I woke at six and slipped out of bed. Adam looked drawn and tired even in his relaxed state of sleep. I wondered about his life and the secret side he was unwilling to share. Tired and aching, I crawled out of bed and went for a shower. The warm water was soothing against my skin. I sat on the floor to let it caress me. I closed my eyes to the water and rested my head against the tiles.

The stream of water became a trickle. Adam stood over me, helped me to my feet, then held me against him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to put that on you."

"Shush..." I put my fingers on his lips. "It's okay." I put my mouth on his and enjoyed his warm breath on my skin.

Adam held my face with his hands and kissed me. He lowered his face and sighed against my neck. "Jasmine...please believe in me. Stay with me."

I didn't understand what he meant, and again, a surge of panic ran through me. "Adam, I need to know you're okay. Safe. I'm scared for you. Please..."

He held the side of my face and used his thumb to stop my words. "I am. It's okay. Sometimes I have to do things I don't enjoy." He kissed me once more and smiled. "I knew the first time I ever set eyes on you that you were special. Different." Adam put his forehead against mine. "Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not perfect because you are."

I focused on his mouth and touched his cheek. "I don't want to be perfect for anyone but you." I lifted my eyes to meet his.

Adam swept me up in his arms. I held onto his neck as he kissed me again, and then he put me on my feet. "Honey, I have to go. I have to go away for a bit. A week. Maybe ten days."

I was so glad the water was running over my face. I attempted a smile. "When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure." He shook his head. "I'll come and see you as soon as I can."

"Okay." I put on a happy facade. "I was planning on visiting my parents this weekend anyway." I shrugged, cocked my head a little and widened my eyes. "You know, dutiful daughter and all. Gotta keep them onside."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to have you home." Adam touched the side of my face again and kissed me once more.

I got out of the shower, grabbed a towel and put a clean one on the rail for him. When I looked back, he was washing his hair.

Sunrise News was on the TV when I made some toast and tea. The story caught my interest because it happened in Melbourne. Three masked men had entered a home in the northern suburbs carrying guns and a meat cleaver. The husband and wife had been dragged from their bed and ushered into the kitchen. They had been forced to sit at the table where a breadboard had been placed. According to the woman, her hand had been held on the board. They asked her husband questions concerning his job and connections. One man said he was going to cut her hand off. A third man stopped them. He had locked her in the bathroom. She didn't see what happened, but she heard her husband scream numerous times. When the bathroom door opened, the men had gone. Her husband lost two fingers on one hand and was being treated in the hospital. The police were waiting to question him further. I stared at the TV in horror.

Adam touched my shoulder. I jumped. "Oh my God! Did you hear that?"

"Yeah. Scary shit. You realise how good you've got it when you hear stuff like that."

"One of them must have had a bit of a conscience. She could have lost her hand."

"True," Adam said, then took a bite of my toast.

"Hey?" I grinned. "You want some, you have to make your own."

He dug his finger into my side. "I am going to have to take you to obedience classes. I should have been woken with a cup of tea, toast and a naked body. Instead, I get nothing."

"You get plenty, pal." I grinned and waved my toast at him.

"Yeah," Adam laughed and nuzzled my neck. "More than I deserve."

When Adam left, I rang Mum to tell her I was coming to stay for the weekend. "I'll be over tonight when I finish work. Can Dad pick me up from the train?"

Mum sounded ecstatic that I was coming. She slipped in a comment that I'd picked the perfect weekend.

"Hey, Chicken." Dad kissed me on the cheek and picked up my bag.

"Hi, Dad," I giggled. "You do know I'm twenty-two, don't you? Not quite a chicken anymore."

He laughed and rubbed my head. "You'll always be my chicken."

As we got in the car, I said, "Have you guys got something on this weekend because Mum said I'd picked the perfect time to come? I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic."

Dad laughed as he checked over his shoulder at the oncoming traffic. When he pulled onto the road, he grinned at me. "Kyle Curtis is home this weekend. You know how your mother thinks the sun shines out of him." Dad winked at me. "She sees you as the future Mrs. Curtis."

"I know," I groaned. "I'll try to seem keen so her dreams won't be shattered."

The house I grew up in is a three-bedroom, low-yellow brick home. Melody and I shared a bedroom. Daniel got to have his own. When you enter the house, you step up two steps into the lounge, and the hall to the left leads to the bedrooms, bathroom and toilet. The kitchen and dining room are combined at the back of the house. Outside, through the back sliding door, is a small covered entertainment area that steps straight out onto the open lawn. Dad has his shed in the back corner. My parents keep the lawn at the back tidy. The front left side garden is bushy and lush. It shields the front from the road. The right side consists of the driveway into the carport and a pathway to the front door.

Mum gushed over me and piled my plate with food. When I complained, she said, "You're too skinny. It's that horrible job you have, expecting you to show off your body all the time, for men to ogle you. I wish you'd give it up, Jazz."

I smiled at her. "It's not what you imagine, Mum. You've been there and had coffee. I serve more old ladies than men."

She huffed, grabbed the milk from the fridge and poured me a glass.

I screwed up my nose. "Milk?"

Mum peered at me. "I bet you haven't had a glass of milk since you were here last. You used to love milk. You have to drink it for your bones. How do you expect to carry a baby if your bones are weak?"

"Babies? I was in complete disbelief. "We're talking babies now?"

Mum sat and patted my hand. "You'll want babies one day." Without a breath, she added, "Kyle's home from med school this weekend. You've always liked him."

I laughed some more and took a mouthful of food. When I swallowed, I said, "I've met someone."

Mum half closed her eyes and shook her head as if to say, You only think you have. She said, "Not one of those men from your work. You know, those kinds of men only want sex. You haven't had sex with him, have you? As I've told you before, giving men sex encourages them for the wrong reasons. Kyle's a nice boy; he wouldn't expect that of you." She patted my forearm, got up and flustered around the kitchen.

I didn't say anything more about Adam.

I wonder where Adam is going.

Jasmine's mum, hahaha, who has a mum like this?

And who is Kyle Curtis?

Photo copyright - Shutterstock