Page 79 of Fake Dating Adrian Hunter
Tory’s face shines brighter than the sun. “Iknewit! This is amazing! Look, this talk he wants to have, whatever it is, will all be fine. He would never hurt you.”
I side-eye her with an unimpressed glare. “You didn’t seriously say that, did you?”
She laughs. “You know what I mean. Going forward, he wouldn’t hurt you, especially not in the way Jake did.”
My phone chimes with a text message, and our eyes flash to it lying on the edge of the plunge pool.
“Is that Adrian?” Tory asks. “I bet it is.”
I wipe my hands on a towel, resting both elbows on the pool ledge as I reach for my phone.
Adrian:Sorry, I got caught up in a conversation with your dad. How’s the day spa? I can’t stop thinking about you.
AndIcan’t speak. I can’t breathe as I reread his last six words over and over again to reassure myself that he actually sent them. Then I spend another lifetime checking for context. Does he mean he can’t stop thinking about me in a good way or bad?
“What does it say?” Tory demands. I show her the screen and she responds with a wolf whistle. “Oh, he sent another one!”
Adrian:Did you mean everything you said last night?
“How do I reply?” I ask while Tory reads the message over my shoulder.
“Say yes!”
“But what ifyesis a bad answer?”
“Verena, you’re an idiot.”
Adrian:If you’re embarrassed, we can pretend it never happened.
I clutch my phone in panic. Pretendwhatnever happened? Me yelling at Jannah in front of everyone? The public sex?
“He’s being a gentleman,” Tory says, attempting to extinguish my unspoken anxieties. “Say you meant every word from last night. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
I hate that she’s right. Without alcohol in my system, it’s scary putting my feelings on the line. A lump rises in my throat—the precursor to the wretched tears that arrive every time I let myself be vulnerable. But I can’t weasel my way out of this situation, otherwise I’ll never forgive myself.
Verena:I meant every word of it.
A nervous squeak escapes my lips when hittingsend. No turning back now. My heart is on the line and I’m trusting the one person who has hurt me the most to take care of it.
He replies within an instant.
Adrian:Thank God. I wish I could get out of this golf day to be with you. I tried to wake you this morning before leaving but you were so out of it.
My heart swells in my chest. I can’t stop reading those words. I can’t stop smiling at my phone.
Adrian:I miss you. I hope we can find some alone time. There are some things we need to talk about.
I exhale a breath of annoyance. “Why does he keep saying we need to talk?”
“It can’t be anything bad. Like I said, maybe he wants to know where you two stand.”
“I’ll let him know right now where we stand,” I say, my thumbs hurrying over the keyboard.
Verena:We don’t need to talk about anything. Everything is perfect. I like you so much, Adrian. Time can’t move fast enough till I’m with you again.
Adrian:Fuck, you drive me insane <3
Even through a text message, Adrian manages to raise my temperature and make me blush. I reread his message, imagining him sayingfuckin that deep sex voice of his that I love.
