Sophia
Dating Adrian is goingto be the death of me. Especially, if he keeps starting my work days with searing hot kisses. Not that I'm complaining, but it's a little distracting. It takes me at least an hour to come out of the daze.
Bianca and Charleigh are definitely picking up on whatever lust filled vibes Adrian and I are throwing off. If I go to Adrian's workroom to talk to him, work related or not, I catch them leaning out of their doors trying to hear what we are saying. It's not that I'm trying to hide our relationship, I just don't think it's any of their business. And what if it changes my work dynamic with them, or hell even our friendship? That is not something I want to gamble with since they are the only friends I have.
"Sophia," Jay snaps his fingers in front of my face. "Stop daydreaming and listen to me."
We are sitting on opposite ends of my couch, binge watching stand-up comedy. After we had dinner with our parents, he followed me back to my place in his own car. Even with him voicing his concerns about my dating life, my parents were ecstatic I was putting myself back out there. They basically told him to shut up and let me live my life. It's one of the few times they've taken my side against Jay. He's the baby and generally gets what he wants. Well, not this time little sibling. The parental units have my back when it comes to my happiness.
I press pause on the remote and turn toward my brother. "What were you saying?"
"I swear, you're just as bad now as you were when we were kids. You don’t listen to anything I say." He crosses his arms over his chest pouting because I'm not giving him my undivided attention. He’s like a little man child. Normally, I would find it adorable. Tonight, though… it’s annoying as hell.
"Excuse me for putting a damper on your night." I'm not going to give in to his fit. He can either repeat what he wanted to tell me, or he can shut up and I can press play again.
Groaning, he crosses his arms and sits up straighter. "I leave for school next week. What are you going to do about Dawson? I'm not comfortable leaving you here alone when he could be following you again."
Here we go with this again. What doesn't he understand about me being able to take care of myself? I'm a quarter of a century old, and I've managed to keep myself alive thus far. "I'll keep doing what I've been doing. Walk to my car with the girls so that I'm not alone, and pay attention to my surroundings. It’s not rocket science."
"Have you told Adrian about the situation with Dawson?" He has a self-satisfied smirk on his face knowing damn well I’ve said nothing of the sort. "I think if you really want to see where things go with him, you need to be honest and let him know about any possible threat."
I jump to my feet and I'm sure the person below is cussing me because of how hard I hit the floor. "We aren't even sure if he is. It's just a gut feeling, and I don't want to worry Adrian over something that may be a non-issue. "
"Better safe than sorry, Sis. Dad always says to trust your gut because it almost never lies." He leans back making himself comfortable on the couch. "Either you tell Adrian before I leave so I don’t have to worry while I’m hours away, or I will tell him."
"Fine." A drink sounds really good right now. Hopefully there is still some in the back of the fridge and Jay hasn't been sneaking them. "I will tell him, but I don't want to hear any more about all of this. I’ll tell him when I feel like the opportunity is right, and not when you try to work it into a conversation." He opens his mouth to argue but I cut him off. "And this means you have to give me some privacy when I’m with Adrian. All of this overprotective crap is getting old. I’m not a teenager anymore."
"Deal." Without another word he grabs the remote and presses play.
Seriously? Just like that, he is in a better mood. Freaking brat. Why couldn’t my parents send him back when I begged them to? Oh well, he has a point. As much as it pains me to admit. Having him here does give me a sense of safety. I went from living with roommates in college, to moving in with Dawson, and dealing with the terror there. After that ended its fiery death, I went to my parents’ before living on my own again. Most of my adult life has been sharing a house with others. It makes me question all of my life decisions. I should have been more independent. Maybe I would feel confident on my own without using my brother as a safety net.
It’s a problem for another day. As much as he annoys the hell out of me, I’ll miss him while he’s away at school. He needs to focus on making memories, not the mess of a possible situation I’ve gotten myself into... yet again. For tonight, we’ll laugh, confide in each other, and argue over which comedian is the best.
* * *
Bang. Bang. Bang. What in the world is going on? It sounds like someone is beating a hammer against a wall. My eyes creak open. Shards of sunlight peek through a few of the blinds that are bent at an odd angle. Ugh, I hate falling asleep on the couch. It may be comfortable, but the crick in my neck says otherwise. I’ll be trying to get rid of the pain for hours. My brother could have been a gentleman and woken me up to go to bed.
The pounding comes again, and it's only then that I realize it's coming from my door. My hand reaches out toward the coffee table, knocking empty beer bottles onto the floor, in search of my phone. Finally finding it, my fingers curl around it and bring it up to my face. A few seconds pass before my eyes focus on the time. It's only nine in the morning. I groan letting my phone slip to the floor. It’s way too early for this.
"Sophia." The knocks come again but was lighter this time. "Are you home?"
What the fuck is Adrian doing at my apartment this early in the morning? Even though we close early on Sundays and aren’t open on Monday, I typically use this day to get in as much sleep as I can. It’s also one of the few days I have to get some laundry done. Seeing him right when I wake up is something I'm not prepared for.
"Would you answer the damn door?" My brother's scratchy voice comes from somewhere on the floor. I kind of feel bad that I took his temporary bed, but he deserves it after the shit he gave me last night. And for not making me go to bed. This isn’t where I planned on sleeping. "Some of us are still trying to sleep."
Opening the door would probably be the hospitable thing to do, except I can't let Adrian see me like this. At work I'm all dolled up and feel like my best self. This morning… I'm ninety percent sure I look like death warmed over. Hangovers aren't a good look on anyone. "I'm not in any position to answer the door," I whisper loudly.
"He's going to see how you look when you first wake up eventually," Jay argues, "might as well get it over with now."
My brother obviously isn't going to save me from this situation. Where is his overprotective complex now? Because this seems like a good time for my little brother to step in and save me. Maybe if I wait a little longer Adrian will give up and go home, despite that not being what I want. Not even a little bit if my racing heart and butterflies taking flight are any indication.
The knocking stops and I wait a few moments to see if it's going to pick back up again. It doesn't, but my phone pings with the message.
Adrian: I know your home because your car is in its space.
Sophia: I'm sleeping.
Adrian: Obviously not if you're texting me back. Come open the door, I have donuts.