14 A Gift
The man, red streaks in his hair and tattoos running down his arms, glanced at the phone and sighed before looking up at Adrian, who sat across from him, still gripping his glass of whiskey.
“Sorry, Mr. Vaughn,” he said quietly. “She didn’t say anything. Just hung up.”
Adrian’s fury intensified. Without a word, he slammed the glass down and grabbed the bottle, chugging it straight from the neck.
“Mr. Vaughn,” the bartender tried to intervene, trying to pry the bottle from his hand. “You’ve been drinking for hours. You’re already too drunk. You need to stop—”
Adrian didn’t respond. He yanked the bottle back and downed another gulp like it was water.
The bartender ran a hand through his hair, tense. “She’s probably busy. Don’t take it personally. Maybe she’ll call back. Mr. Vaughn, you’ve had too much.”
Adrian didn’t listen. He pulled the bottle closer, almost protectively, and drank again.
"She doesn’t love me anymore," Adrian’s thoughts spiraled in a haze of alcohol and heartbreak. “She smiled at Theo. Leaned into him like I was never even there. She didn’t even glance my way. And now, even when I’m sitting here drunk out of my mind, she doesn’t care enough to check on me. She really doesn’t care about me anymore."
The pain gripped him so hard he shook.
His body trembled, his breathing uneven. Jealousy and rage churned in his chest, mixing with the burn of whiskey. His throat tightened, his eyes shut, trying to block out the image of her laughing in someone else’s arms.
Then came the sound of footsteps nearing him at the bar.
But Adrian didn’t lift his head.
"Adrian?"
The sound came first.
That was when Adrian finally lifted his head, his eyes flashing in surprise.
Sienna stood before him, her face filled with concern. She reached out and gently took the whiskey bottle from his hand, prying it from his loosened grip. He let her take it without resistance.
Her fingers cupped his face, tilting it up so he’d meet her eyes. “What’s going on with you? Why did you drink so much?”
The worry in her gaze made something in his chest stir. Despite everything, the sight of her, worried, close, made warmth surge through him like fire in his veins.
Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him.
Caught off guard, Sienna braced her feet, barely managing to stay upright under his weight.
“Adrian…” she murmured, her fingers sliding into his hair as she began rubbing slow, gentle circles on the back of his head. His face was buried against her stomach. She felt him breathing her in, turning in his chair to press in even closer, hugging her tighter.
After a while, she slowly slid her hands down from his hair to his cheeks, coaxing his face back so she could look into his eyes.
“Let’s get out of here?” she asked softly.
Adrian blinked, his eyes clouded with a drunken haze. “You want to go out?”
Sienna bit back a smile. “Yes. I want to go out.”
“Okay,” he murmured, nodding. “Then we’ll go out.”
He rose from the chair, but stumbled the moment he stood. She moved quickly, steadying him, guiding him as he found his footing.
Just as she turned to walk, Adrian caught her hand and yanked her closer, throwing an arm over her shoulders. His grip was strong, almost desperate, as they stepped out into the cool night air together.
Outside, under the open sky, she turned to him, a playful scowl on her face.
“Really, is New Year’s Eve such a big deal that you had to get this drunk?” she teased, her voice stern but light. “If I hadn’t come, were you planning to sleep on the bar floor? Can you imagine tomorrow’s headlines? ‘Adrian Vaughn—never seen anything less than perfect—passed out drunk on a bar floor.’”
She laughed at the thought.
Adrian couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her laughter, that radiant smile, it wrapped around his heart and squeezed. It cut through the fog in his mind.
He leaned in closer, eyes fixed on her face. His brows drew together, his stare intense.
“Are you really here?” he asked, his voice low, rough. His grip on her tightened. “Sienna, did you really come for me?”
“Of course,” she answered. “You called me, remember?”
She reached up and cupped his face again, gently pulling him closer. “You are so drunk. Look at the state of you. Let’s go. I’ll drop you home. It’s getting late. Alright?”
She turned to signal for her car, but before she could take a step, Adrian came up behind her and spun her around. His hands locked around her waist, pulling her in as his stormy eyes bore into hers.
“No… wait,” he said, his voice almost a whisper, filled with something raw. “I have something...” He fumbled with his watch. “What time is it?”
She glanced at his wrist. “Five minutes before midnight.”
“Perfect.” He suddenly scooped her up into his arms.
Sienna gasped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. “Adrian! You’re drunk. Put me down—you’re going to fall. Let me walk!”
But he held her tighter, lifting her so her face was close to his.
“I won’t let you get hurt,” he said, voice rough but sincere. Then he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Promise.”
She stilled. His touch, even drunk, was careful. Protective.
With no choice, she gave in, burying her face into his neck as he carried her toward the elevators. The doors slid open, and he stepped in, still holding her like she was the most precious thing to him in the world.
She looked up at his face. “You’re not planning to put me down?”
He frowned adorably. “Why do you want to walk?”
She stifled a laugh. He was so drunk that every expression on his face was unintentionally cute. Even the grumpiness in his tone made her want to smile.
He noticed. His frown softened. A smile tugged at his lips before he leaned down and kissed her softly, brief and gentle. He held her closer after, tucking her face into his neck again.
Despite the alcohol in his veins, her scent started sobering him up. The whiskey haze couldn’t compete with the way she felt in his arms. His body craved her scent more than it craved another drink.
The elevator reached the top floor, the terrace. He stepped out, carrying her like she weighed nothing.
In the middle of the rooftop, under the open sky, he finally set her down.
But his hands stayed on her waist, holding her close. His face dipped into the curve of her neck from behind, breathing her in.
“I have a gift for you. Wait for it,” he whispered in her ear, his breath making her flinch slightly. Then he pressed a soft kiss just beneath her ear, feeling her hands tighten around his arms.
The night air was cold, making them cling even closer.
When he felt her shiver, Adrian reluctantly pulled away only for a moment. He slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He made sure it fit snugly, pulled her hair free from beneath it, and brushed loose strands back behind her ear.
His palms were warm and gentle on her skin. Every touch was full of care.
Then he cupped her face in his large, warm hands, his thumbs gently rubbing her cheeks. His intense, dark eyes scanned her face, every inch of her. The curve of her eyes, the shape of her nose, the softness of her lips, and even the delicate line of her ears. His gaze was intense, like he was memorizing her.
His thumb brushed the side of her face with care, and his voice came out low, deep, and affectionate. “It’s cold out here. You shouldn’t catch a chill. It wouldn’t be good for you if you got sick.” He murmured.
Then, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.
His eyes fluttered slightly as he pulled back to look at her again, as if trying to imprint her face into his memory, like he never wanted to forget a single detail. His soft touch and the way he looked at her with such rare tenderness made Sienna’s heart ache. She had never seen Adrian like this—so attentive, so gentle. Not even with his most prized cars had he ever shown this much care.
“What did you want to show me?” she asked, glancing around him. She gently pulled his hands down from her face and looked around again. “You said you had something to show me—so where is it?”
Adrian chuckled at her impatience. He pulled her into his chest, hugging her from behind. He turned her gently so her back was against him, brushing all her hair to one side of her shoulder. Then his lips found the soft skin of her neck. He kissed just beneath her ear, letting his lips whisper warm, lingering kisses down her neckline.
“Soon,” he murmured in her ear, “It’s about to show up.”
A few quiet minutes passed. Then, as the clock struck twelve, a sudden light burst from the ground and exploded into the sky. In the next moment, the sky lit up with a cascade of fireworks, color after color, blazing and crackling in brilliant patterns that stretched across the night.
Sienna gasped, tilting her head back to take it in. Her eyes widened at the stunning sight, her breath catching.
But then, her body tensed.
She pulled away from Adrian’s arms.
He tried to hold on to her, his arms tightening as he tried to keep her close. “Sienna—”
But she stepped back, completely breaking free from him. Her voice trembled. “This... this is the gift you prepared?”
Adrian's expression softened into a fond smile as he took a step forward. “Yes,” he said gently. “You love fireworks, don’t you?”
But Sienna didn’t smile back. Her expression twisted in pain. The jacket he had put over her slipped from her shoulders as she snapped, “No, I don’t! I hate fireworks. I hate them more than anything else.”
Adrian’s smile dropped, his brows furrowing in confusion. His body moved instinctively toward her, but she stepped back again.
“What’s wrong?” His voice was rough with concern. His chest tightened as he saw the pain in her eyes.
Her voice shook with emotion, “How could you even think of showing me this? How could you?”
He froze.
“Don’t you remember what you did two years ago?” she asked, her voice rising, laced with hurt and anger. “Don’t you remember that New Year’s night when I waited the whole night just to celebrate it with you?”
He stepped forward, but she stepped back, her fists clenched.
Her voice cracked. “I waited the entire night. I told you I had fireworks planned for us. I told you that already, because you never had the patience to wait for surprises. I begged you to come. I messaged you. I called you again and again.”
She could barely get the words out, her voice shaking. The pain she had buried inside for years was sharp, cutting.
“It was snowing so much that night,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I was freezing. Cold. Alone. And when someone finally picked up your phone, it was a woman. And she said, ‘You can tell me what the matter is. He’s busy and doesn’t have time to talk to you right now.’”
She scoffed bitterly, those words still ringing in her ears like knives.
“I cried,” she said hoarsely. “I broke down, standing there in the snow, crying my heart out for you. And even after that, I still waited, hoping you’d show up. Because I thought maybe—just maybe—after five years together, I’d mean enough for you that you'd come. Or at least call.”
Adrian’s jaw clenched. He took a step forward, guilt heavy in his eyes, but Sienna didn’t let him speak.
“That was the night I realized you’d never choose me,” she said sharply. “You wouldn’t show up for me. You didn’t love me. And now this is the gift you’re giving me? You think I’d be happy with this?”
She shook her head, fury and heartbreak mingling in her voice.
“You should be ashamed of yourself!”
And with that, she turned around and stormed off.