Chapter 32 - Day 14 The Last Day #4
And he was still making me drag every word out of him.
"Then what, Adrian?"
My voice cracked.
I hated that too.
"What should I not leave?"
His fingers tightened around mine.
For one second, I thought he still wouldn't say it.
Then his eyes met mine.
And whatever was left of his voice almost broke with the word.
"Me."
Oh.
My heart stopped.
Me.
One word.
That was all.
And somehow it was everything.
The tears I'd been fighting finally won.
One slipped down my cheek.
Fantastic.
Exactly how I wanted this to go.
I looked away quickly.
Adrian's free hand moved.
Then stopped.
For a second, it just hovered near my face.
Like even now-
after all of this-
he wasn't sure he was allowed.
So I looked back at him.
That was apparently enough.
His thumb brushed the tear from my cheek.
Slowly.
Carefully.
My eyes closed for half a second.
When I opened them, he was still there.
Still holding my hand.
Still touching my face.
I swallowed.
His eyes stayed on mine.
He looked almost as wrecked as I felt.
I didn't know what to say.
So I didn't say anything.
I just stood there and let him touch me.
His thumb moved again, catching another tear before it reached my jaw.
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Then I squeezed the hand still holding mine.
Just once.
Adrian went completely still.
His eyes dropped to our hands.
Then back to me.
I didn't let go.
And neither did he.
Something changed in his face.
He felt it.
That tiny squeeze.
The fact that I was still there.
The fact that I was holding on too.
His shoulders dropped slightly.
Like he'd been holding his breath for fourteen fucking days and had finally allowed himself to breathe.
I stepped closer.
His eyes stayed on mine.
One step.
That was all it took.
The space between us disappeared.
Adrian's breath caught.
I saw the exact second he understood.
I wasn't walking away.
His hand slipped from my cheek.
And then he pulled me into him.
Fast.
Almost desperately.
Like he'd been holding himself back until that one step told him he didn't have to anymore.
My arms went around him.
And the second they did-
something in Adrian gave.
His face dropped into my hair.
His arms tightened around me.
Tight.
So fucking tight.
Like if he loosened his arms even slightly, I might disappear.
I closed my eyes and held him back.
His chest rose beneath my cheek with one deep, unsteady breath.
Then another.
I felt his hand spread against my back.
Holding me there.
Not stopping me.
Not this time.
Just holding me.
So I tightened my arms around him.
And felt him exhale into my hair.
Slowly.
Like relief.
For a while, neither of us moved.
I had no idea how long.
Eventually, I pulled back.
Not far.
Adrian's arms loosened reluctantly, but one of his hands stayed at my waist.
Apparently complete release was not currently an option.
I looked up at him.
His hair was still a disaster.
His eyes were slightly red.
His entire carefully controlled Adrian Vale situation had gone completely to shit.
And somehow-
I smiled.
"You know, this could've been significantly easier."
He looked down at me.
"I know."
"Like twelve days easier."
"Fourteen?"
I stared at him.
"Don't push it."
Something moved at the corner of his mouth.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Are you smiling?"
"No."
"You are."
"I'm not."
There he was.
I felt my own smile getting wider.
Then I remembered something.
"Three pleases."
The almost-smile disappeared immediately.
"Don't."
Oh.
I smiled properly now.
"Adrian Vale said please three times."
"Angelica."
"I should've recorded it."
"Angelica."
His voice had regained approximately ten percent of its usual authority.
I laughed.
And this time-
Adrian smiled.
Actually smiled.
The dimple appeared.
And Oh God.
After everything that had just happened, apparently that stupid dimple could still do damage.
I shook my head.
"Unbelievable."
His smile stayed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Angelica."
"Don't ruin the moment."
Adrian's smile stayed.
For once, I didn't look away from it.
A car started somewhere across the parking lot.
The sound reminded me that we were still standing outside Vale Architecture.
That my office box was in Candy's trunk.
That five o'clock had come and gone.
I looked toward the building.
Then back at him.
"So."
His eyebrow lifted.
Oh God.
There was that word again.
I almost laughed.
"What am I supposed to tell everyone tomorrow?"
Adrian's expression changed.
"Everyone?"
"Yes. The people who watched me dramatically carry my entire life out of the building approximately twenty minutes ago."
"They'll survive."
"Ben will not."
"He will."
"Maya might kill me."
"I'll allow it."
I stared at him.
"Excellent. Good to know my employment benefits now include permission for murder."
His mouth twitched.
Then he looked at me.
"You're staying."
It wasn't a question.
And somehow-
this time, it didn't sound like an order either.
I held his gaze.
"Yes."
One word.
Adrian went completely still.
The smile disappeared.
Not because anything was wrong.
Because apparently hearing it was different from understanding it.
"Yes," I said again.
His eyes stayed on mine.
And slowly-
that stupid dimple came back.
I smiled back.
And for a moment, neither of us said anything.
We didn't need to.
My office box was still in Candy.
My desk was empty.
My goodbyes had already been said.
Five o'clock had already passed.
By every measure that mattered-
I had left Vale Architecture.
Except I was still standing in its parking lot.
With Adrian.
I had walked out believing it was my last day.
Apparently-
it wasn't.