The Assistant(78)

My eyes widened in shock at the last suggestion before I launched the sundress I was about to hang up in the closet straight at Adrian’s face. He caught it with ease while chuckling at my reaction, and I began blushing.

“Get out of my room,” I scowled.

“Our room,” he corrected with a lopsided grin, catching me off guard. I blinked back at him momentarily before turning away with a frown. “What is it?” Adrian asked, noticing the small notion.

“Nothing,” I mumbled, turning back to my clothes.

“Let’s go watch a movie. You can pack your clothes later,” Adrian said, before I felt my body being lifted off of the ground and thrown over Adrian’s shoulder.

“Adrian!” I squealed, making him chuckle. “You need to stop doing that,” I huffed once he set me down onto the sofa in the living room. “I know how to walk.”

“I know you do. I watch you walk from behind every day.” He smirked, making me roll my eyes and blush. “What movie would you like to watch today, roomie? I’m ordering Chinese.”


I glared up at him and crossed my arms over my chest, ignoring him once again. Adrian needed to know that I was angry at him for forcing me out of my own home and into his – and in front of my family, as well. Moving in with him was not a step I wanted to take with him, especially considering the fact that we weren’t even a couple and I had unidentified feelings towards him. Living with him was not helping my current conflicted emotions, at the moment.

“Come on Shortcake, you can’t me mad at me forever.” Adrian pouted, suddenly appearing face to face with me.

I looked straight into his hazel irises and glared. “Yes I can,” I snapped, turning away from him angrily.

I heard a small sigh escape Adrian’s mouth before I felt myself – once again – being lifted out of my position against my will. Adrian sat in my previous position and placed me on his lap, trapping me there by circling his arms around my waist firmly.

“Look at me,” he said earnestly, “I don’t regret making you move in with me. I only regret not telling you before I told your family. To prove myself to you, I’ll do whatever you want for the rest of the day.” Adrian smirked then, and I instantly got the double meaning behind his words.

“Let go of me,” I demanded, still glaring down at him.

“Fine,” he grumbled after a moment of hesitation, retracting his arms from around my waist.

I tried to hide my smug smile as I got off his lap, blushing in the process before going back to our bedroom to continue packing my clothes.

Adrian stayed on my heel the entire time. “Do you want to watch the movie in here, then? That’s okay, I’ll go pick something out the-”

“No, Adrian. What I want is for you to leave me alone for the rest of the evening. Don’t talk to me, or be in the same room as me. Let my anger simmer down a little before we talk again. You need to understand that you do not control me and that you can’t throw a little anger tantrum and sleep with 500 women every time something doesn’t go your way. So for the time being, I want you to go away. Go do some work, read a book, take a shower – I don’t care. Just don’t talk or be in my presence.” I gave him a stern look while waiting for him to argue about my request.

Adrian just stared back at me, not saying anything for a while, before nodding. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I repeated in confusion. He wasn’t going to fight me on this?

“Stop trying to flirt with me like Augustus Waters, Shortcake. I said okay.” He smirked, making me blush and roll my eyes at the comment. “But just before I go – I haven’t slept with a woman ever since the week you quit, Emily, because I don’t want anyone else anymore. I’ll leave you alone now.” Adrian closed the bedroom door behind him softly, and I stared at the white object for a long moment, processing his words.

***

It was almost 1AM by the time I was done folding, hanging and packing my entire wardrobe the walk-in Adrian and I now shared. I had not seen nor heard from him since we talked last. I decided to throw on my favourite NYU shirt from college and a pair of yoga pants before heading to the living room.

I found Adrian shirtless, slumped in a chair with a laptop resting on the dining table in front of him and illuminating his features in the dim lighting. My mind went back to his previous words, and my heart fluttered involuntarily. He hadn’t slept with anyone else ever since I quit? My mind refused to believe it. This was Adrian Kingston – surely, I was misinterpreting his words. He didn’t want me; ‘anyone else’ could have been Adrianna or Anna.

I ignored my conscience momentarily and made my way towards him. He looked away from his laptop screen and his tired eyes met mine just as I stopped in front of him and shut the laptop softly.

“Come on,” I murmured as I squeezed his tense shoulders in a massaging manner. “Let’s get to bed.”

A loud yawn escaped from Adrian’s mouth as he got out of his seated position and stretched his limbs; making me blush and avert my gaze from his shirtless body.

“Did you finish packing your things?” he asked once we began walking back to the bedroom.

I nodded mutely, not bothering to formulate a verbal response. I was still angry with him, but I was also feeling a little sympathetic and guilty for kicking him out of his own room.