All the Wrong Reasons

Chapter Four: Dipendenza Italian. Translation in English: Addiction.

Adrienne wore a smile on her face when she woke up the next morning. Justin left her apartment early. When she woke up, he was gone. She lay naked in her bed. On her bedside table, a cup of Starbucks coffee sat, with a note:

“You’re a fox!”

She smiled again. And because she knew she was completely alone, she couldn’t resist putting a pillow on her face and then finally… she fan-girl screamed.

She didn’t know what had started happening to her. She was shagging the City’s most notorious rake. Well… she shagged the City’s most notorious rake, that is. For two consecutive nights. She didn’t know when she would see him again… if he would even remember her name. Still, she didn’t care. That morning when she woke up, she felt beautiful. She felt adored from head to toe.

How many times did he tell her that she was foxy? How many times did he tell her that she was smart and gorgeous? How many times did he kiss her and touch her in places that made her feel all-woman…even a divine woman?

She stretched out in her bed, still drunk with the passion of his lovemaking. Then she got up and took the cup of Starbucks coffee he left for her. It was still hot, which meant that he left a few minutes before she woke up.

She had a smile on her face all day. When she met with Jill and Yuan that night, she was dressed in a silver halter top, a black skirt and a high-heeled sandal.

“Way to go, Adrienne!” Jill cheered when she saw her.

“Va-va-voom!” Yuan agreed.

“I see, someone got drunk before going to the party, huh!” Jill teased.

“I’m perfectly sober!” Adrienne protested. “I just felt like dressing up.”

“Is this the way you dressed up when you went to Gypsys?”

Adrienne shrugged and looked away from her friends. She knew she had begun blushing. She remembered the night that Justin Adams introduced himself to her and took her virginity away with him before the night was over.

“Well, shall we go in?” Adrienne asked them, changing the subject.

“Come on.”

The minute she stepped into Gypsys, the memories of that shocking night flashed back to her mind. The hot, sultry dance she had with Justin that led to two nights of passion and mind-numbing lovemaking.

If he was the devil…I wouldn’t mind burning in hell for the rest of my damned life.

She knew if she had to do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. She couldn’t resist sleeping with him over and over again.

To hell with Troy. To hell with her mother. To hell with proprieties!

For the first time in the years that they have been the best of friends, Yuan and Jill saw Adrienne order beer. Normally, she would order iced tea.

“I am loving you tonight, dear!” Yuan said. “If I was a man…I mean, if I were straight, I would go out of my way to hit on you.”

Adrienne laughed. “Then you have to be thankful that you are gay. Because I’m not gonna be someone’s prey tonight.”

The minute that went out of her mouth, she caught a glimpse of jet-black hair falling over a pair of lightly-tinted shades.

She had to blink twice to make sure that she wasn’t seeing things. But when she saw the curve on his lips, she knew in that instant that he had been watching her before he went to the bar with his friends.

“Oh my God!” Jill breathed. “Justin Adams is here!”

Yuan looked in the same direction that Jill was looking at. “Right! Manhattan’s rakes are here!”

“And what a handsome crowd they make! Look at them. Three guys, all drop-dead gorgeous,” Jill began. “But add the two guys multiply them by ten, they still would not equal one Justin Adams.”

“You guys talk as if they are a bunch of God’s gift to women!” Adrienne rolled her eyes.

“They could well be,” Yuan countered. “Look! Half of the girls in this bar are practically ogling them.”

“Can’t he take his shades off for a second?” Jill complained about Justin’s eyewear. “It’s dark in here for Christ’s sake!” Adrienne raised a brow at her. “Does he have to wear those shades all the time?”

Adrienne noticed that Justin wasn’t wearing his usual heavily tinted shades. The ones he has on now are light-tinted, showing a shadow of his eyes, but still refused to give away his true eye color. They looked more like tinted prescription glasses than shades. She actually thought he looked cool.

“Well, you gotta admit, he could pull it off, sweetheart,” Yuan said. “It’s a part of his style, his outfit. And he looks sexy with it.”

“I hope he’s not cross-eyed!” Jill stated. Adrienne had to laugh at that.

“Nah! I think Yuan’s right. It could be just his fashion statement. He wears it, simply because he can!”

“Yeah,” Jill agreed. “He can’t be cross-eyed! I think he’s physically perfect.”

Adrienne nodded at her. But she wasn’t just thinking that Justin Adams was physically perfect. She knew that he was. Even without clothes.

Justin looked solely at the bartender in front of him and then his friends. He didn’t seem like he was checking out the girls around him. Even though many girls tried to catch his attention, he remained oblivious of the stares directed towards him.

A couple of girls even dared to approach their table with probably a very lame excuse to talk to them, or a very daring line out of desperation. Justin just shrugged when a girl said something to him, and then he stood up and patted his friend on the back and left the bar.

Adrienne smiled. All the more did she feel proud of herself. He pursued her. He approached her at the bar and introduced himself to her. She did play hard-to-get, albeit, her efforts proved to be futile, but she liked the idea that she didn’t even have to look his way for him to notice her, and more importantly, flirt with her.

In the sinful game of flirting, she felt she had accomplished a lot more than these girls, in spite of her lack of experience.

“Sweetie, I think your phone is ringing,” Jill shouted at her over the music.

“You heard that?” she shouted back, fishing her phone from her purse.

An unregistered number appeared.

She sighed. This could be Jada’s doing again. She had the habit of giving her number to people who tried to get a feature with Blush.

“Hello!” she shouted over the phone, while covering her other ear.

“Come outside!” a male’s voice told her.

“What? Who…” And somehow her instincts told her something which excited her every nerve.

She stood up.

“Guys, I have to take this call outside.” She said to her friends.

When she got to the reception area where the music wasn’t too loud, she put the phone back to her ear.

“Hello.”

“Come out,” the guy said again.

“Who is this?” she asked.

“I’m hurt. You forgot? Or perhaps I’ve just kissed you senseless last night?” he suggested smugly.

Her heart skipped two beats instead of one, if that was possible at all.

“How did you get this number?” she asked.

“I was a boy scout,” he answered. “Now, get your cute butt outside because I’m waiting for you in my car.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know. But when you do maybe you’ll find out why.”

Smug!

But she knew what he was trying to say. She would die for a taste of him again. She wanted to look at him straight in the eyes once more and convince herself that she didn’t dream him.

She hung up and sighed. She started to count one to ten to see if the feeling would still be there after ten seconds.

“… seven, eight...”

“Damn!” She found herself walking out of the bar.

Justin’s Ferrari was parked at the front. He opened the door from the inside without getting out, much to her relief. Although, she accepted that she had begun fooling around with him, she still didn’t want to be associated publicly with him.

She quickly got inside his car.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

He smiled mischievously and drove off.

“What? Where are you taking me?” she asked. “I can’t leave…my friends are inside! They will look for me!”

He smiled at her. “Relax, okay?”

He went to the parking lot and parked in a secluded area. Then he stopped the engine and turned to her.

“I just want to kiss you,” he said.

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him lean over to her and kiss her. Her own arms came to life and wrapped them around his neck. It was a deep and passionate kiss. When he pulled away, her world began spinning once more.

“You look wonderful, by the way,” he told her. “I wanted to say hi, but then I remembered, you don’t want anything to do with me, so I figured your friends don’t know either. I didn’t take the risk.”

“Good. Because I don’t know what lies I would have to spin if they were to ask how I met you.”

He raised a brow. “You could tell them we met at Blush.”

She shook her head. “Jill works at Blush, too. She will ask exactly how, and I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“So you’re telling me you’re not a liar?” he asked seriously, but it seemed she could see laughter in his eyes.

She shook her head. “I’m saying I’m not a good liar.”

His eyes twinkled and then he leaned forward again. “Well, let’s make it more challenging then,” he teased. He kissed her deeply.

She leaned her forehead against his after the kiss. She took in a deep breath, and tried to compose herself. “Justin…the longer I stay here with you, the more difficult it is going to be for me when I get back.”

He chuckled. “You’ve only been gone a few minutes. You could always say Jada asked some people to call you up and arrange for some interviews, and you couldn’t agree on the date and place and they really have to finalize it now.”

“And they would be calling me at midnight?” she asked.

“It’s a bar. It’s only open at nights,” he replied.

“And what bar would that be?” she asked.

He laughed. Then he pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead.

“You know what, Miss Prim and Proper, you think too much.” He smiled as he spoke. “As much as I want to make out more, I don’t want to spoil your night out with your friends and make you invent the story of the year to convince them why you have been gone for approximately…twenty minutes.”

He gave her one final kiss on the lips and then he drove back to the front of the bar to drop her off.

Before she got out of his car, he said, “You’re a fox.”

She stared at him and then she quickly got out of his car and headed straight to the ladies’ room. She locked herself inside a cubicle, where she combed her hair and retouched her make-up.

She composed her lines and herself before she went out and headed for her friends.

“My God!” Yuan complained. “You took forever with that phone call!”

“We thought you’d gone home!” Jill said. “Who was it anyway?”

Adrienne shrugged and looked away. If she will lie, she will not look at her friends straight in the eye.

“It’s…Troy,” she said. “He…I don’t know. Nothing that will interest you anyway.”

“Sweetie, if you want to talk about it…”

She shook her head. “Negative. Let’s talk about… men… other men.”

Jill’s and Yuan’s eyes immediately went to the table where Justin and his friends sat.

Justin had just returned to his seat.

“I actually heard he came here for the opening and he picked up a girl.”

“I wonder where she is now.”

“Well, you know Justin Adams,” Yuan began. “He never stays with one girl exclusively. He beds them and then moves on.”

“Well, one night with him is worth a lifetime shag.” Jill chimed in breathlessly. “I haven’t heard of anyone complaining. Except for, maybe those who believed they could become the first lady of Adams Industries. But he’s not the marrying type. That table over there, is full of guys who will take girlfriends for life. I doubt they would want to share their wealth with a woman, anyway…I doubt they would risk splitting their worth.”

“Oh well, haven’t you heard of pre-nuptial agreement?” Adrienne pointed out.

Yuan shrugged. “Oh yeah. You’ll be worth a million dollars after the divorce… nothing more. That’s all you’re going to get, and a thousand heartbreaks for learning that they only married you to get a legal heir.”

“I wonder if Justin Adams grew up away from his parents…if his father had mistresses in every country, and his mother apparently cared for nothing but salon appointments, limitless shopping, and tea room chit-chats with her other rich friends,” Adrienne thought out loud.

“Probably,” Jill assented. “It’s a good explanation as to why he does not commit.”

After getting tired of Justin Adams talk, they all went to the dance floor. Adrienne decided she would have the time of her life. She danced and laughed with her friends. She didn’t spare a single look towards Justin. She didn’t want to see if he spent any time flirting with another woman. She didn’t want the memory of kissing him secretly in his car tainted with the memory of seeing him flirt with another girl the same way that he flirted with her when they first met.

They decided to call it a night by two in the morning. Adrienne felt tipsy and exhausted. But she felt wonderful… beautiful.

Justin and his friends were still at the bar when they left.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see some action.” Yuan said.

“What action?”

“You know…I was hoping to see him flirt with some girl so I could know what his type is,” Yuan said. “Does he like brunettes, or redheads or blondes?”

“With Justin’s history…all of the above.” Jill laughed.

When they hailed a cab, Adrienne’s phone beeped.

She recognized the number as Justin’s. She read the message nervously.

Are you going straight home?

She replied: Yes.

After a minute, she received another response: Don’t lock your door. ;-)

Her heart thumped nervously in her chest.

When she got home, she hopped into the shower quickly.

What is wrong with me?

She barely said goodbye to Yuan and Jill when they dropped her off in front of her building. She ran to the elevator and almost slipped on her front door.

Her heart was beating faster than ever. After she showered, she put on a spaghetti-strapped silk top, and matching silk shorts. She towel-dried her hair, and finally went out to the front door to make sure that she hadn’t locked it.

She knew it was a dangerous thing to do. But then again, she considered the tough security as one of the advantages of having an expensive A-list apartment.

She lay on her bed, hugged her body pillow and closed her eyes. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She essentially waited for him—and the fulfillment of his promise.

Her heart skipped another beat when she heard her front door open and close. She turned to her bedroom door and found Justin standing there, wearing a white shirt and a pair of jeans. He still had his shades up on his head. He must have gone straight to her flat when he got to their floor.

He smiled at her wickedly. And then he walked towards the bed and got into it next to her. Without a word, he leaned over, kissed her passionately and started a wild ride of passion that Adrienne wished would never end.

She woke up the next day by the sound of her answering machine. She still liked some old technology, so she still kept a landline and an old answering machine.

“Wake up! Wake up! Hangover or not we are coming up!” She heard Yuan’s voice on the phone.

She panicked. She stood up immediately from the bed and got hold of her bathrobe. She saw that Justin had gotten up already and began to dress quickly.

“Oh my God! It’s Jill and Yuan! My best friends!”

“Honey…” Justin called gently.

She ran across her bedroom to gather her clothes in panic.

“Honey…” Justin grabbed her arms gently and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Good morning.” He smiled.

She realized she’d been panicking. She took deep breaths to calm herself.

“I’m sorry. Good morning.” She reached up to kiss him. “It’s just that my best friends are on their way up. And they will see you and they can’t…”

“I know.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m going. I’ll see you later.”

He crossed the hall only dressed in his pants, carrying the rest of his clothes and his shoes with him. Adrienne quickly dressed before she threw herself back into bed, waiting for her friends to ring the doorbell.

After barely three minutes, Jill and Yuan arrived. She put them on her visitor’s list. Security would just send them straight up. She opened the door, pretending that she just got out of bed.

“Wake up, wake up!” Jill sang chirpily.

“What have you been up to lately, girl? Yuan asked. “You always seem tired. Before, you’re up long before the sun was. You always pester us in the morning. Now, it’s the other way around.”

“Comes with the job description. She’s Jada’s go-to girl,” Jill explained.

“So I heard. And look at this gorgeous apartment of yours!” Yuan grimaced. “Nice taste! It is so you!”

“Coffee?” Jill handed her a cup of Starbucks coffee.

She took a sip, trying to relax herself. Her heart still pounded, and she knew that she still looked flushed.

What am I thinking?

She had firmly decided that it would just be a one-night stand. And then what? Three-nights stand now? And in the second and third nights, it happened more than once?

Jill and Yuan headed for the balcony. She followed, bringing her coffee with her.

“Gorgeous view!” Yuan said.

“You had a visitor, honey?” Jill asked.

“No, why?” she asked. Immediately, alarm signals began shooting from everywhere.

Jill pointed at the two Starbucks coffee cups from the other day. She forgot to clean up her balcony. She stared at the two coffee cups on the table, and it made her remember that Justin Adams had sat there with her. It offered proof that she didn’t just dream about him.

“Oh… yeah. Troy brought some coffee for me,” she lied.

“Is he here?”

Adrienne shook her head. “The other day, he was. I just haven’t cleaned up yet.”

“So you managed to fix your problem?” Jill asked.

She shrugged. “It started out…ah…okay…and ended up right where we…started….” She sipped her coffee in between her sentences so her struggles to lie had not become too obvious. “That’s why he called last night. But it was useless.”

“Oh, sweetie! What is new? Come on!” Yuan said.

“Yeah. Perhaps we should tell Mrs. Miller that Troy is not the right guy for her second child. But what’s the point? She considered Troy the only achievement Adrienne ever had.” Jill shook her head.

“But still…honey. You already said you were tainted in their eyes. What else is there to lose? Drop that zero! There are plenty of other guys to date!” Yuan said.

“True!” Jill agreed. “Lots of guys in the office have a crush on you. They just see you as this snobby girl who thinks none of them are good enough. And they knew they were up against the likes of a future top surgeon. But honestly though, Troy is cute and all… but other than the great eyes, he’s…geeky!”

Adrienne raised her brow. Jill basically confirmed that some guys in the office thought her cute. But then she said, “Come on. I’m not the most fashionable girl at Blush, so I doubt anyone notices me like you say they do. And don’t be so hard on Troy. I’ve been with him for three years.”

“And you have gone out once a month? That makes it thirty-six times? How many times did you kiss? My God, did you ever make out at all?” Yuan asked bluntly.

“That’s it! That’s the reason why you haven’t gotten laid yet. That’s the reason why you are going to die a virgin!” Jill threw her hands up in the air.

Adrienne almost choked on her coffee. If they only knew what she’s been doing these last three nights! But she didn’t know how to tell them. Would they look at her differently? Would they judge her harshly? And would they forgive her for not telling them the very first time it happened?

She decided she couldn’t risk it. Not yet—even if they disliked Troy. And besides, who knows when she would see Justin Adams again? She never imagined she would sleep with him again after she went out of his apartment that night she lost her virginity to him. She never imagined she would spend the previous night with him either.

“Come on, Yen,” Jill pled. “Look at you! You look great. I wish I could have those long legs, that straight hair, which makes it hard to determine whether you’re a brunette or a redhead. Those dimples. You are gorgeous. But the way you dress…come on. You work for Blush. You have to be as stylish as your magazine. And those glasses you keep wearing at work… didn’t you know that they have invented contact lenses already?”

Yuan nodded. “Come on. Dress up! Let’s go to the salon. My treat! This girl needs a permanent makeover. If she can show up looking like a hot chic last night, it means she’s not hopeless. She just needs a little push.”

Adrienne moaned. “Come on, guys. I haven’t written the Gypsys thing yet. It has to be perfect and on Jada’s table by ten o’clock sharp tomorrow.”

“Yes. And you’re a gifted writer, you know that. It’s a piece of cake for you!” Jill said as she hauled Adrienne out of her seat and tucked her inside the bathroom.

Adrienne took a quick shower. Each minute she spent there, reminded her of Justin’s presence. It was as if he was still there with her. Touching her. Kissing her.

She decided to shake the memory out of her system.

She went to her closet and dressed in a pair of blue jeans and for once, she wore a Sabrina blouse that hugged her body to perfection.

When she exited her bedroom, Yuan and Jill started staring at her.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” Jill said.

“I’m dressing up for your little game, ‘girls.’”

“Adrienne, did Troy stay here the other night?” Yuan asked.

She shook her head nervously. “No why?”

Yuan lifted a pair of shades that he found seated on her bedside table.

“Cartier?” Jill asked, reading the brand. “Wow! That sure looks like an attempt to have style.”

Adrienne carefully took the shades from them. “Give me those.”

“Justin Adams wears shades similar to these. But on him they look hot!” Jill said.

Adrienne swallowed hard. If they only knew that they actually referred to the same pair of shades.

“On Troy…hmmm…they should have marked the box, ‘For humans only.’” Yuan laughed.

“If Troy would fancy a pair of shades, he should get an Oakley. They have a model called Monster Dog!” And Jill and Yuan launched into a laughing trip about Troy.

Adrienne felt relieved that the topic shifted to Troy versus Justin. She really hated lying to her best friends.

“Come on, guys, you’ve had enough fun already,” she said.

“My God, Adrienne! Do you know how connected you are with the apartment across the corridor?” Yuan said staring at her window.

“Look! Your bedroom windows face each other. And there’s a platform that allows you to cross and enter that flat through the window!”

“Really?” Adrienne asked nonchalantly. “I didn’t notice before. Why would I want to do that?”

“You may not want to, but what if your neighbor is a killer or a rapist? It’s the worst way to lose your virginity, my dear. Some guy could just go right through your window and rape you or even murder you.”

Adrienne laughed. “My God, Jill! You should have been a novelist! That plot would make a good movie adaptation!”

But she felt guilt gnawing at her. Her neighbor had taken her virginity, all right! But he didn’t have to break in and enter. She went into his apartment, and handed her precious virtue over to him on a silver platter!

“Who lives there anyway?” Yuan asked.

Adrienne turned her back on them and swallowed hard again. “I don’t know. I don’t spy on my neighbors.”

Yuan and Jill kept looking through the window and then they shrieked! “Oh my God!”

“What?” Adrienne asked nervously. She had been jumpy since Justin left that morning.

Guilt, guilt, guilt!

“Torso! Perfect abs! Perfect body!” Yuan was drooling, looking over the window.

Adrienne squeezed in between her friends to see what Yuan and Jill had seen.

She saw a body she knew well from the past three nights. A body that not three hours ago, had been touching hers. Justin had his blinds half-open so that only his chest and abs were showing. His face remained completely hidden from them, much to Adrienne’s relief.

“Who is that?” Jill asked.

Adrienne shook her head and turned away from the window.

“I have no idea. I don’t stalk my neighbors,” she lied.

“This guy is worth stalking! God! You gotta love that body! Not the wrestle-mania type, and yet, perfect abs, tough… hard…” Yuan said dreamily.

“Guys! Just get out of there! Don’t drool in front of my window. You don’t live here! I do! I don’t want my neighbors to think I’m a complete freak!”

“Balcony, balcony!” They screamed and hurried off to the balcony.

Oh God! She should call him and tell him to stay away indoors!

Yuan and Jill lighted their cigarettes and waited for the torso guy to come out.

“What are you doing?” Adrienne hissed.

“Nothing! We just want to see his face!” Jill whispered.

Adrienne groaned. She was about to haul her friends away from the balcony when her phone rang. She ran to answer it before the machine could get it.

“Hello.”

“Hey…” a guy said on the other line.

“Who’s this?” she asked hastily.

“Me. Remember? We just spent three amazing nights together?” Justin said with a chuckle.

“How did you get my landline number?” She asked.

“I told you I was a boy scout,” he replied. “And I have photographic memory.”

Adrienne stared at her landline phone. She saw that her number was written on the bottom part of it. Justin must have seen it.

“Okay, whatever you do, stay away from your balcony!” she hissed.

“Why?”

Because my friends saw what a gorgeous body you have and now, they hope to see your face.”

He laughed. “So what if they see my face?”

“They can’t! They can’t know you live across from me.”

“I see. You’re too embarrassed of our connection, huh? You won’t let people know you know me. Or that I live next door from you.” Adrienne could swear there was pain in his voice.

“God, Justin, this isn’t a time for an argument! I’m inside my closet and I’m whispering! And I’m mad right now!”

He chuckled. “Okay. Stay away from the balcony it is.”

She sighed. “You left your shades here.”

“That’s fine. I can get them later. I have a spare.”

Later? Was he planning to see her again?

“Why did you call by the way?”

He paused for a while and then he said, “Forget it.”

“Justin. What is it?”

“Dinner tomorrow night?” he asked quickly.

She sighed.

“Justin… I thought this was just a one night thing,” she said softly.

He sighed. “Three nights thing. And now, I’m asking you out for dinner.”

“I have a boyfriend. I shouldn’t be seeing anyone...”

“You aren’t. We’re secret friends remember?” And there was a trace of laughter in his voice.

She took a deep breath. “Friends don’t do what we did the last three nights.”

“So I’m a friend who allows you to fool around once in a while behind your other friends’ and your boyfriend’s back.”

Adrienne heard Jill calling her. “God, I have to go. Just send me a text. The time and place.” She hung up quickly as soon as she heard footsteps coming her way.

“What are you doing?” Jill asked behind her.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Just trying to find a phone number for my sister. I thought I placed my dentist’s calling card in one of my bags here. So, how was the torso hunting?”

Jill shook her head.

“He didn’t come out. He just disappeared.”

“Come on, let’s go!” Yuan said. “Let’s just hope that his face justifies the body he has!”

Adrienne bit her lip. You have no idea!

They took a trip to the salon, and Adrienne got a haircut. The stylist layered her hair, which turned out perfect since it highlighted the red strands of her hair. Afterwards, all three went shopping.

Adrienne beamed as she tried on some clothes. Instead of the conventional pants she wore to work, she decided to try on some more clothes that would accent her curves and highlight the colors of her hair.

In the back of her mind, there was Justin Adams. And every time she thought about him, she would smile. Even if only to herself. She didn’t know why he haunted her so much. If all the girls he’d been with felt like this, then half of Manhattan must be heartbroken by now!

The thought scared her. She wanted him out of her mind. Otherwise, she believed he would disappoint and hurt her. He was far too charming and far too dangerous.

Her phone rang.

“Hello,” she answered.

“I’ll pick you up at your apartment tomorrow. Say sevenish?” Justin asked from his end of the connection.

“I normally work late,” she replied.

“Okay. Then I’ll pick you up at your office.”

“No! Wait!” She almost wailed. Jill turned towards her and raised a brow. She walked away slowly so Jill wouldn’t hear her.

“You can’t do that,” she began. “Seven-thirty, my place.”

“All right. I’ll see you then.”

“Justin…”

“Yes?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Can’t you just drop me? Like what you normally would do?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.

“Justin… Are you still there?”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“You are making my life complicated.” She began giggling desperately.

“Well, maybe we’ve been following the same paths for all our lives. And it’s time for a change.”

“I thought you’ve been living this life all along.”

“My reputation precedes me,” he said quietly.

She sighed. “What do you want?”

“Nothing,” he responded. Then he took a deep breath. “Well, maybe…just you.”

Her heart skipped a bit. She knew that she was being handled by a professional in the game of flirting and heart-breaking. And she’s scared that she’s close to falling deeper and deeper into his realm.

“All right. Seven-thirty tomorrow then.”

“Okay. Take care. If you need a ride or anything at all… you know my number,” he added.

She smiled. She thought that was actually sweet. “I’ll remember that. Bye.”

She remained smiling when she hung up.

“Who was that? Troy I suppose?” Yuan asked.

She didn’t answer because she thought she might scream if she opened her mouth.

“Boy! This is new! Troy? Making you smile like that? Is he on the brink of proposing—that you go to bed?” Jill asked with a sarcastic tone.

Adrienne raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your relationship with Troy is completely extraordinary… extraordinarily boring!” Yuan said.

“And it has never made me smile like this before?”

They nodded. “So the tides could be changing. Probably, someone in med school gave him a Viagra!” Yuan started laughing.

She shook her head. Yet she still smiled like a teenager.

I never smiled like this with Troy ever?

Truly Justin Adams had turned her world upside down.

The three headed to Starbucks for coffee.

“I still cannot believe that you didn’t see Justin Adams at Gypsys. I mean the place is not really a labyrinth. You can stand by the bar and you will see everybody in there. And you can’t miss Justin Adams!” Yuan said.

“Well, maybe I did see him, but I just didn’t care,” Adrienne said.

“Why wouldn’t you care?” Jill asked.

“There are other cute guys in New York too. Why must you obsess over just one?” Adrienne countered. She didn’t really want to talk about Justin much. Because now, she had something to hide and feel guilty about.

“Justin is not your classic playboy. He seems… the smuggest of them all! He acts like he got more class than any other playboy!” Jill said.

“What?” Adrienne asked. “Playboys have class now?”

“Look at his profile!” Yuan looked like he’s starting to drool. “He’s only twenty-seven. He’s the heir of Adams Industries. He’s got Harvard degrees. He graduated with distinction. Although, he has a rebellious personality, he’s got no drugs and no gambling in his profile. He refused to work for his father. Instead he made millions of his own on the stock market. His hobby—Photography. Never had any girl attached to his name. He’s straight. He just didn’t have any steady relationship. He’s clean. He’s highly sought-after. He doesn’t pursue. He’s a mystery. And would you look at that gorgeous thing? He is absolutely divine!”

“Divine?” Adrienne practically scoffed. “Have you even seen how he really looks? Doesn’t he have like a pair of shades on or something all the time?”

“Yeah…so smug!” Yuan giggled. “But still, the whole package. Him with the shades. He is absolutely gorgeous! That black hair that keeps falling over his forehead. I would take that, even if he was cross-eyed!”

“I wonder what his eye color is,” Jill pondered.

“Crystal blue,” Adrienne thought out loud. The moment she realized what she just said, she turned red. She took a gulp of her coffee, hoping to hide the redness of her face.

“What?” Jill stared at her curiously.

“Well…I…ah…think it would be nice if his eyes were blue,” she said.

“Yeah, like a black-haired Ken doll!” Yuan agreed.

Just then, a group of guys sat at the table next to them.

“Don’t look now, but it’s the man of the hour!” Yuan whispered and took a sip of his coffee.

Adrienne and Jill looked at the same time, and, indeed, they saw Justin with two of his friends.

“I just said ‘don’t look!’” Yuan hissed at them crossly.

Justin wore jeans, a black leather jacket and another pair of pitch dark shades over his eyes. She looked away, pretending she didn’t see him.

What is he doing here? How can my life be entangled with his like this?!

“Oh my God!” Jill hissed.

“Come on, guys. Time to change the topic. I’m fed up with this,” Adrienne said.

“Honey…we always talk about hot bachelors, and this guy is our favorite,” Jill whispered. “You didn’t seem to hate the topic before.”

“Well, it’s getting old!” Adrienne hissed back. “There are other cute guys around.”

Her phone rang. She answered it, relieved to be distracted.

“Hi,” Justin said.

She looked at his direction. He didn’t seem like he was looking at her behind those shades of his.

“Um…excuse me?” she asked nonchalantly.

“I just wanna say hi. I didn’t want you to think I was a snob or something.” His lips curved into a crooked smile.

“O-kay. Bye now.”

“Bye.” This time, he smiled widely.

She swore she couldn’t control her blush. Jill and Yuan eyed her curiously.

“Cousin of mine. Reminded me to pick up a book that was nice. Well…where were we?” She asked.

“Still there, still with hotshot, himself,” Jill replied.

“I wonder who he picked up at the bar the other day.” Yuan mused.

Adrienne sat quietly while Yuan and Jill discussed other boys, more often, focused on Justin. She became lost in her own thoughts. But she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. She didn’t know if Justin was watching her. With those pitch black shades, it was impossible to tell what he was looking at.

After a while, Justin and his friends stood up and left.

She received a text message after a minute.

Justin: See you. I’ll be with these guys. It’s poker night tonight.

She replied: Okay. You didn’t have to tell me that.

Justin: But I did… and by the way, you look stunning in your new hairstyle. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.

She knew she was blushing when she replied: Liar.

Justin: Nope. I’m bad at lying. Do you know you chew on your straw when you pretend to be interested in a conversation with your friends?

Her: What?

Justin: And you bite your lower lip when you’re nervous. You look so cute.

Her: You were watching me!

Justin: Of course. What else would I be looking at?

Damn! This is guy is a pro at making hearts flutter.

She didn’t reply. She wondered how she could take it all back. She met him, been with him, and now, she couldn’t seem to escape him.

She didn’t even know if she really wanted to get away from him. He had a reputation, certainly. But she couldn’t help noticing that he was rather sweet. Maybe he’s right. It’s time to take a different path. For all it’s worth, she can pursue her alter-ego. Explore that different side of herself with him. Have fun behind the back of the old boring Adrienne.

She smiled to herself. As long as she kept her heart intact, he couldn’t damage her, right? It might even do her more good than bad to play this game.

It wouldn’t matter what Troy thought of her. She need not die of insecurity because her parents and boyfriend all thought she could never measure up to Kimberly.

She could have fun on her own. This time, she would find her real self. She would unleash her spirit and discover if Jill and Yuan were right. Maybe she could become a much more beautiful creature by being who she really was.