“Don’t sleep with him. And look after Olive.” He whispers, even though she’s meant to be looking after me. But I know exactly what he means. It’s my duty to our family to keep my younger sister out of harm's way, and I won’t let him or anyone else down. I nod as he takes one last look at me before Olive, and I disappear into the crowd of security who walk us to our car.
The drive is quiet and Olive falls asleep on my shoulder. I’m a little jealous of this because my body is in no way preparing for sleep. I’m wide awake, in fact. Not in any way prepared to shut my eyes with the things swirling around my mind. Thosethingsbeing Adrik and his insufferable and equally alluring draw.
Maybe I only like him because no one else has ever given me the feeling he does when I look at him. There’s malice between us no doubt, but his chiseled face, fiery blue eyes and tattooed body are unlike any of the other men I've looked at. No one has attracted me as intensely as he does and I hate myself for feeling so turned on by him.
Of course, I would be the cliché– the good-girl being drawn to a bad-boy.
I blow out air through a bubble in my cheeks as we pull up to the runway. The plane is already positioned, stairs attached and cars parked beside it, which means that Adrik has already arrived.
“We’re here.” I whisper to Olive as I wiggle my shoulder and she stirs.
“I had a dream.” She whispers as the car comes to a stop.
“Oh?” I laugh quietly at her groggy state.
With eyes half-open as she turns her head to mine, anticlimactically nodding, “Mhm.”
“Great chat.” I sarcastically grin and reach across her lap to open the door.
“It was a scary dream.”
I pause, brows pulling together. “Well, it was just a dream, Olive.”
“I know.” She doesn’t seem convinced as we step away from the car.
“What happened in it?” I ask after a few moments of silence because she still seems haunted by it as we walk to the plane inside a circle of security.
Her eyes grow a little rounder with fear before she glances over, breath clouding around us as she whispers, “You died.” She swallows nervously. “You died in my dream.”
6
ADRIK
From the moment Espie arrived in her white tank top and wide-legged beige sweats that wrap around her small waist at the perfect spot, I’ve been watching her and Olive chat quietly to one another. Olive is definitely upset about something, and I’ve determined it’s the fact that she’s come along for this trip.
I know I’m upset about it.
It was a shock seeing her step into the jet. Neither of them greeted me or even looked my way, who fucking cares. I guess I kinda do. But only because my drunk ass got us stuck in this mess of living together for fuck knows how long.
We’re approximately 41,000 feet in the air, and the distance between us is no less than it was at liftoff. By us, I mean me and Espie. It’s ridiculous that I even want to be near her. After she locked me out of her house last night, I would think the knee-jerk reaction would be to flip her off and avoid her like the plague.
Guess being hot has its draw, even if she is barely tolerable. The only thing I do for fun when I’m with her is intentionally offend her. And even that might not be possible if she hides from me for our entire stay at the safe-house. Damn, I could go for a cigarette right about now. That’s something that Pops made sure to take from me before I left this morning.
Of course, he didn’t take it from me— didn’t even say goodbye. Not that I thought he would. He had one of the boys confiscate every pack of cigarettes I packed on me and in my suitcase, so I know the first place I’ll be going when we arrive.
I close my eyes and try to ignore the burning feeling in my throat like I’m forgetting to breathe. Only a few more hours. I can make it.
Fuck. I don’t know if I actually can.
“Anything else, Miss?” The flight attendant’s voice makes me peak across the plane at Espie, who shakes her head in response, and the flight attendant walks off. Olive is asleep. I can see her through the crack in the seats, completely wiped out.
“Finally.” I exaggerate, but Espie doesn’t look at me. “I thought we’d never get another moment alone.”
“Must’ve been a horrible realization for you.” She cuts back without moving an inch. I stand up and cross to the seat facing her, sitting down before she can stop me. Her eyes find a spot away from me, but I still look her up and down because I know she can feel me doing it. And I like the way she’s already pissed at me.
“It was horrible. Not seeing you get all worked up when I say three words,” I shake my head dramatically. “It’s just unbearable to imagine.”
Her face drops slightly, eyes flit to me so quick I would have missed it if I wasn’t watching her as intently as I am.