The Unpredictability of You and Me

seven - cupcakes & surprises

The next morning, the house is quiet. Carter is still sick and asleep, Mom and Dad both went to breakfast with Aliyah's new parents, and Adrian is in his room making no noise at all.

After he told me that Carter's dad killed their mom, he didn't elaborate on the subject anymore. He just put Aliyah down and said a quick goodnight. I didn't hear from him after that. It's like he regretted telling me anything at all.

Eventually, I decide I should get up out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. When I open the door, Adrian is already there.

Well, fuck. Somehow, I forgot we share a bathroom.

"Oh, sorry," I say immediately. "I didn't know you were in here."

He shakes his head. "It's all good. I'm almost done."

His voice sounds rough and tired. Up close, I can see he has bags under his bright red eyes and a faint stubble on his jaw. "Are you okay?" I ask softly.

He nods and ducks his head. "Yeah."

"You didn't eat dinner last night."

"I wasn't hungry."

I walk a little bit closer to him and place a hand on his arm. "I know we're not friends or anything, but I'm here for you."

He looks down at my hand and clears his throat. "I'm okay, Jade. It's not like it just happened or anything. I just haven't talked about it in a while so it was weird."

I let out a breath. He seems so stressed. "Hey, I was thinking of getting some cupcakes from a bakery a few streets down that I really like. Do you want to come with me?"

He pauses for a second before nodding. "Sure. I'll be ready in ten minutes."

I nod and he walks out of the bathroom, shutting his door behind him. Maybe we could be friends eventually.

✘✘✘

"It's the next street," I say to Adrian, wrapping my arms around myself. I underestimated how cold it would be. I left the apartment in an oversized hoodie  because the sun was shining today, but the air was still cold.

"Being here is so weird," Adrian says as we walk.

I turn to look at him. "How?"

"A month ago, if you told me I'd be living in a million dollar penthouse in Manhattan, I wouldn't have known how to act."

"It's not a penthouse," I tell him. "Tell me about the Bronx."

He puts his hands in his pockets and smiles a little, looking over at me. "Have you never been there?"

I shake my head. "No."

"What about the Bronx Zoo? Or Yankee's stadium?"

"Nope. We always go to Central Park Zoo, and I'm not a baseball fan."

He raises his eyebrows, giving me an incredulous look. "You've lived in New York your whole life and you've never been to the Bronx? That's like saying you've never ridden the subway."

I blush and stick my tongue out at him. "I've ridden the subway."

"When was the last time?"

I bite my lip. "Like eight years ago."

His jaw falls. "You're joking."