Chapter 63
The Work She Kept
The next weekend, I wake up to absolute chaos downstairs. I roll out of Adrian’s bed, run to my room to get dressed in something other than one of his T-shirts, and freshen up in the restroom.
It doesn’t take a super sleuth to find out where all the noise is coming from. I make my way through the house, following the sound of Felix’s voice.
“Look who finally decided to join us!” Felix claps his hands as I walk into the living room.
“What is going on?” I check out the usual spread of donuts, mimosas, cigars, and other contraband materials.
Adrian doesn’t bother answering me as he stares at the TV. With the way he analyzes the black screen, one would think it was actually turned on.
“Your husband here invited us over to watch an F1 race.”
“Us?”
“Theo and Nia are late, as per usual.” Felix grabs a donut and demonstrates what he thinks they’re doing.
“They’re coming here?”
“Surprise?” Felix looks over at the man in question.
“The batteries are dead.” He announces before leaving the room. If I expected any answers, I’m not about to get them from him.
“He really didn’t tell you?”
“No. It must have slipped his mind.” Or he wanted to surprise you.
My heart could possibly burst from the reality that Adrian planned this all for me. I dropped the idea after he protested it, so knowing he went out of his way to plan it anyway…
It makes me want to kiss him.
Or fuck him.
Or kiss him and fuck him.
Felix holds up the sparkling apple cider bottle with a scrunched nose. “Do you have some exciting news to share with me or is this an insult to injury?”
I laugh. “I’m not pregnant.”
Adrian re-enters the room. “Not yet at least.”
My whole body feels about twenty degrees too hot. The way this man looks at me makes me wonder if it’s possible to get pregnant via intense staring and palpable longing. Inquiring minds want to know.
“Well, that’s my cue to go find something stronger to drink. There’s no way I’ll get through being the fifth wheel without wanting to chop my own dick off.”
Adrian shoots Felix a withering look as he leaves the living room.
“So…” I start.
He uses the now working remote to turn on the TV and find the right channel.
“What’s the real reason you planned this all?”
His back muscles shift underneath his T-shirt. “Gezelligheid1.”
I pull out my phone and stare at the search bar with a pinched expression.
“G-E-Z-E-L-L-I-G-H-E-I-D.” He spells it out slowly without me even asking.
“Where did you learn this one?”
“During my month studying abroad in the Netherlands.”
I laugh when the page loads. “Cozy? That’s why you did this?”
He shakes his head. “It’s more than that. It’s about creating a place where people can relax and feel happy.”
“Since when do you care about making people happy?”
“I couldn’t care less about anyone else’s happiness besides your own.”
My chest aches from his confession. “That has to be one of the sweetest—but extremely fucked up—things anyone has ever said to me.”
“Fucked up how?” He seems genuinely confused by my statement.
“Because you should do nice things because you want to, not because you think it would make me happy.”
“I want to make you happy, so therefore, I do nice things.”
Well, I can’t exactly debate his kind of logic on that one, especially when it makes me want to kiss him until we’re both breathless.
I bite down on my lip. “What happens when what makes me happy goes against what you want?”
His gaze darkens. “Then I’ll convince you otherwise.”
My head tilts. “That’s not how relationships work.”
“We aren’t a typical relationship, so therefore, the same rules don’t apply here.”
“There might be a time in your life when you can’t convince me. What then?”
“When it comes to you, I’m not opposed to using any means necessary.”
“Including torture?”
He cups my cheek and draws me toward him. “Is it still considered torture if I let you come?”
“I’ve unlocked a sexed-up monster.”
He laughs as he pulls me into a searing kiss that makes my toes curl. With the caress of his tongue against mine, our conversation is erased from recent memory.
The doorbell rings, and Adrian hesitates to let me go. He tugs me back toward him for one last kiss.
The doorbell chimes again, and I laugh as I leave a scowling Adrian behind to go answer the front door. I throw it open to find Theo and Nia standing hand in hand on the porch.
Nia looks over at me with a smile. “Hey!” She doesn’t give me a chance to say anything before she barrels into me and throws her arms around my torso. “I’m so excited to hang out with you!”
“Me too,” I wheeze.
Adrian’s shadow seems to make everyone freeze in place.
“Adrian.” Theo tips his chin.
“Thanks for coming over.” He holds out his hand for Theo to take.
Theo’s lips twitch as he ignores it and throws an arm around his back and gives him a pat. “Your threats made me curious.”
“Threats?” I ask.
Adrian doesn’t pay any attention to my question as he shoots Theo a death glare.
Theo turns his gaze toward me, and a smile brightens his whole face. “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this all.”
“Are you a big fan of F1?”
He looks at Adrian as he responds to my question, “The biggest. I love watching people crash and burn.”
“That’s horrifying.” Nia smacks Theo’s arm.
Adrian’s jaw ticks.
“Well, as fun as this whole pissing contest is, some of us came here for the mimosas.” Nia loops her arm in mine and drags me away from Adrian and Theo. “Lead the way.”