“Adrian, please…” My mouth quivered. “I can’t do this with you anymore. If you ever cared for me, please…you have to let me go,” I breathed out against his lips.
“Can’t you see what’s obviously in front of you. I’m here. I’m finally fucking here! And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than wiping away the pain I caused you for what feels like an eternity.”
Our mouths were parted as if we were trying to breathe for one another, sucking in air that wasn’t available for the taking. I peered up at him through my wet lashes, searching his eyes for some truth beneath the hurt he inflicted on me.
“Adrian, please…” I begged for I don’t know what. My mind conflicted, battling my broken heart.
“I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how fucking sorry I am. Give me a chance to make things right with you, Cherry. Please!” He begged.
I shut my eyes, turning my face from him.
“You mean everything to me. Then, now, always.”
Breaking our connection, I could no longer bear to see the man staring back at me, so I spewed with hatred, “I don’t love you anymore.”
Gripping my chin to look at him, he growled, “Say it to my fucking face then.”
I opened my eyes, once again staring deep into his.
I repeated, “I don’t love you anymore. And I haven’t for a really long time. We’re done, Adrian. We’re. Fucking Done. I’m Fucking. Done. Do you understand the words I’m saying?”
He didn’t stop me when I sidestepped him and left.
He couldn’t.
There was nothing left to say.
Not when it just blatantly bled out of us this way.
Adrian
By the time we walked back into the penthouse suite it was past midnight. Paige went straight to her room. For the first time in the last month, I didn’t follow her there, demanding she sleep in my bed.
Instead, I was about to walk toward the couch, deciding to sleep there, not wanting to be alone in the bed that was supposed to be ours. Except an envelope caught my attention under the door. I picked it up off the ground and opened it right there in the foyer.
My heart sank.
My stomach churned.
My temper roared.
There were photos of tonight. Including the pictures of us out on the balcony. These images were different from the ones this motherfucker had already taken. It was then I realized it was a man…
Because my face was cut out.
Fifteen
Paige
Then: One Month Later
Iwaited backstage. I was beyond nervous about participating in this auction to begin with, but I wanted to try to step out of my comfort zone.
Who was I kidding?
All I wanted was to forget about Adrian in any shape, way, or form I could. He was taking up residence in my head without even trying. He was just there, looming in the forefront of my mind.
The morning after I woke up in Adrian’s bed, I walked into my dorm room. Not even twenty minutes after, Cade was knocking on my door. To say I wasn’t instantly terrified he’d found out I’d slept in his brother’s bed would be an understatement. Thank goodness he was only there to apologize for flying off the handle the night before.
We quickly made up and since then, we’d been spending more time together. I was basically at their apartment on the daily, running into Adrian whether I wanted to or not.
He went right back to our usual dynamic. He’d pick on me, and act like nothing had changed between us when it felt as if everything had. To him, I was just his brother’s best friend. I was beginning to think maybe he wasn’t lying that morning. He didn’t kiss me, and I’d merely imagined it.
Except there were a couple of times we were alone for a few minutes for one reason or another, and I’d catch him staring at me from a distance. We’d lock eyes, but his guard was still up. I couldn’t read him. He wouldn’t allow it. All I had were these stolen moments of the man I craved in ways I hadn’t before.
Maybe I was imagining that too?
My brain was on an endless repeat of thoughts and questions plaguing me on the daily. It didn’t matter what I was doing, Adrian was there lurking in my memories.
Why did it feel so real then?
One thing I was sure of, my crush on him turned into way more than just infatuation. It developed into a whole-ass fixation.
Was I in love with him?
“Are you ready?” Dani questioned, tugging me back to the present.
“I think so.”
“You’re going to do great! The guys are going to go crazy for you.”
I was auctioning off a date with me for a great cause. The money was being donated to an all-children’s hospital for kids who were suffering from cancer.
The college was putting it on. I jumped at the chance of possibly meeting a nice guy that Adrian hadn’t scared away with his stupid rule of “look but don’t touch” when it came to me.