Chapter 30 - Day 12 You Like Them #3
"I have arms."
"I've noticed."
I stopped.
He stopped too.
A beat.
His eyes stayed on mine.
Oh.
Well.
That sentence had apparently developed a second meaning after leaving his mouth.
Adrian looked away first.
"Take the bag."
I bit the inside of my cheek.
"I was already taking the bag."
He picked up the flowers.
I stared.
"You're carrying my flowers now too?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You have the bag."
"That was your argument?"
"Yes."
Terrible argument.
I let him have it.
Inside my apartment, I started putting everything away.
Adrian set the bags on the kitchen counter.
Then the flowers.
I opened the refrigerator.
Milk.
Eggs.
Vegetables.
Chicken.
Behind me, I heard a bag move.
I turned.
Adrian had shifted one of the grocery bags approximately four inches.
I stared at him.
He looked at me.
"What?"
I looked at the bag.
Then back at him.
"Nothing."
His eyes narrowed.
I smiled and returned to the refrigerator.
Oh, Monday was going to be entertaining.
I had just put the strawberries away when Adrian's phone rang.
He pulled it from his pocket.
Looked at the screen.
Then answered.
"Hello?"
I continued putting groceries away.
"Yes."
A pause.
His eyes moved to me.
I stopped.
"Today?"
Another pause.
"Okay."
He ended the call.
I closed the refrigerator.
"What?"
"Your car is ready."
I blinked.
"My car?"
"Yes."
"My Mustang?"
"No, your other broken car."
I stared at him.
Then-
I laughed.
"You made a joke."
"I didn't."
"You absolutely did."
He picked up his keys.
"Come on."
I looked at the groceries still sitting on the counter.
"I'm not finished."
"They'll survive."
I slowly turned my head toward him.
He realized it approximately half a second too late.
I smiled.
"Oh?"
His expression flattened.
I pointed at the bags.
"They'll survive?"
"Put your groceries away."
"No, no. I just want to make sure I heard correctly. Things can apparently survive being temporarily out of place now?"
"Angelica."
"Interesting development."
"Put the groceries away."
I grinned.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He closed his eyes for one second.
And I went back to the groceries.
It took me another ten minutes to put everything away.
Mostly because Adrian was still there.
Watching.
Which made putting groceries into cabinets feel weirdly like a performance review.
I put the first box of strawberry cereal on top of the refrigerator.
Then the second beside it.
Adrian looked at them.
I looked at him.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You're thinking thirty-four."
"I am."
I pointed at the door.
"You're free to leave."
"We have to get your car."
"Oh. Right."
I put the last bag away.
Then looked at the flowers.
They were still on the counter.
Sunflowers.
Red roses.
Waiting.
I needed a vase.
I opened the cabinet beneath the sink.
Adrian immediately looked inside.
I caught it.
"Don't you dare."
"What?"
"Judge the organization under my sink."
"I wasn't."
"You looked."
"I have eyes."
"That defense is getting old."
"It remains accurate."
I found a glass vase shoved behind cleaning supplies and pulled it out.
Adrian looked at it.
Then at me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
I narrowed my eyes.
"It's a vase."
"I know."
"It's going to hold flowers. It doesn't need architectural significance."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
"My face didn't say anything."
"Your face has opinions."
He picked up his keys.
"Are you ready?"
I filled the vase with water.
"Almost."
I unwrapped the flowers.
Sunflowers first.
Then the roses.
I arranged them quickly.
Nothing fancy.
Just enough.
When I finished, I set the vase on the counter.
And stepped back.
Bright yellow.
Deep red.
Against my kitchen.
I smiled.
"They look good."
Adrian was looking at them too.
"Yes."
I glanced at him.
"You have excellent taste."
His eyes moved to me.
"You chose them."
"Yesterday."
"I bought these."
"Because I chose them yesterday."
"Yes."
"So technically your taste is borrowed."
"Are you ready?"
I laughed.
"Now I am."
The Corvette pulled into the repair shop twenty-five minutes later.
And there she was.
My Mustang.
Molten magenta.
Beautiful.
Repaired.
Mine.
Candy.
I actually sat up straighter.
"My baby."
Adrian glanced at me.
"Your baby."
"Yes."
"It's a car."
I slowly turned toward him.
"Her name is Candy."
He looked at me.
Then through the windshield at my Mustang.
Then back at me.
"Candy."
"Don't say it like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're judging her."
"I'm judging you."
"That's worse."
He looked back at the Mustang.
"You named your car Candy."
"Look at her."
"I am."
"She's molten magenta."
"I can see that."
"She looks like candy."
"She looks like a Mustang."
"A candy-colored Mustang."
He looked at me.
"Candy."
"Stop."
The corner of his mouth moved.
I pointed at him.
"Don't be rude to her. She's sensitive."
"She left you stranded."
"She was sick."
"Candy was sick."
"Yes."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
"See? You're learning."
He parked beside the building.
I unbuckled my seat belt.
"You have two children. Surely you understand unconditional love."
"For a car?"
"For Candy."
He looked through the windshield at her again.
"She didn't start."
"She was sick."
"You've mentioned that."
"Stay out of my relationship."
"With Candy."
"Yes."
I stepped out.
Then leaned back down.
"And don't be jealous."
His expression went completely flat.
I closed the door before he could answer.
The repair was covered quickly.
Engine issue.
Fixed.
I stood at the counter while the man pulled up the invoice.
Adrian stood beside me.
Too close to the card reader.
I immediately became suspicious.
"How much?"
The man told me.
I reached into my bag.
So did Adrian.
"No."
He didn't even look at me.
"Adrian."
A black card came out of his wallet.
Of course.
Of fucking course Adrian Vale had a black card.
Because apparently a normal credit card would have been inconsistent with the rest of his existence.
I put my hand directly over the card reader.
"No."
His eyes dropped to my hand.
Then lifted to mine.
"Move your hand."
"Absolutely not."
The man behind the counter looked between us.
I smiled at him.
"Sorry. Give us a second."
Then I looked at Adrian.
"You paid for my groceries."
"Yes."
"You paid for dinner."
"Yes."
"You paid for the tow."
"Yes."
"And now you're trying to pay for my car."
"The repair."
"You know what I mean."
"Move your hand."
"No."
He reached toward the card reader.
I covered it with both hands.
Adrian stared at me.
"What are you going to do?"
"Pay."
"How?"
He looked at my hands.
I pressed them more firmly over the machine.
"Exactly."
"Angelica."
"No. This is ridiculous. Candy is my car. I broke her. I pay for her."
"You didn't break her."
"Fine. She broke herself. Still my responsibility."
"I arranged the repair."
"That doesn't make it your bill."
"I arranged the tow."
"Also not your bill."
"I already paid for that."
"I know! That's part of the problem!"
The man behind the counter suddenly became extremely interested in his computer.
I lowered my voice.
"You cannot just keep paying for everything."
"I can pay for a car repair."
"I can pay for my own car repair."
"I know."
"Then let me."
"No."
I stared at him.
"You are unbelievably irritating."
"I've been told."
"By me."
"Frequently."
I moved one hand toward my wallet.
Adrian's hand immediately moved toward the reader.
I slapped my hand back over it.
"No."
His jaw tightened.
"Angelica."
"Adrian."
"Move."
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
Mine did too.
Neither of us moved.
The poor man behind the counter was now pretending this wasn't happening approximately three feet away from him.
I looked at Adrian.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you paying for my car?"
"Because I brought it here."
"That is not a reason."
"It is to me."
"Well, it isn't to me."
He said nothing.
I held his gaze.
"You've already paid for too much."
"I haven't."
"You bought me dinner."
"That was dinner."
"You paid for the tow."
"Because I called it."
"You bought all my groceries twenty-five minutes ago."
"You were too slow."
"You bought me flowers."
His eyes changed slightly.
I stopped for half a second.
Then continued.
"And now you're trying to pay hundreds of dollars for Candy."
"Stop calling it Candy during a financial argument."
I stared at him.
The man behind the counter made a sound suspiciously close to a cough.
"Her name is Candy."
"I know."
"Then respect her."
"Move your hands."
"No."
Adrian looked at the card reader.
Then at me.
And before I understood what he was doing-
he handed the black card to the man behind the counter.
I stared at it.
Then at him.
Rich asshole.
"Don't."
The man froze.
Adrian looked at him.
"Run it."
"Don't run it."
The man's eyes moved between us.
"Run it."
"He does not own the car."
"I'm paying the invoice."
"I'm the owner."
Adrian looked at me.
"He's not transferring the title."
"That is not the point!"
The man was fighting for his life.
I could see it.
"Sir," I said, "give me his card."
Adrian held out his hand.
"Don't give her my card."
I stared at him.
"You cannot instruct people not to give me things."
"My credit card?"
I paused.
Okay.
Technically-
"That's not the point."
"It seems relevant."
I reached for my wallet.
Adrian looked at the man.
"Run it."
I pulled out my card.
"No. Use this one."
The man looked at my card.
Then at the black card already in his hand.
Then at Adrian.
Then at me.
The poor man looked like he'd deeply regretted coming to work today.
"Sir," I said, holding out my card. "Mine."
"Run mine," Adrian said.
"Don't listen to him."
"Angelica."
"Adrian."
"You're holding up the line."
I looked behind me.
There was no one there.
I turned back.
"What line?"
He said nothing.
"Exactly."