Adam and Kyle: after they leave
Adam was out of sight already once Kyle left the cafeteria, but he took a chance and figured that the other man would be headed for his room. It was, in fact, a chance that paid off as he caught up to him at the top of the stairs. “Hey, Adam - wait up!” he called, as he jogged up the last few steps.
It took a moment for Kyle’s voice to register despite the fact that he’d said Adam’s name. It had him slowing at the stop of the stairs and glancing back before he had the chance to decide to ignore him. He didn’t really want to talk to anyone, not at the moment, or deal with whatever pity was bound to be sent his way, but at the same time, Kyle had actually followed him. That was more than Adam would have expected from anyone. “Yeah?” he wound up asking, shoving his hands into his pockets and trying to keep his breathing in check.
Kyle came to a stop before him, a couple of steps away. “You okay?” he asked, his voice steady and measured, not even breathing hard from the almost run he had broken into once he was out of sight of the bar. “You left in kind of a hurry.” He said nothing about what Wren had told the other man, even though it was blatantly clear that was what the issue had been.
No, Adam thought and shoved the thought away. He needed to stop being the victim. To let it all get to him so quickly, so easily. “M’fine,” he said, repeating what he’d said at the bar, and while it was a touch more convincing it wasn’t completely there yet. “Just decided it was best to not stick around.”
“Why?” Kyle asked, not buying that for a moment, but taking the indirect approach, asking Adam why he had left rather than calling him on the lie. In his opinion, Adam seemed sweet, but fragile. Prison hadn’t seemed to have been a good place for him. Kyle doubted it had been a good place for either of them, but Kyle figured that maybe his coping mechanisms had been better. Either that, or he’d just gotten lucky. Made sacrifices that had actually paid off in the way he’d intended. Either way, Adam seemed spooked right now, building up walls Kyle didn’t know if he would be able to breach. The least he could do though was try.
Adam gave Kyle a pained looked, something that said how desperately he didn’t want to talk about this, but he had a hard time not answering. Usually no one asked, and here was Kyle asking. How was Adam supposed to just shut him off completely. “What’s the point in sitting around talking about my issues? Or being felt sorry for?” Adam might not be good at not seeming the victim, but that didn’t mean he didn’t recognize the behaviour.
“Who’s feeling sorry for anyone?” Kyle asked, arching an eyebrow. His own emotions on the subject were carefully hidden behind a front of poise that had been crafted long before he had entered the penal system. A privileged New York upbringing had taught him many things - how to hide emotions had been amongst the first. “I said I’d have your back. This is part of that. You left without a reason. So - here I am. If there’s no problem then all you have to do is tell me why you left like that. You know - they’re bound to ask...” he pointed out. It was bullshit. Everything he had just said was bullshit, but maybe it would get a better response.
Adam made another face, running his fingers through what little hair he had and biting his lip while he thought about that. Not all of it set just right, and he wasn’t quite getting a read off Kyle which didn’t help matters. “They’re bound to make assumptions. They’re bound to think she’s right. She thinks she’s right.” He looked up at Kyle. “She feels sorry for me. She, who innocently asked if you, Mr. Tattoos and I were hooking up as if that could happen, feels sorry for me. You probably do too.” Adam closed his eyes and pressed his hand into his temple then shook his head. “I’m fine. I just didn’t want to be there.”