Chapter 45 Chapter Fourty Five
CANDY’S POV
“I’m sorry about last night.” I mumble quietly to Adrian over coffee in the quirky but insanely cute café I chose for breakfast while ignoring Nikandr’s call for the umpteenth time this morning because I owe him nothing.
“I don’t know what got into me last night or why I.......why I did that but I shouldn’t have.”
“Kissed me?” He asks, a smirk that matches his mischievous, dancing eyes stretching his lips just before he lifts his cup of black coffee to it, taking a sip.
“You can say the word without bursting into flames Candy, it’s not some sordid confession.”
He shrugs and I find myself flushing furiously because he’s right. I don’t know why I’m getting really embarrassed and stumbling all over my words like a teenager recounting her first kiss with her crush and that apparently is amusing because I hear him laugh lightly, breaking the palpable tension starting to shroud us.
“Okay, I’m sorry I kissed you and then ran. It was stupid and stupid seems to really be my thing recently.” I roll my eyes to emphasize just how ridiculous I find my current life choices.
“You were drunk and confused. You’re also repressing whatever problem keeps making you cry when you think no one is looking, that catches up with you, you know and sometimes, it makes you kiss people you hate.” He laughs at the face I make before going semi serious again.
“I’ll let you off this time with a warning but next time you kiss me, I’m not letting you go, deal?” He holds out his hand, waiting patiently until I slide mine into it and whisper deal.
He doesn’t let go immediately, his thumb lingers, caressing the back of my hand for a few second, his weary smile that doesn’t even reach his eyes radiating so beautifully it stops my chaotic mind for a few seconds.
Why didn’t I meet this man first? I know, I hated him and everything he stood for from the start but that’s past tense now. He’s come a long way from the brute I met first and currently the only person in my life not hurting me in some way. If anything, I’m the one hurting our friendship with what I did last night.
Why didn’t I fall for him, head over heels like nothing else in the world matters and have this right here right now be the beginning of our something beautiful?
Why does my heart keep doing this to me, wanting something it’s forbidden to and always choosing people whose only intent is to hurt us.
“Are you going to take that?” He asks, his eyes dropping to my phone that’s vibrating on the table again.
I shake my head no before picking it up and shoving it in my bag.
“Do I want to know?” He asks casually and I come so close to telling him but I don’t.
Crossing the lines like I did last night means I don’t get to unburden that kind of information on him anymore because it’ll definitely sound like I tried to use him as rebound and that’s the last thing I want on his mind about me.
“No.”
We spend the rest of the day touring New York because our client decided to cancel on us just hours before our scheduled meeting, pulling entirely out of the deal last minute.
I’d been disappointed and angry on Adrian’s behalf, actually more than he bothered to be, because it’s borderline cruel to drag a deal out this long, let him cancel appointments to be here, make expenses for two that could have been avoided only to cancel the deal entirely.
But being the ray of sunshine he is, Adrian quickly shrugs it off saying it’s business and it just means we get to enjoy the vacation since it was already all paid for.
And that’s what we’ve been doing for the last God knows how many hours.
We’ve hit all the hot spots- Central Park, empire state building, museums, had all the ice creams and street food I can keep down, Times square and now, I’m standing and watching, in awe of how big the statue of liberty really is. I’ve always wanted to see it in person since I was a little girl and maybe that’s why I feel so giddy and really close to hugging Adrian.
He’s been making me smile and laugh since we left the Cafe and I got over my disappointment at his deal loss, telling jokes that are actually funny even though he looks incapable of it.
“Is it what little Candy thought it’d be?” He asks, nodding towards the magnificent green statue.
“Mhmmm.” I hum instead of answering to hide the small pang of pain nesting itself in my chest. This was Lindsay’s dream too even though she always called it silly and we were supposed to come together before she decided my man was more interesting .
“It’s so like you to love something like this.”
“Like me?” I ask, ignoring the memories and Adrian nods.
“We should be heading back now if we have any plan to make our dinner reservation.” He says taking my hand in his and walking my reluctant ass back towards the car.
The ride back to the hotel is far from boring because Adrian has a story for almost everywhere we drive past. He’s been here countless number of times and each time has a story funnier than the last. He has me laughing and crying from laughing.
I’m really grateful for this time because I’m happy, genuinely happy. Yeah, guess I can say I’m also glad our client cancelled because I wouldn’t have had this time. I’ll remember it and him for a long time, because I need to.
He doesn’t know it yet but I plan to quit my job when we get back.
If I stay, remain this close to him with the way he is, I’m bound to do things we’ll both regret and may never come back from.
I can’t sacrifice this for that.
It’s better to walk away before I ruin it. We can be friends but some distance will do us good.
Finally, we make it back to the hotel. I try to get out as usual but he threatens to kiss me again if I so much as move a muscle before he can get the door for me.
It’s his favourite threat now because he loves seeing me flush red like an idiot, he said so, and it’s part of the reason I know staying will be dangerous because one day he’ll dare me and I’ll ask him to do his worse.
He comes around to open the door, help me out and hold hands, tossing his keys to the valet to park.
We walk hand in hand into the hotel, making small talks and smiling. When we get to the reception though, the lady there smiles brightly at him before turning dead serious, super judgemental eyes to me like I committed a crime worth being killed for.
“You have a guest.” She says sternly while maintaining a tight smile.
“He’s been waiting hours in the Penthouse lounge since you weren’t around to receive him.”
Adrian looks at me in question and I answer in obvious confusion because I don’t know anyone here in New York and I definitely didn’t give anyone my accommodation details or ask for a damn visit.
“Thank you.” I offer because she doesn’t look welcoming enough for further questions, before leaving with Adrian.
“Guest, hmm?” He asks as we get into the elevator and I don’t answer because now I’m worrying about this mystery person, my heart picking up beats to match my rising anxiety.