he didn’t let go. “That’s not the point! This is my body. It’s mine. How can you ask that?”
Emil only hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“And what if he forces me to target someone else next time, have sex with other men?”
Emil leaned back to glance into Adam’s eyes. “You said he fulfilled your inner needs. Do you have needs for ‘other men’?”
Adam refused to look back at him, flushed to the hairline. “He doesn’t need to tell the truth. He’s the devil. He’s evil, and the needs I’ve been fighting my entire life somehow let him in.”
“Next month, you will leave Dybukowo, and this whole mess, behind you.” Emil kissed Adam on the lips. It would have hurt like a motherfucker if he didn’t say those words knowing that he wasn’t one of the things Adam couldn’t wait to leave behind.
They didn’t do much after that, with Adam still in pieces after his meltdown, and despite the sense of betrayal caused by his suspicions, Emil was there for him as they lay in bed simply hugging and exchanging sweet kisses.
The boxes of alcohol infusions were stored in this most private of spaces, and as he studied them, stroking Adam’s back to provide comfort, worry clutched at his throat. They’d invested so much time and money into this project, yet had not sold a single bottle so far. Reason warned him that history liked to repeat itself, and that he shouldn’t have invested all his money into a project that might not work out.
Good things never happened to Emil Słowik, and whenever they seemed to, fate used those brief moments of happiness to beat him down even harder by taking away hope. The risky venture might plunge him into debt while Adam would be free to go, relieved that he didn’t have to endure the torment of his stay in Dybukowo any longer. But Adam was a good person at heart, and Emil trusted him.
Adam was to celebrate mass that day, so they left Emil’s home behind and made their way toward the church. Adam was still quieter than usual, and Emil worried that his lover might become wary of spending time in his house after finding that damn doll.
To Mrs. Luty’s displeasure, Emil was now a frequent guest at the parsonage since it was impossible to hide his friendship with Adam. Emil being in the closet was a blessing in disguise because they could hide in plain sight. No one in the village would come up with the preposterous idea of Emil and Adam actually fucking.
The pastor knew Emil was gay, since he’d listened to his confession when Emil had still tried to fit in and participate in Catholic rites, but he didn’t seem too worried, perhaps unaware of Adam’s transgression back in Warsaw. Or he just didn’t want to stir the pot. The man was happy as long as he had cake every day and a couple of drinks once a month, so why would he make his life difficult by questioning the nature of Emil’s friendship with a young priest?
By the time they reached the door of the parsonage, Adam seemed like his usual self, and Emil felt guilty over dismissing the issue of Adam’s mental state so often. What had happened brought them together but that fact didn’t make the possession any less horrific. Finding that devil figurine had been a reminder that for Adam, it was all painfully real and current.
“I need to change,” Adam said as they entered.
Emil knew this place so well that by now he could lead the way, but was struck by the lightning bolts in Mrs. Luty’s eyes when they passed through the kitchen.
“There’s no cake left,” she said with frost in her voice.
“What if I swept the yard during mass?” Emil asked, since he didn’t have much to do anyway and was eager to keep an eye on Adam.
Mrs. Luty gave a low hum and looked toward the cabinet where she kept all the sweets. “I suppose there is some chocolate babka left. It was meant to be tomorrow’s snack, but I could bake another one tonight.”
Adam discreetly patted Emil’s back and was about to go to the office where all the vestments were kept, when the housekeeper pinned him with her pale eyes. “Oh, and Father. You got a call from the curia in Cracow. They said they want five hundred units. I don’t know what this is about, but they asked me to tell you