raised an eyebrow at the question as he finished collecting the empty glasses and bottles from their table, placing them carefully on the small tray.

"That I will leave to your imagination," he told her. Nothing, her eyes were glassy from drinking too much, but there was nothing else of interest there.  He made his way back to the bar as they whistled at catcalled him and placed the tray down with an audible sigh.  Tina came over and slid a coke his way.  He glanced up at her.

"The wicked witch of the west is out the back reducing her life span with a cigarette," Tina shrugged, "and you look like you could do with this."

He scented a strong background note overpowering the soda, but took a long sip anyway.  It burned at the back of his throat.  Ah, he was correct in his analysis; the coke in the drink was just for show.  "Thanks," he wheezed slightly.

"You're welcome," Tina grinned.

"Don't let dragon lady catch you," Flynn warned.

"She drinks more than any of us anyway," Tina retorted.  Adam noticed that she had fairly pale blue eyes.  Not as pale as Owen's eyes... his mind began to wander.  A waving hand brought him back to reality.  "What were you thinking of?  Your face went all soft for a moment."

Adam began to blush as if caught red handed.  "Ugh, what a horrific look," the boss chose that moment to approach them.  The whiskey with the splash of coke vanished from the bar swiftly.  Lacey glanced at Adam up and down for a minute, her features twisting, clearly disgusted with what she saw.  Tina appeared startled, wondering what her colleague had done to deserve such scrutiny.  "If you are going display such bliss, do it in your own time!"  The woman vanished towards the employees only area, which held her small office.

"Bliss?" Tina glanced at Adam again, then grinned, knowingly.  If there was one thing their boss was famous for, besides being the most hated woman in town, it was the fact that she could smell a happy relationship a mile away.  She hated love, hated people in love and hated people displaying their love in public and she made sure everyone knew.  "Share!"

"Later, there's still work to do," Adam evaded as he quickly made his way to another table to gather empty glasses, suffering two pinches to his bottom for his troubles.

"Who would have known that the infamous 'Black Zeus' worked in my favourite nightclub all of this time," a woman said softly as he collected an empty wine bottle from the centre of the table.  He looked up to see a familiar and pretty brunette.

"I hope you are wearing sensible heels this evening," Adam smiled, recalling their last meeting.

"Ah yes," she said, revealing black and silver sandles with kitten heels.

"I'm not sure how Black Zeus is infamous, though," Adam said, questioningly.  Her red stained lips curved and she glanced at him through long black lashes as she stroked her half filled wine glass.

"That depends who you speak to," she replied.  "Such as my hubby."

His eyes narrowed.  "I'm not sure I follow you."

"Think harder," she suggested.  "I may not be the top female player, but I can give her a run for her money, you know."

"Wait, you're Suffer The Wrath!" Adam exclaimed, as the puzzle pieces fell into place.

"Ugh," her friend muttered.  "If you are going to talk about that game again, I'm going to grab another bottle.  White or red?"  There were more in their group in favour of her buying white than red.

The brunette chuckled, though whether this was in reaction to Adam or her friend, only she knew.  "I'm a little hurt that you didn't remember me," she pouted.  "I did play against your team you know."

"I was.. a little distracted," Adam admitted.  Even now, the image of his lover squirming beneath him haunted the dark behind his eyes.  It made his throat dry and he wondered what Tina had done with that drink.

"I hope you don't blame your defeat at my hubby's hands on whatever distracted you," she said in mock warning.  As she repeated her claim on that person, Adam felt more than a little irritated.

"Not at all," Adam replied.  "Requiem Knife is an extremely talented player.  I can only blame my lax ways.  I automatically attempted to use hot keys."

The woman laughed, "so did I!  Ah, it's too easy to use hot keys to throw out skills isn't it!  If I ever want to join the tournament, I should probably practice fighting without them.  How about you?"

"How about me, what?" Adam asked.

"Will you join the tournament, if Pure Technologies actually hold one?" She asked.  Adam wasn't entirely sure what she was speaking about, he and Owen had snuck away during the battle for third place.  However he could get the jist of it from her words.

"Probably not," Adam replied.

"Oh, why not?" She asked, tilting her head and looking at him through her vivid green eyes.

"No time," Adam answered.  "What with work... work and more work..."

"But isn't working this place part time?" She murmured, giving Adam pause.  However he couldn't find anything suspicious in her eyes or the words.  With the exception of the boss, everyone here worked part time.

"Who said that I only work here?" He asked, before deciding he best get back to work, less he lose one of his jobs.  She didn't seem to be the one either so there was no point continuing their conversation.

The bottle of white wine was placed in the middle of the table and those with empty glasses scrambled near to get a refill.  The girl who had purchased the bottle, tutted, before stingily pouring small amounts into those glasses and a healthy amount into her own.  She turned to her friend, Harmony, who was still nursing her glass.  "So?  I take it you know that hunk of stud muffin!" She said.  "Please, do share!"

"Why?  You aren't interested in that game!" Harmony laughed.

"If he's playing it, I could be," the girl grumbled.  "He has a voice of pure sin! And the package is just as yummy."

"Doesn't he just!" Harmony agreed.  "Alas, I don't actually play with his team, in fact we are rivals!  The only time I get to hear his voice is when he is cursing me for taking out his minions!"  She rubbed at her left eye for a moment.

"He can curse me anytime!" Her friend said, before noticing Harmony's discomfort.  "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Harmony replied.  "Just my contact lens feels a little dry."  She downed the last of the pale liquid in her glass.  "Now pour me some wine woman!"  Her friend began to grumble, but did as she asked.