-𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐔𝐒-

𝟏𝟓

—〝𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐄, 𝐒𝐈𝐑! 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑. 𝐈𝐅 𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌.〞—

...

DESPITE the tension, everything seems relatively normal, at least from your perspective. Adam appears intent on maintaining his usual boisterous demeanor, but it's evident that he had a different task in mind than you suspected and is leading you down the hall while setting up a few rules.

"Look, uh.." Adam interjects frown, lifting his sleeve up as he glanced at the watch. "I've got somewhere to be, and my office looks like a frat house the morning after a wild ass kegger." He forced out a laugh and he reluctantly turned his head to look at you.

The both of you stopped in front of a door, he swiftly turned the handle and gestured for you to enter. Caught off guard, you hesitated, but he gently nudged you forward, ushering you into the room with his larger hand on your back. Once inside, you stood bewildered while he left the door open behind him. "And so, while I'm out, shouldn't really take me long but can you do me a solid and clean up this shit up? Much appreciated, man."

You hesitated for a moment, trying to process the sudden turn of events. You couldn't help but a pang of guilt crept in as you remembered his attempts to reach out and help you at the concert. And despite everything, from mocking you to throwing you off a cliff, you didn't have a heart to refuse.

The sight inside the office was chaotic— papers strewn across the desk, empty coffee cups littering the floor, and an overall sense of disarray that didn't come as a surprise.

"Sure," you replied as you closed in your wings and awkwardly paused, "So, do you just need me to—"

Adam let out a sigh of relief and slapped your back, a sense of urgency in his movements. "Good," he muttered, cutting you off before you could finish your reply. "I'll be back in a hot damn minute, just gotta deal with this shit real quick." With a dismissive flick of his fingers, he snapped finger guns at you before swaggering out of the office, leaving you to tackle the chaos alone.

You couldn't help but feel a whirlwind of emotions. Beneath Adam's usual bravado, there was a subtle hint of something hidden, a facade that left you questioning what lay beneath.

Your body tensed instinctively as the door creaked open once more, revealing Adam's stern expression peering out. "One more thing," he barked, his tone laced with warning while aggressively pointing at you. "Don't fucking look in my goddamn drawers, and don't you dare sit there like a sitting duck."

Maybe not.

With a final glare, Adam withdrew into the office, leaving you standing there, a knot of unease forming in your stomach. As the door clicked shut behind him, you sighed heavily and turned your attention back to the task at hand. Each paper and coffee cup became a piece of the puzzle as you tidied up the chaos in Adam's office, but one thing was clear— there was more to Adam than met the eye, and you realized that.

With the last of the papers sorted and the floor cleared of coffee cups, you stood back and surveyed your handiwork. Despite the chaos that had once engulfed the office, it now appeared neat and orderly, a stark contrast to its previous state.

As you pondered your next move, the door creaked open, revealing Lute, Adam's stoic assistant and your coworker. You hadn't spoken to her much in the past, her reserved demeanor often keeping others at arm's length.