Page 34 of My Hottest Obsession

I toss my phone onto the bedside table and lay back in bed. I stare at the shadows on the ceiling and wonder if maybe my mom and I are more similar than I’d like to admit. I’ve spent my whole life avoiding men and dating so that I never turned out like her, but one week with Adrien and I’m afraid that I have.

I can’t have that, but how can I fix it?

I think I know the answer, and I close my eyes, trying to fight back the tears as I pray for sleep to claim me.

FOURTEEN

Adrien

I’meager to see Goldie today. I had stupidly forgotten to make plans with her before she left work. I guess I assumed that it would be like the last few days, but when I went to her place last night, she wasn’t home. I had waited a few minutes, hoping she had just run out to grab something, but she never came back.

I had wanted to call her, but that seemed almost desperate and maybe a little too clingy. I finally have Goldie opening up to me, and I don’t want to spook her or scare her off in any way so I went home and tried to watch a movie instead.

I won’t make that mistake again, though. I’m going to ask her to come over for dinner tonight as soon as I see her.

I ride the elevator up to our floor and step off. Goldie still isn’t here, and I frown, glancing at the clock. She should be in any minute so I head into my office to drop my things off before I carry the bouquet of flowers out to her desk.

I’m setting them next to her computer monitor when the elevator doors open, and Goldie steps out.

“Morning, baby,” I greet her, moving to hug her.

I lean down to kiss her, and she turns her head at the last second so that I kiss her cheek instead.

Dread starts to fill me as I pull back, but I smile anyway.

“Everything alright?” I ask her.

“Yeah, I’m just not feeling great this morning. Don’t want you getting sick too.”

“Why don’t I take you home then? I can drop you off and then pick up soup or something,” I offer.

“No, I’m fine. Besides, we have a lot to get done around here today.”

She hangs her bag up on the hook by her desk and turns, spotting the sunflowers on her desk. Her eyes light up, and I know I’ve found her favorite flower. I make a note to always buy her sunflowers in the future as I move closer to her.

“I missed you last night,” I say, and her smile falls.

“I went out with Lottie, Aria, Quinn, and Dillon,” she says as she takes her seat and logs into her computer.

“Good, how’s everyone doing? What did you guys do?”

“We went out to eat and then saw a movie.”

“What movie?”

“Um,” she blinks, having to think about it. “Some romantic comedy.”

“It must not have been very good,” I comment.

“I think I was starting to get sick then. I can barely remember it,” she sighs.

“Go home. Get some rest. I can cover for you here.”

“Are you sure?” She asks.

She won’t meet my eyes, and my stomach starts to sink. Something is wrong here, and it’s not just that she doesn’t feel good.

What could have happened, though? She was smiling at me and kissed me goodbye before she left yesterday, and then I didn’t see or talk to her after that. What could have her darting back behind her walls?

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