Chapter 60 A Tender Moment
After Adeline admitted that she honestly did not know what to say, silence briefly settled between both of them inside the closet. The lights above reflected against the floral material hanging neatly in front of them, and for a moment, neither of them seemed to know what to do next. Julian kept watching her face carefully, almost nervously, like he was trying to figure out if she was secretly angry and simply hiding it well.
Finally, after several long seconds, he cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking. “So…” he began cautiously. “Should I take this as a good sign that you actually like what I did?” He rubbed the back of his neck lightly before adding, “Or am I just overthinking things right now?”
Adeline slowly turned to look at him properly again. Now that the shock had settled a little, she could finally process the fact that he genuinely looked worried about her reaction. She let out a small breath before finally answering him honestly.
“No,” she said quietly. “I absolutely love what you did with the dress.”
The tension in Julian’s shoulders visibly loosened almost immediately, but before he could respond, Adeline continued speaking.
“And honestly…” She glanced back at the outfit again briefly before looking at him once more. “The fact that you were thoughtful enough to make this out of your mother’s dress makes it even more meaningful.”
Julian stayed quiet while listening to her.
Adeline folded her arms loosely over her chest before sighing softly. “I just…” She paused for a moment like she was trying to properly arrange her thoughts. “I don’t think I’m worth it though.”
Julian frowned immediately. “What?”
Adeline looked back toward the outfit hanging in front of them again. “At the end of the day,” she said slowly, “that was your mother’s wedding dress, Julian. That’s not just some random piece of clothing.” Her voice softened slightly as she continued. “It feels like the kind of thing you’re supposed to save for the woman you actually fall in love with and marry someday.”
The second the words left her mouth, something uncomfortable twisted inside her chest. Adeline immediately hated the thought that suddenly appeared in her mind.
Julian falling in love with someone else, Julian marrying someone else.
The thought came so suddenly that it caught her completely off guard. They had not even gotten married yet, and somehow she was already imagining his next wedding. His real wedding. The one where he would marry someone he genuinely loved instead of entering some strategic arrangement like the one he had with her.
The realization made something inside her feel strangely heavy, and before she could properly process the feeling, Julian suddenly spoke.
“What if,” he said quietly, “I’m already giving it to the woman I’m in love with?”
Adeline froze instantly. For a second, she genuinely forgot how to breathe.
Slowly, she turned toward him with wide eyes, certain she must have heard him wrong. Julian was staring directly at her, and the expression on his face only made her heartbeat become more uneven.
“What?” she asked quietly. “What did you just say?”
The moment the question left her mouth, Julian seemed to snap out of whatever strange moment had just passed between them. He immediately let out a short laugh, though it sounded slightly nervous.
“I’m kidding,” he said quickly. “I was just messing around with you.”
Adeline continued staring at him silently.
Julian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before continuing. “I just wanted to see your reaction.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke again. Then Adeline suddenly let out a dry laugh too, though hers sounded far less natural.
“That is a terrible joke,” she said quickly. “Seriously, Julian, don’t scare me like that again.”
Julian chuckled lightly in response, though something about the atmosphere still felt slightly strange after what he had said. Thankfully, he did not dwell on it further. Instead, he quickly changed the subject.
“And as for you saying you’re not worth the dress,” he said firmly, “that’s complete bullshit.”
Adeline blinked slightly at the sudden seriousness in his tone.
Julian folded his arms loosely while looking directly at her. “You genuinely don’t need to worry about something like that,” he continued calmly. “Because if there’s any woman who deserves something like this, it’s definitely you.”
Adeline immediately felt awkward again. She hated the way her heart reacted to simple things he said lately. It annoyed her deeply that her chest could suddenly tighten over something as stupid as a compliment. She was Adeline Carter, for God’s sake, not some teenage girl developing a crush for the first time.
Yet somehow, hearing Julian say things like that still affected her far more than she wanted to admit. Her heartbeat skipped slightly again, and she immediately looked away from him to hide how flustered she suddenly felt.
The worst part was that Julian did not even seem to realize the effect he was having on her, or maybe he did. Honestly, with him, it was becoming harder and harder to tell.
Adeline cleared her throat softly before forcing herself to focus again. “Well,” she said carefully, “if you’re absolutely certain that you’re not going to regret having your mother’s dress remade for me…” She paused briefly before continuing more softly. “Then I would honestly be honored to accept your very precious gift.”
The second she finished speaking, Julian let out a visible sigh of relief like he had been holding his breath the entire time.
“Thank God,” he muttered dramatically. “I genuinely thought you were about to yell at me for crossing boundaries.”
Adeline rolled her eyes immediately.
Then suddenly, Julian spread his arms slightly before asking, “So what, I don’t even get a hug for being an absolute sweetheart?”
Adeline stared at him with immediate disbelief. “You’re unbelievable,” she muttered.
Still, despite the eye roll she gave him, she slowly stepped closer before wrapping her arms around him. Julian hugged her back almost immediately.
The hug felt warm and strangely comfortable in a way Adeline was not expecting. One of Julian’s arms wrapped around her waist while the other settled gently against her back, pulling her closer against him. She could feel the steady warmth of his body through his shirt, and annoyingly enough, it made her feel calmer almost instantly.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Adeline rested her forehead lightly against his chest before quietly whispering, “Thank you.”
Julian’s hold around her tightened slightly. “You’re welcome, babe,” he murmured softly before pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead.
Immediately, Adeline felt heat rush into her face.
The word "babe" should not have affected her that much. It was just a simple nickname. People used nicknames all the time. Yet somehow, hearing him say it so naturally while holding her like this made her chest tighten in a completely ridiculous way, and the worst part was that this moment did not even involve sex or flirting or any of the usual chaos between them.
They were literally just hugging. Yet somehow, this felt far more intimate than half the things they had already done together.
Adeline became painfully aware of how close they were standing. She could hear the steady sound of his breathing. She could feel his hand resting warmly against her back. Even the kiss he had placed on her forehead kept replaying in her mind in the most irritating way possible.
Slowly, she realized her face was becoming hotter by the second.
Oh God, she was blushing.
Adeline Josephine Carter was actually blushing.
Thankfully, Julian could not fully see her face pressed against his chest, because if he noticed, she genuinely thought she might die from embarrassment. Meanwhile, Julian seemed completely relaxed while holding her. Completely unaware that the simple nickname and forehead kiss had practically short-circuited her brain.
Adeline squeezed her eyes shut briefly in frustration.
This was bad, very bad.