Fic: Story of a Lifetime part 3/3 Adam/Kris
Part Three
"You're going to blame me for this?" Brad asked. "Really?"
"If you hadn't called I wouldn't have left the computer open on the table," Adam whined. He was laying in bed feeling sorry for himself, and blaming Brad seemed like a better idea than blaming himself.
"I'm not the one who wrote the damn thing," Brad argued. "Or left incriminating files open for anyone to see."
"You aren't being very comforting," Adam complained. "A good friend would be comforting me, not pointing out that I’m an idiot."
"Okay," Brad said, sounding bored, "Kris is totally in the wrong for being angry about finding out that the man he saved from drowning, and just slept with, wrote an article that has the potential to completely ruin his carefully constructed disappearance and new life as a normal citizen."
"Brad!" Adam whined. He knew he was being difficult but he really didn't care. He was upset and his only choices to call that he could trust not to run to the press with the information were Brad and Neil. Calling Neil was ruled out immediately as pointless if he wanted to feel better. Brad was proving to be just as bad of a choice.
"What do you want me to say, Adam? You fucked up. He saw the story and he didn't give you a chance to explain," Brad summarized. "Call him and explain."
"You really don't think I tried that sometime in the last twenty four hours?" Adam said, then continued without waiting for an answer. "I called him, he hung up on me. More than once. I even drove over there, but he won't answer the door. He won't talk to me so that I can explain."
"Then you have to find a way to make him listen to you."
"Okay," Adam agreed. "Any suggestions?"
"I don't know," Brad sighed. "You need help from someone that actually knows him. Does he have any friends?"
"I don't think-" Adam began, then stopped as a thought occurred to him. "Allison maybe. When he left he said she'd give him a ride home."
"Do you know how to find Allison?" Brad asked slowly.
"She works at the market," Adam said, sitting up. "I can go look for her there."
"Then go," Brad encouraged. "Just try not to screw this up."
~~~**~~~
There were a few customers at the market when Adam got there, so he grabbed a basket and tried to look interested in the canned food aisle while he waited for everyone to clear out. He knew Allison had seen him because she kept casting angry glances his way. He was beginning to doubt that she was the best way to get Kris to listen to him. She looked even angrier than Kris had yesterday when he'd left.
"What do you want?" Allison said angrily the second the door closed behind the last customer. "I thought you'd have left town by now."
"I’m here another week," Adam said calmly, resisting the urge to match her anger and say stupid things that would only make the situation worse.
"I'd have thought you'd cut the trip short now that you have your story," she snapped as she came around the counter to confront him.
"You don't understand, and either does he," Adam argued. "He didn't give me a chance to explain."
"Your 'vacation article' was pretty clear wasn't it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Kris told me about it. That it was all about your awesome vacation with Kris Allen."
"That's not what it was," Adam sighed. "He misunderstood."
"You didn't write about how he left his music career behind to move here?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're telling me Kris is lying?"
"No!" Adam insisted, then dropping his head when her frown deepened at his denial. "Okay, I did write that, he wasn't wrong. But I wasn't going to publish it. I-I couldn’t do that to him."
"Then why'd you write it?" She asked, obviously still not believing him.
"When I found out who he was," Adam began slowly trying to figure out how to word his story in a way that wouldn't make her angrier. "Brad wanted me to out him, he was pushing me to do it. I said I would if I found out why Kris had left like he did. But I wasn't going to, I didn't want to, not really."
"You didn't want to write a story that would make your career?"
"No," Adam repeated, pleadingly. "I like Kris. I didn't want to hurt him. I tried writing the story my editor wanted about vacationing here and how perfect it is. But what made it perfect for me was Kris."
Allison nodded, but remained silent and obviously hostile and skeptical, so Adam continued.
"So I started writing this story about what made this vacation so wonderful for me. Not what makes it perfect for other people, but why I love it here; and that was Kris."
"So you wrote a story exposing him just so you could write about your perfect vacation."
"I know you don't believe me, I don't even blame you for not believing me," Adam sighed. "I'd take Kris' side too if I could. But what Kris read was a draft that has changed dramatically since then. I was getting ready to change it when Kris found it."
"Didn't want to leave out how sleeping with the famous guy was the perfect end to your trip?"
"No," Adam said. He was seriously considering giving up on this whole thing, trashing his story and giving Lee some boring standard piece about the town, and just trying to move on and forget he'd ever seen Kris Allen. "What if I show you the new piece?"
"Show me?"
"Yeah," Adam said, getting more excited over this idea. "You can read the new piece. The one I plan to publish when I get home. You'll see it's not at all what Kris thinks it is."
"How can I know you won't still publish the other story once you're not here?" Allison asked, still suspicious but Adam could see her relaxing a little and hopefully trusting him.
"I guess you can't," he admitted. "You'll have to trust me."
"And if I read it-"
"If you read it and still think I'm a jerk then I'll go home and forget this entire horrible experience," he said. "But if you read it and believe I'm being sincere you get Kris to talk to me."
"Okay," Allison said a few minutes later, going back behind the counter and grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling on it before handing it to Adam. "I'll read it. Email it to me and I'll read it when I get home tonight."
"Thank you!" he said taking the paper and resisting the urge to hug her.
"I'm not promising anything other than to read your story."
"I know," he said, nodding his head. "But right now I'll take what I can get."
Adam paced the length of his kitchen with the phone in his hand. He'd emailed the revised story to Allison along with his phone number and a request to call him no matter how late. He needed to know tonight if she believed him. He didn't want to wait. It was nearly eleven and she hadn't called yet. The store had been closed for hours.
He also noticed that Kris hadn't been out for his swim tonight, he hadn't in the morning either. Kris was taking avoiding him to all new heights. He didn't even want Adam to see him. Adam needed to fix this, now if possible. He didn't want to wait. He jumped when the phone in his hand rang.
"Hello?"
"Adam?" Allison said, "It wasn't too late to call, was it?"
"No, I said any time," he assured her. "I meant that."
"Okay, I thought I was going right home but got sidetracked by some friends," she admitted sheepishly. "I didn't purposely blow you off."
"It's okay," Adam sighed. "You have no reason to rush home for me. I hurt your friend."
"I read the article," Allison said.
"And?" Adam asked hopefully, trying to will Allison to believe him. He didn't have another plan if she wouldn't help him. Unless sitting on Kris' porch until he came out or had him arrested counted as a plan.
"It seems sincere," she admitted. "I want to believe you."
"It is sincere," Adam agreed. "I meant every word of it, and I'd rather not go home having to add a depressing ending."
"Kris really liked you," Allison said after a few seconds of silence. "He trusted you even after you told him you were a reporter. That's why this hit him so hard."
"I know," Adam sighed. "I know but I can't change what he saw. I would if I could."
"I don't know that you can fix it," she said. "I can talk to him. I can show him your revised story if you want. But I don't know that it'll matter."
"Do what you can," Adam said. "Let him see the story if you think it'll make a difference."
"What do you know about why he left his music career?" She asked.
"Just what was in the papers. He and his wife divorced and a few weeks after it was final, he just dropped off the map. No one had any idea why."
"That's it?"
"No, he told me he needed to get away from his work," Adam added. "That he couldn’t deal with it anymore."
"Yeah," she said slowly. "I don't even know if I should be sharing this, I'm really trusting you here."
"You can," he said quickly. "I won't repeat it. If it'll help me get him back…"
"There wasn't a deep dark secret that he was hiding like everyone believed," she said. "Kris is, Kris. He's exactly what you see. His divorce was completely friendly, they just wanted different things. But the reporters and paparazzi wouldn't accept that. They kept hounding him and Katy for answers. He just wanted it to stop. To go away."
"The best way to do that was to leave his career," Adam said, sitting down at the kitchen table and burying his head in his free hand. "Then I show up and write that stupid article…"
"Yeah," she agreed. "You made his biggest fear real. I don't know that he can get over that."
"You'll try though?" He asked hopefully. Not at all sure that she could fix it, but he wanted to hold on to that hope until she told him it was impossible.
"Yeah," she agreed. "I'll call you in a couple days. Until then, just stay away from him. Give him some time."
~~~** ~~~
Adam dropped the book he'd been reading when the pounding on his door started. He glanced at the clock; it was nearly midnight who would be here this late. Who did he even know here, that was still speaking to him, anyway? He glanced out the window on his way to the door and smiled, at least it wasn't psycho killer. Although, he had no idea what Allison was doing here this late either.
"It's Thursday," Allison said as soon the door opened, and she pushed past Adam and into the house. "You go home on Saturday, that doesn't leave much time to get his stubborn ass to talk to you."
"Hi," Adam said, pushing the door closed and following her into the kitchen.
"Shit!" Allison said turning around and obviously noticing for the first time that Adam was already dressed for bed. "Did I wake you? I've been waiting to talk to you all day and I forgot how late it was by the time I got done helping my mom set up her booth."
"It's okay," Adam assured her. "I was just reading. But you're right we are running out of time. Maybe I should just give up?"
"No you shouldn't," Allison said crossing her arms over her chest. Then suddenly looking worried asked, "Unless you've changed your mind? You haven't, have you?"
"I haven't changed my mind," Adam said sighing and grabbing two bottles of water from the refrigerator. He tossed one to Allison as he sat down at the table. "But Kris obviously hasn't either. You said he didn't even want to see the revised story."
"That just means we need a different plan," Allison explained sitting down across from Adam. "A plan that forces him to talk to you. I think he'd believe it all more if it came from you."
"He won't talk to me though, he hangs up as soon as he hears my voice," Adam sighed.
"So we need to get him somewhere that he can't hang up on you or avoid you," Allison said shrugging. "It can't be that hard."
"Unless you plan on kidnapping him and locking him up with me-"
"That's it!" Allison said jumping up. "Where's your phone?"
"We are not kidnapping Kris, Allison," he said slightly concerned that she may actually be planning a kidnapping and getting up to follow her on her search for his phone.
"Be quiet," she said already dialing the phone. "I'm not kidnapping him, exactly."
Adam's frowned deepened when she didn't continue to explain her plan, but if he wanted Kris to forgive him, he didn't have many options other than going along with whatever Allison's plan was so he waited silently, hoping that her end of the conversation would give him a clue.
"Hey, Kris," Allison said brightly. "Were you sleeping?"
Adam sat down on the couch and continued to watch her in confusion. He hadn't expected to her to call Kris. He didn't really know what he expected really.
"Do we get to hear it?" she said and then waited a few seconds, "No, I get it, it's kinda risky, but maybe a private show?"
Kris was writing music again? That was interesting, Adam thought. Maybe it meant Kris was ready to come out of his self-imposed exile.
"Yes, I called for a reason. We're still going to the festival tomorrow when I get out of work, right?" She smiled widely as she listened to whatever Kris' response was. "Awesome, is it okay if I bring a friend? He's kinda new in town and doesn't know anyone yet."
"Great, so we'll still meet at my mom's booth, right?"
Allison talked to Kris for a few more minutes while Adam waited impatiently to find out what exactly how she thought she'd keep Kris from bolting the second he saw Adam.
~~~**~~~
Adam paced the small area behind Mrs. Iraheta's booth. It had black fabric hanging on all four sides and was mostly being used to hold the extra baked goods for the booth. He still didn't know what Allison's plan was, he'd just been ushered to this space the minute he'd introduced himself. He'd been told to stay put until Allison arrived.
"Hey," Allison said, pushing the fabric back and maneuvering her way around the boxes of cakes and cookies. "Sorry I'm late."
"I was early anyway," Adam admitted. "Are you going to tell me about this plan yet?"
"You're going to spend the afternoon at the festival with Kris."
"You really think he'll be okay with that?" Adam asked. She kept giving him the same explanation every time he asked and he still didn't understand what was going to keep Kris from just walking away and going back home.
"Not at first," she said shrugging. "That's why I'm here. I'll keep him from ditching you."
Adam sighed. He wanted to argue but he was pretty sure that wasn't going to do any good. Allison was sure this plan would work so he'd just have to let himself get pulled along, just like Kris. Adam was pretty sure very few people could win a fight against Allison's will.
"Hi, Mrs. Iraheta," Kris' voice floated through the fabric. "Alli here yet?"
"You stay here, until it's time," Allison whispered to Adam just before pushing the fabric aside to step through and greet Kris. "Hey, Kris!"
"Hey," Kris said. "I thought you were bringing a friend along?"
"I am. I just need you to promise to give him a chance. Promise you won't be a jerk and ruin everything."
"Why would I-Yeah, fine. I'll be nice."
Adam sighed and assumed that was cue to come out of hiding. This was possibly the most idiotic plan he'd ever been a part of. There was no way Kris was going to be okay with this, promise or no promise.
"Hi," Adam said coming around the outside of the booth since it would be easier than crowding a third person into the small booth.
"No," Kris said eyes widening. "Alli, you know I don't want-"
"You promised not to be a jerk, Kris," Allison pointed out calmly.
"To your friend," Kris insisted. Ignoring Adam and focusing his attention on Allison. "I didn't say anything about him."
"He's the friend I invited," she explained. "So he's who you promised to be nice to."
"Kris, if you'd just give me a chance-" Adam tried to cut in but Kris continued to ignore him and focus on Allison.
"You know what he did," Kris said. "And you still want me to talk to him?"
"Yeah, I do," she said just as insistently, arms crossed over her chest. "I know what you think he did, but I already told you it wasn't what you thought and you needed to talk to him."
"I don't want to," Kris said folding his arms across his chest. He could be as stubborn as Allison on some things.
"Fine, don't talk to him," she finally said as she pushed the fabric aside to stand between them. "But you're still coming with us. And you're still going to be nice to Adam."
"Allison, if he doesn't want-"
"No," she interrupted angrily. "He's being stubborn. You didn't do anything wrong and he'd see that if he'd just listen."
Both Adam and Kris found themselves being pulled along by Allison to browse the many booths. Neither man said much other than to answer questions when she asked for their opinions. Adam did buy a few trinkets that he thought his friends at home might like, while Kris picked up a few baked goods and homemade jams and salsas.
"Okay, you two are just being ridiculous," Allison said stopping just past the row of carnival games she'd insisted they play. "You like each other. It's ridiculously obvious, but you're going to let pure stubbornness keep you apart."
"I'm not being stubborn," Adam pointed out. "I want to explain."
"There's nothing to explain," Kris argued, then looking at Allison, "Whatever I may have felt for him ended when I realized he was just playing me for a story."
Allison grabbed their hands again and pulled them away from the foot traffic of the festival and into the semi-privacy of the space where the entertainment would be playing later that evening. "This is so stupid, you two are not leaving this spot until you talk."
"Allison, I-" both said at once.
"Sit," she said pointing to the empty seats next to her. "And talk. Work this out. I'll be back in a little while and you better be here fixing things or next I'll lock you in a room until you do."
~~~**~~~
"Are we going to talk about this?" Adam asked quietly after several minutes of silence.
"I'm pretty sure we have to," Kris sighed with a small smile. "I don't think she was kidding about locking us in a room."
"That article was never going to get published," Adam said quickly. He needed to get it all out before Kris changed his mind about talking. "I didn't come here looking for you, I swear. I'm here for exactly the reason I told you. My editor forced me to come here for two weeks to write a story about a perfect vacation."
"So finding me was just a bonus?" Kris asked. Adam could practically feel the tension in his voice as Kris continued to stare straight ahead.
"Not the way you mean, no," Adam said. "I didn't even know who you were at first, you looked familiar but I couldn't place you. I asked my assistant to find out, I thought you were probably just someone I interviewed once or something. Then he wanted me to expose you. He said it would be the story of a lifetime."
"So you did?" Kris asked. "Did you even consider that I might have reasons for leaving music?"
"No," Adam argued. "I was writing my article on my vacation. Lee had been right, it was a perfect vacation, just not for the reasons he wanted me to write about. You made this my perfect vacation. Everything I enjoyed about this trip was connected to you. I wrote that article."
"So, you weren't looking to expose me directly," Kris sighed. "Just indirectly to get your vacation article?"
"When you found the article I was on the phone with Brad," Adam explained. "I wanted to do the story about my vacation and you, but I didn't want to tell the world I'd found Kris Allen. I didn't want to do that to you. Brad was helping me come up with a way to make it work, and I did. I rewrote it now it's a story about how I fell in love on vacation, but it doesn't use any names."
Kris turned to at Adam for the first time since Allison had left them alone. Adam stayed quiet, he'd said all he could and now he had to just hope that was enough; that Kris believed him. "You fell in love?" Kris asked quietly.
Adam sighed, he'd hoped Kris hadn't heard that part. Adam hadn't even meant to say it, they hadn't known each other that long and he didn't want to chase Kris further away. "Umm, yeah?"
"And you're willing to give up the real story for me?" Kris asked, eyes meeting Adam's expectantly. "A story about where I am…"
"Would make my career, I know," Adam interrupted. "It doesn't matter. I want you more than the story."
"Adam," Kris said after a few moments.
"I know you can't go back to L.A.," Adam interrupted. "We can still find a way, I could come up here on weekends and longer sometimes, a lot of my stories don't require me to actually be in the office or even in the city. And I know the whole love thing was too soon and I didn't mean to say it yet and I don't expect you to-"
"Adam!" Kris said, this time grabbing Adam's shoulder to get his attention. "Slow down. I love you too."
"You do?" Adam asked in surprise. He hadn't even really expected Kris to be willing to talk to him. This had been too much to hope for.
"Yeah," Kris admitted. "I shouldn't, but I do. The rest of it though, are you really willing to spend your free time out here? When you can't even tell your friends why? At least not for now."
"If I have to, yes," Adam answered, reaching for Kris to pull him into a hug. "I'll do what I have to. I want to be with you."
Kris backed out of the hug enough to pull Adam down into a kiss.
"Did you say 'for now'?" Adam asked moving away from Kris. "Allison told me you left to get away from the press hounding you. I'm not trying to pressure you to go back. I get that going back is going to bring that all back even if you don't go back to music. You don't have to do that."
"That's why I left," Kris agreed. "And I'm happy here. I don't want to move back to L.A. and the paparazzi. I do miss music though, and I want to see if there's a way I can have you and the music and still stay here. I made some calls already and my manager is looking into the logistics."
Adam smiled. "I don't even know what to say."
"Say you're willing to make this work without me moving back to Los Angeles," Kris suggested, "That you're okay with keeping me a secret until I'm ready to go public again. And that you're willing to take that exclusive when I am? I really don't want to go deal with talking to other reporters that aren't going to let my past fade away in peace."
Adam pulled Kris into another kiss. The travel would be challenging but Brookton wasn't that far away and they would make it work. Adam was sure he'd even be able to arrange to have stories that he could do from Brookton and email to Lee occasionally. They'd make it work.
"So that's a yes?" Kris asked, pulling away. "We'll make this work?"
"It's about time," Allison said, coming around the stage as Adam nodded his agreement. "Do I get to be in this article as the awesome girl that made Kris stop being an idiot?"
"I’m not an idiot!"
"He's not an idiot," Adam agreed, hugging Kris to him with one arm and pulling Allison close with the other. "But you are definitely part of the story."
The end