Chapter 54 Experiencing Bliss
By the time evening came, Adeline had not left her apartment once. She had taken off her heels the moment she got in, dropped her bag somewhere near the door without caring where it landed, and walked straight to her bedroom like her body had been moving on its own. Since then, she had done nothing but sit, lie down, get up, and sit again, unable to settle into anything that felt like rest.
Her head was still heavy, not in a way that hurt, but in a way that made it hard to think clearly. Every time she tried to relax, her thoughts would drift back to the same place, the same image, the same memory she had tried so hard to push away earlier in her office. She had managed to pull herself together before leaving work, had even gone through a few tasks just to make it look like everything was normal, but the moment she got home, the silence had given her too much space to think again.
She sat on the edge of her bed, her elbows resting on her knees, her hands loosely clasped together. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, but she wasn’t really seeing it. She was somewhere else entirely, stuck between the present and the past, unable to fully pull herself out of it.
“I hate this,” she muttered under her breath, her voice soft but filled with frustration.
She hated feeling like this. Hated feeling like she was not in control of her own thoughts, her own reactions. It made her feel weak in a way she refused to accept. She had spent years building herself into someone who could not be shaken easily, someone who could stand her ground no matter what was thrown at her, and yet something as simple as a wedding dress had managed to break through all of that like it was nothing.
Her jaw tightened.
“I’m fine,” she said again, even though she had already said it a dozen times that day, but saying it did not make it true.
She leaned back slowly, letting herself fall on the bed, her arms spreading out at her sides. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing the faint patterns in the paint, trying to focus on something simple, something real. For a few minutes, she just stayed like that, breathing slowly, trying to calm the restless feeling in her chest.
Then her phone buzzed. The sound broke through the silence, sharp and sudden, and she turned her head slightly to look at where it was lying on the bedside table. For a second, she considered ignoring it. She did not feel like talking to anyone. She did not feel like dealing with anything, but the phone rang again.
With a sigh, she reached over and picked it up, her eyes dropping to the screen. The moment she saw the name, her brows pulled together slightly.
Julian.
She stared at it for a second longer than necessary before answering, bringing the phone to her ear. “What?” she said, her tone flat, not bothering to hide her lack of enthusiasm.
There was a brief pause on the other end before his voice came through, calm as always. “That’s a very warm greeting.”
She rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see her. “It’s late,” she said. “What do you want?”
Another small pause. “Come downstairs,” he said.
She blinked, pushing herself up slightly on the bed. “What?”
“I’m outside,” he added simply. “Come downstairs.”
Adeline frowned, sitting up fully now. “Why are you outside my apartment?”
“You’ll see when you come down.”
Her frown deepened. “No, I’m not coming down. I’m tired, Julian. Whatever this is, it can wait.”
“It can’t,” he said, his tone still calm, but there was something in it that made her pause.
She sighed, dragging a hand over her face. “I don’t feel like doing anything right now. I just got back from work, I’m exhausted, and I want to rest. So whatever you’re planning, cancel it.”
“I’m not planning anything complicated,” he said. “Just come downstairs.”
“No.”
“Adeline.”
“I said no,” she repeated, more firmly this time. “I’m not coming downstairs.”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and she thought maybe he would give up, maybe he would just leave and let her be, but then he spoke again.
“You’ve been in a bad mood since you got back, haven’t you?”
Her grip on the phone tightened slightly. “That’s none of your business.”
“Just come downstairs,” he said again, ignoring her response. “You don’t have to do anything. Just come down.”
“I don’t want to,” she said, her voice sharper now. “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
“Because you sound like you’re going to stay there all night doing nothing but be in a nasty mood,” he replied. “And I don’t like that.”
She let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Since when do you care about what I do with my time?”
“Since now,” he said simply.
She opened her mouth to argue again, but paused. There was something about the way he said it, not forceful, not demanding, just… certain, that made her hesitate.
“I’m tired,” she said again, though this time her voice was quieter.
“Then come down for five minutes and go back up,” he said. “That’s all I’m asking.”
She closed her eyes briefly, exhaling slowly. Her head still felt heavy, her thoughts still a mess, and the idea of staying in the apartment for the rest of the night suddenly felt worse than it had a few minutes ago.
“Five minutes,” she muttered.
“Five minutes,” he agreed.
She ended the call without another word and sat there for a moment, staring at the phone in her hand. Then she pushed herself up from the bed, grabbed a light jacket, and slipped it on. She didn’t bother fixing her hair or checking her reflection. She just picked up her keys and headed for the door.
The elevator ride down felt longer than usual, the hum of it filling the space as she leaned lightly against the wall, her arms crossed. She still wasn’t sure why she had agreed to this. Maybe it was because she needed a distraction. Maybe it was because she didn’t want to stay alone with her thoughts anymore.
When the doors opened, she stepped out and walked toward the entrance of the building. The cool evening air hit her the moment she stepped outside, and she paused for a second, taking a small breath before looking around.
She found him almost immediately. Julian was standing a few steps away, leaning casually against something, and for a second, her brain didn’t quite process what she was seeing. Then it did, and her brows shot up slightly.
It wasn’t his car, it was a bike. A dark motorcycle that looked like it had just been pulled out of some movie scene, and Julian looked completely at ease standing next to it, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Adeline walked toward him slowly, her confusion clear on her face. “What is this?” she asked, stopping a few feet away.
Julian pushed himself off the bike, a small smile on his lips. “This,” he said, gesturing lightly, “is your ride for the night.”
She stared at him. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
She let out a short laugh, shaking her head. “You dragged me downstairs for this? I thought you said five minutes.”
“It’ll be more than five minutes,” he admitted. “But it’ll be worth it.”
Her expression flattened. “No, absolutely not. I’m not getting on that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to,” she said, crossing her arms. “And because I’m tired, like I already told you.”
He tilted his head slightly, studying her for a moment. “You don’t look like you want to go back upstairs.”
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. That was not the point. “I don’t feel like doing anything,” she corrected.
“Then don’t do anything,” he said. “Just sit and let me drive.”
She gave him an unimpressed look. “That still counts as doing something.”
“Barely.”
She sighed, looking away from him for a moment, her eyes scanning the quiet street. The night was calm, the air cool, and there was something about the stillness that made her chest feel a little less tight.
“I don’t even know where you’re taking me,” she said.
“Does it matter?”
“Yes,” she replied immediately.
He shrugged lightly. “It shouldn’t. I told you, you don’t have to think about anything. Just get on.”
She looked back at him, her expression still skeptical, but the resistance in her posture had softened slightly. She was tired, yes, but not the kind of tired that sleep could fix. It was the kind that came from too many thoughts, too many emotions, too much of everything at once, and maybe… maybe a distraction wouldn’t be the worst thing.
“You’re so annoying,” she muttered.
“I know.”
She hesitated for another second before letting out a sigh. “Fine,” she said. “But if I hate this, I’m blaming you.”
He smiled slightly. “Deal.”
He handed her a helmet, and she took it, placing it on her head with a small frown. Then, after a brief moment of hesitation, she stepped closer to the bike and climbed on behind him, her movements careful.
“Hold on,” he said as he settled in front of her.
She hesitated again before placing her hands lightly on his sides. It felt strange, unfamiliar, but she didn’t have time to think about it because the next moment, the engine started, the low rumble vibrating through the bike.
Then they were moving.
At first, she was tense, her grip on him light but uncertain as they pulled away from the building and onto the road. The wind brushed against her face, cool and steady, and the city lights blurred slightly as they picked up speed, but after a few minutes, something shifted.
The noise of the city faded into the background, replaced by the hum of the bike and the rush of the wind. The tension in her shoulders began to ease, her grip on him becoming more natural as she adjusted to the movement.
She didn’t have to think, didn’t have to talk, and didn’t have to do anything. She just sat there, letting the motion carry her, letting the cool air wash over her, and for the first time in the last few hours, her mind felt… quieter.
They rode for what felt like a long time, the city slowly giving way to something more open, the lights becoming fewer, the air becoming fresher. Adeline didn’t ask where they were going. She didn’t feel the need to, and then, eventually, they stopped.
Julian pulled the bike to a halt, and Adeline looked up, her eyes widening slightly as she took in their surroundings.
The beach.
The sound of the waves reached her ears first, soft and steady, and the sight of the water stretching out into the darkness was enough to make her pause. She slowly got off the bike, removing the helmet and holding it at her side as she looked around.
“You brought me to the beach?” she asked.
Julian stepped off as well, taking the helmet from her and setting it aside. “Yeah.”
She frowned slightly. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Because I felt like it.”
Before she could say anything else, he reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her gently toward the water.
“Julian…” she started, but he didn’t stop.
“Come on.”
She stumbled slightly as she followed him, her grip on his hand tightening as they reached the edge of the water. The waves rolled in softly, touching the sand, and before she could react, he pulled her a little further in.
The cold water hit her feet, and she gasped. “What are you doing?”
“Relax,” he said, laughing lightly.
“I am not relaxing,” she snapped, but there was no real heat in her voice.
He let go of her hand, stepping back slightly as he watched her. For a moment, she just stood there, the water brushing against her feet, the cool air surrounding her, and something inside her slowly began to settle. The noise in her head faded, the tension eased, and without realizing it, she let out a small breath, her shoulders dropping just a little.
Julian didn’t say anything. He just stood there, watching her with understanding in his eyes.