The Fallen Angel

29.Wish

Isabelle Pov

As Aria's texts flooded in, my phone buzzed incessantly, the notifications threatening to overwhelm its fragile screen. With a sinking feeling, I realized the urgency of her messages.

Aria : "Where are you?"

Me: "Hey, I'm okay! and I'm not dead :)

Aria: "I figured you weren't dead. What happened?"

Me: "Just a little mishap, got a small cut. But I'll be at school, don't worry ;) ."

Adrian entered the room and gently inquired, "Are you in pain?" as he held my bandaged hand. I reassured him with a shake of my head, indicating that I wasn't. Without saying a word, he handed me a glass of water, silently urging me to drink it.

"Thank you," I murmured, keeping my tone gentle but distant. "You can head off now. I don't want you to be late for your next classes."

"I'm not late, and I'm done with my classes," he stated, taking the glass from my hand and tenderly brushing my hair with a gentle pat. "I've warned you before, don't get involved with him again," he added with a tone of concern in his voice.

"Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything, just like your worry that I'll get involved with him again!"

I said with a grin, "Don't worry, Adrian, I promise I won't get involved with him again".

He smiled reassuringly and held my hand, saying, "Let's go back, and I'll drop you off at your home." As he assisted me, I couldn't help but question, "At home?" He nodded and replied, "Yeah, you need some rest, and I'll inform the teacher." I pouted playfully, already anticipating the inevitable lecture about missing class.

Sitting next to him in the passenger seat, I couldn't help but admire Adrian's handsome features as he navigated the road with a hint of nerves evident in his slightly shaking arms. His focused gaze on the road ahead only enhanced his rugged charm, and the way his hair tousled slightly in the breeze from the open window added to his allure. Despite any nerves, his confident demeanor behind the wheel made him even more captivating in my eyes.

I observed the nerves in his arms, Adrian interrupted the silence with an apology, "I'm sorry about earlier," he said, his hands still steady on the wheel. Sensing the need to lighten the mood, I quickly interjected with a joke, "Why don't skeletons fight each other?" Adrian looked slightly confused by the sudden change in topic but chuckled nonetheless, "I don't know..." he began, and I eagerly finished with a grin, "They don't have the guts! Just like us." His laughter filled the car, and I couldn't help but join in, relieved to dissipate any awkwardness or guilt between us.

"Probably mom's gonna worry," I remarked with a hint of concern, gazing out the window.

"Don't sweat it," he reassured me, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze. "Just tell her it's no biggie, just a little scrape," he said with a casual shrug, and I grinned at his laid-back attitude.

"Wow, I never knew you had a funny bone!" I remarked with a smile, pleasantly surprised by his sense of humor.

"Guess I'm full of surprises," he replied with a playful grin, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You can drop me here, I gotta swing by and grab something for my cat; she's probably home alone," I said, gesturing towards the curb with a nod.

"You got a cat?" he asked, letting out a laugh."Yeah, I've got a little furball named Dizzie," I replied with a grin. "She's got more attitude than a celebrity chef on a bad day." Adrian chuckled, "Sounds like she's got quite the purr-sonality!" We both laughed at the pun, exchanging playful banter about our quirky pets as we continued our journey.

Adrian pulled over at the cat food store, I quickly hopped out and dashed inside to grab Dizzie's favorite products.

Before I could even reach for my wallet, Adrian swooped in and said, "Don't worry about it, I got this one." With a smirk, he added, "Consider it a treat from me to Dizzie. Can't have her missing out on her favorite snacks." I couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness as he paid for the cat food.

I couldn't resist teasing Adrian again. "Why did my cat refuse the treat from you?" I asked with a mischievous grin. He chuckled and pleaded, "Not again, please stop." But I couldn't help myself. "Because she knew it was a 'pawsitively' purr-fect joke!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my laughter.

"You're nuts," Adrian chuckled, lending a hand to carry the bag.

We rode along in the car, our conversation flowed like a couple of old pals catching up. We traded jokes, teased each other, and shared stories like it was no big deal. It was like we were two peas in a pod, just shooting the breeze and having a blast.

"Drop me here," I said, motioning towards the curb. Adrian leaned forward, peering out the window. "Is that your home?" he asked, his gaze shifting from the house to me. Meanwhile, I struggled to unhook my seat belt, and he couldn't help but laugh at my clumsiness.

Adrian couldn't resist a playful jab as he watched me fumble with the seat belt. "Looks like someone's having a wrestling match with a piece of fabric," he quipped, his laughter filling the car.

"Shut up," I retorted, laughing along despite my embarrassment. "It's your car, so it's your problem," I joked, playfully shifting the blame to him.

"Let me help you, princess," Adrian said, leaning in closer to reach my seat belt. As he did, our faces were inches apart, sharing the same breath. He gently unfastened the seat belt, and for a moment, we locked eyes, a silent exchange passing between us.

Adrian's sudden interruption caught me off guard, and as he recited the joke, "Why did the tomato turn red?" I felt my breath catch in my throat. Before I could respond, he smoothly opened the car door from the inside, passing me with a grin. "Because it saw the salad dressing!" he exclaimed with a playful smirk. "Talk about getting saucy in this close encounter, huh?" His humor diffused the tension, and I couldn't help but laugh at his cleverness.

I chuckled continuously as I closed the car door behind me and gestured for Adrian to pull the glass down. With a smirk, he raised his eyebrows and I remarked, "You are seriously bad at jokes,"

"Catch you later," I said, giving a wave as I watched him drive off in his car.