Stay The Night
The silence after Adrian told her to ask him to leave felt unbearable.
Heavy.
Breathing.
Alive somehow.
Rain tapped softly against the apartment windows while the kitchen light flickered faintly overhead.
Lia stood trapped between Adrian and the counter, his hand still resting gently against her jaw.
Waiting.
Not pushing.
And somehow that made this harder.
Because Adrian Monteverde—despite all his obsession, all his possessiveness—always gave her the choice.
Even when it looked like it physically hurt him to do it.
"Adrian..."
Her voice came out quieter than intended.
His eyes stayed fixed on her face.
Dark.
Focused.
Patient in a way that felt dangerous.
"You should tell me to go," he murmured softly again.
Lia swallowed carefully.
Because she knew she should.
Every logical thought in her head screamed it.
This had already become too intense.
Too consuming.
Too much.
And yet—
the thought of him walking out that door suddenly made something inside her chest ache.
Adrian noticed the hesitation immediately.
Of course he did.
His thumb brushed lightly against her skin once.
Barely there.
Enough to destroy her concentration completely.
"You don't want me to."
Not a question.
Truth.
Lia looked away quickly.
"That confidence is becoming a problem."
"No," Adrian said quietly.
His gaze lowered briefly toward her mouth.
"You're becoming honest."
The words wrapped tightly around her ribs.
Because maybe he was right.
Maybe she had stopped pretending this didn't affect her.
The apartment felt unbearably warm now.
Too small for the tension surrounding them.
Finally, Lia exhaled softly.
"...You can stay."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Subtle.
But immediate.
Something dark and relieved flickered behind Adrian's eyes before disappearing beneath control again.
And somehow—
that reaction scared her more than if he'd smiled.
Because Adrian looked genuinely affected by her wanting him there.
Not victorious.
Not smug.
Relieved.
Like she'd given him something important.
His hand slowly fell from her jaw.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he was controlling himself.
Lia noticed that too.
And maybe Adrian realized she noticed, because his expression tightened slightly afterward.
"I'll sleep on the couch," he said quietly.
Lia blinked.
"...You were planning to sleep here?"
"You're exhausted."
"That doesn't answer my question."
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"No," he admitted calmly. "I wasn't planning to leave."
Her pulse stumbled again.
God.
He admitted things so easily.
Like honesty cost him nothing.
"You really don't hear yourself sometimes."
"I hear myself perfectly."
"That's the concerning part."
For the first time since entering the apartment—
Adrian smiled slightly.
Small.
Dangerous.
Beautiful enough to make her immediately suspicious.
Lia looked away before her heartbeat embarrassed her further.
"You can borrow blankets from the closet."
Adrian's gaze stayed on her quietly.
"You're nervous."
"Anyone would be nervous."
"You keep twisting your ring."
She immediately stopped touching it.
Again.
Always again.
The fact Adrian could read her so easily should've irritated her more than it did.
Instead—
it made her feel seen in ways she still didn't know how to handle.
Lia moved toward the closet quickly before the silence became unbearable.
She grabbed extra blankets and pillows while Adrian quietly removed his watch near the couch.
The domestic normalcy of the scene unsettled her deeply.
Because nothing about them was normal.
And yet—
this felt strangely natural.
Adrian in her apartment.
Rain outside.
Late-night silence wrapped around them.
Like he'd always belonged here somehow.
Lia handed him the blankets carefully.
Their fingers brushed.
Warmth immediately crawled up her spine.
Adrian noticed the reaction instantly.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You still do that."
"What?"
"Look startled every time I touch you."
"That's because you say emotionally devastating things immediately afterward."
A faint flicker touched his mouth again.
Then his expression softened unexpectedly.
"You should sleep."
Lia stared at him suspiciously.
"You're being strangely calm."
"I'm trying very hard to behave."
The honesty nearly took her out emotionally.
Because the way Adrian said it—
quiet.
Controlled.
Like restraint itself exhausted him—
made heat rush straight into her chest.
Lia escaped toward the bedroom before her survival instincts completely died.
—
Except sleep became impossible.
Obviously.
Because Adrian Monteverde was sleeping ten feet away from her.
Or trying to.
Lia lay awake staring at the ceiling while rain echoed softly through the apartment.
Her bedroom door remained slightly open.
Enough to see faint light spilling from the living room.
Enough to know Adrian was still awake too.
She hated how aware she felt of him now.
Every movement.
Every shift of fabric.
Every silence.
After nearly an hour, she finally sat up in frustration.
The couch creaked softly outside.
"You're still awake."
Lia froze.
Of course he noticed.
She stepped into the living room slowly.
Adrian sat against the arm of the couch wearing only a black t-shirt now, sleeves stretched tightly across his forearms while papers rested ignored beside him.
The sight nearly destroyed her concentration immediately.
This was unfair.
Terrifyingly unfair.
"You weren't sleeping either," she muttered.
Adrian watched her quietly.
"I knew you'd come out eventually."
"That sounds manipulative."
"It was observant."
She rolled her eyes softly before sitting at the opposite end of the couch.
Rain softened outside into gentle tapping against glass.
The apartment felt intimate in the strangest way tonight.
No crowded university.
No public tension.
Just them.
Alone.
Adrian's attention moved slowly over her oversized sweater and tired expression.
"You look comfortable."
"That's because normal people wear pajamas at one in the morning."
"You're avoiding eye contact again."
"You make eye contact stressful."
"It isn't stressful for me."
"That's because you're emotionally insane."
A quiet laugh escaped him unexpectedly.
Low.
Real.
The sound settled warmly through the room.
Lia stared before she could stop herself.
And immediately—
Adrian noticed.
His gaze held hers steadily now.
Too steadily.
The silence between them deepened.
Neither moved away.
Neither looked elsewhere.
Then Adrian spoke quietly.
"Come here."
Her heartbeat stumbled instantly.
"...What?"
"You're cold."
"I'm literally wearing a sweater."
"You're still cold."
Lia should've refused.
Absolutely should've refused.
Instead—
like someone whose self-preservation had abandoned the building—
she moved closer.
Only slightly.
But Adrian's eyes darkened immediately anyway.
Like even small closeness affected him too much.
The couch dipped beneath his weight as he shifted toward her slowly.
Then his arm settled carefully around her shoulders.
Warm.
Steady.
Protective enough to hurt.
Lia stopped breathing properly.
Because suddenly—
she was tucked against him beneath dim apartment lighting while rain echoed outside and Adrian held her like it meant something dangerous.
His voice lowered near her ear.
"You fit here too easily."
The words wrapped tightly around her chest.
And maybe the scariest part?
She thought so too.