Following directions had never been my strong suit. Instead of opening her door, I closed the distance between us, dipped my head to meet her furtive gaze, and slipped the flattened boxes out of her hold. Her lips parted as she watched me, but she didn’t spare me a goddamn word.
“You want to tell me what’s up? You’re giving me brick wall, and I’m at a loss.”
She sucked in a soft gasp, gave a subtle shake of her head, and brushed by me, opening her apartment door herself. Blocking the doorway, she held out her hands.
“I’m sorry if you cut your trip short for me, Adam. I’m busy and don’t have time to hang out. If you’ll hand me those, I have a lot I need to do today.”
Her eyes were on the boxes, but mine were on the apartment behind her. Walls bare. Boxes stacked. Someshitwas going on that Adelaide was hiding from me.
“That’s what you’ve been telling me for the past two months.” My brows drew together. For once in her life, Baddie wasn’t wearing heels so I could look down at her. Still, it wasn’t far, since she was the tallest woman I knew.
“And yet, you didn’t listen, as usual.” Finally, she gave me something, and it was anger. “Give me the boxes.”
I clutched them to my chest with one arm, slapping my free hand on the door so she couldn’t slam it. “If you give me something to listen to, maybe I will. Why do you need the boxes, Adelaide?”
“It’s really none of your business. If you hadn’t come home early, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. But, as usual, you’re inserting yourself where you’re not welcome.”
I staggered at her arrow-shaped words, the boxes nearly falling from my arm.
“Where I’m not welcome? What does that mean?”
The line of her jaw went solid. “I don’t want to do this. Please.”
Out of patience with her vague answers, I moved forward until her only choices were to let me knock her over or step aside and allow me into her apartment. She chose the latter, which was good, because as frustrated as I was, I didn’t have it in me to put her on her ass.
Maybe across my lap so I could spank her ass…
I shook my head. Not the time, dude.
Dropping the boxes at her feet, I strolled into the living room. What I’d been trying to deny became undeniable.
“You’re moving?” I whirled around, ready to be told I was wrong. She tipped her chin, then looked away. My stomach clenched in a tight knot. This wasn’t right.
“The movers will be here soon,” she answered.
“The movers?” I shoved my fingers through my hair. “You’re moving right now?”
She nodded, nudging cardboard with the toe of her Pumas.
“So, if I hadn’t come home early, you would have been gone?”
Her shoulder lifted. “I didn’t schedule my move around you, but yes, basically. My lease ends tomorrow. I have to be out.”
She was giving me logic, like it would make this make sense. I was not accepting any of it.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you moving? Why have you been ghosting me for two months? Why are you acting like a stranger? Why did you not say goodbye to me when I left for tour? Why won’t you look at me right now?”
Adelaide folded her lithe arms across her chest. Her dark curls were tied back in a high ponytail with a pink headband wrapped around her head. Normally, I liked when she did that, left her face bare so she was all Adelaide. All Adelaide was like getting to gaze at the human embodiment of a breath of fresh air. She was more than pretty, though shewasthat. Adelaide was wide smiles, rolling eyes, wrinkling nose, twitchy lips. She communicated what she was thinking with her whole face.
Except now. I couldn’t get a read on her, but if I had to guess from the slant of her brow and tightness of her mouth, it was a hell of a lot like disdain.
“The fact that you’re asking me those questions…” She shook her head. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m moving, and I’m not working at Good Music anymore, so it’s not like we’ll run into each other. We had fun, but I’m done now. I’m asking you as politely as I can to leave.”
My head reared back. “The fuck? You’re asking me politely to leave? You’reasking me politely to leave. Did I step into an alternate time line? Are you shitting me right now?”