SERENDIPITY

~23~ Emotional Adrian And Meeting Him ✔️

With an anxious nibble on my lower lip, he pleaded for entry, a request to which I willingly acquiesced. The atmosphere grew electric as his lips journeyed from mine, leaving a trail of haphazard kisses along the contours of my neck, ultimately reaching the tender spot hidden behind my ear, where he lavished attention.

"D-Daniel..." I found myself gasping, overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through me.

In the midst of my pleasure, his kisses abruptly ceased. Opening my eyes, I was confronted with hazel irises, a departure from the customary darkness I had come to expect, staring at me with a puzzling intensity.

"I believe I must take my leave," Ethan announced, relinquishing his hold on me.

A sudden chill swept over me, leaving me yearning for the warmth he provided. "Is something wrong?" I inquired, my voice tinged with concern, as he retrieved his car keys from my bedside drawer.

"It's nothing," he replied immediately. I was advancing towards him but stopped dead in my tracks when I realized what I just did. Again.

For the second time in my life, this particular thing happened to me. Is life playing a miserable trick on me?

"Ethan," I whispered, my voice filled with remorse. "I-I'm so sorry," I apologized.

"Don't be," he said, gripping the doorknob. "It was my fault. Let's just forget this ever happened." With that, he opened the door and left the room.

Damn it. What was wrong with me? I was thinking about Daniel while I kissed Ethan. I feel absolutely awful now. Ethan has been such a great friend, always there for me. He deserves someone who will truly love and cherish him. Not me, because I can't do that. As ridiculous as it may sound, I still love Daniel, even though he clearly despises me now and doesn't deserve my love for betraying my trust and cheating on me. Why can't love be simple and drama-free? And why did Ethan have to fall in love with me out of everyone?

"Ugh," I groaned, feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of it all. Grabbing a simple tank top and shorts, I made my way to the bathroom. It was time for a much-needed cold shower.

—*—*—*—

Ding dong.

I rose from the couch and made my way towards the door. Opening it, I stepped aside to let Adrian enter.

"Hey, gorgeous," he greeted me with a smile.

"Adrian," I replied, returning the smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"Better than yesterday. The painkillers are actually doing their job," I answered, grateful for the relief they provided.

"I see," he nodded. "When are you planning to go back to work?"

"Not until next week," I replied.

"That's still like four days away," he remarked.

"Yeah, it feels like forever. So, how did everything go?" I inquired, eager to hear about how the call went.

"It went well," Adrian said, a hint of disappointment evident in his voice. "She mentioned that she wasn't working in that room that evening and wasn't aware of who was assigned there."

"Oh," I replied, deflated by the lack of answers.

"But," Adrian continued, his tone growing slightly more hopeful, "she did mention that one of her colleagues acted strangely after work, as if they had witnessed something out of the ordinary. I managed to get their old address from her. Hopefully, they still reside there, and maybe they have some news for us."