Adelaide
It was strange being back in my old building.Even stranger to be back in Adam’s apartment, which had once been my second home, and feel like a guest. That feeling was driven even deeper when he directed me to shower in his guest bathroom.
I was relieved not to have to face the scene of the crime, anyway. No way did I want to shower in the same room where he’d eviscerated me so thoroughly, there were probably still bloodstains on the tile.
All cleaned up and back to my normal skin tone, I padded out to the living room. Wariness seeped up my spine, bunching my shoulders. Adam would want to talk, and I didn’t want to. I shouldn’t have agreed to come here, but he’d caught me in a weak moment.
Fucking Stefan.
Thai food was spread out on the coffee table. My stomach rumbled at the first whiff. I hadn’t had takeout in so long, I almost wept.
“How do I get you to look at me like you’re looking at that food?” Adam quipped.
I sat down beside him on the floor as he loaded a plate with all my favorites.
“Try putting a spring roll on your face and it might happen.” I shoved a forkful of Pad See Ew into my mouth and closed my eyes, savoring the first bite like it’d been years instead of months since I’d had it.
I sensed Adam biding his time, letting me eat before he jumped me. He turned on music so the silence wasn’t suffocating, but I was never unaware of him watching and waiting.
“Ask your question,” I said through a mouthful of noodles.
“Has he touched you before?”
“I’ve worked with him a couple times, and he has a reputation. He’s skated the line. This was the first time it had been so blatant.” I shivered. “Stuff like that happens all the time, though. If it’s not a model, it’s a photographer. I’m pretty selective about the jobs I take anymore. Stefan was a surprise today.”
He fisted a napkin then lowered it to his lap to hide his reaction from me. “Do you even like it?”
“Sometimes, but it’s a job.”
“You should quit.”
I huffed. “It’s funny to hear you encouraging me to quit when it was your words last summer that got me modeling again. You told me I didn’t want to work in music production bad enough. You said I was the only one who could grab my dream. So, I signed up for classes and modeled on the side to pay for them. Before I started my classes, I hadn’t realized just how badly I wanted to do this. Maybe I have to show my ass and deal with shitty situations, but I don’t care. I have a goal I’m working toward and Iamgoing to attain it. Nothing you or my dad can say will change my mind or derail me.”
He went eerily still. So still, I put my fork down and scooted back a bit so I could look at him. He was staring at me with eyes like a quiet storm.
“That’s the second time you’ve put me in the same category as your dad.”
“Out loud,” I mumbled before taking a drink of water.
His head snapped. “What does that mean?” The way he asked it—slow, enunciating each and every word—made him sound threatening, dangerous. But I wasn’t afraid of Adam.
“It means the two of you live in the same box in my head.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, nostrils flaring like a flickering flame. “I don’t like that, Adelaide.”
Even though I wasn’t afraid, I scooted a little farther from him. “Then don’t act like him. Don’t keep breaking my heart.”
“Goodman.” He barked my name like a drill sergeant and slapped his legs. “Come here.”
A thrill of defiance tingled along my skin. He didn’t get to do what he did, say the things he said, and think I’d come to him when he demanded it. Even though I couldn’t erase the way he’d taken down Stephan from my mind. Or the way he’d fed me pineapple. Or that he’d been protecting me since he got home. Or, or, or…the endless list of Adam’s wonders. I still wasn’t complying.
“No. I’m not coming there.” I scooted one more time, putting the length of the coffee table between us.
Adam glared at the space I’d vacated like he wanted to set it aflame. His brows lowered, lightning slashes over his storms. He was angry, but I wasn’t sure if it was directed toward me.
“Don’t make me come get you,” he warned.
Breathless, but not in the mood to obey, I shot back, “Let me go, then.”