3. Adrian
3
ADRIAN
W hat the fuck am I doing? I think to myself as I stare at Amelia’s apartment door. I’ve been loitering around the hallway for a few minutes, psyching myself up to knock. I’m half convinced I dreamed up her visit yesterday, but I have her number in my phone so it must have really happened.
I tug at the shirt collar rubbing against my neck, regretting my outfit choice. It took an hour of digging in my closet and dresser to come up with clothing choices that weren’t jeans or ratty t-shirts. Can’t remember the last time I wore a button-up shirt and slacks, and honestly, I was surprised I still had any date-worthy clothes.
Not that I know anything about dating. I don’t even know if this is a date. My stupid ass couldn’t even muster up the courage to properly ask Amelia out, I just bumbled my way through an embarrassing attempt to see her again.
That now-familiar excruciating ache formed in my chest when Amelia was trying to run out on me yesterday. I’m usually thrilled to be the only person in the room, but Amelia makes me feel… Well, that’s just it. She makes me feel something other than pain and regret.
The sound of a doorknob turning snaps me out of my haze, and I look up just in time to see Amelia open her door. Jesus, she's even more beautiful than I remember. Her light blue dress hugs her curvy chest and flares out at the waist, ending just above her knees. I try not to stare at her legs, but I'm only so strong. My gaze drifts up to her face, where I notice she put on some light makeup. The liner around her eyes makes her golden irises practically glow, and her soft lips are accentuated by light pink gloss.
“Hey,” Amelia says cheerfully, not making me feel like an idiot for pacing in front of her door. “I thought I heard you out here. Want to come inside?”
I nod, words failing me at the moment. She opens the door wider and steps aside, inviting me in.
“Are those for me?” she asks, pointing to the bouquet in my hands.
I look down at the wildflowers, feeling dumb for not buying her roses or something as elegant as she is. She must think I don’t care enough to spend money on her. I’m already fucking everything up.
“Yeah, but I’ll get you something better. Something expensive and extravagant. These are…”
“Beautiful,” she finishes for me. Amelia takes the bouquet from me, marveling over the hand-picked flowers. “Adrian, are these from your property? Did you put this together?” Those golden eyes flit from one flower to the next, then lock on mine. Her gaze is filled with joy, and fuck if I don’t want to put that look on her face every second of every day.
"You mentioned liking the wildflowers when you stopped by," I start. "Delicate yet resilient," I repeat her words from yesterday. They struck me as the perfect description of Amelia herself.
“I can’t believe you went through the effort of picking flowers for me,” she says, though her voice is quiet, almost like she was talking to herself. “This is so much better than store-bought,” Amelia adds, this time addressing me. “Thank you, Adrian.”
I love the way she says my name. I want to capture the sound and bottle it up so I can listen to it when she’s not with me. Slow down, buddy , I remind myself. I’m already far too obsessed with the curvy, bubbly woman. I don’t want to scare her away with my intensity.
I watch Amelia fill a vase with water and arrange the wildflowers just so. Her smile is bright and her cheeks are rosy, like she’s giddy just looking at them. I’ll have to make sure she always has flowers around to make her smile. Who knew something so simple could bring so much happiness?
Taking stock of my surroundings, I notice the kitchen, a hallway off to the right, and a tidy living room with a couch, coffee table, and four massive bookshelves lining two walls. My girl loves to read, that’s for sure. I wonder what her favorite book is? Does she have a list of more books she wants to buy? I should find out and get every single one. Then I can build her a new bookshelf to store them.
“Go ahead and sit wherever you’re comfortable. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Dinner? I wasn’t expecting you to cook for me. I was thinking this was, er, uh, well, a date?” What a fool I’ve made of myself already. Here she is, inviting a friend over, and I mistook it for a romantic date. Idiot.
Amelia walks toward me and wraps her hand around mine, her touch soothing my self-loathing. I can’t look at her while she lets me down easily.
"I was kind of hoping this was a date, too," she confesses, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you'd be more comfortable with a home-cooked meal instead of one of the places here in town, but we can do whatever you want. Pine & Petal Cafe is open and so is the Rusty Elk Tavern. I'll just throw dinner in the fridge."
“No, this is… this is actually perfect. Thank you, sweet girl.” I didn’t mean to call her that, it just slipped right out of my mouth. Amelia’s eyes flash at my pet name for her, a pretty pink blush spreading across her freckled cheeks. I lift our joined hands to my lips and kiss the back of her hand. “You’re incredibly thoughtful and insightful. You must have picked up on the fact that I don’t go out in public much.”
Amelia squeezes my hand and then leads me over to the small dining table with two place settings. "I spent a lot of years pining for the outside world. When I finally had a chance to break away, I realized I had no idea how to talk to people or what the expectation was. I recognized some of those same emotions in you when you stopped in the bookstore. All I wanted was to make you feel comfortable."
How is she perfect without even trying? I barely know this woman, yet her pure heart is imprinted on mine for all of time. No matter what happens between us, I’ll never forget the kindness she’s shown me tonight.
“I’m feeling much better now that I’m with you,” I tell her truthfully. “Why were you trapped inside for so long?” I ask. It’s not the first time she’s mentioned something implying she was basically kept under lock and key.
My question catches her by surprise and I can tell she doesn’t quite know what to say. “My parents were always very… protective. Extremely so.”
She hesitates, as if not sure how much to share with me. One day, I hope to get her whole story. For now, I’m honored she felt comfortable enough to give me this little slice.
“Thank you for telling me,” I say. She gives me a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Anyway. Enough of the sad stuff. Shall we eat? I’ve prepared creamy tomato basil chicken and rice. It’s a spin on the old comfort food.”
“Sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it.” My eyes follow Amelia’s every move as she dishes up our food and sashays back to the table. “You look gorgeous, by the way. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. Your eyes…” I trail off, not wanting to sound like the obsessed fool I am.
“Go on,” she encourages. “Don’t stop now. A lady loves getting compliments.”
I smile at her, marveling at how easy she is to talk to. She makes me feel almost normal. No, better than normal. I feel like myself, even if I’m not sure what that fully means yet. “In that case, your eyes are magical and captivating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with such a unique eye color. And your hair… well, it’s what drew me to you in the first place.”
“Oh? You were drawn to me?” she asks as she sits down across from me.
“Ah, shit,” I mutter to myself. So much for not looking like a creep “I may have, uh, seen you from across the street when I was in town the other day. You went into the bookstore and I sort of… followed you.”
Instead of looking horrified, Amelia grins at me and then looks down at her plate of food. She likes my attention. She likes that I'm dumbstruck by her beauty. I can't be the only person to tell her these things, but I'm thankful she seems to appreciate my compliments all the same.
We dig into our food, which of course, is delicious. I clear my plate in no time, only realizing afterward I must look like a feral, ravenous beast.
“I have more if you’re still hungry,” she offers. Amelia has her chicken cut into neat little cubes with even portions of rice next to every bite. It’s kind of adorable, and the complete opposite of how I just devoured my food.
“It was the best meal I’ve had in years, but I should let this settle. I couldn't help myself,” I say, trying to recover.
“I’m glad you liked it. It’s one of my easy go-to meals. Do you like cooking?”
“I dabble here and there. I’ve been toying around with the idea of building a greenhouse where I can grow my own veggies, herbs, and spices.”
"Oh my gosh, you should! That sounds like a dream. Going out to the garden and picking fresh mint leaves and rosemary sprigs… that's what heaven must be like." She gets a wistful look on her lovely face like she's missing something she never had.
“That settles it, then. I’ll start plans on a greenhouse tomorrow.”
Amelia laughs, the sweet sound pouring over me and shining a light into the darkness I’ve carried around for so long. “You don’t have to do that,” she says after a few moments. “I wouldn’t want to distract you from your woodworking. You must be busy.”
“Between custom orders and chopping down trees to sell as firewood, I keep my days filled. Having a side project is always good, though. It helps me focus on the present.” I stop short of saying that I like to keep busy so the nightmares don’t take over my mind completely.
Amelia finishes her dinner and then stands up, presumably to clear the table. I stand at the same time, reaching for her plate. Our fingers touch and I take her hand in mine, tugging her closer to me. “I can clean up. It’s only fair,” I murmur, looking down into those golden irises.
“Why don’t we leave the clean up for later? I was thinking we could watch a movie? Or if you want to leave, I understand.”
“No,” I say a little too harshly. “I mean, I’d like to stay. If you’ll have me.”
Amelia gifts me with another sweet smile, then surprises the hell out of me by wrapping her arms around my torso and hugging me. I freeze at first, not sure what to do. I haven’t hugged anyone in… God, I can’t even remember. Did any of my foster parents hug me?
“Sorry,” Amelia mumbles as she tries backing away. I stop her movements by hugging her back and tucking her head under my chin. She fits perfectly, right here in my arms.
“Never apologize for this, sweet girl,” I whisper. “I’m kind of rusty when it comes to hugs.”
“You’re doing a good job,” she says, making me grin. I have no idea why Amelia likes me, but I’ll soak up every second of this woman’s presence for as long as she lets me.
We finally untangle ourselves and head over to the couch. Amelia plops down while I spend way too long trying to figure out if I should sit right next to her or give her some space. My sweet girl doesn’t leave me hanging for long. She pats the seat next to her in invitation, easing my anxiety once again.
No sooner do I sit down than her phone rings. Every muscle tenses in her body, much like when her phone went off yesterday. She grabs the phone from the coffee table in front of us, the color draining from her face when she reads the screen.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Um, yeah,” she answers in the least convincing voice. Amelia ignores the call and turns her phone to silent, placing it face-down on the table. The once bright and bubbly woman is gone, replaced by a timid and anxious version of herself.
“Amelia,” I say softly. “Who keeps calling you? Are you in some kind of danger?”
She won’t look at me, instead focusing on her hands, which are twisted up in her lap. Amelia shakes her head no at first, then shrugs. I’m on my feet in the next instant, checking the peephole in her front door and engaging both locks. Next, I head over to the kitchen window, peering out and taking note of any suspicious activity. I don’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a threat.
“I’m okay,” Amelia whispers, though her voice cracks at the end.
I rush to her side, sitting next to her and taking her hands in mine. "I know you don't know me very well, but I hope you can trust me, Amelia. I was a Marine in a past life. It gave me a nasty scar on my face, but it also prepared me to fight and protect those in my life. I can protect you if you let me."
I hold my breath as I wait for her response. Clearly, someone is making her uncomfortable. I don’t care if they are in this town or on the other side of the world. It’s now my sole purpose to find them and make them pay for whatever they did to my sweet girl.
Amelia bursts into tears, the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. She extracts one of her hands from mine, using it to cover her mouth and silence her sobs. It breaks my goddamn heart to see a kind, precious creature in such obvious pain.
I don’t know what to say or how to help. Moving on instinct, I loop my arm around her waist and pull her onto my lap, folding my arms around her and blanketing her in my strength. Nothing will hurt her as long as she’s with me.
The beautifully broken angel sobs in my arms, letting me see her raw, vulnerable heart. I might not know what’s causing her distress, but the depth of her sorrow echoes my own. I hold her through the pain, rocking her gently to calm her down.
When my girl is all cried out, she sits back slightly, letting me see her tear-stained face.
“Amelia,” I whisper, cupping her cheek. I wipe away the remnants of tears with the pad of my thumb, then place her hand on my chest, right over my heart. “Breathe with me,” I instruct. I inhale while she takes a stuttering breath. Slowly, I exhale, then repeat the process until she matches my rhythm. “That’s it,” I encourage. “Just like that.”
Her golden eyes are glossy and red from crying, the sight tearing me in two. What secrets lie just beneath the surface? What horrible thing could she be running from?
“I’m so sorry,” she says between breaths. “I ruined our evening.”
“Hey, now,” I say, giving her a soft smile. “You didn’t ruin anything. I’m just worried about you. Can you tell me who upset you so much?”
She nibbles on her bottom lip and looks away from me. “I… I don’t know. I just want to forget about everything from before I came to Misty Mountain.”
“I get that.” Fuck, I definitely understand that sentiment. While I want to know every detail about Amelia’s life and past, I can respect her boundary. For now. “Are you going to be okay here by yourself tonight?”
“Yeah. Of course,” she answers all too quickly. I raise an eyebrow, doubting her response. “I mean, nothing has happened to me so far, and I’ve been here for months now.”
My skeptical look turns serious. “That’s not a good enough answer,” I inform her. “Why don’t I sleep out here on the couch?”
“Oh. You don’t have to do that. It’s really not necessary. I’m just overreacting.”
Amelia tries scrambling off of my lap, but I anchor her in place with a hand on her hip. “Look at me, sweet girl,” I gently command. Her eyes focus on mine, her lips trembling even as she tries to hold her head high. “You deserve to feel safe in your own home. Would you feel safe if I stayed?”
She doesn’t say anything at first, she simply studies me, picking apart my intentions and weighing my words. Eventually, she nods, then looks away from me as if ashamed to even ask me to stay.
I cup her cheek once again, drawing her attention back to me. She leans into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed. I press a kiss to her forehead and breathe in her strawberry and honey scent.
“Then it’s settled,” I murmur. “We’ll watch a movie and then I’ll sleep out here on the couch, okay?”
“You really don’t have to do this,” she half-heartedly protests.
“I want to. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I left you like this.”
Amelia leans back and then reaches out a hand, one finger tracing down the scar cutting through my left brow. I resist the urge to turn away from her. She was vulnerable with me, it's only fair that I do the same.
“Thank you for being so good to me,” she says softly, never taking her eyes off of my scar. The angel in my arms leans forward, brushing her lips against my marred skin. “You’re a good man, Adrian, despite the lies you tell yourself.”
Overwhelmed by her confession, I tilt my head up, our lips mere inches apart. Her breath tickles across my chin and cheeks, those golden eyes meeting mine. Soft, pink lips part ever so slightly, and I close the distance between us, sipping from her sweetness as she melts into my embrace.
Amelia wraps her arms around my neck as I continue to tease her with light kisses before diving in. I roll my tongue against hers, causing her to gasp softly and curl into me. I could stay right here in our first kiss forever, but I don’t want to take advantage of the vulnerable angel in my arms.
After a few more moments of pure bliss, I break our kiss and nuzzle into the side of her neck. “Perfect,” I whisper, pressing my lips against her pulse point. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Amelia sighs so sweetly and then settles down beside me, though I keep her close with an arm around her waist. She turns on the TV and navigates to whatever streaming service has the movie she wants to watch.
She presses play and snuggles further into my side. Less than ten minutes later, the adorable angel is sound asleep, her head resting against my chest while I comb my fingers through her long, silky hair.
Tomorrow, I’ll have to get some answers out of her. For now, though, this is perfect. I’ve never felt so complete, so filled with purpose, in my entire life. Now I need to make sure my woman is safe in her new home so we can start planning the rest of our lives. I’m already thinking about forever with Amelia.