Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The command hung in the air, a stark, simple order that severed the last thread of Adam’s autonomy. Hold her hand. It was so mundane, so deceptively gentle, that for a second his brain refused to process it. This wasn't about comfort. It was about incorporation. He was being drafted as a participant in his own displacement.
His feet moved before his mind could form a protest. The few steps to the other side of the bed felt like a mile. The air was thicker over here, saturated with the scent of their sweat and her release. He looked down at Alexandra. Her eyes were closed, her face a mask of strained pleasure, her jaw tight. Her left hand was splayed on the sheet, fingers twitching.
Govi watched him, his rhythm never faltering, that slow, grinding torture against her. "Now," Govi said, his voice low and even.
Adam knelt on the floor beside the bed. The carpet was rough against his knees. He reached out, his hand hovering over hers. He saw the pale band of skin on her ring finger where her wedding band usually sat. She’d taken it off before the game started. A practical precaution that now felt like a prophecy.
He covered her hand with his. Her skin was cool. Her fingers jerked, then stilled. She didn't interlace her fingers with his. She just let her hand lie there, trapped under his.
"See?" Govi said, his gaze shifting from Adam's face down to Alexandra's. "He's here. It's all good."
He increased the pressure of his hips. A sharp, choked sound escaped Alexandra's throat. Her fingers curled, her nails digging faintly into Adam's palm. The pain was a pinpoint of reality in the surreal nightmare.
Govi’s breathing grew heavier, more ragged. His movements lost their deliberate control, becoming quicker, more urgent. He was close. He leaned forward, bracing himself over Alexandra, his face inches from hers, his entire world narrowed to the point where their bodies met.