"Just hold on to me, you won't fall." Adrian assures, as I cling to his arm "unless I fall first then we're both screwed." He adds and an overwhelming urge to strangle him takes over me.
Before I can say anything, Cel's shriek makes me look across...
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A.E.A
THE WORDS I HAD suppressed for four years die yet again on my lips and my mouth becomes a graveyard as I wipe away any signs of a heated argument just in time for Elle, Casp and Art to walk in.
"The apple of your eyes is here." Art announces as a way of greeting while behind him Elle grins broadly "Marhabaan (hello)" a sniff, then "did you two already start cooking?"
I try my best to smile at them, avoiding looking anywhere near the direction of Adrian, but my smile falls when Caspian silently plops on the couch, his jaw taut, cheek burning a bright red.
Adrian asks before I get the chance to "What happened to your cheek?" Art and Elle exchange a knowing look causing the annoyance on my friend's face to grow.
"Open bitch slapped dot com and find out yourself." He grinds out the words, rubbing his eyes "I was at the bar with Preston, talking to a very sexy blond when someone decided it would be fun to play my fucking girlfriend, so not only did I get slapped once. I got slapped twice."
Elle ignores the glare Caspian throws her and instead slings an arm around me, I lean against her with a weary smile when she whispers "He's using last names so he's definitely mad."
"I am beyond mad Elham. I am furious." He seethes, it's been a long time since I've seen him this angry and I much rather prefer my easy-going, charming Caspian.
Elle swallows but the coolness in her amber eyes stays the same as she stares at him, all the while Art has the audacity to smile openly "Ah, never a dull moment with this duo. I might need to carry a popcorn pouch from now on." I aim a pointed look at him, he makes a show of zipping his lips.
"You know, all you have to do is ask Elham and I will take you to my bed." The anger he showed through his glare seconds ago now takes the form of a smirk. A challenge.
I feel Adrian's eyes on me and resist the urge to glance at him, instead, I straighten, discreetly giving her arm a squeeze.
"That's the thing." She raises her chin, the princess of Veksari refusing to back away from a challenge as she states "I don't want to be like all your other flings, when you're ready to take me to your heart, then we'll talk."
Caspian sobers up at that. We all do. Silence falls on the room like a heavy blanket and each of our expressions changes because each of us feels a certain magnitude to Elle's statement. These two have been dancing around one another for so long it's both shocking and sobering to witness them address this head-on.
Maybe all of us need to do a little growing up.
This time, I do glance at Adrian, only to find him already looking at me.
