You Look At Me Like Im Your Future
The strange thing about loving Adrian openly now was that he stopped hiding how much it affected him.Before, his feelings came out sideways.
Possessiveness.
Protectiveness.
Obsessive attention disguised as control.
But now?
Now Adrian looked at her like someone who finally allowed himself to hope for permanence.And honestly—that terrified Lia more than anything else ever had.
—
Thursday evening settled softly over the city.The penthouse glowed warm beneath dim lights while rain drifted lazily against the windows.Lia sat cross-legged on the couch surrounded by textbooks and emotional suffering while Adrian worked nearby at the dining table.
Or at least—pretended to work.Because every few minutes she caught him staring at her instead of the documents spread in front of him.
Finally, Lia lowered her pen dramatically.
"You missed another page."
Adrian looked up immediately.
"What?"
"You've been reading the same contract for ten minutes."
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"You're distracting."
"You've used that excuse every day for months."
"It keeps being true."
God.
The sincerity still physically hurt sometimes.
Lia leaned back against the couch cushions with a sigh.
"I'm trying to study."
"And I'm trying to focus."
"You run a company."
"You exist beautifully."
Heat rushed instantly into her cheeks.
"That was genuinely awful."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Warm.
Low.
Real enough to tighten her chest painfully.Adrian closed the folder in front of him completely afterward before standing from the table.
Lia blinked.
"You're giving up already?"
"I stopped pretending to work twenty minutes ago."
Unfortunately—fair.
He crossed the apartment slowly before settling beside her on the couch.
Immediate reaction.
Warmth surrounded her instantly.
Then his hand rested automatically against her thigh like touching her had become unconscious behavior now.Which honestly—it probably had.Lia looked down briefly at his fingers against her leg.
Long.
Warm.
Comforting.
Home.
The realization still overwhelmed her sometimes.
"You know what's concerning?" she whispered softly.
Adrian's thumb brushed lazily against her thigh.
"What?"
"You physically cannot exist without touching me anymore."
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"I physically do not want to."
The honesty shattered straight through her chest.Because he said things like that so casually now.Like loving her this deeply no longer embarrassed him.Lia looked over at him carefully.And immediately regretted it.Because Adrian already watched her.
Softly.
Completely.
Like she was the easiest decision he'd ever made.
Her pulse stumbled instantly.
"What?"
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"You're beautiful when you're thinking."
Heat spread painfully through her chest.
"You make normal conversations impossible."
"No," Adrian murmured quietly.
His fingers slid slowly from her thigh to her hand instead.Intertwining their fingers together naturally.
"You just react every time I love you out loud."
The words wrapped tightly around her heart.Because somehow—that was exactly what he did now.
Love her out loud.
Not just privately.
Not carefully.
Openly.
Constantly.
Lia stared at their intertwined hands for several long seconds.
Then softly—
"You really changed."
Silence settled between them.Rain against the windows.Soft city lights beyond the glass.Adrian leaned back slightly against the couch while still holding her hand carefully.
"I think you changed me."
The confession came simple.
Truthful.
Like he no longer feared admitting how deeply she affected him.
Lia's chest tightened instantly.
"How?"
A faint breath escaped him.
"I used to think loving someone meant eventually losing control."
His thumb brushed lightly across her knuckles.
"Now it just feels like..." He paused briefly. "Coming home."
The honesty physically hurt.Because Adrian sounded almost stunned by it himself.Like peace still felt unfamiliar.Lia moved closer before thinking.
Immediate reaction.
His arm wrapped automatically around her waist while she rested lightly against his side.
Comfortable.
Natural.
Dangerously permanent.
"You know what I noticed lately?" she whispered softly.
His chin rested lightly against the top of her head.
"What?"
"You don't look lonely anymore."
The room fell quiet instantly.
Heavy.
Not painful.
Just real.
Adrian's hold around her tightened slightly.Then slowly—he exhaled.
Like those words touched something deep inside him.
"I forgot what loneliness felt like around you."
The confession shattered straight through her heart.Because Adrian sounded grateful.
Not dramatic.
Just genuinely overwhelmed that happiness existed this consistently now.Lia tilted her head upward carefully to look at him.Big mistake.Because the expression on his face nearly ruined her emotionally.
Gone.
Absolutely gone.
Not obsessive tonight.
Something softer.
Certain.
Like loving her no longer felt frightening.
It just felt inevitable.
"You're staring again," she whispered softly.
A faint smile appeared.
"I'm thinking."
"That's always dangerous."
"It is with you."
God.
This man truly had no mercy.Adrian's fingers brushed slowly along her waist beneath the fabric of her sweater while his gaze stayed fixed completely on her face.
Then quietly—almost thoughtful—
"You know what scares me?"
Lia swallowed carefully.
"What?"
His eyes softened impossibly more.
"That I can picture the rest of my life now."
The confession settled heavily between them.
Rain echoed softly through the apartment while the city glowed silver outside.
Lia's heartbeat turned uneven instantly.
Because Adrian didn't sound overwhelmed by fear.
He sounded overwhelmed by certainty.His thumb brushed lightly against her waist again.
"And every version of it has you in it."
The words shattered straight through her chest.Because suddenly—she realized something terrifying.Adrian no longer loved her like someone afraid she'd leave.Now—he loved her like someone already building forever around her existence.Lia's fingers tightened unconsciously around his hand.
Adrian noticed immediately.Of course he did.His forehead rested lightly against hers afterward.
Warm.
Certain.
Home.
Then softly—with enough love in his voice to ruin her permanently—
"You look at me like I'm your future."
Lia smiled faintly through the ache in her chest.
"You are."