Aching for Adam

Chapter 5

ADAM

I make my way through the crowd, trying to see who's arrived. Who am I kidding? I'm trying to see if she's here. I know she's coming, my sister confirmed it. But is she here yet? The ceremony was quick but I was able to see everyone who was present, and she wasn't. Did she change her mind?

I turn the corner and I hear the band start playing a song. Our song. "Really?" I mutter under my breath.

My stomach is in knots. Why do I feel like this? I've moved on. Plus, she left me, and these are all my people, my family; I'm not the one that should be nervous. But I am.

I follow a waiter that's making his way toward the gardens with a tray of champagne in his hand. I need a drink, and I need it now. He quickly walks toward the doorway; towards this ridiculously expensive, albeit beautiful, intricate white flower arch. I remember my sister saying she wanted the theme to be "magical" and "over-the-top". Check and check.

I grab a Champaign flute, and as I bring it to my lips, I catch a glimpse of the most beautiful woman I've ever seen standing in a burgundy dress, the last rays of sunlight illuminating the side of her face, along with the arch of white flowers surrounding her. She turns towards me, face and hair glowing.

It's her.

My heart stops.

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ELLE

I turn around. Maybe I'll have more luck inside.

As I turn, I see Adam. He's right there. He sees me. He clearly sees me. He looks frozen in place. I blink, and my heart starts pounding. Hard. I can feel it in my neck, my chest, my head; I'm pretty sure everyone can see my heart wanting to rip through my body.

Adam lifts the champagne glass he's holding and chugs it in one go. His eyes are wide, like a deer stuck in headlights. His face still frozen.

Then, he pivots on his heel and quickly walks—more like runs—away, stumbling into 2 people and almost knocking down a bar table along the way.

"Holy crap, holy crap, what am I doing here," I squirm. I spot the nearest bathroom, quickly make my way towards it, and lock myself in. I need to breathe.

"Fuck, he looks so good," I think to myself. My face a mix of panic and desperation. I place a hand on my forehead.

Before he had time to run away, although I didn't get the chance to really get a good look at him, I still saw how stupidly hot he looked.

He was wearing a pale blue suit with a crisp white shirt, no tie. I didn't quite notice anything else, to be honest, but his face. His face was even more glorious than before, if at all possible. His hair was combed back neatly, except for a few strands on the side of his forehead. He used to run his hands through his hair whenever he got nervous. Apparently, he still does.

And his eyes. His beautiful green eyes staring through the depths of my soul, asking a million questions without words.

That man... That man was everything.

"I don't think I'll be able to survive the night if I have to look at him looking like that," I thought. I felt a warmth through my core that shot straight to my womanhood. "Get yourself together!" Jeez. If I was going to get through this night, I really did have to pull myself together, and refocus.

I walk out of the bathroom and a waiter passes in front of me. I quickly grab two glasses of champagne without thinking, and smile at the waiter who frowns slightly after noticing I'm alone. I quickly down one of the glasses and place it back, empty, on his tray.

"Happens at every wedding," the waiter says, sighing as he walks away.

I decide that if I'm going to get a bit of courage back, I have to find Suzie. After all, she's the only reason I'm here.

I walk through the doorway again and head for the gardens. No sign of Adam. I spot a few people I know along the way and exchange a few pleasantries, as one does at a fancy ass wedding.

I can see more of the gardens from here, and the whole place looks like a freakin' fairytale. The venue seems made for this. The family mansion has perfectly manicured, lush gardens with tons of flower bushes surrounding the property. From up here, I can see the view of the lake and the trees bordering the yard. In the middle of it all, round tables are gathered around a dance floor. The whole yard has a tall beam structure, and hundreds of white flowers hung from them, along with tiny strings of soft white lights.

The sun has just set, but is still illuminating the sky enough to create a dreamy scene, and I sway lightly to the slow jazz that's playing.

I finally spot Suzie, surrounded by her mom, dad, and a couple bridesmaid, and I head towards her.

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Hey guys!

I hope you're enjoying Adam and Elle's story! We're going to get to the juicy part in a chapter or two :)
Let me know what you think in the comments, and don't forget to please vote!

M

XO