Chapter 13 - Cheerful Carrots #2
"Why are the carrots flowers?"
I stared at him.
"Because I cut them that way."
"Why?"
"Because normal carrots are depressing."
Another pause.
"They're carrots."
"And now they're cheerful carrots."
His eyes returned to the box.
"You made cheerful carrots."
"Do you want dinner or not?"
"I'm trying to understand it."
"Don't. Just eat."
His attention moved to the rice.
I knew what was coming.
"Did you decorate my food?"
"No."
He looked down at the flower-shaped carrots.
I looked down at the flower-shaped carrots.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"I wasn't."
"You had the face."
"What face?"
"The face where you're about to be annoying."
"I have a face specifically for that?"
"Yes."
"How often do you see it?"
"Constantly."
His mouth moved.
Barely.
I pointed at him.
"Don't."
"I didn't do anything."
"You almost smiled."
"No, I didn't."
"Eat your cheerful carrots, Adrian."
Silence.
Fuck.
Again.
His eyes lifted to mine.
I'd done it again.
Adrian.
This time it hadn't slipped out because I was worried.
It had simply-
come out.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked back at the container.
"Thank you."
That shut me up.
Adrian Vale.
Thanking me.
For flower-shaped carrots.
What a strange fucking timeline.
"You're welcome."
I turned toward the door.
"Angelica."
I stopped.
Looked back.
He was still holding the container.
"Did you make all of this?"
"Yes."
"The sushi too?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"You know how to make sushi."
"It's not nuclear physics."
"I didn't say it was."
"You sounded surprised."
"I am."
"Rude."
His mouth moved again.
I shook my head.
"Eat."
Then I left before the entire situation became any weirder.
Twenty-three minutes later, I packed my bag.
Put on my jacket.
And headed toward the elevator.
Adrian's office was on the way.
I wasn't checking.
I was passing.
There was a difference.
His door was still open.
I glanced inside.
Stopped.
The container was empty.
Completely empty.
I walked backward two steps.
Looked again.
Adrian looked up.
"You ate all of it."
He glanced at the container.
Then at me.
"You brought me dinner."
"That doesn't mean you had to lick the container clean."
"I didn't."
"Good. Because I need that back."
He closed the lid.
"I assumed."
I walked in and picked it up.
"You even ate the broccoli."
"I eat vegetables."
"Your lifestyle suggested otherwise."
"My lifestyle?"
"Coffee and spite."
"That isn't my lifestyle."
"It appears to be."
I turned toward the door.
"It was good."
I stopped.
His voice had changed.
Not dramatically.
Just-
quieter.
I looked back.
Adrian was watching me.
"Very good."
Oh.
For some completely idiotic reason, that made me happier than it should have.
Warmth spread through my chest.
Small.
Soft.
Dangerous.
I looked down at the empty container.
"Even the cheerful carrots?"
His mouth moved.
And this time he didn't stop it.
A small smile.
"Especially the cheerful carrots."
Oh God.
There was the fucking dimple.
Brief.
Barely there.
But there.
I hated that dimple.
I hated that I knew he had one.
I hated that apparently it could now appear because of vegetables.
"Goodnight, Adrian."
His smile disappeared.
But something stayed in his eyes.
"Goodnight, Angelica."
I left.
Four days later, I brought two containers to work again.
This was different.
Completely different.
There were no flower-shaped vegetables.
No sushi.
No decorative rice.
Nothing remotely adorable.
Steak.
Mashed potatoes.
Roasted asparagus.
Mushrooms.
Normal adult food.
I had also made exactly two portions.
That was irrelevant.
I placed both containers on my desk around twelve fifteen because I was trying to decide whether I wanted to eat immediately or finish the section I'd been working on first.
Maya was eating at her desk.
Ben had somehow acquired a burrito the size of a newborn child.
Nicole was talking to someone across the aisle.
Normal lunch hour.
Then Adrian appeared.
He had a drawing in his hand.
"Ms. Stone."
I looked up.
"Mr. Vale."
"The revised terrace detail."
"I sent it."
"I saw it."
"And?"
"The drainage transition works."
I blinked.
"Was that a compliment?"
"It was a statement."
"Sounded suspiciously positive."
"Don't make me reconsider it."
I smiled.
"There he is."
His eyes stayed on mine for a second.
Then dropped.
To my desk.
More specifically-
the two containers.
I watched his eyes move between them.
Then back to me.
Pause.
"Is one of those for me?"
Silence.
Not just from me.
From the surrounding area.
I looked at Adrian.
Then at the containers.
Then back at him.
"Wow."
His eyebrow lifted.
"What?"
"The confidence."
"You brought me dinner last week."
"I made too much."
"And today?"
"I made too much again."
His eyes moved to the second container.
"So it is for me."
"I didn't say that."
"Who is it for?"
"Me."
"Both of them."
"I'm very hungry."
"Apparently."
Something felt strange.
I looked around.
Maya had stopped chewing.
Ben was holding his burrito halfway to his mouth.
Nicole was very obviously pretending not to look at us.
Two desks farther down, someone had gone completely silent in the middle of a conversation.
Oh.
Right.
Adrian looked around too.
Three people immediately looked away.
His expression changed.
"Don't you people have work to do?"
Apparently, they did.
Very urgently.
Keyboards started clicking.
Ben took an enormous bite of his burrito.
I looked back at Adrian.
He looked at the containers one more time.
Then at me.
"Fine."
"Fine."
And he walked away.
I stared after him.
Asshole.
Maya slowly put down her fork.
"No."
I pointed at her.
She hadn't even spoken.
Her mouth closed.
"Thank you."
I looked at the second container.
Steak.
Mashed potatoes.
Asparagus.
Mushrooms.
I had made it for him.
Obviously.
I'd known exactly what I was doing when I'd packed it that morning.
But that wasn't the point.