The Assistant(41)

“Okay?” Adrian repeated with a surprised expression.

I nodded, smiling slightly at his shock. “Let’s watch a movie. Go and make the popcorn while I go through the choices.”

Adrian gave me a cautious look. “You’re not… Are you playing a trick on me?” he asked, narrowing his eyes, “Trying to get me to leave so you can escape?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Where do you keep your movies?” I asked, pulling out of his grasp.

He lifted himself off the sofa at the same time I did, and pointed to the large white cabinet that was located on the side of the living room. “Go crazy,” he said before heading for the kitchen.

I walked over to the large cabinet and opened it cautiously, not wanting to ruin the expensive looking piece of furniture. My jaw almost fell to the floor in shock. There had to be at least 400 DVD cases in this thing! The sound of popcorn erupting in a microwave sounded from the direction where Adrian went, and I shook myself out of my amazed state.

My eyes scanned the large variety thoroughly; searching for any movie that involved Johnny Depp or The Hemsworth or Franco brothers, before my eyes stopped at the one DVD case I had been itching to watch for a while. I took out the navy coloured case and made my way over to the Blu-ray player before inserting the CD into the machine.

“Now You See Me,” Adrian suddenly said from behind me, making me jump and whip around. “Good choice. It’s a long movie too.”

I felt my eyebrows raise. “Is that a problem? I can choose a different-”

“Not a problem. More like a treat. 2 hours with you not hating my guts? I think I’m going to enjoy myself.” His grin grew as I rolled my eyes at his logic. The microwave signaled the popcorn was finished, making Adrian leave the room once again.

I took my original position at the corner of the sofa and ruffled my hair out to feel less of a strain on my head, then crossed my legs and put a pillow on my lap as Adrian re-entered the living room.

“Comfortable?” he asked with a smirk, before squashing up to me with the bowl of popcorn in his hands.

I rolled my eyes at his overly excited grin before answering.

“I was,” I stated, glaring playfully.

He chuckled and pulled me into his warm torso once again before reaching over to the remote control to press play.

“Good. Let’s watch the movie.”

***

“Dave Franco needs to marry me,” I stated with a glazed expression as the end credits rolled onto the large flat screen in front of Adrian and me. “He is the most handsome man I have ever laid my eyes on.”

Adrian scoffed, before he looked down at me with his trademark smirk and an amused glint in his eye. “He’s not even in my league, and you know it, Shortcake.”

Somehow, during the movie, I had ended up in Adrian’s lap, with his arms curled around my waist in a tight restraint so I wasn’t able to shift my position. It was comfortable – really comfortable – and I instantly scolded myself for liking the fact that I was being held in the arms of my boss.

“Whatever you say, Adri-poo,” I teased, pinching his cheeks with a grin.

“‘Adri-poo?’” he repeated with the same trademark smirk and amused expression.

I nodded, still grinning. “Your new nickname. Oh, and you’re right. Dave Franco is not in your league at all. He has an entire league of his own. Far, far away from you.” I winked.

Adrian turned off the Blu-ray player and television while he chuckled at my statement. “You’re right as well, I’m afraid. You see, he’s all the way at the bottom of the scale, and I’m all the way at the top. Actually, I’m that sexy, that I don’t even qualify on the scale.”

I raised an eyebrow at his inflated ego.

“Okay Boss. Sure. If that’s what makes you sleep at night.”

“Actually,” he chuckled, “the thought of you makes me sleep at night. You know, with no clothing on-”

I groaned, cutting him off. “Do not even finish that sentence and ruin the 2% progress you’ve made with me.” I scowled at him playfully in warning.

Adrian was still chuckling when I felt his arms retract themselves from around my waist. One of them slid to my back while the other slid down to the bend in my legs. He lifted me up bridal style, making me squeal in surprise in the process. “Come on Shortcake, let’s go to bed.”

“I want to sleep in my own bed,” I quickly brought up. Adrian smirked and ignored my request as he turned off the lights in the living room while still managing to keep me in his hold. A bright light flashed from outside as the house became increasingly quiet, and that’s when I realised it was raining – and there was lightning – outside.


My breath hitched in my throat as I envisioned myself sleeping alone in a room during a storm, without Amy to comfort me like the child I sometimes still was.

“Or… um, maybe I should get home. I- I think I heard my alarm go off and I- I need to feed my pet hamster.” I lied, gulping in fear as another bright light flashed in my side vision.

In the dim lighting of the penthouse suite, I saw Adrian look down at me with a frown. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern lacing his tone.

“Okay? Me? Of course I’m okay! Peachy, even! Why would you think otherwise?” I let out a forced laugh, earning another confused frown from Adrian. “I think I should just sleep in a separate room if you can’t get me home at this time…” I trailed off. I would get no sleep at this point, but having no sleep is better than going in blindly and not knowing how I’d react in the same bed as Adrian when there was my worst fear going on outside.