Warmth | ✔️ #wattys2021

33. coastal

Cannes was heavenly. Adam experienced a change of heart when he met Rebecca on that Friday night. It had been three days since they first talked. While it initially started like the flings he used to have, her brown hair was still pattered on the white bed sheets on Saturday morning. Perhaps she just liked to sleep long, but he liked that she stayed. Over the weekend he still had to attend one or two gatherings and shake some hands but it kept him busy and Sarah happy.

But the second he was free, he would turn to her. It was not like they were dating but it wasn't just sex either, whatever they had, he enjoyed it. And she was so cute with her French accent and her freckled face and the way she looked when he now shared his mornings with her on the terrace, enjoying the view while eating breakfast together. The sun would illuminate her hair, would make it look shiny and if there were a million different shades of brown in her hair. Sometimes he watched her side profile while she stared out at the blue sea. Her nose was narrow and her eyes piercing, she was everything one could want.

And he could talk to her too, long nights were spend babbling for hours and making each other laugh.

No one has spot them together yet and he liked to keep it that way. He went out into a sea of paparazzi and journalist to get lost in the crowds and it worked -for now. Sarah was still trying to figure out where his leaked address came from, seemingly a task that was very difficult to solve.

And the young man did know, he did a full 180 from desperately trying to get Adeline off his mind to probably falling for another girl. But it was not like he did succeed in trying to forget her. Sarah found out that it was Kate, who leaked his address. He did now her motives or did he want to, he just wanted to get her out of his life. Adam also wished he could warn Adeline personally about her but his team managed it now,

  Another past night he had a call with George, he was surprised to hear about his new flat-mate and once again the temptation to ask for her well-being was at its height. When Rebecca entered the room again, coming in from the balcony and smiling at him though he found his grip back. Once in a while when he talked to the model, his mind drifted off randomly to Adeline and for a short second imagined her on his side instead. It was a fleeting thought, disappearing when his body reminded him of the mental pain her image triggered in him.

Rebecca was fun too, she was confident, she was smart —an overall dream he'd dare to dream in the moment.

*
"What are you doing?" George asked as he dropped all his weight on his grey couch next to Adeline and tried to sneak a look at her laptop. Living with him was how she imagined life with a sibling would be. He got annoying from time to time, a bit to curious and would never stop teasing.

"Applying to jobs..." She answered, she has been at it for two hours now and still felt like nothing was good enough, or she wouldn't good enough for the companies. She clicked on another offer ready to read through the probably very high conditions. Most employers wanted someone with years of experience but from where would she get said experience from if no one wanted her?

"Hey, why are you clicking on that one? It's in Bristol!" He asked somewhat confused, still obviously spying on her.

"I know." She said sternly.

"Wait- you are not thinking of moving back, are you?"

She didn't reply to his question for some time until she sadly said: "Well...I mean what keeps me here?" For some time now, she thought of moving back, she still had a friend or two in Bristol, her family was there. Why not?
"Adeline!" He said almost scoldingly. "

You are so not moving away from London! I know a lot of things changed but that's no reason to give this city up completely!" She scoffed.

"Okay listen!" He said seemingly pretty keen on keeping her where she was. "...I know I can't make you stay and a lot of shit happened...but you behave like someone who is going through a breakup which makes sense but people don't really make smart decisions in such a state." He was right and she knew it. Lately she picked up weird habits, he must have noticed. One of them was watching the same season of Grey's Anatomy over and over again as if she was afraid to watch anything else. And she hated that he called it a breakup, it wasn't. She long got over their real break up but they were friends until she burned down everything that potentially could have been.

"Just wait some more time to make a final decision, besides we are placing bets on you getting back together." He said casually and too late realized that it was probably not smart to tell her that.

"Wait what? Who is placing bets on us?" She said now outraged and firstly looking up from her screen.

"Pretty much everyone we are friends with, besides you two of course...."
George said, hoping to get out of this with putting the blame on everyone in their friend group.

"Oh my god..." She shook her head and he was relieved to see that she hid a smile unsuccessfully. "The odds must be bad though..."

"Not at all, Jenna is pretty much the only one who bet against it." It didn't upset her, it was somewhat funny but she couldn't help but wonder why Jenna thought they wouldn't make it. As if it offended her, even though she didn't believe in it herself.

"Get ready to give her your money then!" She laughed coldly, trying to hide the pain and the tears behind her eyes that were threatening to fall.

"Stop thinking like that! I want my money!" He joked.

"No, really I believe in it!" She shook her head. "There is no chance, he probably hates me!" It made her feel insecure to speak about her and Adam but she couldn't really escape the situation now.

"I doubt he hates you. What even happened between you two?"

"I don't know." She said truthfully and he knew now was not the time to dig any deeper. 

A/N: pic: https://www.travellers-insight.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/10-Travellers-Insight-Cote-d-Azur-Cannes-Hotel-Carlton.jpg