Page 62 of The Fate Of Us

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Chapter nineteen

Adaline

Icouldpracticallyhearthe angels scream and holler for me the moment I opened myeyes and turned over to read my alarm clock, grasping their halos and using them as dance props as I realised that another Monday was dawning.

I let my body relax into the mattress below me, swallowing me in Egyptian cotton andsatin pillowcases. If I didn’t love these days so much, I’d stay right here, becoming one with the bed, letting the chaos of the week get lost amongst the treads.

The sun kindly reminded me that today was bound to be another scorcher, and while awoman of such auburn-headed tendencies like me should crave the shade on days like this, I couldn’t help but love the way they made my soul come alive and sparkle.

Flo told me she thought I was a sunshine soul the day she met me, and I have to giveher credit for the character assumption. I suppose I was.

I went through my routine as normal, today’s soundtrack provided by the new Taylor Swift album that had one too many songs that I wanted to claim as mine, from how lyrics embodied my life in a way that I couldn't describe as anything other than beautiful.

I threw together an outfit, settling on a pastel yellow summer dress with short puffy sleeves and my white high tops.Flo practically screamed when she saw it, and me, when I waltzed into the bakery aquarter-hour before it officially opened. Whether that was because my outfit blew her away or because I hadn’t seen her in so long—

“You’ve not been here in so long!”

That answers that, then.

“Oh, I know,” I sigh over her shoulder as she wraps her arms around me. “Thingshave just been crazy. Crazier than normal.”

She gave a knowing ‘hmmm’ as she slid her arms off me, letting me take in heralmost identical summer dress to the one I was wearing, although hers was the prettiest shade of lavender.“Got time for a catch-up before you take this Monday by the balls?” she asked,skipping behind the counter to warm up the espresso machine.

“I think I’d waste away without one.” I laughed, taking a seat at the breakfast-stylebar that was just to the left of the pastry case, swishing my stool idly from left to right as I watched Flo make two iced coffees.

Her head twisted over her shoulder, eyes narrowing, her lashes practically touchingher cheeks and a pointed tone slicking her words as she said, “And we’ll start with the more pressing matter,”

My brows pulled together. “Am I in trouble?”

“Oh, you tell me, little miss ‘I go on dates with Asher Hartford and don’t tell my bestfriend about them’.”

I felt my iris turn to spheres. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

She stifles a laugh, her face softening as she rounds the counter and claims the stoolnext to me. “I want every detail. You leave here with no secrets.”

“Oh, I don’t think I have time to—”

“Every. Detail.” She slides my coffee over to me. “Spill it.”

I roll my eyes so hard I’m surprised she didn’t leap from her seat to grab a croissant tothrow at me. Instead, she let out a sigh, and after a sip of my coffee, I started.

“It was nothing. I promise. He’s joined the cast, and althoughhe’s amazing, and sweet… it’s actually the worst thing that could have ever happened.”

“Why?” Flo asked in a heartbeat.

I dropped my hands to my lap, a quick rush of air blowing out of me. “I don’t knowwhether I mentioned that we’ve worked together before, Asher and I, when we were younger and starred in a coming-of-age rom-com-type movie. I hated him at first, but after getting to know him, he grew on me, and eventually, I introduced him to Nate, because he was new in L.A. and didn’t really have any friends."

I shook my head, tucking a curl that had fallen in front of my eyes back behind myear. “Anyway, it turns out that they both liked me, Asher and Nate had words with each other about it when I wasn’t around. Now they’re both famous and Asher pretends not to know who Nate is because he was angry that he got me in the end, but Nate left me and now I’m starting to think that maybe it was because he knew Asher liked me but I just don’t—

“Addy,” Flo urged, her hands finding mine. “Breath, babe.”

I could tell my face was red, made obvious by the way I was practically panting likeI’d just run a marathon. “You said you wanted every detail.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I gave you a thirty-second time limit to do so.” She chuckled,her thumb brushing the top of my hand, easing the shakiness. “So then Asher asked you out, I’m assuming to spite Nate?”

I slid my eyes to her. “Iasked him out, actually. To spite Nate.”

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