Chapter 27 - Day 9 Not a Date #4
My steak was placed in front of me.
Then the mashed potatoes.
Green beans.
Then the salmon.
Popcorn shrimp.
Onion rings.
Caesar salad.
Bread.
Two other sides I had already forgotten ordering.
And finally-
The chocolate milkshake.
The server placed it near Adrian.
I looked at it.
Then at him.
He looked at me.
I waited.
He pushed it toward the middle of the table.
Interesting.
"I thought you wanted that."
"I do."
"It's over here."
"I can reach it."
"From there?"
"Yes."
I picked up an onion ring.
"You're very strange."
"So I've been told."
"By me."
"Frequently."
I smiled and took a bite.
For a while, we just ate.
Not silently.
Not exactly.
We argued over whether the onion rings were actually better than Taco Bell.
They were.
I refused to admit it.
Adrian knew I was lying.
I stole some of his salmon.
He informed me there was an entire plate of food in front of me.
I informed him that his looked better.
He said they came from the same kitchen.
I said that wasn't the point.
He didn't ask what the point was.
Probably because there wasn't one.
Somewhere between the mashed potatoes and the popcorn shrimp, I realized something.
This wasn't awkward.
That should've been strange.
Sitting across from Adrian Vale in a restaurant after work should've felt strange.
Instead, it felt-
Easy.
Not romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just easy.
Which somehow felt more dangerous.
Eventually, I leaned back.
"I can't eat anymore."
Adrian looked at the table.
There was still enough food left to feed several people.
"You barely ate."
My mouth fell open.
"Are you insane?"
"No."
"I have eaten approximately my body weight."
"Doubtful."
"I can feel mashed potatoes in my bloodstream."
"That isn't medically possible."
"Thank you, doctor."
The corner of his mouth moved.
Barely.
I saw it.
He knew I saw it.
And immediately reached for his water.
Asshole.
The server returned with the check.
I reached for my bag.
Adrian looked at me.
"What are you doing?"
"Paying."
"No."
"Adrian, I asked you to stop for food."
"And?"
"And I'm paying for dinner."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are you trying to pay for your CEO?"
I stared at him.
"I'm trying to pay for both of us."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Put your card away."
I pulled it out anyway.
"You know, normal people sometimes let other people buy them dinner."
"Then go to dinner with normal people."
I stopped.
He handed his card to the server.
I stared at him.
Asshole.
By the time we reached my building, it was fully dark.
Adrian pulled up near the entrance and stopped.
I unbuckled my seat belt.
"Thanks for dinner."
He gave one small nod.
"And the ride."
Another nod.
I reached for the door.
"Angelica."
I looked back.
"Yes?"
"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
"You know you don't have to. I can take an Uber."
"Angelica."
"What?"
"I'll pick you up."
I stared at him.
There was absolutely no point arguing with that face.
"Okay, boss."
His jaw shifted slightly.
I smiled.
"Goodnight, Adrian."
"Goodnight, Angelica."
I got out.
He waited until I was inside the building before driving away.
Of course he did.
That night, I lay in bed and thought about everything.
The raise.
Coral House.
The projects.
Every ridiculous thing Adrian had tried to give me.
Every desperate, practical solution he'd thrown at my resignation as though if he found the correct combination of money and work and responsibility, I would change my mind.
I had never wanted any of it.
Not really.
What I wanted was simpler.
So much simpler.
Almost embarrassingly simple.
And apparently impossible for him.
Every time something reminded us that I was leaving, I saw it.
The handover folder.
The countdown.
Four days.
Five days.
After I leave.
His face could hide almost anything.
His voice could become cold.
His jaw could lock.
He could bury everything beneath that rude, impossible, asshole personality of his.
But his eyes couldn't do it.
Those deep blue eyes betrayed him every fucking time.
They showed me every word he couldn't say.
I saw pain in his eyes every time something reminded him that I was leaving.
He would rather live with that pain than tell me he wanted me to stay.
And maybe that was the part I hadn't understood before.
How hard was it for him?
How impossible did those few simple words feel to a man who could offer me more money without blinking?
A better project.
More responsibility.
Anything he could put on paper.
Anything he could negotiate.
Anything he could control.
But not this.
Not I want you here.
Not I don't want you to leave.
Not Stay.
I had never wanted the raise.
I had never wanted Coral House.
I hadn't needed him to rearrange my career or invent another reason for me to remain at Vale Architecture.
What I wanted was embarrassingly simple.
I wanted him to give me one reason that had nothing to do with Vale Architecture.
Him.
And somehow, that was the one thing Adrian Vale couldn't offer me.