Page 44 of Lost Summer
“You know,” she began, breaking the silence, “you should have told me about the arrangement.”
I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to think I was still tied to her. It felt…complicated.”
Her brow furrowed slightly, a sliver of hurt glimmering in her blue eyes. “But it is complicated. I need to know these things if we’re building something real together. If we’re going to face whatever storm is coming.”
I took a deep breath, grounding myself in the seriousness of the moment. “You’re right, I should have told you.”
“And I appreciate that, but I need honesty,” she chastised gently, crossing the small space between us.
I nodded, the weight of my past crashing down around me again, but with her hand in mine, I felt the motivation to keep moving forward. “Adele, I’m learning. Keep teaching me.”
She smiled softly. “Of course.”
Raising her hand, she traced the outline of my jaw with her fingertips, grounding me again as her gaze lingered on my face.
I had been so consumed with my inner turmoil, convinced that I could resolve it all on my own. But the truth was, I didn’t have to.
I sighed, searching her eyes for encouragement. “But we have to be prepared for what Elena might do next. I can feel her lurking, waiting for a chance to strike.”
“Then so be it,” she said confidently.
With that, something clicked. The knot in my chest unwound slightly, a fresh wave of certainty cascading over me. I pulled her closer, our foreheads touching for a brief moment that felt electrifying and soothing all at once.
“And if she does?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as an image of Elena dashed across my mind, wielding manipulation like a weapon. “What then?”
“We face it head-on,” she replied without hesitation.
I chuckled softly. “You really are something, you know that?”
Adele giggled. “I know.”
The knockon the door came earlier than expected, and my stomach flipped as I stood, still in Adele’s flat.
It had to be Elena. It had been long enough by her standards, and well...fuck, it had to happen sooner or later, right? Still, I couldn’t hide the apprehension that swept over me as I glanced toward Adele, curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea in her hands. Her eyebrows knitted faintly, sensing my tension.
“I’ll get it,” I murmured, already moving to the door.
The flat was small, intimate, the kind of cozy place that had rapidly become my sanctuary over the past few days. Just the thought of someone from the outside world breaking into this bubble Adele and I had created made my heart pound uncomfortably in my chest.
I tried to summon strength, I really did, but it didn’t make seeing her any easier.
My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw her standing there, a cold smile fixed on her face.
“Elena,” I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. “What are you doing here?”
She didn’t answer right away. She stood on tiptoes, trying to look over my shoulder into Adele’s flat, her expression unreadable. When her eyes finally met mine again, they were sharp, razor-edged.
Annoyed.
“Can I come in?” she asked, raising a brow expectantly.
A million thoughts raced through my mind at once, but I nodded slowly. I stepped aside, letting her in.
I prayed Adele didn’t mind.
Adele had set her cup down on the coffee table and sat straighter when Elena walked in, her eyes wide with surprise. They’d only met briefly before—a fleeting moment at a function where Adele had been covering a story. But then Adele swallowed, and I knew she shared my unease at Elena’s presence.
Elena didn’t waste any time. She turned to face me the second I closed the door, her gaze narrowing in on me like a hawk fixing on prey.
