Chapter 36 - Dont Say Sorry #3
"Something grabbed at my ankle!"
"It didn't touch you."
"It had intentions."
Luke was laughing now too.
Elena had recovered remarkably quickly and was pointing at me.
"You screamed!"
"You screamed first!"
"You screamed louder!"
"I was supporting you!"
Adrian shook his head.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You're enjoying this too much."
"Yes."
I stopped.
He walked past me.
I stared at his back.
Well.
At least he admitted it.
We made it through two more rooms before Luke started getting brave again.
Too brave.
He walked around a corner first.
A chainsaw started.
Luke came flying back.
Straight into Adrian.
I folded in half laughing.
"Don't," Luke said.
I couldn't breathe.
"Angelica."
"I didn't say anything."
"You're laughing!"
"I can't control my body's natural response to trauma."
"It wasn't trauma!"
The chainsaw revved again.
Luke moved behind Adrian.
I lost it.
Even Elena was laughing now.
Adrian looked down at his son.
"You okay?"
Luke nodded.
"Yeah."
"You want to keep going?"
Another nod.
"Okay."
That was it.
No teasing.
No I thought you weren't scared.
Nothing.
Adrian simply waited until Luke stepped out from behind him.
Then we continued.
A few minutes later, we reached a narrow hallway filled with fog.
Elena was still holding my hand.
Luke was beside Adrian.
The hallway was too narrow for all four of us to walk comfortably side by side, so Adrian moved behind me.
I could hear him there.
Could feel his presence close enough that every time I slowed, he almost walked into me.
Then something moved in the fog.
I stopped.
Adrian walked directly into my back.
His hands caught my waist.
For one second-
Neither of us moved.
Oh.
His hands were warm even through my shirt.
I looked down.
Then slightly over my shoulder.
Adrian was looking at me.
Very close.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
I looked at him.
"You don't have to say sorry for touching me," I whispered.
Adrian went still.
His eyes stayed on mine.
His hands stayed on my waist.
And I didn't move away.
Then something screamed directly beside my ear.
"OH, GOD!"
I practically launched myself backward.
Straight into Adrian.
His arm came around me automatically.
Luke started laughing.
"Angelica!"
"Shut up!"
The actor disappeared back into the fog.
I stared after him.
My heart was trying to escape through my throat.
And only then did I realize Adrian's arm was still around me.
Wrapped across my stomach.
Holding my back against his chest.
I went still.
So did he.
For half a second, neither of us moved.
Then Adrian's arm loosened.
I stepped forward.
Neither of us said anything.
Elena tugged my hand.
"Come on."
"Coming."
And we kept walking.
That was all.
No discussion.
No awkward joke.
Nothing.
But for the next several rooms, I was extremely aware of exactly where Adrian was.
Which was annoying.
Because I was supposed to be watching for murderers.
Priorities.
We eventually reached what appeared to be the final room.
A man in a mask stood completely motionless in the corner.
I saw him.
Adrian saw him.
Luke saw him.
Elena did not.
She was looking at something on the opposite wall.
I leaned toward Adrian.
"That one's real."
"I know."
"He's going to move."
"I know."
"Should we tell them?"
"No."
I looked at him.
"That is terrible parenting."
"They wanted a haunted house."
Fair.
We walked past.
Nothing.
Another step.
Nothing.
Luke looked back.
Mistake.
The man moved.
Luke yelled.
Elena screamed.
I screamed because Elena screamed.
And Adrian-
Did not scream.
Asshole.
We ran through the final doorway and spilled outside into cool night air.
Elena was laughing before we'd even stopped moving.
Luke was insisting again that he hadn't been scared.
"You screamed," I said.
"So did you!"
"I never claimed otherwise."
"You screamed more than me."
"I have a healthy relationship with fear."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means I don't lie about screaming."
Luke looked at Adrian.
"Dad screamed."
Adrian stared at him.
"When?"
"The first hallway."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I did not."
I looked between them.
"I believe Luke."
"Of course you do."
"Children are usually very honest."
Adrian looked at me.
"You told my children I begged."
"I told them you said please."
"Three times."
"Because you did."
Elena tugged on my hand.
"Again!"
I looked down at her.
"You want to go through again?"
"Yes!"
Luke immediately said,
"Me too."
Adrian looked at both of them.
Then at me.
I shrugged.
"I'm in."
His eyes stayed on me for a second.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
Elena cheered.
Luke was already heading toward the entrance again.
Adrian caught the back of his shirt.
Again.
"Stay where I can see you."
I smiled.
Some things, apparently, never changed.
Elena pulled me toward the line.
I followed.
And Adrian followed us.
For round two.
By the time we finished the haunted house for the second time, Luke had changed his story.
Apparently, he had never screamed.
Not once.
"I was standing right beside you."
"It wasn't me."
"It came directly out of your mouth."
"No, it didn't."
"Luke, I watched your soul leave your body when that chainsaw started."
Elena laughed.
Luke pointed at her.
"She screamed more."
"I screamed," Elena said cheerfully.
I looked at Luke.
"See? That's called honesty."
Adrian opened the car.
"Can we stop discussing who screamed?"
I looked at him.
"Interesting request from the only person claiming he didn't scream at all."
"I didn't."
Luke and I said at the same time,
"You did."
I looked at Luke.
He looked at me.
I held out my fist.
He bumped it.
Adrian stared at both of us.
"This is becoming a problem."
"Teamwork," I corrected.
Elena tugged on Adrian's shirt.
"I'm hungry."
Luke immediately said, "Me too."
I nodded.
"Burgers?"
"Fries," Elena said.
"Burgers and fries."
Twenty minutes later, we were sitting in a booth with enough food on the table to feed significantly more than four people.
Adrian reached across the table and took one of my fries.
I stared at him.
"That was mine."
"There are three baskets."
"That one was mine."
He ate it.
Slowly.
While looking directly at me.
"You did that on purpose."
He reached for another.
I slapped his hand.
And stopped.
My hand was resting on top of his.
Adrian looked down at it.
Then at me.
Oh.
You don't have to say sorry for touching me.
Well.
Apparently that worked both ways.
I didn't move my hand immediately.
Neither did he.
Then I pulled my fries closer.
"Get your own."
His mouth twitched.
Luke looked between us.
"You really do fight about everything."
"Thank you," I said.
Adrian looked at him.
"Don't encourage her."
"I'm not encouraging her."
"You are."
I smiled.
"He's just observant."
Adrian looked at me.
"So are you."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Still taking it."
By the time we finished eating, Elena was barely awake.
Outside, she reached for Adrian, and he picked her up.
Her head dropped onto his shoulder almost immediately.
"Wow."
"She does that."
"Honestly, I respect it."
Luke yawned beside me.
"You too?"
"I'm not tired."
"Of course not."
At the car, Adrian carefully buckled Elena into her seat without waking her.
He moved a strand of blonde hair away from her face before quietly closing the door.
There it was again.
That version of him.
I looked away before he caught me watching.
Luke lasted about fifteen minutes once we started driving.
Then the back seat went silent.
I looked over my shoulder.
Both of them were asleep.
"Finally."
Adrian glanced at me.
"You encouraged them the entire night."
"I entertained them."
"You encouraged chaos."
"They're worse around you."
I looked at him.
"That sounds like a compliment."
"It wasn't."
"I'll take it."
The car went quiet again.
Not uncomfortable.
Just quiet.
Then Adrian said,
"They like having you around."
I turned toward him.
His eyes stayed on the road.
"I like being around them."
"I know."
That was all.
But somehow it was enough.
When Adrian pulled up outside my apartment, I looked into the back.
Still asleep.
"Tell them I said goodnight."
"I will."
I reached for the door.
"Angelica."
I looked back.
"Thanks for coming."
I smiled.
"Thanks for inviting me."
A pause.
"Eventually."
His eyes narrowed.
I laughed quietly.
"Goodnight, Adrian."
"Goodnight, Angelica."
I got out and closed the door carefully.
Adrian waited until I reached the entrance.
I turned once.
His car was still there.
Of course it was.
I lifted my hand.
A second later, he did the same.
Then I went inside.
There had been no reason I needed to be there tonight.
No work.
No broken car.
No resignation.
No problem that needed fixing.
They had simply wanted me there.
And I had wanted to be there too.