Chapter Twenty-One

I had spent the entire car ride back thinking of what to say to Alex and Daniel, when I asked if I could go out with Adam. I expected them to be unhappy and disagree, so I had to think of every scenario possible.

"Is something on your mind?"

I jumped at the sound of Alex's voice. He was looking at me through the rear-view mirror, as Daniel continued to drive.

How the hell can he do that?

Alex was able to read any person just by one look. It was unsettling.

I bit my lip and remained silent. I didn't want to talk about it that moment.

He nodded. "We can talk when we get back," he said." I let out a breath of relief, but could still feel Alex's eyes on me as we pulled into the driveway. I couldn't help but notice how quiet Sebastian had been the entire ride. I looked at him, and saw he had been on his phone the entire time.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked him. His head snapped up, just before he stubbed his toe on the first step.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, I was just talking to the kid we saw earlier, we actually had a really good chat today in class, and he's really smart. I have no idea why he needed my help, he was practically teaching me himself."

I held my tongue at his comment. I already knew Adam had set the kid up to it, to get Sebastian away from me. He didn't have to admit it; he had implied it heavily.

When we had entered the house, Sebastian took off towards his room, phone still in hand. It was a lot easier to get rid of his presence while I talked to Alex, then I had thought. I bounded up to Alex, before he had the chance to come back, and started to formulate what I was going to say. I didn't know why I was so worried about this, it was normal for a teenaged girl to go out on a date.

"Hey, can we talk for a second?" I asked Alex and Daniel, who looked like they were about to prepare dinner. "Wait, you know how to cook?"

"I do, he's just cutting up the vegetables." Daniel grinned and pointed his thumb towards Alex, who had just scowled in response.

"What is it, Miss White?" Alex asked.

"You can call me Ava, and I just wanted to ask something." I had started to lose confidence the longer Alex stared at me. He nodded for me to continue. "Well, there's this guy I met in class, and–"

"The answer is already no," Alex abruptly said. Daniel swung around and dropped his jaw in shock.

"Seriously? We haven't even heard what she wants to ask," he cried and turned to me. "I'm assuming he has already asked you out?"

"Y-yes, he asked me out to dinner." I said that, but when I had recalled the moment, it hadn't seemed like he was asking me, more like told me. "I know it's a long shot asking, but I want this experience. Isn't that part of the reason I came here?"

"You came here to go to college, and figure out who you are." Alex turned to me with a look of determination. He wasn't going to back down.

"Part of being a teenager, is having social interactions, Alex. Ava has been deprived of that, and needs to be reintroduced to the world, and have normal interactions and experiences, like any other teenager."

"But she isn't like any other teenager. She is an extremely vulnerable target, and we were hired to protect her. I don't know about you, but I'm here to do my job." He turned back to me. "You aren't going anywhere unless I'm there with you."

"Then come with me."

My response stunned the room. Alex blinked at me a couple times, before he shook his head.

"I didn't think that was an option," he muttered.

"You never asked. Besides, if things do go well, I am going to have to tell him about you guys sooner or later. Someone is bound to see you at school with Sebastian and I."

They both looked at each other and shrugged.

"So, does this mean I can go?" I asked, and clasped my hands together in a silent plea. Alex frowned and looked at Daniel, before he let out a breath and nodded.

"Give me all the details, I will drive you there and back, and I decide when it's late enough. Got it?" he asked and pointed a stern finger.

I saluted him mockingly. "Yes, dad!" I ran out of the room before he could yell at me, and rushed up to my bedroom. It was then I realized, I didn't have a phone, and therefore had never given him anyway to contact me.

I suddenly remembered the paper Adam had slipped between my fingers, and dug through my bag until I found it. I unfolded it to reveal a phone number, in thick black ink. I jumped for joy a little, and tried to find a home phone, but there was nothing.

Shit! I need Sebastian's phone.

So much for trying not to involve him. I knew he was going to be even more upset, if not just as upset, as Alex was when he found out. I took a deep breath, and walked over to knock on his bedroom door. He opened it immediately, his phone still in his hand.

"Hey, what's up?" He grinned. Here goes nothing.

***

"Do you really think you're ready?" he asked me for the millionth time that night. The talk about my dinner date – and needing to use his phone in order to confirm it – had went a lot better than I thought, but I could tell he was hurt and had wanted to say something, but bit his tongue.

"I won't know unless I try, right?" I smiled at him, but he didn't seem convinced.

Adam had said to meet him at a restaurant downtown, with a very fancy sounding name I couldn't pronounce, but thankfully Daniel had seemed to know where it was right away. I waved good-bye to a still sad looking Sebastian. I felt bad, but I was more excited to see Adam.

He had been on my mind since the moment we left school, and I wanted nothing more than to stare into his eyes again, and have him give me that cute grin that I had hoped was seen by me. I stopped myself and wondered if I was getting too ahead. I had just met this guy, so why did I feel like I already knew him?

My heart was trying to escape out my throat by the time we had pulled up in front of the restaurant. I gave myself a once-over in the rear-view mirror, before I allowed Alex to help me out. I thanked him, and he went to take his position in front of the car, where he had a perfect view into the place. Daniel went around back, and stayed in the alley.

I took a deep breath, and ordered my feet to move forward. I was sweating so bad; I was afraid my make-up would be washed off before I got to the table. I walked up to the podium, and gave the waitress there my name, and said I was looking for an Adam. She smiled instantly and said he was waiting for me.

That had made me more nervous.

I tried to wipe the sweat off my palms as she led me to the table. I was a little shocked when she led me to the far back of the restaurant, to a much fancier area. Gentle jazz music flowed throughout the room, and set a peaceful atmosphere. The lights were dimmed lightly, only adding to the feel-good mood everyone was in. The tables were covered in scarlet red table clothes, with single candles in the middle, and a handful of white petals scattered on top.

The ceiling towered almost as high as my manor, and we tastefully decorated with white and black marble, with small figurines carved into the mold. It was too high up for me to see, but it was marvelous to look at none the less.

"Right this way, miss," the waitress said, and brought my attention back to the booth in front of me.

Where a very sharply dressed, Adam sat, his usual grin spread across his lips. I could feel the breath escape my lips the moment I laid eyes on him and his neatly pressed dress shirt, and sleek black pants. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and left a little to the imagine with the glance of a chiseled chest.

"Here are your menu's, can I start anyone off with drinks?" The waitress was already trying to take our order, before I had even sat down. I was locked in Adam's gaze, completely drawn towards his blue eyes.

I quickly blinked my eyes and cleared my throat nervously, before I took a seat. Adam asked the waitress to give us a few minutes, before he turned his icy blue eyes back on me. I was puddy under his gaze.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, only loud enough for the two of us. I sucked in a sharp breath, and tried to keep the heat from rising in my cheeks. He grabbed my hand before I could respond, and lifted it to his lips to place a tender kiss on the back. His eyes had never left mine, and I couldn't look away from his, the entire time.

"Find the place alright?" Adam asked and flipped open his menu. I nodded and smiled, I didn't want to tell him about my parent-bodyguards, just yet. It was something I felt I had to ease him into, or anyone really. I wasn't exactly famous, but a tragedy had happened to me, where I needed to protection.

How did you explain that to someone?

"It's quite beautiful, I have to say," I said and looked back up at the ceiling.

"Yes, it really is. It's my favourite restaurant in town, I come here almost every week for at least one meal." As he said that, I looked down at the prices, and nearly had a heart attack.

It was almost 30$ for a basket of garlic and cheese bread. Granted yes, it said it was a whole loaf of bread, but I could make a whole loaf of cheese and garlic bread, for much cheaper then 30$. How in the hell had he afforded a meal here, almost every week?

The answer was clear; he had the money. I wondered then, why he had chosen to study at a community college, rather than a high-end arts school. There were many Los Angeles had to offer, and I had no doubt a few in San Francisco. If he had the money, and something told me he had the talent, why was he at a low-end community college, where the offered the bare minimum of courses?

I wanted to ask, but I felt it would be rude, or I would sound insensitive. Maybe the school had a deeper meaning to him, or a relative had attended the school, and he wanted to follow in his footsteps, despite his wealth.

Maybe he was like me. Lost, and just trying to find out who he was.

"So, what made you come to San Francisco?" Adam had beat me to the chase. I had to choose my words wisely, and make sure I didn't imply or let anything slip.

"I needed a change of scene, and I'm not sure what it is I wanted to do with my life, so I thought this college would be the perfect place to start." I held my breath and waited for his next line of questioning. I was confused, when I saw a hint of a frown on his face, but he had quickly covered it up with a small smile.

"I can relate to that, I came here for a similar reason," he said in a hushed tone, and had a distant look in his eyes when he looked back down at the menu.

"What are you here for?" I asked, and hoped it wasn't overstepping.

Adam hesitated. "I'm looking for something."

"Oh? And what might that be?" I prompted him. This time, he did frown and looked back up at me with a new emotion in his eyes.

It almost seemed like a sense of longing.

"That's a story for another day." He smiled and put his menu down. "I asked you to dinner because I wanted to get to know more about you."

"Why me?" The question escaped my lips.

His eyes twinkled lightly. "You intrigue me. I can't seem to stay away from you, Ava."

My heart flipped when he said my name, and butterflies erupted in the pit of my stomach. I liked the way my name sounded on his lips.

I wanted to say that I couldn't stay away from him either, that I couldn't get him out of my mind from the moment I had met him, but I didn't want to sound desperate or clingy. Even though, he had been the first to say it, it didn't sound desperate, but sweet.

"What would you like to know?" I hesitated in asking that question. There was only so much I had figured out about myself, it was hard to even answer that.

"Anything, everything. What's your favourite color, what music do you like? We can play 20 questions until the waitress comes back?" He asked and grinned. I couldn't say no to that smile.

"Alright, you start then."

He thought about it for a moment. "I'll start simple; what is your favourite colour, or colours?"

That was easy enough to fake. "Uh, red and purple." Even though I tried to fake that, my answer felt right in a way. "How old are you?"

"I'm 19. I'm going to take a wild guess, and instead of asking, say you're 18?" Even though he had said he wasn't going to ask, he formed it like a question.

"Uh, y-yeah." I had to think about it, and remember back to what I was told at the hospital.

"That doesn't count as a question, I still get to ask one," he said. But before he had the chance, the waitress returned and took our order. We continued light conversation after that while we ate.

I couldn't help but notice how he had glanced at me every so often when we paused to take a bite or drink. It made me feel delighted and almost giddy inside. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off me, and I had no idea what that had felt like.

It felt great.

After the meal, I had tried so hard to convince him to let me pay for my half of the meal, after I had snuck a glance at the bill. But he remained stubborn as a mule, until the machine was handed to him, and I could no longer protest. He had just simply grinned at me.

We walked out into the warm air, and I had realized our night was coming to an end. I didn't want it too. I badly wanted to stay in Adam's company. He made me feel so warm and comfortable, unlike anyone else. I couldn't shake the feeling like I had known him before, but no matter how hard I wracked my brain, nothing had come up. I spotted the SUV Alex and Daniel were at, with Alex still perched outside, as still as a statue.

Adam followed my eyes, and noticed the dark figure that stood out on the sidewalk.

"Is he with you?" he asked, and I was surprised at how light his tone was. Maybe he hadn't been as intimidated by Alex, as I had been when I first saw him.

"Uh, yeah. Kind of a long story, but I have two bodyguards with me." I chewed my lip and waited for his reaction. He frowned a little, but had simply shrugged afterwards, like it was normal. Maybe since he was wealthy as well, he had a series of protection of his own. I had no idea if his name carried any weight in California, or even what his last name was, but something told me it did.

"Well, they're just going to have to keep waiting then. He does look quite comfortable," Adam joked, and titled his head towards the frozen solid Alex.

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

Adam grinned. "There's one more spot I want to take you."

***

After a lot of convincing, Alex agreed to let Adam drive us to our next destination, with him and Daniel in tow of course. Adam hadn't minded, which made me relax a little about the whole bodyguard situation. I was afraid it would've scared him off, but I was glad to see he still seemed as giddy as before.

We finally pulled into a packed parking lot, and the flash of bright, neon lights caught my eye. I looked up, and was amazed to see a giant carnival set up. I felt Adam come up beside me, and he grabbed my hand gently in his.

"Surprised?" he asked.

"Very, this is amazing." I gawked at all the different rides and carnival games, as well at the small food court with all the food you could imagine at a carnival this size. Adam continued to grasp my hand as we walked slowly through the crowd of people. His hand felt good in mine. I could feel the electricity bouncing between our palms, and it caused my heart to do somersaults in my chest.

He tugged me along, until we stopped in front of the bumper cars. Adam wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I just smiled in response. It was enough for him to drag me over to the entrance.

We spent the next hour on as many rides as we could; the twister, the tea cups, and tried our luck at a few carnival games. I had kicked his ass at the water gun game, and won myself a medium sized blue bear. I had stopped suddenly, when I spotted a large stuffed penguin, the hung from one of the carnival games. I had no idea why, but I had been drawn to it.

A memory flashed before my eyes, and caused me to stagger. Adam was at my side instantly, and asked what was wrong, but his voice had sounded miles away. I didn't push the memory, as my doctor had instructed, and I let it come to me naturally. I saw myself, but in the reflection of a glass wall. I was a little girl, with long pigtails, and a white summer dress. I was looking into an exhibit of some sort, with lots of ice and snow mountains. Something dashed in front of me, a blur of black and white.

An emperor penguin had stood before me, his beady eyes looked straight at me. I was memorized by this animal instantly. I remembered he had continued to watch me, as I had slowly walked along the glass. I had lifted a finger and pressed it to the glass, and the emperor penguin had lifted a flipper, before it dove into the water and swam off.

I had remembered, from that day on, penguins had been my favourite animal. The memory faded as quickly as it had appeared, and I had found myself back at the carnival, with the giant penguin hanging above.

"Hey, are you alright?" Adam shook me, and I suddenly remembered he was there. "Welcome back, it seemed like I lost you for a minute there."

"S-sorry, I just spaced out."

"Do you want to play that game?" he asked, and gestured to the game booth I had been staring at with the penguin. It was a dart throwing game, where you had to throw a dart and pop as many balloons as you could. It seemed simple enough, so I nodded at him.

It was a lot harder than it had looked! I had barely popped a single balloon, and had mainly hit the cork board they were pinned too. Adam had killed it, like he had done it a thousand times. His aim was almost perfect, and it had looked like he was barely concentrating.

It was instinct. Natural.

Way too natural.

The hairs on my arms and neck had suddenly stood up and a chill ran through my body. I quickly smiled and tried to hide it.

In the end, he had popped enough balloons, for me to choose a large stuffed animal as a prize, and being your typical gentleman, he had let me choose whichever. I had instantly pointed to the stuffed penguin, and couldn't wipe the smile on my face when I held it.

"I take it you like penguins?" Adam asked.

"I believe so," I muttered. I hadn't thought about what I said, until it was already out in the open. Adam looked at me curiously and lifted a confused eyebrow.

"What does that mean? You aren't sure?" he asked cautiously, almost as if he might have known that was a touchy subject for me. It was odd.

Am I ready to tell him? I wondered and chewed my bottom lip nervously.

"I'm a great listener," he said quietly. "It looks like something is troubling you."

"There is a lot troubling me, but not enough time to explain sadly."

Adam grabbed my hand and led me away from the games and crowding people. The carnival had started to fill up more as the night had grown darker. I remembered I still had class early the next day, and it was my first day without Sebastian.

"We have all the time in the world." Adam's hushed, deep tone brought me out of my thoughts, and I realized the closeness between us. His chest brushed mine gently, mainly because of how rapid I was breathing. My chest rose and fell quickly with every sharp intake of air I tried to fill my lungs with, sine the scent and feel of his had knocked whatever breath had remained.

Why was it always so hard to breath around him? It was like his very presence sucked the life out of me, while at the same time knocked it back into me, twice as hard. I felt so alive around him, more alive than I had ever felt since I left the hospital, and had no idea what my blank life had in store for me. At least, I hadn't expected someone like Adam.

He was such a mystery, but so familiar. The constant pull between the two was about to drive me insane, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Have we met before?" I whispered. Adam pushed away from me, as if I had suddenly lit on fire. His blue eyes were wide and startled. "A-are you okay?" I asked, but the sound of my voice seemed to only push him further away.

He shook his head lightly. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

Before I could comprehend what he had said, he took off into the sea of people, and disappeared instantly, a dark shadow blended in the crowd.

I had remained glued to my spot for and unknown amount of time, until I had felt a presence appear next to me. Somehow, I had already known who it was, before I looked into Alex's dark eyes. His face was emotionless, but I could see the pity.

He had witnessed everything. Of course, he had, it was his job.

"Ready to go home?" he asked quietly. I just nodded and looked back at the crowd fleetingly, before I followed Alex to the car. Daniel was outside with a smoke in his hand, and a wide smile spread across his face when he saw me. Alex slowly shook his head, and the smile fell. Daniel pitched his cigarette and walked over to give me a silent hug.

We drove back in silence, and I rushed up to my room the moment I was in the door. I heard Sebastian's bedroom door open and his footsteps outside the door, but I didn't make a move to open it. He knocked a couple times, before he realized I wasn't in the mood. It was times like these, that I was thankful I didn't have a phone to be bothered by. It wouldn't help my already racing thoughts.

Had I done something wrong?

Or had we met before, and he didn't want me to remember?