If I Ask You One Day, Ill Mean Forever
After the jewelry store incident, Adrian became suspiciously calm.
Which honestly terrified Lia more than if he'd openly spiraled.
Because Adrian Monteverde only became quiet when he was thinking too deeply about something.
And lately—he kept looking at her like he was holding entire futures inside his chest.
—
Sunday evening settled softly across the city.The penthouse glowed warm beneath dim amber lighting while rain drifted lazily against the windows again.Lia sat curled near the end of the couch reading while Adrian rested beside her with one arm stretched across the back cushions behind her.
Technically working.
Realistically?
Watching her.
Of course.
"You missed another email."
Adrian glanced down briefly at his laptop screen.Then back at her.
"You're distracting."
"You've used that excuse for almost a year."
"It keeps being accurate."
A smile tugged faintly at her mouth despite herself.The apartment felt quiet tonight.
Not heavy.
Just intimate.
Safe.
Soft music drifted through the speakers while thunder rolled faintly somewhere beyond the skyline.Lia turned another page in her book.Then paused.Because Adrian was staring again.
Not casually.
Not teasingly.
Deeply.
Like he was memorizing something.Her chest tightened instantly.
"What?"
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"You tucked your feet under my leg."
Lia blinked softly.
"What?"
His hand brushed absentmindedly against her ankle where her legs rested partly over his.
"You do it every night now."
The realization hit unexpectedly hard.Because he was right.Somewhere along the way, her body started seeking him out unconsciously too.
Warmth.
Comfort.
Home.
Adrian noticed every tiny thing like that.Always.Lia closed her book slowly.
"You really pay attention to everything."
"I pay attention to you."
The answer came quiet.
Automatic.
Like there was no separation between those things in his mind anymore.Her pulse stumbled slightly.
God.
Even now he still affected her too easily.Adrian set his laptop aside completely afterward before shifting closer across the couch.Immediate reaction.Warmth surrounded her instantly.Then his hand settled carefully against her waist.Grounding himself again.
Lia noticed that too.Whenever conversations became emotional, Adrian touched her more.Like reassuring himself she was real.
"You've been thinking all week," she whispered softly.A faint smile appeared briefly.
"I'm always thinking."
"No." Her fingers brushed lightly against the sleeve of his shirt. "Differently."
Silence settled between them.Rain against glass.Soft city lights beyond the windows.Then Adrian exhaled quietly.
"You notice too much."
"You love that about me."
Another small smile.Unfortunately—also true.
Lia shifted slightly toward him until their knees brushed beneath the blanket.Comfortable.Natural.Dangerously intimate.
Then softly—
"What are you thinking about?"
Adrian looked at her for several long seconds before answering.And suddenly—he looked strangely vulnerable.Not uncertain.Just emotionally exposed in a way that made her chest ache instantly.
Finally—
quietly—
"You."
"That is not specific enough."
A low laugh escaped him softly.Then his expression softened again.Gone around the edges.
"I'm thinking about how normal forever feels with you now."
The confession shattered straight through her heart.Because Adrian sounded overwhelmed by the realization.Like permanence stopped frightening him somewhere along the way.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You say terrifying things very casually."
"That's because they feel obvious to me."
God.
The sincerity again.Always the unbearable sincerity.
Adrian's thumb brushed slowly against her waist beneath the blanket while his gaze stayed fixed entirely on her face.
Then quietly—
"You know what scared me most before you?"
Lia's chest tightened instantly.
"What?"
"That eventually someone would leave after seeing too much of me."
The honesty settled heavily into the room.Because Adrian said it so plainly.Like it had once been a fact he accepted about his future.
His eyes lowered briefly toward their hands before continuing softer:
"Now I think you've seen the worst parts already."
Lia frowned slightly.
"There are no worst parts of you."
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"You say things like that and then wonder why I think about marrying you."
The words nearly stopped her heart completely.Heat rushed instantly into her chest.
"Adrian."
His expression softened impossibly more.Not teasing now.Just honest.
"You make forever sound peaceful."
The confession physically hurt.Because Adrian Monteverde—cold, terrifying Adrian—spoke about forever like something warm now.Something safe.
Lia stared at him silently while rain echoed softly through the apartment.And suddenly—she realized she could picture it too.Years.Mornings together.Coffee.Bookshelves.Fights over closet organization.Growing older beside him.The realization overwhelmed her completely.
Adrian noticed immediately.Of course he did.His fingers tilted her chin upward gently.
"You disappeared into your head again."
"You started talking about forever."
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"That tends to happen with you."
Silence stretched softly between them afterward.Then Adrian leaned forward slowly until his forehead rested lightly against hers.Warm.Certain.Home.His voice came quieter this time.Rough around the edges with too much sincerity.
"If I ask you one day," he whispered softly, "I'll mean forever in every possible way."
The confession wrapped tightly around her heart.Because he wasn't talking hypothetically anymore.Not really.
Lia's fingers slid gently into his hair while Adrian closed his eyes briefly against her touch.
Then quietly—before fear could stop her—
"I think I'd say yes before you even finished asking."
Everything in Adrian went still.Completely still.Then slowly—his arms wrapped tighter around her like holding her suddenly meant everything again.