Chapter 93 Chapter 93

Chapter 93 Chapter 93
Aria’s Pov.

The music had softened, conversations had broken into smaller groups, and empty bottles had started replacing full ones on the tables.

The party slowly came to an end  the way good parties did, it happened gradually, then all at once.

People began collecting their  jackets, and saying their goodbyes. I was saying goodbye to Camille when Adrien appeared beside me, slipping his hand into mine without saying anything.

“Did you have fun?” he asked as we stepped outside.

“"So much fun." I looked at him. "You?"

"Yeah." He turned to look at me. "Better because you’re here."

Adrien smirked at me and I felt my insides erupt with butterflies 



The limo was waiting near the gate by the time we reached the bottom of the steps. Adrien walked me around to my side and opened the door with the sort of exaggerated politeness that always made me want to laugh.

“You look pleased with yourself,” I said as I climbed in.

“That’s because I am.”

“Aww such a gentleman.”I laughed

He got in after me, shutting the door behind him, and the car started moving almost immediately. The ride home felt quieter than the one here, it was probably because we were both exhausted from the party.

Adrien glanced at me after a while. “You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

I smiled faintly.

He looked at me for a second.

“You went quiet earlier.”

I rubbed my forehead "I wasn't weird."

"You went quiet when I asked about the phone call."

I sighed "I just didn't think I needed to explain it."

"That's fine." He spoke like he was choosing his words carefully. "I just… lately it feels like you go somewhere sometimes. Like you're here but not here." He looked at his hands. "I don't know how to explain it."

My chest tightened.

"I’m sorry it’s just…I've had a lot on my mind," I said. "It's not you. It has nothing to do with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I turned to face him. "Adrien. If I had something to tell you, I would tell you. You know that."

He held my gaze, then  he reached over and pulled me into him, he placed his arm around my shoulders, and I rested my  head against his chest, feeling the  warm solid weight of him.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For even bringing it up… for making you feel like I was questioning you."

My heart felt like someone had put a hand through it and squeezed it tight.

"You don't have to be sorry Adrien," 

I definitely didn’t deserve his apology, since I was hiding a lot of things from him.

By the time the limo pulled through the gates and stopped at the front steps, the house had gone dark in all the places it usually did at this hour. 

The house was quiet, the windows glowing softly behind the curtains.

Adrien got out first, then walked around to my side.

I reached for the door handle, but before I could step down properly he was already there, slipping one arm around my waist and lifting me clean off the ground with a speed that made me let out a tiny squeak of protest.

“Adrien!”

He laughed immediately and held me a little higher. “You’re too slow.”

I outed my lips in frustration. “I am not too slow.”

“You’re absolutely too slow.”

“Put me down.” I screamed pinging his shoulders playfully.

“No.”

“Adrien, I’m serious.”

“So am I.” He said with a devilish grin on his face. 

Adrien  started up the steps carrying me like this was the most normal thing in the world, and I laughed so hard I had to grab onto his shoulders to keep myself from sliding back down again.

“I’m going to kick you when you let me go.”

He laughed “You’ll have to reach the ground first.”

“That’s not funny.”

He only laughed harder, and by the time we reached the top of the stairs I had already accepted defeat. Then he lowered me carefully back onto my feet, and I immediately smoothed down my clothes trying to recover the dignity I had left.

“You are unbelievable,” I said still pouting my lips.

He smirked, “Tell me something I don’t know babe.”

“I knew it.”

He smiled at me, but when his hand moved to reach for my waist again, he stopped halfway and made the smallest sound of discomfort, just enough for me to notice.

His expression tightened.

“Dammit.” He cursed under his breath.

"What?" I grabbed his arm. "What happened…"

"Nothing." He straightened. "It's fine."

I knew he was lying. The brief twist in his expression had been enough.

"Adrien, your face just…"

"It's fine, Aria."

"Your arm." I looked at it. "What's wrong with your arm?"

"It's been sore," he said finally. "From practice. It's not a big deal."

"How long has it been sore?" I said my voice dripping with concern 

"A few days."

"A few days?" I stared at him. "You've been playing on a sore arm for a few days and you didn't say anything?"

He looked away like he was nervous "It wasn't bad enough to…"

"Come on." I took his good arm and started toward the stairs.

"Aria—"

"First aid kit. Now."



My room was quiet when we walked in, the same as always, and I changed quickly before heading back out in search of the first aid kit.

If he’d been carrying me on an arm that was already hurting, then I wasn’t about to let him pretend he was indestructible.

I found the kit in the bathroom cabinet, I hadn't opened it since the incident with Lucien. 

My eyes caught on the first aid kit for a second.

It was the same one I’d used on Lucien.

The thought settled somewhere uncomfortable.

For some reason it felt wrong using it for Adrien when we were both lying to him.

Stop with the weird thoughts Aria.

I snapped out of my thoughts and made Adrien  sit on the edge of my bed. Then I  sat beside him and looked at his arm properly in the lamp light.

He watched me with that lazy little smile of his while I examined the bruise starting to show just below his shoulder. It wasn’t terrible, but it was enough to make me frown.

“You should’ve told me.”

Adrien shrugged “I did.”

“After I made you.” I said rolling my eyes, he was so nonchalant about his arm it was making me irritated.

“Still counts.” He said still grinning 

I dabbed the ointment onto the area and he sucked in a small breath, which made me look up at him.

“Sorry.”

His eyes were glassy “Don’t be.”

I lowered my gaze again, careful this time, and could feel his eyes on me the entire time, warm and focused in a way that made the room feel smaller than it was. My fingers brushed over his skin once more than I meant to, and the second I noticed, I felt my own face heat.

He noticed that too.

Of course he did.

His mouth tipped up slightly. “You’re blushing.”

That made me blush even harder. “I’m not.”

He smirked  “You are.” 

I pressed my lips together and continued with the bandage, trying very hard to keep my attention on the task and not on the fact that he was sitting there and staring down at me with those blue distracting eyes.

Once I finished, I set the kit aside and sat back.

“There.”

He flexed his arm once and nodded. “That feels better.”

“It should.”

Adrien looked at me for a moment longer than usual, his gaze drifting over my face with his eyes darkening.

He reached out with his other hand and caught my chin, tilting my face up toward his.

His thumb brushed lightly beneath my jaw.

Then he leaned in.

I placed  my hand on his chest and stopped him.

"You need to rest," I said smirking.

Adrien groaned."I'm resting."

"You played a semi-final qualifier today. You went to a party. You have a sore arm that needs actual recovery." I looked at him. "Rest and sleep. That's what you're doing."

"That's not what I was planning."

"I know what you were planning, it’s not gonna happen." I stood up. "Good night, Adrien."

He groaned again, sounding genuinely offended.

I laughed at how childish he was acting.

"I'm serious.” 

"I know you're serious." He lay back on the bed looking at the ceiling. "You're always serious."

"Then you shouldn't be surprised." I picked up the first aid kit. "Go to your room. Sleep and ice  the arm if it's still sore in the morning.”

He turned his head to look at me from where he was lying.

"Fine," he said. "But this is genuinely the worst."

"You'll survive." I walked to the door and held it open. "Good night."

Adrien  pushed himself up. Crossed the room and then he stopped in the doorway.

"Thank you," he smiled. "For the arm."

"Any time."

He kissed my forehead before turning towards his room.

I closed the door and plopped straight onto my bed.

The quiet of the house pressed in.

I closed my eyes, but Esme’s face drifted back almost immediately.

That tiny flicker in her expression after I’d mentioned Lucien, It had lasted less than a second.

Maybe I’d imagined it.

Maybe I hadn’t.

I would find out soon enough.

And then, annoyingly my thoughts wandered back to Lucien.

Your voice calms me down.

I frowned into my pillow.

“You’re drunk,” I muttered to absolutely no one.

Because that was the only explanation that made any sense.

One thing at a time, Aria.

Just one thing at a time.

I closed my eyes and sleep came eventually.