Claiming Leila

Chapter 7

The next morning, Leila woke up smiling.

The moment she realized it, she frowned.

"Absolutely not."

She pulled the blanket over her head and stayed there for another minute.

It didn't help.

The smile came back.

Dinner with Adrian had gone better than she wanted to admit.

He had been charming without trying too hard. Funny when she least expected it. And annoyingly good at making her feel comfortable.

That was the problem.

Leila liked being comfortable around him.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Simi.

Of course.

Simi:

Tell me everything.

Leila groaned.

Leila:

Good morning to you too.

Simi:

How was dinner?

Leila:

It was dinner.

Simi:

Liar.

Leila laughed despite herself.

Leila:

It was fine.

Simi:

Fine is not the word people use when they're smiling at their phone.

Leila immediately stopped smiling.

Leila:

You're annoying.

Simi:

And you're avoiding the question.

Leila threw the phone onto the bed.

She wasn't ready to talk about Adrian.

Mostly because she wasn't sure what she thought about him yet.

A few hours later, she was editing photos in her apartment when her phone rang.

Unknown number.

She answered carefully.

"Hello?"

"Miss Okoye."

Leila froze.

Adrian.

She recognized his voice immediately.

"Mr. Kincaid."

There was a pause.

"You're still calling me that?"

"Should I stop?"

"You could."

Leila smiled.

"I'll think about it."

His low laugh reached her through the phone.

Something about that sound made her stomach flip.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Adrian said.

"You are."

"Should I hang up?"

"No."

The answer slipped out before she could stop it.

Silence followed.

Then Adrian laughed again.

Leila covered her face.

Great.

Now he knew.

"I'm working," she said quickly.

"I assumed you would be."

"What do you want?"

"To see you."

Direct.

Always direct.

Leila leaned back in her chair.

"We had dinner less than twenty-four hours ago."

"I know."

"And?"

"And I'd still like to see you."

Her heart betrayed her with one hard beat.

She hated when he did that.

"You're persistent."

"I've heard that before."

"I bet you have."

His voice softened slightly.

"Does it bother you?"

Leila looked at the photos on her screen.

The honest answer should have been yes.

Instead she found herself smiling again.

"Maybe a little."

"I can live with that."

Before she could answer, another call beeped through.

Her editor.

Saved by the bell.

"I have to go."

"Work?"

"Unfortunately."

"I'll let you escape this time."

Leila shook her head.

"You make it sound like you're hunting me."

A brief pause.

Then Adrian said quietly, "Maybe I am."

The line went silent.

For a second, Leila forgot how to breathe.

Then she hung up before he could hear her reaction.

The rest of the day passed slowly.

Too slowly.

She worked.

Edited photos.

Answered emails.

Ran errands.

Yet somehow Adrian stayed in the back of her mind.

By evening she was annoyed with herself.

To clear her head, she grabbed her camera and headed out.

Walking with a camera always helped.

The city was busy.

Street vendors called out to customers.

Music drifted from open doors.

People hurried past without looking up.

Leila wandered for nearly an hour taking photos.

For the first time all day, she relaxed.

Then she heard someone say her name.

"Leila."

She turned.

And nearly dropped her camera.

Adrian stood on the sidewalk.

Looking just as surprised as she felt.

For a moment neither spoke.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He glanced around.

"Standing on a sidewalk."

"You know what I mean."

A smile touched his mouth.

"I had a meeting nearby."

Leila narrowed her eyes.

"What are the chances?"

"Pretty low."

That made her laugh.

People moved around them while they stood there.

New York carried on as if nothing unusual was happening.

Meanwhile, Leila felt oddly aware of every second.

Adrian looked at the camera hanging from her neck.

"Working?"

"Thinking."

"With a camera?"

"It's cheaper than therapy."

His laugh came quickly this time.

Leila liked the sound more than she should have.

They started walking without discussing it.

One block.

Then another.

Conversation came surprisingly easily.

For once there were no fancy events.

No expensive restaurants.

Just two people walking through the city.

Leila found herself telling him stories about photography school.

Adrian told her about his first business disaster when he was twenty-three.

She laughed so hard she had to stop walking.

"You lost how much money?"

"A painful amount."

"You looked like the kind of man who never fails."

His expression softened.

"I fail."

"Really?"

"More than people think."

Something about that answer felt honest.

And because it felt honest, she believed him.

They reached a small park and stopped near a bench.

The city lights glowed around them.

For a moment neither spoke.

The silence felt different now.

Comfortable.

Dangerously comfortable.

Adrian looked at her.

"You don't trust me."

Leila blinked.

"That's random."

"It's true."

She looked away.

Maybe it was.

Maybe it wasn't.

"I don't know you well enough to trust you."

Adrian nodded.

"Fair."

The simple acceptance surprised her.

Most people argued.

He didn't.

After a moment he asked, "Do you want to?"

The question hung between them.

Leila looked at him.

Really looked at him.

The confidence.

The control.

The guarded expression he carried everywhere.

But she also saw the man who listened carefully.

Who made her laugh.

Who kept showing up.

And somehow, that felt more dangerous than anything else.

"Maybe," she admitted.

A slow smile appeared on Adrian's face.

Not arrogant.

Not victorious.

Just pleased.

And somehow that made it worse.

Leila pointed at him.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Look happy."

"I can't help it."

"Try harder."

He laughed.

The sound echoed softly through the evening air.

For a moment, neither moved.

Neither looked away.

Then Leila's phone buzzed.

The spell broke.

She glanced at the screen.

Simi.

Of course.

Leila groaned.

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"Problem?"

"The world's most annoying best friend."

"Should I be worried about her?"

"Very."

He smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Leila slipped her phone back into her pocket.

Then she looked at him.

"Well."

"Well."

Neither seemed eager to leave.

That realization made her nervous.

Eventually Adrian stepped back.

"You should answer your phone."

"Probably."

"And I should go."

"Probably."

Yet neither moved immediately.

Finally, Adrian smiled.

"I'll call you."

Leila rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't a question."

"No."

"You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

She shook her head, trying not to smile.

It didn't work.

"Goodnight, Adrian."

"Goodnight, Leila."

This time she watched him walk away.

And when he disappeared into the crowd, she realized something that made her stomach tighten.

She was already looking forward to seeing him again.