Chapter Ten

Adriel tugged at his unkempt mess of blonde waves as he agonised over what his next move could be. He'd already hired men to figure out where his father was, a tricky task with little hope to see fruition. He'd already spoken to Asia on one occasion with a similar level of success. Secoiya had sent reparations to Zayn's family and told them of his passing, settling that matter as well.

The sounds of night in the city were every bit as restless and Adriel found it impossible to stop flicking through his page of notes and he'd consumed so much caffeine his leg had an irritating twitch about it. Altogether between his low energy and dangerously high cortisol levels, he didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

Just as he'd started to ponder putting his head through the glass coffee table, the sound of a door came from behind him. He peered curiously into the unlit hallway as he tried to decipher which figure it was before they stepped into the light.

A sleepy eyed Yanire stepped nervously into the sitting room, tank top revealing her pronounced collarbones and some fluffy yellow pyjama pants to match. She blinked into the darkness twice before shuffling further into the sitting room until she was eye-to-eye with Adriel. When she registered that it was, in fact, who she thought it was, Yanire turned on the small living room lamp and found an empty seat beside him.

Adriel allowed his eyes to trace her exposed shoulder and to take note of how long her hair had gotten. It was nearly at her waist now, the dark waves swaying as she took a seat beside him.

"Trouble sleeping?"

The man tried to blink his tiredness away and hide the ever present quake in his leg as he nodded at her.

"Busy thinking, trying to figure things out."

Yanire nodded, honey brown eyes dancing across his face and prompting a mild sense of nakedness in him. He wasn't sure what she'd make of his present state but it was hardly well put together and he wasn't sure he could judge her for being unsettled by it.

No sense of judgement tainted her eyes, and rather a nervous sort of smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She was likely plotting some sort of mischief, Adriel smiled back at her, turning so she would feel more invited to speak.

"What's on your mind?"

She bit at the corner of her lip for a moment before answering.

"Did you know they have outdoor movie theatres in America?"

The man furrowed his brows as he tried to figure what such a thing entailed.

"Outdoor theatres?"

Yanire nodded, noting his confusion and shifting so her knees touched his outer leg.

"It's a large outdoor screen with speakers so everyone can still hear. Most people drive in with their cars and sit in the back, or set out blankets."

Adriel chuckled as he tried to figure why someone would possibly want a movie theatre which welcomed bugs. Then the oddity of her bringing the topic up in the first place hit him and he quirked a brow in her direction. He didn't want to seem daft, especially not in front of someone he so sought the affections of, but he was also far too sleep deprived to work out her reasons himself. Begrudgingly, he asked.

"Strange. Why do you mention them?"

The generally smooth peanut colour of her skin darkened to a red at the ears and cheeks as she averted her eyes from his face. All of a sudden, he was very glad to have asked and he grinned widely at her reaction.

"I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

Adriel was absolutely beaming now, blue eyes bright with a light sense of teasing as he leaned closer to her.

"Would you like to go?"

He furrowed his brows, confused.

"To the movies?"

She nodded. Adriel wasn't sure he quite understood her.

"Would I like to go to the movies?"

Yanire sighed, hiding her face in her hands.

"With me."

Suddenly his heart slammed wildly in his chest as he realised what the woman was really asking him. He pulled her closer to him by the arms and peeked around her hands at her face. She was red all over and suffering very obviously from embarrassment.

Adriel thought he could explode as he kissed the outside of her hands.

"Yes. Yes, I want to go to the movies with you."

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It wasn't until the evening of their date that Adriel realised Yanire had beaten him to the matter. When such a thing struck him, he couldn't help but pout a little. He had thought of how the moment would go on countless occasions and to have it tugged out from under him was quite the shock.

Still, a date with the girl he adored was a win in his mind no matter how it came about. So he combed and styled his hair in the manner he knew Yanire liked and pulled on some decent casual clothes. When he was halfway convinced he looked nice, he moved out of the room, curious as to what Yanire would be wearing for the evening.

Secoiya stood at the kitchen island in an apron and her Sunday church dress, bearing the look of a proud mother as she eyed Adriel. She had been secretly rooting for the success of her two favourite love birds since they had fled Alvarsson Island together. She waved her hands for him to come closer and he obliged curiously. When he was close enough, she patted his shoulders and started to adjust the collar of his striped blue shirt.

"There you go, dear. The shirt brings out your eyes, lovely choice."

Adriel smiled at the woman, noting the slight wrinkle at her eyes and the pearly white of her smile. In truth, ever since his mother had passed, he had grown to look at Secoiya as a mother figure. She did a good job of it too.

When the sound of a door moved in the hallway, both of their heads peeked around the corner at an oblivious Yanire. She wore a beautiful flowy white sundress, complete with some blue flats and a mesh blue coverup about her shoulders. Adriel grinned brightly at her as she pushed her long hair over her shoulders and walked over to them.

"Oh you look absolutely stunning, dear!"

Secoiya hugged the younger woman tightly and planted a kiss on her cheek before she let go and took a step back from the two of them.

"You two need to get some pictures tonight, surely. These outfits are too good not to be commemorated."

Adriel and Yanire chuckled a little, fighting off their individual senses of embarrassment and bidding Secoiya a goodnight before they stepped out into the cool night air.

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The bed of the truck was surprisingly comfortable after Yanire had finished strategically placing the blankets and pillows this way and that in a labyrinth of sorts. It was a chilly night but when the two of them huddled together amidst all the blankets, it was actually quite warm. The movie was set to start in ten minutes and they both had the necessary provisions such as snacks and water bottles.

"What movie did you pick again?"

Yanire blinked twice at the man before breaking out into a laugh.

"How could you possibly have missed that?"

Adriel's ears went a little red as he shrugged. In all honesty, he'd been far too busy watching her to have a sense of anything else going on around them.

"Aladdin, the animated film."

Adriel tilted his head. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen or heard of the film before.

"I haven't heard of it."

Yanire nodded acceptingly as she dug around for a particular type of chips they had brought on the journey.

"It was Joeri's favourite movie."

The words left her innocently as she found the chips she sought and pulled the package open, eyes drifting about lazily. Adriel couldn't help the squeeze in his heart as he remembered her son. She didn't often speak of him, for it was far too painful, but whenever she did mention the boy her face held an unparalleled calm. It was the sort of emotion he couldn't understand, never having had children for himself. Still, Yanire had obviously loved the boy very deeply and to think she'd lost him so young was a crime in Adriel's mind.

The movie started and Adriel watched it every so often, trying to keep up with some of the plotlines in case she were to ask about it later. However he found himself much more interested in studying the moment with Yanire than the movie.

The slow and steady rise and fall of her chest, the softness of her legs intertwined with his. The way the colours of the screen reflected in her eyes, the fond and faraway smile she'd get every now and then. Adriel wanted to hold every detail of it in his mind.

By the end of the film, Adriel had become certain. A type of certainty that only a rock beneath a rushing river for hundreds of years can understand. A type of certainty that would withstand the test of time and space as far as he was concerned.

He treasured Yanire very deeply. In fact he felt comfortable going so far as to admit to himself that he loved her. The word tasted strange to him and his mouth went dry trying to process all of it. Confusing and dizzying as all of it was, he had decided it.

Adriel Alvarsson was in love.

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