Chapter Eight: The Morning After
Ever's POV
After my shower, I go dressed, and to be honest, Adrian's T-shirt is huge on me. Jade let me borrow a pair of her spandex shorts, but you can't even tell I'm wearing them because Adrian's shirt falls directly to my knees. I swear I feel like a toddler wearing his clothes.
I don't mind though… They're comfy and smell like lavender mixed with cedar wood and the faintest scent of rain.
Enzo never smelled this good…
He always smelled like he doused himself in his expensive Versace Eros cologne…
Now that I think about it, he probably sprayed so much to hide the perfumes of the other women he's slept with…
I honestly wouldn't be surprised at this point…
Sighing in annoyance I grabbed my dirty clothes and walked out of the bathroom shoving them into my purse.
"If you'd like, I can wash those for you so you have something to wear tomorrow~" I didn't notice Jade sitting on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter so when she suddenly spoke I did the one thing I do when I get scared…
"OW! Did you just throw the TV remote at me!? What the hell?! "
That's right, I throw things– or hands– it depends on the distance of the so-called 'threat'. I have no fight or flight, like, at all. it's always either fight, freeze, or throw.
"I'm so sorry Jade! Are you alright? You scared me, I didn't see you sitting there! "
I felt bad, I really did… But seeing the way she would pout and rub her arm where the remote had hit her made me giggle a bit, catching her attention.
"If you're so sorry, then why are you laughing? It hurts you know! Should I throw this remote at you to see how you like it? "
When she raised the remote like she was going to throw it at me, I flinched a bit and I don't know why. Despite my parent's negligence, they have never once hit me.
I guess that fight with Enzo screwed with me more than I realized…
Jade either didn't notice, or at least pretended not to notice which I was grateful for. Setting the remote back down on the counter, she hopped off of the seat and grabbed my clothes from my bag motioning for me to follow her.
we walked toward the bathroom and she opened the closet that was by the door, revealing a built-in washer and dryer that weren't very big, but fitting considering that it's only Jade and Adrian living here.
"I know you didn't answer me about washing your clothes, but I'm not gonna make you leave here with dirty clothes that you undoubtedly sweat in," she muttered, adding detergent to the wash, closing the lid, and turning it on.
"thank you, Jade… Not just for this, but for everything you and your brother are doing for me–It means a lot… "
"Seriously Ever, don't worry about it, I'm just glad that we were able to help in some way. " smiling softly as she left the bathroom, Jade nudged her head in the direction of her room.
"come on, let's go to bed, it's already super late… You can sleep in my room if you'd like,"
"Thanks but trust me, I'm the last person you would want to share your room with… I snore and I talk in my sleep, "
That's a lie, I just know I won't be able to sleep tonight…
The events of what happened today– er, I guess yesterday now– are still fresh in my mind and my brain can't stop thinking about Enzo and all of the times he possibly lied to me.
"hmm, I see how that could complicate things considering I do enjoy my beauty sleep, "
We both laughed, joking around for a bit while she grabbed a few extra blankets and a pillow– setting them on the couch as that's where I decided to sleep. Much to Jade's disapproval.
"Goodnight Ever, " Jade yawned as she stumbled her way to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"good night… "
The smile on my face disappeared along with her, as the first of many tears slipped from my sore eyes.
I'm so sick of crying…
...…
Roughly an hour later my tears had run dry and once again I felt numb. I softly rubbed my stomach in slow circles and my brain once again brought my thoughts back to the two main concerns I have.
1. How the hell am I supposed to raise this baby all by myself?...
2. What will my parents do I they find out? If they haven't already?...
a pair of arms circling around my waist snapped me back to reality as I froze in fear and confusion.
Who the hell?–
Adrian?...
My body instantly relaxed when I saw his face, and a new wave of emotions coursed through my being as I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his stomach while I cried.
What did I do to deserve this?
To be cheated on when I held my heart on my sleeve
To be left stranded in the middle of nowhere for a group of strangers to find
To have my child grow up knowing that his / her father wanted nothing to do with them
Just why?! WHY?!
….why?....
Peeling myself away from Adrian when I calmed down, I realized I was no longer sitting on the windowsill like I was before he got home. Instead, I was sitting on his lap, which had my heart racing a thousand miles a minute when I noticed how intimate this position was.
Quickly climbing off to sit next to him, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Playing with the skin around my fingernails I hesitantly looked back up into Adrian's eyes, which looked almost obsidian with the room mostly void of light. The only light that shone in the room was the street light from outside.
"Thank you and I'm sorry, I got your shirt dirty…" I said as I cringed, not only at how rough my voice sounded, but also because of the stains from my crying that had been visible on his shirt.
"Don't worry about It, it's just a shirt… I can always buy another one, "
Okay, I don't know what I was expecting but it sure as hell wasn't that…
"Besides I'm pretty sure this is Jake's shirt anyways, so who cares?"
I don't know what it was that made me laugh. The fact that Adrian was actually speaking to me, or the fact Jake will probably be pissed at not only me but also Adrian for ruining his shirt. The small smile on Adrian's face was a nice surprise too.
After my laughter had died down, I started to feel drowsy. My eyes could hardly stay open as I rested my head on his shoulder feeling more comfortable around him.
"get some sleep, precious, you need to rest… I'll be right here when you wake up~"
And just like that, I allowed the darkness to consume me. And for the next few hours, I was finally able to sleep peacefully.
...… The Next Morning ...…
The sound of my phone ringing woke me from my sleep, making me groan in annoyance, pull the blanket over my face and squish myself further into my comfy pillow.
Man, this pillow is comfy…
I don't remember my pillow being this comfy before?...
Eh, maybe it's because I was so exhausted after yesterday…
Yesterday…?
A deep chuckle resonated from my pillow making me freeze for a moment. slowly raising my head to peek out from underneath the blanket I had previously buried myself under, I had come face to face with a tired and messy-haired Adrian.
He was smiling down at me, showing a perfect set of teeth and for a moment I was lost in his features. When he smiles he has a dimple on his left cheek and a small scar just above his left eyebrow. These are the things I didn't see last night when he carried me.
And his eyes… Don't even get me started! They are so dark and mysterious, warm like melted dark chocolate, yet cold like the vast emptiness of outer space. Intriguing to say the least and beautiful to say the most.
"Good morning precious, did you sleep well? "
"Huh? Oh, yeah… Wait… precious? "
I couldn't help but question the sudden and –quite honestly– confusing endearment. Considering that last night was the first time I had a full conversation with him… it's just weird that he is suddenly giving me a nickname…
"Are you going to answer that? "
Still, in a daze, I continued my one-sided staring contest. It was only after he cleared his throat with an amused smirk tugging at his lips did I snap back to reality. The reality is, I'm laying on top of him and not on the couch with the blanket covering us both.
"OH my gosh! I'm so sorry! " with my face flushed in embarrassment I quickly jumped off of him. My feet got caught in the blanket though so I ended up falling backwards into the floor.
"ow… " muttering curse words to myself while I rubbed my aching butt, ignoring the light chuckle that left Adrian's lips.
Grabbing my phone that had started ringing again while glaring at Adrian who was still looking at me with amusement, answered it without looking at the ID., knowing it was only Bri.
On the phone
Hello?
Finally! Ever are you okay? I've been calling you all morning!
sorry, I just woke up… what's wrong…
I could hear her sigh in relief on the other end, making me smile a bit as I sat back down on the couch where Adrian still sat looking at me curiously.
Well… nothing is wrong per se…
Bri… What did you do…
I may or may not have thrown cotton eggs at Enzo's car…
YOU WHAT! BRI! –
hahaha, man, I wish I could see your face right now! Relax I didn't do anything… Yet…
Dammit Bri, you… nevermind…
Bri chuckled on the other end.
Sorry, couldn't resist… Anyways I did call for a reason…
Okay, what happened…
I'm not gonna be able to pick you up… mom needed to borrow my car for work… Sorry…
Shit…
Leaning my head against the back of the couch I rubbed a hand down my face feeling suddenly annoyed and a bit nauseous.
"What's wrong? " Adrian asked, brows furrowing in both concern and curiosity.
Covering the bottom of my phone I told him that Bri wouldn't be able to pick me up.
"I can take you home… " he offered, looking away from me, a light dusting I pink on his cheeks.
Cute
Ever are you there?
Yeah, I'm here just a sec…
"Are you sure? I mean I'd appreciate It, but you really don't have to- "
"It's fine, don't worry about it, besides I've been itching to take my car out for a spin, " he said standing up and walking towards his room, probably going to get ready.
Hey sorry about that, don't worry about giving me a ride, Adrian said he'd take me home.
Home? Don't you have a doctor's appointment today? You know… to check on the baby?
Shit that was today? I thought it was tomorrow…
Listen, I'll still try to make it. Even if it means I have to run all the way there okay.
Okay… I'll meet you there then?
Sound like a plan, see you soon… love you bye.
Love you too.
End of phone call
"I set your clothes on the counter, and there's a new toothbrush next to it for you. " Adrian said, walking out of the bathroom, freshly showered. The smell of lavender and cedar wood filled my nose.
"thanks… "
"No problem, precious… "
That nickname again…
I'm gonna have to ask him about that later…
...
While I was brushing my teeth, the nauseous feeling I had earlier came back full force, as I hunched over the toilet just in time to spew out the contents of last night's dinner. Embarrassingly enough I'm not a quiet puker so I wasn't surprised that the bathroom door was flung open.
"Ever! Are you okay? Is it morning sickness?"
I would have smiled at Adrian's concern, but I couldn't even talk without bile rising in my throat and landing in the porcelain throne. So I only nodded in response. For the next few minutes, he held back my hair and continued to rub my back saying soothing words until I finished.
resting my elbows on the seat, feeling drained and tired, I turned my head to look back at Adrain with a lazy smile on my tear-stained face.
"thank you… Again… "
"Anytime… " he smiled, grabbing the hair tie from my wrist and gently throwing my hair up into a messy bun.
"Go ahead and finish getting ready, I'm gonna tell Jade we're leaving then I'm gonna go warm up the car, "
kissing my forehead, he ran out of the room so fast I almost thought I was imagining things. But the lingering feeling of his lips on my skin made my heart skip a beat.
I chose to ignore it though, I'm not ready to have any sort of relationship with anyone yet. Besides, I literally just met Adrian yesterday.
Deciding to not think too hard about things I finished getting ready, hoping that the ride home won't be too awkward.