Her Obsession #3

Sarah Andersson Smith x Adrian Valentino

"No. No, I didn't stalk you." The words flew out far too quickly, drenched in panic before I could stop them.

Shit.

How the hell did he know?

Adrian only looked at me, his lips curling into that infuriating, lazy smirk that somehow made him look even more handsome.

He tilted his head, amusement dancing in his eyes as if he already knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Really?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm.
I swallowed.

"Then how do you explain running into me outside restaurants?" He took a slow step closer. "Or bars." Another step. "Arcades."

Each word chipped away at my confidence, "You always manage to appear in the same hallway I'm in." he continued.

Heat flooded my face.

This bastard.

He was enjoying every second of this.

"They were... coincidences?" I offered weakly, even though it came out more like a question than an answer.

Adrian laughed. The sound settled somewhere deep in my chest and made my knees feel suspiciously unstable.

"You need to become a better liar, little liar." Before I could react, he reached over and ruffled my hair.

I frowned, swatting his hand away. "But I didn't lie" I muttered, clinging to what little dignity I had left.

His smile only widened. "Sure you didn't." The words came out as nothing more than a whisper.

Then, before my brain could catch up, he leaned in. His lips brushed against my cheek, soft enough to make me question whether it had actually happened.

My breath caught.

He pulled away with that same smug smile, turned on his heel, and walked off as though he hadn't just short-circuited my entire nervous system.

Halfway down the hallway, he glanced back for the briefest second.

I could've sworn I saw him fighting another smile.
He hadn't just figured it out.

He'd known.

The countless times I'd "coincidentally" crossed paths with him.

He'd known all along.

And somehow...

He'd let me keep doing it.