In Her Words

chapter 7

Alice's POV:

The drive back from the party was quiet

but charged with an undercurrent of

tension that neither of us acknowledged.

Adele sat beside me in the back seat of

the car, her hand resting on the seat

between us, close enough that I could

feel the warmth radiating from her

fingers. Every now and then, her eyes

would flick over to me, dark and intense,

as though she was holding back

something she desperately wanted to say.

When we arrived at her flat, she guided

me inside with a hand on the small of my

back, the touch both possessive and

tender.

She poured us both a glass of wine, and

we settled onto the plush sofa in the

living room. The atmosphere was

relaxed, but there was a tension beneath

the surface that made my heart beat

faster. Adele leaned back, her arm

stretched along the back of the sofa, her

body angled slightly toward mine.

"So," she said, her voice low and smooth,

"did you enjoy tonight?"

I nodded, taking a sip of the wine to

steady my nerves. "I did. It was a lovely

party. And... thank you for earlier. With

Jamie."

Adele's eyes darkened slightly, her gaze

sharpening. "I couldn't let him continue

like that. He was out of line."

There was a pause, and I felt a surge of

courage to broach a topic that had been

on my mind for a while. "You know," I

began hesitantly, "sometimes I think

about what it would be like to have

someone special in my life. A real

relationship."

Adele's eyes were on me, unblinking, as

if she was hanging on every word. "Oh?

And what does this 'someone special'

look like?"

I smiled, thinking of the perfect partner

in my mind. "Well, I guess I've always

imagined someone who understands me.

Someone who's confident, but also kind.

Someone who knows what they want

and isn't afraid to go after it. Someone

who can make me feel safe but also

excited, you know? And maybe..." I

hesitated, glancing at her briefly before

continuing. "Maybe someone who's