Chapter 39 - Because You Like Them #3
Then looked again.
Claire started laughing.
Ethan turned to see what everyone was looking at.
Then his eyebrows went up.
"Well, shit."
Adrian stopped near us.
Claire pointed at him.
"You actually wore a costume."
"Yes."
Ben stared at him.
"You're a vampire."
Adrian looked at him.
"Excellent work."
Daniel laughed.
Nicole was still staring.
"I genuinely didn't think you'd come."
"I said I would."
Ben looked at me.
Then back at Adrian.
Then at me.
I pointed at him.
"Don't."
"I haven't said anything."
"Keep it that way."
And then Maya went very still beside me.
I knew that stillness.
It was never good.
Slowly, she turned toward me.
"Angel."
"No."
"I haven't asked anything."
"I don't care."
Her eyes narrowed.
Then dropped deliberately toward my back.
My tattoo was covered.
It didn't matter.
She knew exactly what was there.
I stared at her.
"No."
Maya looked toward Adrian.
Then back at me.
"Oh my God."
"Maya."
"He's a vampire."
"I can see that."
"No. He's a vampire."
"Again. Eyes."
"You have been obsessed with vampires for as long as I've known you."
I said nothing.
"And five days ago, you put vampire wings on your body."
Emma was standing close enough to hear us.
Her eyes moved to me.
Then to Adrian.
Maya looked at me for another second.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
Oh no.
"Did he see your tattoo?"
I looked at her.
"Yes."
Ben's head turned.
"Adrian saw your tattoo?"
"It's not classified information."
Nicole looked between us.
"When?"
"Monday."
"How?"
"With his eyes, Nicole."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
Ethan, who'd been standing beside Nicole with a drink in his hand, looked over.
"Wait. He saw it before we did?"
I looked at him.
"Why does that matter?"
"It doesn't."
"Your face says it matters."
"My face is minding its own business."
"Your face has never done that."
Nicole laughed.
Maya was still staring at me.
"So he saw the vampire wings."
"Yes."
I hesitated.
Then, because apparently I hadn't learned anything from Monday afternoon-
"He picked them himself."
Silence.
Ethan lowered his drink.
Ben blinked.
"What?"
I immediately regretted speaking.
"The design."
Nicole's eyebrows went up.
"Adrian picked your tattoo?"
"He didn't pick my tattoo. I had already decided I wanted vampire wings. I had a few designs. He chose that one."
Ethan looked at me.
"You asked Adrian which one you should get?"
"I asked his opinion."
"And then got the one he picked?"
"It was the one I liked too."
"Interesting."
I pointed at him.
"Don't join them."
"I didn't say anything."
"You said interesting."
"It is interesting."
Ben was still staring at me.
"You asked Adrian Vale which tattoo you should permanently put on your body?"
When he said it like that-
"I asked his opinion."
"And then got the one he chose."
"It was also the one I liked."
"Of course it was," Maya said.
"Shut up."
Nicole looked at the hair covering my upper back.
Then at Adrian across the room.
"Okay. That's actually kind of-"
She stopped.
"Kind of what?"
"Nothing."
"Nicole."
"Personal."
I stared at her.
"Choosing between tattoo designs is personal now?"
Ben made a face.
"For Adrian?"
Fair.
Annoyingly fair.
Emma hadn't said anything.
I glanced at her.
She was looking at me.
Then at Adrian.
Then Maya said slowly-
"So let me understand this."
"I'd rather you didn't."
"You showed Adrian your vampire-wing tattoo options."
"Yes."
"He picked his favorite."
"Yes."
"You got the one he picked."
"The one we both liked."
"Fine. The one you both liked."
I already hated where this was going.
Maya continued.
"Then he saw it on you Monday."
"Yes."
"And four days later, Adrian Vale-who has refused to wear a costume approximately fourteen times-walks in here dressed as a vampire."
Oh.
Ethan looked at Adrian.
Ben looked at Adrian.
Nicole looked at Adrian.
Then all three of them looked at me.
"Coincidence," I said.
Nobody answered.
"Oh, fuck all of you."
Maya leaned closer.
"You never told him to dress like that?"
"No."
"Never suggested vampire?"
"No."
"Not once?"
"Maya, no. I didn't suggest anything. He wouldn't even agree to wear a costume."
Maya's expression changed.
Slowly.
Triumphantly.
"Angel."
"Don't."
"He knows you're obsessed with vampires."
I said nothing.
"He helped you choose vampire wings."
Still nothing.
"And then he chose this himself."
My eyes went back to Adrian.
As if he'd felt me looking at him, his gaze shifted across the room.
Straight to mine.
And stopped.
Fuck.
Maya's voice dropped beside me.
"That man dressed up as a vampire because you like vampires."
I didn't answer.
Because for the first time-
I wasn't entirely sure she was wrong.
And Emma had heard every word.
Emma didn't stay quiet all evening.
I noticed that sometime around eight-thirty.
Not because she did anything particularly strange.
At first.
She just-
Talked to Adrian.
Which was allowed.
Obviously.
People were allowed to talk to Adrian.
He was a human being.
Technically.
Tonight, debatable.
But generally.
I was talking to Nicole when I saw Emma approach him near the drinks.
She said something.
Adrian looked at her.
Answered.
Emma smiled.
I looked away.
None of my business.
Nicole was explaining something about-
I had no idea.
I looked back.
Emma was still there.
Adrian said something else.
She laughed.
He didn't.
That helped.
Why did that help?
I looked away again.
"Are you listening to me?" Nicole asked.
"Yes."
"What did I just say?"
"Something important."
She stared at me.
"Excellent summary."
"Thank you."
Across the room, Emma touched her hair while she said something to Adrian.
Adrian glanced toward the room.
His eyes landed on me.
Again.
I immediately looked at Nicole.
Nicole followed my line of sight.
Then looked at me.
I smiled.
She smiled back.
I didn't trust that smile.
A little later, I ended up near Ethan at the food table.
He was studying a tray of something that had been shaped to look like severed fingers.
"I don't trust those," he said.
"They're breadsticks."
"They have fingernails."
"Almonds."
"Still disturbing."
"You're weak."
"I have standards."
I reached past him for one.
He looked at me.
"Of course."
"What?"
"You're dressed as a witch and voluntarily eating fingers."
"Commitment to character."
Ethan laughed.
Then his eyes moved past me.
Toward Adrian.
I didn't turn.
I already knew.
After a second, Ethan said-
"The vampire thing is pretty funny."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
His mouth twitched.
"No reason."
"Ethan."
"I enjoy being alive."
"Coward."
"Absolutely."
He picked up a normal breadstick.
Then glanced at me.
"For what it's worth, the witch looks good too."
I smiled.
"Thank you."
"Not as good as the tattoo."
I hit his arm.
He laughed and moved away before I could do it again.
Idiot.
A few minutes later, Emma came back toward us.
She seemed perfectly normal.
Mostly.
Then the music changed.
Something with an actual beat.
Ben immediately dragged Daniel toward the open area everyone had unofficially turned into a dance floor.
Daniel objected for approximately three seconds before giving up.
Maya disappeared with them.
Nicole followed.
Ethan got pulled into it somewhere along the way.
I stayed where I was.
Emma didn't.
She looked toward Adrian.
Then walked over.
I watched her.
I didn't mean to.
My eyes simply refused to participate in whatever dignity I had left.
Emma stopped in front of him.
She said something I couldn't hear.
Adrian answered.
Emma smiled.
Then she held out her hand.
Oh.
Oh.
She was asking him to dance.
Something unpleasant twisted in my stomach.
I stared.
Adrian looked at her hand.
Then at her.
He said something.
Emma's hand dropped.
Her smile stayed.
But I knew that smile now.
It wasn't quite real.
She nodded.
Said something else.
Then walked away.
He'd said no.
I should not have felt relieved.
I absolutely felt relieved.
And immediately felt like an asshole for it.
Emma hadn't done anything wrong.
The thought arrived so quickly that another one followed immediately behind it.
Then why is she trying to steal my man?
I froze.
Adrian wasn't-
Mine.
My man?
Oh, fuck off.
Absolutely not.
We were not doing that.
Adrian Vale was not my man.
He was-
Adrian.
Which explained nothing.
I grabbed a drink I didn't need.
Maya appeared beside me approximately six seconds later.
"No."
She hadn't even spoken.
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Yes, you were."
"I was going to ask if you're thirsty."
"I have a drink."
"I can see that."
"Then don't ask."
Maya smiled.
I hated her.
Across the room, Adrian had returned to his preferred Halloween activity.
Standing.
Judging.
Existing attractively.
As a vampire.
Asshole.
I looked at Emma.
She was talking to Claire now.
She looked fine.
And I genuinely felt bad for her.
I did.
That didn't stop the tiny, horrible part of me from being glad he'd said no.
Which made me feel worse.
I looked back at Adrian.
He caught me again.
This time, I didn't look away.
Neither did he.
Fine.
I put my drink down.
Maya watched me.
"Where are you going?"
"Nowhere."
"You're literally walking somewhere."
"Then apparently I'm going somewhere."
I crossed the room.
Adrian watched me approach.
When I stopped in front of him, his eyes moved briefly over my hat.
"Witch."
"Vampire."
"Very observant."
"Thank you."
For a second, I just stood there.
The music filled the space around us.
People were moving behind me.
Laughing.
Dancing.
I looked at Adrian.
He looked back at me.
And suddenly I remembered the last time we'd done this.
The gala.
Him refusing.
Ethan asking me instead.
Adrian crossing the room later.
May I have this dance?
You said no.
I changed my mind.
That felt like a very long time ago.