When she woke up that morning she felt the heaviness of the previous night’s meal still weighing in her stomach. They had been out late. Where Thomas had found the money for all the wine they’d had she had no idea.

During his last few visits she’d found that she shifted moods quickly. Whatever was going on back at his father’s farm, it was obvious to her that he wasn’t being entirely truthful. He never wanted to out like that, which made the revelry strange.

He’d usually arrive in the mid afternoon and head straight to the apartment that his family rented above the general store. She would usually join him later in the day, once she had finished work. They’d catch up for a few hours, sometimes go for a meal somewhere, and then return to the apartment, where the rest of the evening would unfold as it would.

She could tell as she arrived that all was not well with him today, His eyes were sunken in and dark. Bags pulled them downward, drooping his face. He’d lost weight in his face, and as she caressed him she felt the sweat and dirt of the last several days in his clothing.

He did not seem to notice much, or if he had, it didn’t concern him. Something else occupied his mind.

“What is it?” Mara begins, entwining their fingers. “Where are you right now?”

He looks up and leans his head back, resting it on the nape of the chair.

“Its-well. I don’t know if I’m even sure.” He sniffles, moves his eyes about the room, and eventually meets her before darting away again.

She moves to sit near him, and grips his hand more fully. “Did something happen?”

He crosses his arms. Watching him, she senses a tension filling the room. Something had happened.

“You know you can tell me, right? There’s no judgement here.” She reassures, “it’s just us.”

Thomas squeezes his hands against his upper arms and takes a deep breath, allowing his shoulders to fall away from his ears and his arms to rest on the table in front of him.

“It’s Adrian.” He says matter of factly, clasping his fingers together tightly, as though it held his entire person together.“he’s… he left. He ran away, or – fuck. I mean. I don’t know.”

“Jesus- what do you mean he ran away? Where would he go?”

Thomas tenses and looks away, his throat catches and he swallows hard.

“I don’t know, Mar.” He stares into the room, the space behind his eyes a dark void. “Dad’s acting like Adrian ran off in the middle of night. Like he packed a bag and took off. Alone.”

Mara stays silent.

“And I just-” he pauses. “And of course Hannah and Caroline don’t understand. They think he’s come here or just gone to Grace’s, you know. But its just…it’s so unlike him. I don’t get it.”

She sits across the table from him and places her hands over his.
He lets out a sigh. “And what now? I’m supposed to just sit there and read books to the girls like nothing is wrong.”

“What are you saying?”

Thomas goes quiet for a moment, his eyes shift form side to side, churning the gears of his thought.

“I think Dad had a little too sorted a story for Adrian to have just, ‘run away’ a few nights ago.”

She nods. Thomas continues.

“He wouldn’t do that. He spends pretty much every evening at Grace’s house, and he comes home right around when we’re headed to bed. But he didn’t come back that night. I figured he’s staying with Grace and I head to bed thinking I’ll give him hell about it tomorrow. But I wake up and he isn’t there. Yet somehow Dad knows exactly what happened? I don’t know if I buy it.”

Mara sighs, her brow furrowing as the thought takes shape.
“You think your Dad…did something to your brother?”

Thomas’ distant gaze somehow gets farther away. His eyes darken for a moment before he looks back at her.

“I’m saying I think it’s all a little too obvious if you know what I mean.”

They sit quietly for a time, she rubs her hands over his in a futile attempt to soothe him.

“What gets me the most is that Grace doesn’t know. He clearly didn’t stay with her. For the last two days I see her in the yard, around the fence. She’s looking for him. If she hasn’t come over yet to ask after him she will soon. Poor thing.”

He falls silent again, the air heavy.

“But…Adrian wouldn’t ever have split like that, not without her. Not without at least telling her.”

The darkness in his eyes closes over, and he fights back tears.

“He’s so in love with her, Mar. The only way he’d’ve gone like this would be…you know what not even then I don’t think. There’s pretty much no scenario in which he would leave town without her either going with him or knowing about it. Something doesn’t add up.”

“Have you spoken with her?”

He stifles himself, regaining his composure. “No, not yet. I feel so awful for her. I don’t want to have to be the one to break that news. She’s going to be devastated.”

He rises from the table and pours himself a drink.

“Adrian was planning on proposing to her. He told me that the last time he was over there that her folks asked them about it. I thought it was weird that Grace wasn’t going to be the one to do it, but he was so happy? Who am I to judge.”

He sips the drink, leaning his back against the counter.

“And now I’m meant to believe that less than a week after he tells Dad about his intention he up and runs off? I don’t think so.”
She stands and joins him.

“Maybe it would be a good idea to speak with Grace about it? Maybe she knows something you don’t.”

He lets out a puff of air. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe he did have a reason, and she’s just missing him while he’s gone? You said yourself they prefer to spend a lot of time together, right?”

He sighs again and downs the rest of the drink. Mara takes the glass from his hand and places it gently on the counter, closing the distance between them.

“Even if its only for your piece of mind?” she wrap her arms around him. “It might help you sleep better. But he’ll be back, try not to worry. Adrian is smart. He’s savvy, he doesn’t seem like someone who would endanger himself unnecessarily. He’s also an adult. Assuming nothing nefarious is going on, why shouldn’t he make his own choices?”

Thomas nods and reciprocates the contact, pulling her closer to him and accepting her comfort.

“I hope you’re right. Adrian can handle himself, I just worry. This is s different for him. It’s not like he can support himself if he left.”

“That’s true.” She nods. “Why don’t we get some rest? Maybe sleeping on it will help you feel better?”

He nods and follows her into the bedroom, taking the lantern and leaving the kitchen in darkness.