Warmth | ✔️ #wattys2021

1. adoration

"I don't know mate, I think I just want to stay in tonight..."

"When did you turn 60?" Adam's friend on the other line chuckled as he wandered around the house in his boxers and a dark blue shirt, that presented one too many stains.

"Hey, I'm not 60, besides it was an exhausting week, you go have fun!"

"You are indeed 60! And you are coming with us! We're just eating at this nice restaurant, come on it'll be fun!" He argued.

He had to admit, the exhausting week was a lie. In fact it was one of his most relaxing weeks in ages after premieres, filming, learning new text and even more filming. Nowadays he got so used to packed weeks that only one chill period bored him to death. But staying in sounded just too comfortable.

Jimmy continued to blabber on the phone about how he made a friend at work who he wanted him to meet tonight. Not bothering to mention it was a girl...and what a girl. Adam just haphazardly listened to him, checking the fridge, hoping to find something edible since he felt a familiar growl in his tummy. The bright light of his fridge shone in his face once he opened it -and only that.

"Alright, ok, I'll come tonight. Just tell me when and where!" He growled in frustration.

And suddenly he got excited to see his friends again, even though he stood on the end at first. Adrenaline now shooting through his body.

Adam got ready quickly, only throwing on a blue shirt paired with black jeans that both complimented his blue eyes and tall figure. He decided to drive all by himself, even going without any bodyguards, afraid they could cause a bit of a weird mood around his friends. It's not like they didn't know about his place in society or the never ending interest people had in him or his private life. But leaving the house without the man in black once in a while gave him a small sense of normality. And more importantly, the friend group of the young celeb were no Leo's or Tarantino's -which was something he was pretty much thankful for.

He arrived eventually and parked his car next to a little store a few meters away from the place they would meet up at. Since it was the nearest free parking lot he could find. Also, he knew he was already late as it was. The moment the young man stepped foot inside the cozy, green restaurant and found all his friends round the table in seconds he started grinning. That was also the moment he began to realize how much he missed them all being united.

"Adam, mate!" Jimmy beamed and guy-hugged his friend. His excited voice made the group turn around their heads and they all began to cheer as they saw him for the first time in months. He made his round; hugged, joked, made usual smalltalk and eventually sat down.

"How have you been with all your business?" Jenna asked, with a curious voice. They've known each other for ages and she's always been teasing him about his special encounters as she would label it.

"Good good, have been playing a lot actually" he answered, acting innocent, trying to hide a cheeky grin. "Playing huh?" she answered -again, in that way. Ok, yes, he got quite the reputation. And that sentence might not have come out of his mouth the best way. And she knew that too, the instant teasing was just a part of their banter. 

George and Frank, right next to her just chuckled at their rather oblivious conversation. He almost missed it -even if he could feel a bit of rosiness forming round his nose.

In all the years her and Adam have known each other, he has seen a wide range of looks on her. When they first met she had long blonde hair, last year it was a chocolate brown curl perm and since they haven't seen each other in a while he sees her straight shoulder long black hair for the first time now. Of course he complimented her on it, making her role her eyes as every year.

The next 20 minutes were spend catching up and he only now realized how much had passed in his friend's life's... Jimmy got a promotion which he liked to mention ever so often, Jenna and Frank are planning on a big vacation and his friends Ruby and Tom couldn't make it cause they are „working". Yea sure.

"Who actually believes they're working?" George asked, raising his eyebrows and the group began to laugh knowingly. "Come on, we've been waiting for them doing business forever" he dropped and began to think he wasn't the only one with a reputation.

"Who is talking business on a Saturday night?"

An unfamiliar but sweet; female voice right behind him asked.

And there she stood in all her beauty. He was shocked, at the very least. Was that the friend Jimmy talked about just earlier? He expected a guy to be his new friend -not a girl. Not her. Otherwise he only listened haphazardly. How didn't they meet earlier? 

She wore something fairly casual for a night out, a light pink v-shaped shirt and dark blue jeans, black vans,  a small brown bag around her shoulder. The girl had a very flattering bone structure, a small nose and high cheekbones that were framed nicely by her long wavy hair that was not ginger, not golden, something in between. He wondered how it would shine in the sun.

She made her way round the table hugging Jimmy so tightly that it almost made him jealous. They all exchanged some words, holding a brief conversation. And he believed her voice was the sweetest.

She seemed to barely wear any makeup, she rather looked like she was on the run, like someone who is always busy, trying to please everyone. Her skin clear and glowing, she had thick black eyebrows that were brushed up above her big eyes. 

Then, she went on and greeted everyone else of their seemingly mutual friends -hence it seemed like they've met a few times before.

Now, Adam was never a person to believe in love at first sight but he couldn't find anything rational in his brain that would explain the heat in his cheeks or the sudden nervousness that was felt in every vain of his body. He naturally chased a pretty girl when he saw one, but she didn't even speak to him yet and he could tell this was going to be different.

Why did he have to be too busy for those things all the time? They could've already met by now, maybe even went out?  An unfamiliar kind of frustration over came the oh so desired man. At this state of his career he could afford the moon if that's what he desired, could buy a whole fucking island too. When time, was really all he needed. But now, it might just be too late. A girl like her was most likely already given. And as much as he tried to shake the thoughts away they still ended up shifting his mood a little.

He loved his job. He really did. Not a lot of people get to do what they love on a daily basis. Acting was his passion but this situation reminded him once again what he's missing out on. 

She finally sat down, next to Jimmy, right in front of him. And in all honesty it made him nervous like a little schoolboy.

"Have we met before? I'm Adeline! It's nice to meet you!" She reached her hand out over the table and he shook it gently. "Adam...um...It's nice to meet you too -yeah." Awkward, he was so damn awkward around her...Adam cursed silently hoping she wouldn't hear. This was new for him.

She just smiled at him and went back to her conversation with Jimmy. Blabbering about countless things he didn't get hang of.

"Nora couldn't come sadly." She announced, he did not know who that was but everyone else seemed to be sad about it.

As much as he could muster she is an intern at his friend's company so she must do something in the writing department. Had he just listened earlier on the phone. 

And Adeline very much knew who sat in front of her. Of course she heard a lot about him through his friends and all kind of media. And yes maybe she ignored him a little because damn, he was Adam Talley. How ridiculous to get impressed by that, she thought. Even more ridiculous that she didn't check her appearance before coming, especially because she knew her long blonde-reddish hair was a mess right now. How ridiculous, she thought.

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First part of this book and many more to come. If you read thank you very much! Feedback, votes and comments are very welcome. What do you think of the characters so far? xx

pic: https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/toronto-restaurants-hutaoli-chinese-markham-room-1.jpg