Path to Deciduous (Sequel to Road to Evergreen) | #Wattys2018

t h i r t e e n

Song for this chapter:

Heaven forbid- The Fray
***
Lesley's P.O.V

"How did he get to you?" Spencer asks. His hands are gripped tight on the top of the chair as he stands behind it.

"He must have been there. Or sent someone. Like Jeremy, for instance," Adam concludes. I open my mouth to speak but they keep interrupting me.

"May I have a look of that paper again?" The lawyer asks me. When did they hire a lawyer? I never agreed to any of this. His eyes turn into slits as he scans it one more time. He leans forward, "The writing is smeared."

"So?" Spencer arches an eyebrow. Smeared. And then it hits me.

"Whoever wrote this is a lefty," I say. "You usually write from left to right, but then you're hand goes above it, smearing it in it's way." They look at me, startled.

"How would you know that?" Adam asks.

"Because I'm a lefty, too," I simply reply. They all gaze at me, unsure of my assumptions. I sigh and reach out for a paper and a pen. "Look," I demonstrate by writing my name which eventually blurs.

"Lucian isn't left handed." Adam says and crosses his hands.

"Is Jeremy?" Spencer asks.

"I don't know," he replies. He reaches out for his phone in his pocket. "I'll ask Megan."

"No." My voice comes out louder than expected. "You're not including her in this." I demand.

"She knows him better than any of us," he argues. I stand up and make my way to him. I lift my chin and stand a bit taller. "She has nothing to do with this. Leave her alone. The last thing I want to do is drag another person I care about into my problems."

He searches my face and I can tell from his eyes that he is unsure. I raise my hand and place it above his phone. "Please," I beg.

He sighs and looks away. "Fine," he gives in. I can tell that he is uneasy with himself. He's refusing to stare into my eyes.

"I'll work on filling a law suit," the lawyer says. "It might take around a week to a month to get a response. But if anything happens in between, let me know. Anything right now could help us win the case." Adam starts pacing the room and Spencer leans back in the chair.

Why am I feeling uneasy about this? For the past years, all I wanted is for Lucian to get what he deserves. But now, I'm not sure I do. Adam's mind is extremely fixed in a wrong direction. I can see he's distracting himself from dealing with the actual problem. He's blocking his feelings away but eventually they will come crashing down. I need an explanation. And I know only one person who can give me that. But I'm still a coward. So that isn't an option.

Thirty minutes later, Spencer and the lawyer leave. I head to the shower and when I return to the room, I find Adam laying on the bed wearing only his black boxers briefs as he crosses his hands behind his head. He notices me staring and instantly smirks. I look away. "I never noticed," I say as I dry my hair with the towel. He sits up straight, "never noticed what?"

"That you had pacs," I simply say. Okay.. Maybe, I did notice.

"Oh really?" He gets up from the bed and walks toward me.

"And the whole six of them?" I gasp. "How lucky am I?" I mock. My eyes travel down and I look away, a boner plain in sight. He laughs and I hide my face.

"I thought I told you not to wear yoga pants anymore," he smirks. I meet his eyes. "Well since they are my pants, I get to wear them."

He crosses his arm across his chest, flexing under his move. "Are you disobeying me?" He gasps. He takes me off guard by bouncing his chest in front of me. I hide a smile. "Yes."