Page 3 of Couple Goals

Adriana’s phone buzzes angrily again, pulling her out of the moment.

‘Oh God,’ she groans. ‘I gotta go, I’m sorry, Jake.’

‘It’s Jacob.’ He mutters, folding his arms defensively across his bare torso.

She winces. ‘Oh God, I’m sorry, that’s embarrassing.’

There’s an awkward silence between them for a second, Adriana wobbling on her one shoe, wondering how to say, in case she hadn’t last night, that she won’t be seeing him again.

‘Well, look I had a lot of fun last night. Like, alot.’

‘But not enough to want to see me again?’ He cuts in.

She glances up at him. His tone is neutral.

‘It’s not personal,’ she shrugs. ‘I just, you know, have my rules.’

‘Oh, I know,’ says Jacob. ‘You made itveryclear last night. You told me approximately twenty-five times that you are not looking for anything serious.’

‘It’s not just not anything serious.’ Adriana explains defensively. ‘It’s one night only. No rematches.’

‘Sure,’ Jacob takes a sip of his coffee. ‘Just seems like a bit of a stupid rule to me.’

‘How dare you!’ she says, hands on her hips. ‘You don’t even know me!’

‘But I’m telling you I want to,’ says Jacob calmly. ‘HowcouldI know you, if you insist on this ridiculous one-night only policy?’

She shakes her head.

‘Listen Jacob, this was fun. Really fun. Like, best one-night stand of my life kind of fun. Let’s not spoil it now, okay? You can just think of me fondly as a fun memory.’

She thought the sexual compliment – which happens to be true – would please Jacob enough that he’d let her go, but instead it seems to have made him even grumpier somehow. As the world’s biggest people pleaser, Adrianahatesleaving someone displeased with her, especially someone who seems, beneath that sarcastic exterior, to be a sweet guy. But she just needs to get out of here.

‘Now, where the hell is my–’

‘Looking for this, Cinderella?’

Adriana realises he’s holding up her missing shoe.

He puts the shoe in front of her, and as she slips her foot in it, he kneels before her, helping tie the strap round her ankle.

‘Thank you, Prince Charming.’

Their eyes meet again, and Adriana has another unfamiliar twist in her chest. For the first time, she has a pang of doubt about her no repeats rule.

But no, no, she tells herself, it’s not that deep. It must just be the caffeine rush from the mocha, and her being swayed by how good he looks, naked, kneeling before her so attentively.

‘Just remember that you do have my number,’ he says softly. ‘If you ever change your mind.’

Instead, she ruffles his hair, and then skips towards the door.

‘See you round, Jake.’ She winks, this time doing it on purpose.

As the door closes behind her, the last thing she hears is him muttering under his breath, ‘It’sJacob.’

Traffic is terrible!!!

Adriana lies in the team group chat, hastily typing out a message and hoping they buy her excuse as to why she’s running late.

---