Page 51 of The Fate Of Us

All of it sounded… right.

None of those reasons managed to make the shivers stop skating down my back,though, painting my arms with goosebumps like the spring weather hadn’t made the apartment feel like a steam room. None of them calmed the tornado of doom that swirled in my stomach when I thought about tonight.

That was all that was occupying my thoughts as I waited by my door, anticipating themoment my legs remembered what their job was and walked me out of my apartment and down into the lobby.

I twist my body, facing the gold mirror resting by my doorway, purely stationed therefor the last-minute outfit checks and affirmation recitals anytime I leave.

I wonder if this is what Goldie meant by ‘wear something slutty’?

My eyes drape over the tight, velvet, emerald green midi dress that’s clinging to everypronounced curve I love more than the colour they’re covered in. The flecks of glitter that are sprinkled over the lush fabric make me look like some princess from a fantasy land that I’ve no doubt written about.

As a redhead, this colour was my secret weapon.

When all else fails, wear the emeralds.

That was the treasured bit of advice my grandma shared with me the day I leftCalifornia. I hadn’t understood what she meant until the night of the first red carpet event I’d attended on my own, to which I wore a dress similar to this one, only more on the elegant side.

I was lucky my skin wasn’t too pale; the glowiness and slight tan made me look likesun-kissed poison ivy. The auburn waterfall of my hair that cascaded down the open back of the dress only doubled the illusion.

When I’d given up trying to distract myself with my reflection, absorbing the result ofthe two hours of getting ready and a mini-meltdown when I lost an eyelash only to find it stuck to my elbow, I sucked in a breath. I held it for a moment or two, feeling the ice melt from my lungs, before letting it leave my body, my eyes fluttering shut as I did.

Slowly, I creaked them open, and before I could overthink myself into cancelling, Iclicked my heels and pulled on the door handle, practically running into the hallway.

My heart only seemed to climb up my throat the further down the elevator went, thatimpending doom feeling luckily getting lost somewhere between the fiftieth and fifth floors. Once I reached the bottom, the doors springing open to reveal the mostly beige marble lobby of the building, I stepped out and timidly strode towards the revolving doors, fully aware of the eyes on me.

“I didn’t think you had an event tonight, Adaline. Where are you off to?” The securityman, Robbie, called from where he was stationed by the glass doors.

“No awards evening or premiere, thank God,” I breathed as I clicked my way over tohim. He chuckled, knowing, after many of these fleeting conversations, how much I hated them. “I’m actually going on a—”

My eyes drifted through the glass doors, immediately clinging onto the whitebutton-down and green slacks that matched my dress, slowly rising to find Asher Hartford, with a bouquet of daisies in his hands. “Date.”

Robbie clocks where my line of sight has shifted, letting out a scoff. “Ohhhh,” hedrawled. “You’re the one he’s waiting for?” I flick my eyes to Robbie. “This guy’s been trying to get into the building for about twenty minutes now, claiming he was waiting for someone.” I blink at him. “But I’ve never seen this sucker in my life, and knowing who lives up there, I thought it best to keep the riff-raff out.”

A lazy smile danced on my lips as my attention turned back to Asher, his eyespleading,a smile that mirrored mine gracing his face.

I throw my eyes to Robbie again. “If you don’t recognise him, does that mean youhaven’t watched every movie I’ve been in?” His eyes turn to globes. “Robbie! You promised you were my number one fan!” I jest with him, nudging his shoulder before his wrinkled smile brightens the room and shines off every marble surface. “This is Asher, he’s my date.”

He shakes his head. “Oh, well, you two have a lovely evening, Adaline. And justbefore you go, what’s the name of that movie?”

“DEAR JESSE JAMES!!” Asher called from behind the doors. I couldn’t help but leta blush creep onto my cheeks as he looked at me. “You look really pretty!” He shouted again, doing nothing for my already crimson cheeks.

“Well, at least he has half a brain to realise that,” Robbie said, stealing my attentionback. “Right, well, I’ll get right on that. Have fun, superstar.”

I gave him a wink before pushing open the door, the April breeze blowing my hairbehind my shoulder.

My eyes lift and finally meet with Asher, watching him in fascination, like I stillcouldn’t believe I was doing this. I could tell he was doing the same with me, his eyes lingering over the velvet that covered me, before our eyes met on cue.

“Tell me, how bruised is your ego after not being recognised?” I chuckled. Asher wasprobably more well-known than me. I imagine not being recognised was something he craved, rather than something to be embarrassed by.

“Not nearly as bruised as it would have been if you decided to change your mindabout tonight,” he admitted, his eyes quickly falling to the daisies. “For you,” he guided the bouquet into my hand, a perfectly blossomed definition of spring.

“They’re beautiful. You really didn’t have to,” I said, bringing the flowers an inchbelow my nose, letting the breeze wash the fresh scent all over me.

“It’s nothing.” He urged. But it was. “Besides, if the world found out I’d taken youout on a date and not brought you flowers, God knows what would happen.”

Like he conjured up what I and pretty much all of my friends feared the most, a fewflashes invaded our moment, one from the left of us, a couple from the right.

“Speaking of, shall we?” Asher held out a hand for me, his grasp guiding me into theblack limousine behind him, before we sped off into the streets of the sleepless city.

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