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We are both finishing up lunch when he finally speaks. “Perhaps we can get together tonight and discuss how it would be best to go about things. Maybe….”
Silence follows after his words, and I can tell he is struggling with whatever he wants to say. I wait attentively, hoping it will be a sign of good faith.
“Maybe setting up the living room together is a good idea,” he finally says.
“You thought about that?” I ask, glancing back at the still-packed boxes.
He nods. “I’ve been thinking it might be a good idea for a while, but then we had that fight. I definitely think it’s a good idea now. It’s a good way for me to get to know you and perhaps you can learn about me in the process.”
There’s something in his eyes when he mentions me learning about him. He seems almost nervous, hesitant. I wonder if he too has something he wants to hide. Everyone has their secrets, don’t they?
“That sounds like a great idea,” I say softly, hoping to put him at ease. “I will be here when you get back.”
He blinks, a look of surprise crossing his face. “I suppose you will.”
* * *
I am opening the two remaining boxes when Adrian walks through the door. The man is never fifteen minutes late or early. Always right on time. He takes his time petting the dogs and fussing over them. I smile as I pull out my collection of French-themed animal figurines, thrilled they miraculously survived the break-in. Adrian approaches me and looks down at them, and I have a strange desire to trace the line that creases between his brows.
He presses his lips together and I can tell he’s holding back his words because these absolutely don’t go with his aesthetic. But he doesn’t say anything and for him, that’s a step forward. I raise the animals I’m holding, a small cat and a dog, and then motion to the box.
“Where should I put these?” I ask. “I think they should be spread out.”
“Put them along the raised shelves in the living room, the dogs won’t knock into them then,” he says. “I’m making dinner tonight.”
I raise my brows in surprise. “Oh.”
He pauses and considers me. “Have you already eaten?”
That surprises me even more, and I shake my head.
“Does steak and roasted potatoes sound good?” He asks.
“Can I make a salad?” My voice is soft, worried.
“Sure,” he says bluntly, and I’m certain he doesn’t even realize how much he’s changed in just a few hours.
We don’t learn very much about each other as we go about cooking and eating dinner. Mostly it’s little things. Like he learns I specifically like the artist that makes these figurines because my nanny got me the first one, and then it became a tradition on my birthday until I left home. I started buying them for myself after that. I learn that he hates lemons for some reason, but doesn’t mind limes, so I change up the vinaigrette for the salad.
He teaches me that I’ve been using a knife wrong all my life and apparently should use my knuckles as a guide. I nearly give him several heart attacks until I start consciously fixing the habit after he threatens to kick me out of the kitchen. I can’t help but laugh at his exasperation, it’s endearing and somewhat adorable.
I learn about his first dog, Spruce. A springer spaniel that he got from a friend before they died in a car crash. He learns that I’ve never had a pet, only a racehorse that I was never allowed to ride. It’s simple stuff; the things people learn on the first date and a little beyond. His favorite color is green, which explains the color choice in my bedroom. He asks what mine is and I tell him orange, only to receive a disgusted face, telling me it’s audacious.
It’s nice, easy, and I think it’s the first night I spend alone with Adrian that nothing heavy or important is discussed, and I laugh more than I scowl.
CHAPTER 11
ADRIAN
It’s the night of the party and I would say I’m probably more nervous than Amelia, or at least that’s how it seems. She is smiling with ease as we get out of the car, leaving Russell to drive off. My arm immediately raises for her, and her hand gently rests on my forearm. Her lips are twitching at the corners as if she is holding back a laugh.
I shoot her a glare out of the corner of my eye, and she catches my glance only to smile brightly back at me with a show of white teeth. She looks gorgeous tonight, and I found my eyes straying to her the entire ride here.
Her hair is up in a complicated braid, laced with delicate flower clips, her lips are glossy and sparkly, matching her pearlescent eyeshadow, and even her pale new leaf green evening gown is in line with the fairy style expression she’s gone for. It would normally seem too childish for a night like this, but Amelia does it subtly with just enough class that it’s more eye-catching than anything. And with the way her silk dress hugs her curves, she definitely pulls off the womanly side of the look.
She knew what she was doing dressing like this tonight, because as soon as we walk into the entertainment room of my parent’s estate, whispers hiss through the crowd and they all turn to look at her. She’s making the perfect statement because she doesn’t even look at them, she’s still looking at me as if she’s enamored. I try not to feel distinctly aware of her eyes on me as mine flick through the crowd to find my father and mother.
Lights catch her makeup and the baubles in her hair, making her sparkle like an otherworldly being, and it’s growing increasingly harder not to just turn and watch her. I spot my parents talking with someone I absolutely want to avoid, so I instead steer my lovely ‘wife’ to go get some champagne.
