Chapter 25 025
THE normal morning routine began. Amelia was changing the bedsheets, pillowcases, and duvet. Adrian was having his bath in the bathroom. Suddenly, his phone, lying on the Bible on the dresser, began vibrating. From where she stood, she glanced at it, dropped the pillow she was holding, and walked up to the dresser. She leaned over, it was the automobile guy again.
“Babe, babe,” she called out.
“Yeah?” Adrian’s voice came muffled from the bathroom.
“Um, the automobile guy is calling. Should I pick up and tell him to call—”
Before she could finish her statement, the next thing that happened shocked her to her teeth. Adrian rushed out of the bathroom, towel lazily tied over his waist, water dripping down his well-muscled body, his face tense and unreadable.
“No!” he shouted, snatching the phone from her hand with such urgency that Amelia froze. His eyes darted to hers, fierce and sharp, as though he hadn’t realized how aggressive he had just been.
Amelia’s mouth fell slightly open, speechless.
“It… it is just the automobile repairer, right?” she asked carefully, her voice almost trembling.
“Yes… yeah, it is him.” Adrian avoided her eyes, staring at the screen. He ran a hand over his wet face and let out a sharp exhale. “It is work related. I keep telling this… this boy not to call me at odd hours, but he won’t listen.” His tone was laced with irritation, but his explanation felt rushed.
Amelia just stood there, staring at him. Her chest tightened as unease slowly crawled over her.
He looked back at her, softer this time.
“I will handle it.”
Amelia said nothing. She only lifted a hand and pointed toward the bathroom.
“To the restroom,” she muttered.
Adrian hesitated for a moment, then turned away, phone clutched tightly in his hand as though it was more precious than gold. He walked back into the bathroom, his wet footprints marking the tiled floor, and shut the door behind him.
Amelia stayed still, eyes lingering on the closed door. Her hands slowly found the pillow again, but her movements were stiff, distracted. As she tucked in the fresh sheets, her mind replayed the scene, and the question she dared not voice grew louder inside her—
‘If it was just the automobile guy… why did he panic like that?’
Vivian was in the kitchen, whisk in hand, trying to make a quick breakfast before her noon lecture. The smell of already fried eggs faintly filled the air when suddenly—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The pounding on her door startled her so much that she nearly dropped the pan.
“What the hell?” she muttered under her breath, abandoning everything and rushing to the door.
The moment she twisted the handle, Adrian barged in, pushing past her with a storm written all over his face. Vivian flinched backward, her hand clutching the doorframe, heart racing.
“Why do you keep calling me unnecessarily, huh?” Adrian barked, his tall frame advancing toward her as she instinctively stepped back. His voice carried fury, it was raw and sharp.
“Why do you keep calling me, especially in the morning?” He raised his hand in frustration. “I have told you not to call me, do not call me, especially in the mornings!”
His words hit like lashes, and Vivian cringed, fear flickering across her face.
“Babe, I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice soft and shaky. “I… I just felt you were avoiding me, that is it.”
“Avoiding you?” He scoffed, his eyes narrowing. “You went through my phone, as if that wasn’t enough, you are now calling me early in the morning, knowing I would still be at home. What is wrong with you? You are putting the both of us at risk!”
“I said I’m sorry, babe.” She closed the distance, wrapping her arms around his tense body, her head leaning against his chest. “I’m sorry. I miss you. I miss us.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. He looked down at her, his breath heavy, but his arms stayed stubbornly at his sides.
“You haven’t even touched me since we got back,” she whispered, lifting her eyes to his. Her hand slipped to his right arm, guiding it around her waist. “You haven’t even touched me since we got back. Why are you punishing me, huh?”
Her lips found him, first soft on his cheek, then lingering on his moustache. Her hands urged him closer, pressing him against her.
“You know I have missed you, huh?”
Adrian’s resistance wavered, his chest rising sharply as she kissed him again. Slowly, almost reluctantly, his arms tightened around her waist, pulling her into him.
“You know what you are doing,” he muttered against her lips.
“Babe, I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said breathlessly between kisses, her fingers tangled in his damp hair. “I just want you.”
And with that, she tugged at his hand, leading him toward her bedroom, the unfinished breakfast in the kitchen forgotten.