The Addict

"I almost feel sorry for them." I say to Adrian, gesturing to the recovering druggies gathering for a meeting across the street from us.

"Come on." He smiles while looking at me. "Everyone has something they can't let go of." He says suggestively.

"Not me. I don't have an addictive personality." I proudly insist. 

I could feel myself sounding arrogant, but I couldn't stop.

"Then take my drug." He took a step closer to me while holding out a package of pills in his outstretched hand, the mist of his visible breath merged with mine in the frigid air. 

In this strange modern world, love was uncommon and became a pharmaceutical concoction-- anyone could make someone love them as long as they drugged them with their essence encased in a pill. 

"It would pass the time of winter break before I need to go back to school again. What if it might even be fun?"I thought.

Adrian always had a thing for me, I never understood why since I was just trying to coast through life on autopilot. 

"Sure." I say as my cold fingers run over his palm. "Why not let me prove you wrong?" I felt a devious smile creep across my face as I took the pills from his hand.

It was easy-- I knocked the tiny pill back with one swig of water at his apartment. I could've even dry swallowed it if I wanted to. Adrian's breathing grew excited as he used the motion of taking the glass from my hands as an excuse to close the space in between us. He watched me intently-- like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike. His pupils pulsed as he leaned in to me. His kiss felt like ecstasy and sent rivulets of rapture to my brain. Suddenly, all my heart knew was the rhythm to a butterfly's wings. 

Days turned into weeks that I needed to see him, I just had to. On that Sunday morning, I washed down the last pill and started to walk to his place, passing all the addicts gathering outside, smoking before their meeting and smiling to myself.

"I don't need any more pills." I thought. "This is the last one and I'll show him that I don't need his love after today."

A look of shock and horror was plastered across his face as I opened his door.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me as if I was breaking and entering.

"What do you mean?" I implored, my heart pounding as my thoughts became nervous energy.

He smiled deviously while approaching me and closing the door behind me while leaning against me.

"That last pill I gave you was a placebo." He whispered in my ear. "I guess we found your addiction after all."