Page 49 of Love Will Save Your Soul

Epilogue

It feelsgreat to be working again. Corey gave me a few days off to clear my head and take any precautions I felt I needed. Let’s just say there are now cameras on my side of the patio. Mom and Dad have been helping out a lot. Jay tried to duck out of his classes and come down, but my parents threatened to make him stay home the rest of the semester if he did. He made the right decision by staying put. As much as he loves being home, he loves having freedom from our meddling parents.

“You holding up okay?” Bianca asks as she walks through the door. “Adrian filled us in on what happened. You did good, girl. Most people would have cowered in that situation.” She holds her fist out to me, waiting for me to bump it. “You, my friend, are a badass.”

She doesn’t give me a chance to respond before she heads off to her workstation. That girl is something else, and I’m happy to have her as a friend. I have no doubt she would have handled things differently than me.

Adrian is holed up in his work room with the door closed. He only ever does that when he needs his full concentration and no interruptions. Whatever he’s working on must be important, or very intricate. I can’t wait to see the finished product, and know it will be amazing.

“How are the appointments looking today, Soph?” Where the hell did Charleigh even come from? I didn’t hear her come in and she’s never here before everyone else.

“Let me feel your forehead,” I place my hand on her head, acting as if she’s sick. “You are never here early. What gives?”

She shrugs, as if it’s no big deal. “Someone had to fill in for you while you were gone. And since I’m the one who did it all before you, Corey nominated me to do it.” She’s pulling her long hair into a messy bun. “The only plus side is I beat Jake to the cereal. No more losing out on my favorite now.”

“You are a mess,” I laugh. “Why not just buy two boxes? That should fix things.” It seems like the simplest solution to me anyway.

“It’s the principle of the matter,” she huffs. “I’m going to force myself to like all the things he likes so he feels the disappointment of his favorite foods being gone.”

I don’t see that ending well, but knowing Jake… he probably does it to get a rise out of her. He’s always done his best to push her buttons, wanting to know what’s going to make her tick. “Good luck with that,” I roll my eyes. “As far as appointments, it’s a slow day for everyone.”

“That’s good,” she nods, a wry smile crossing her lips before she schools her features. “You may want to go through the books and make sure Corey didn’t screw anything up. You know how bad he is at keeping up with your system.”

“Will do,” I nod. “It’s not like he needs a degree for it.” I pull out the appointment book and slips of paper fall to the floor. Groaning, I pick them up. It’s going to be a long day sorting through this mess.

* * *

“Sophia,” Adrian calls my name. “Can you come here?”

The lobby is empty, and I’ve finally finished going through the mess Corey left me. One day I’m going to sit him down and show him how everything needs to be done.

Instead of responding I rush to the room. I haven’t seen Adrian all afternoon, and I’m having withdrawals. “What’s up?” I ask, opening the door.

He slides something under his notebook, hiding it before I have a chance to see what it is. “How much do you trust me?”

“This sounds like a loaded question,” I cross my arms over my chest. Adrian’s eyes move down until he’s staring. Uncrossing my arms, I move them to my hips instead. “Staring at my boobs isn’t very professional.”

“Neither is dating my co-worker, but I don’t hear you complaining.” He smiles wide. “Now, how much do you trust me?”

“Completely,” I say, meaning it. If it wasn’t for him there’s no telling what would have happened to me the night Dawson showed up at my apartment. “Why?”

“I designed a tattoo for you.”

I cut him off right there. “It’s not something ridiculous like the one Charleigh inked onto Jake is it? Because I’m not sure how well I could pull off a cartoon character.”

“No, it’s not anything like that,” he sighs. “It’s special, and I want it to be a surprise.”

“Okay, I’m down.” Adrian is the only person who has not put ink on my skin, and even if this is a huge mistake, I’d love nothing more than for him to create his art on my body.

“Wow,” he chuckles. “I expected more of a fight from you.”

Shrugging, I take a step toward him. “I trust you not to make me look like a dumbass. Where do I need to sit?”

“Close the door,” he nods toward it. “I need you to take your shirt off.” When I give him a pointed look, he adds, “Your sleeve will get in my way.”

I close the door, and take a seat in the chair across from him. He readies all of his supplies and pulls out the paper hidden beneath the notebook. “It’s going to work out perfectly.”

“I hope so,” I mutter under my breath.

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