Chapter 20 #3
I bite down on my smile as I open it, finding two printed pieces of paper inside.
Unfolding the first, I read the printed confirmation for a gift card to a food-delivery service.
Adrian says, “In case you’re working all day and don’t have time to go get lunch.
You have to make sure you still eat in the middle of styling hair. ”
I fully smile now and unfold the second paper. It’s a similar printed gift card, but this one is to one of the local beauty-supply stores that requires a cosmetology license to shop there.
For one thousand dollars.
My eyes shoot up to Adrian’s, my jaw falling open.
“Adrian! This is too much! You can’t just give me a gift this big!
” My thoughts explode off the starting blocks, running circles of panic around how I could ever counterbalance this kind of gift.
My fingers tremble as I try to fold the papers and put them back in the envelope.
What could I possibly do for him that would outweigh him handing me a thousand dollars to start my business? Surprising him with dinner or making his favorite dessert or even rearranging my schedule to be at all his home games couldn’t offset a thousand-dollar gift.
Adrian’s face shifts to mirror some of my panic. “Did I upset you? I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry—I really like giving gifts to people, and I wanted you to know how much I believe in you and how proud I am of you for starting your own thing. I didn’t—”
Peter chooses this moment to come to our table with plates of food, setting them down in front of us. He refills our still-almost-full water glasses and asks if we need anything. Adrian looks up and tells him “no” with a quick smile, and I attempt to chase down my runaway thoughts.
Step out of the spiral. Don’t scare Adrian away by overreacting. I can figure out later what to do to reciprocate the gesture.
Leaning forward, Adrian takes one of my hands in his. The firm pressure of his fingers helps mine to still. He murmurs, “I’m sorry. I know I messed up somehow, but I don’t know exactly why you’re upset. Can you tell me?”
My eyes bounce between his as I try to think how to honestly explain without sounding crazy. “I . . . I’m just already nervous that this is a very lopsided relationship. That you bring so much more to the table than I—”
“No. Stop.” Adrian cuts me off, vehemently shaking his head. “Don’t finish that statement, and don’t even think something like that, okay? It’s not true, and it will never be true.”
Oxygen catches in my throat when I try to respond. He watches my eyes, caresses my hand with his thumb, and waits until I can whisper, “But you’re . . . you’re you, Adrian.”
“Yeah, I’m just me,” he says with a shrug. “A normal guy.”
I eye him like we both know it’s not true. I can practically see the changing tracks in his mind before he says, “Did Griffin bring more to the table than Danae because he was the Wizard of Defense?”
Pouting a lip, I narrow my eyes. “That’s not fair. You know how much I love Danae.”
“Answer the question, cielo.”
Sighing, I say, “No.”
He brings my hand to his lips and kisses the tips of my fingers.
“If there’s anything lopsided in our relationship, the scales tip to your side.
” His eyes are soft when he adds, “I’m sorry if that was too extravagant of a gift.
I don’t always think things through before doing them.
I got excited to celebrate you. Will you please accept it? ”
I know Adrian’s contract with the Crowns.
I know that a thousand dollars was a tiny amount to him, that he didn’t bat an eye giving it to me.
Not in a pretentious way—in a sweetly generous way.
Knowing all that, I squeeze his hand and say, “Okay. And you don’t need to apologize. I’m sorry for overreacting.”
“Well, you weren’t overreacting, so you don’t need to apologize either,” he says, a mischievous spark returning to his eyes. “Now try that goat cheese stuff so I know whether to ever bring you back here or only stick to Silo. And sushi.”
Conversation is much more lighthearted for the remainder of lunch.
After Adrian pays the bill, he looks at me and says, “I wasn’t sure what you’d want to do this afternoon.
If you want to keep out of the spotlight, we can go over to my house or walk around the park nearby.
There likely won’t be too many people out since it’s pretty hot today. ”
Crinkling my nose, I shake my head. “You should probably know this about me. I hate being hot.”
He grins when he says, “So you’re miserable every day, huh?”
My cheeks start flaming, burning away any response.
Adrian’s grin grows. “You’re only mas hermosa when you blush, cielo. But okay, no outdoor activities in the heat. I’m taking note.”
“We don’t care about being seen together?” I ask.
Adrian holds a hand to his chest. “I don’t care about being seen together.”
I state, “We don’t care about being seen together.” He smiles at that. I ask, “You don’t care about potentially getting bothered by fans in general?”
“I don’t care,” he emphasizes. “But if you care, I care.”
Standing up, I hold my hand out to Adrian. “Then I know exactly what we should do.”