Twenty-eight ~ Evelyn

"What happened?" My voice shakes in anticipation of what could have caused my gentle giant to look so fierce.

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you! Where the hell were you?" His tone took no prisoners, raising my defences in turn.

"I went to get us breakfast from the café you like." I maintain a level voice whilst shaking the paper bag as if the evidence should have already made that clear.

"Alone?" He counters hoarsely.

"No, with Casper the friendly ghost!" The increasingly pointless questions jolted me with frustration. "Yes, I went alone. You were still sleeping."

I duck around him, carefully manoeuvring the drinks and march to the kitchen.

Adrian's heavy footsteps tell me he has swiftly set off in pursuit and he catches up to me as I arrive at the breakfast bar.

"You could've woken me. I had no idea where you went. Anything could have happened." Adrian persists.

Suddenly recognising his anger is born from concern, I take a deep breath to reign in my temper.

"You could've called me if you were worried." I softly argue as I set the drinks and the bag down on the counter.

His mouth drops open wordlessly.

Did this tech savvy man really forget about the invention of the mobile telephone?

Even so, surely this level of concern is abnormal? I was out for less than an hour, some of which he slept through, and my bags are clearly still here in the hall.

Stepping forward, I take his hands in mine.

"What's going on? Why are you so worried?" I softly probe for the real issue behind this explosive reaction.

Adrian holds my gaze for a moment before shaking his head and turning away.

"I'm sorry, I was just shocked when I woke up and couldn't find you in the apartment."

He closes his eyes as he exhales deeply. "Please wake me if you wish to go out. Please don't go alone."

The impossible request smacks me around the side of the head. I'm a grown adult with a life, I don't need to be constantly chaperoned. Even teenagers go out alone.

This is the city I've grown up immersed in. I'm aware of and deal with the dangers, but they'll never stop me from living.

"You won't always be with me Adrian. I've lived in London for twenty-one years and have done just fine on my own so far."

"But why take the risk? I've got a driver that can escort you when I can't."

"Do you even hear the crazy in what you're saying right now?" I question exasperated, "I'm not a china doll you can suffocate in bubblewrap. My job and life choices carry risks, but they're my risks to take for better or for worse."

"And look how that went the other night!"

"It was like three am with no one around, and it's been dealt with!" People should be able to commute to and from work safely without giving it a second thought. I wasn't even taking unnecessary risks.

The vibrations from Adrian's hands reverberate up my arm and I watch as a muscle in his jaw twitches.

"I just want you to be safe." Adrian eventually sighs.

"I know." I breathe, letting him pull me against his chest.

His heart hammers against my ear drum as lemon and oak invade my senses.

I let any anger dissipate with controlled exhalations. I reassure myself that this is all so new and different, it's going to take time to figure it out.

Adrian rests his heavy head atop of mine.

Once his heart rate settles and his arms stop trembling against my body, he releases me.

I trail my hand down the outline of his handsome face, before tracing his lips.

My fingers move to his soft hair, pulling him down to me. I press a slow kiss against his lips and step back.

His blue pools are mixed with grey and I force myself to look away from the calming storm.

Rummaging through the paper bag, delighted shock fills me at the discovery that the food is still warm.

I lay out the options on the breakfast bar, grab a couple of plates and clamber onto a stool.

Icy vanilla soothes my throat whilst I watch Adrian drop onto the stool next to me.

Setting down the milkshake, I give Adrian a brief description of each dish and pass him his coffee.

Adrian takes a prolonged drink of his coffee before selecting the bagel and breaking the barrier of politeness hanging over the food.

I grab the croque monsieur and enjoy biting into the crunchy bread to get to the three gooey melted cheeses. The textures bring a new wave of delight with each bite, forcing me to do a happy dance on my stool.

I fork a pancake and some fruit onto my plate next, ready for the sweet and fluffy follow up.

Somehow, Adrian manages to silently engulf all of the remaining food. I wonder where he puts it all as I stare at his flat stomach.

The mental dilemma forces me to poke his chiselled abs to check if they're an illusion. They're definitely not.

Adrian raises a puzzled eyebrow and I just smile, retracting my curious hand.

Wishing to disturb the somewhat awkward silence I announce, "I better head home."

"Um, yeah, sure." Adrian dismounts from the stool before continuing with a more upbeat tone, "Let me get dressed and we can head off."

By the time I've cleared away the remains from breakfast, I hear Ade's footfall on the wooden staircase.

"Hey, you good to go?" I call out as I stroll over to the foot of the stairs.

"All good." He smiles at me before removing my bulky bag from my shoulder.

As we head out, I admire him handle the heavy bag as if it weighs nothing.

'Commutes would be a lot easier if I could do that', I grumble to myself.

Adrian drops my bag in front of a black car with a minimalistic grate and squinting headlights.

Upon returning from the small room, he opens the door for me and places my bag on the back seat.

The interior is stunning!

Comfy textured chairs surrounded by leather detailing. A large screen sits in between the front seats. You could watch a film on that thing.

Aqua lights line the interior as the car awakens.

This is insane! How did I get here?