Forced Invitation
1342 Words
Adelaide
Shame stains my cheeks even as I make my way downstairs after showering and getting into clean, comfortable clothing.
Why the hell had I stared for so long?
My only excuse is the exhaustion I feel. Sometimes, I can't believe that I caught Rick and Raquelle today. That had to be a hundred years ago, right?
Yes, that's it.
I'm exhausted. Mentally and physically.
If Granny hadn't asked me to have tea with her, I'd probably dispense it. Who was that man, though, and why was he here? Was he one of the guests? If so, who? He looked a little too young to be one of Granny's friends, but then again, what did I know? She had always had the strangest acquaintances.
I'd say I hope I never run into him, but that's simply not realistic.
I hear laughter from the stairs and try to push the incident from my mind. It's not like he saw me staring for long, anyway. I dropped the curtain as soon as we made eye contact.
I just need to forget that happened.
As I approach the living room, I notice that Granny and her friend whose name I didn't catch aren't alone anymore. The back of that slicked dark hair comes into view the closer I get to them, and when he tilts his head to the side like he can hear me approach, I see the tattoo on the side of his neck.
I gulp.
Oh, great.
Granny sees me and remarks, "Oh, darling! You're back! I thought you fell asleep."
"No," I say softly as I move to sit next to her. The man and Granny's friend are sitting next to each other, and though I haven't looked at him directly, I can feel his eyes on me.
My face is on fire. Literally.
Granny clears her throat and gestures at him with an open palm. "Addy, this is Everett Stormbourne, Hannah's son. I'm sure you remember him."
I whip my head in his direction quickly and meet his amused gaze. This is Everett? He's completely unrecognizable. The man seated across from me is much taller and bigger than I remember, and what happened to his eyes? They don't seem to be jumping out of his face anymore.
But that's not the point.
This man and Rick are friends. Really close friends. I never saw him at the house, but they were inseparable as kids. And before that awful thing happened to my brother, Everett had been close to him, too.
Why does this make things so much worse? It was bad enough when I thought he was a stranger!
I clear my throat and tell him, "It's nice to see you again."
His voice is deep and rich. His facial expression hasn't changed and something crosses his eyes when he says the words, "Likewise, Adelaide."
I didn't think it was possible, but my face feels even hotter. I look away quickly. He knows I was staring. It's evident in the way he's looking at me. God, I want to dig a hole right here in the living room and disappear inside of it.
How can I explain to him that I wasn't staring because I'm a pervert? My mind wandered and I...Jesus. I had a long day.
If I could just sleep for a while, then I'd feel better come morning.
But the universe is against me today, and it's determined to make sure that this is the worst possible day I've ever had.
From the corner of my eye, I see Everett standing up. He towers over all three of us, but it's not just because we're seated and he's not. This man is huge. I remember him being tall, but again, I never paid much attention to him. I'm not sure why, but there's a quick tightening in my stomach before relief floods me. He's leaving.
Good.
"Well, ladies, thank you for tea," he says smoothly before bending to kiss his mother's cheek. "See you in the morning."
"Where are you going?" Granny asks him sweetly as she sets her teacup on the table.
"The Poison Kiss," he simply answers, looking confused. I'm confused, too, because I don't know why Granny would ask him such an intrusive question. It seems they know each other well. I figure out a second later why.
"Oh, but how wonderful would it be if you took Addy with you!" she remarks, and my face? It's being cooked alive at this point. She makes eye contact with me and says, "Why don't you get dressed, darling? The night is young and so are you."
"Granny," I begin, a little scandalized. I don't dare to look at him, but I can feel his eyes on me. I hate how suddenly aware I've become of this man I barely remember. "I would hate to take up his time like that."
"It would be a great opportunity for you to be reintroduced to the city. You haven't been here in years."
"Yes, but—"
"Do you mind, Everett?" she asks him, completely ignoring me.
I can't help it. I look up and sure enough, his eyes are on my face. His jaw tics once, and then his gaze slides over to Granny and he half-smiles. "No. I don't. It's up to her."
Granny looks back at me. I can just see that stubborn twinkle in her eyes. She's always been the kind of woman who will make a decision and simply wait for everyone else to catch up. She's not suggesting.
She's giving an order.
And as much as I love her, this drives me nuts about her.
I don't even know what The Poison Kiss is.
"Well?" she urges. "What're you waiting for? Get dressed. You don't want your chaperone to be late."
I take a deep breath and stand up, muttering that I'll be back in ten minutes. I nearly die of embarrassment on the way to my room. I can't believe Granny would put me on the spot like that. I'm exhausted. Jet-lagged. The last place in the world I want to be is with Everett Stormbourne, my cheating, scumbag, soon-to-be ex-husband's friend, whom I caught having s*x with a woman earlier.
I only have ten minutes and it's nowhere near enough time, but I'll have to make do. I can't hide my annoyance as I pull the one dress out of my suitcase that doesn't look like it's been chewed up. It's a little on the short side, and my back would be completely bare, but it'll have to do. At least the neckline is high.
I tie my hair into a knot at the back of my head since it's the fastest hairstyle I can go for, apply some makeup, ignoring how everything seems to be slipping from my fingers, then put on a pair of heels.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror and nausea rolls in my stomach. God, I can't believe I'm actually doing this.
I want to kill my grandmother.
When I return to the living room, my heart is threatening to beat right out of my chest. I expect to see Granny and her friend seated where I left them, but only Everett is standing in the middle of the living room, clad in a crisp black dress shirt and fitted pants. I can smell his cologne from where I'm standing, and upon hearing me approach, he looks up just as a lock of hair falls on his forehead. He brushes it back in the same second.
My knuckles turn white from how hard I'm gripping my clutch, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.
"Ready?" he asks almost coldly, clearly irritated that he'll be stuck with me for the rest of the night. I'm probably ruining his plans. Oh, Granny.
I nod and follow him out the door, knowing instinctively that this is about to be one of the worst nights I've had in a while.
- Writer
