Chapter 15 : I Missed You
1055 Words
The weeks at Hotel Sienna had been exhausting, and by the end of one particularly long Friday, Elle could barely remember the last time she had gone out without carrying a folder or checking her phone for work updates. When Mia suggested that the girls meet at a bar that night, Elle initially refused, but Sofi wouldn't take no for an answer.
“You need one night where nobody asks you about construction deadlines,” Sofi insisted.
Claire laughed. “And nobody is allowed to mention budgets.”
Mia raised her glass. “Or investors.”
Elle finally smiled. “Fine. One night.”
A few hours later, the four girls were seated together at a lively bar, laughing over drinks and catching up on everything they had missed while drowning in work. Elle slowly felt herself relaxing, surrounded by the friends who had known her since university.
What she didn't notice was the man who had entered the bar several minutes earlier.
Adrian had only intended to stop for a drink after a long day. He had no idea Elle and her friends were there until he spotted them from across the room.
He stopped.
For several seconds, he simply watched.
Elle was laughing at something Mia had said, her expression lighter than he had seen it in months. She looked happy, and something inside him tightened at the sight.
He should have left.
Instead, he followed them farther into the bar.
The girls continued talking until a group of men approached their table. At first, they were polite, but it quickly became obvious that the girls weren't interested in company.
“We're waiting for our boyfriends,” Claire said, trying to make the message clear.
One of the men smiled. “Then we'll accompany you until they arrive.”
The girls exchanged uncomfortable looks.
Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice came from behind them.
“I think they said they're waiting for their boyfriends.”
Elle froze.
Adrian stepped beside her.
Before she could react, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently against him, making it appear as though he belonged there.
The men looked at him.
Adrian's expression was calm, but his eyes were cold.
“Is there a problem?”
The group hesitated.
“No problem, man.”
“Good.”
The men quickly walked away.
The moment they were gone, the girls stared at Adrian in complete shock.
Mia's mouth dropped open.
Claire blinked several times.
Sofi looked from Adrian to Elle and back again.
“Adrian?”
He looked at them and gave a small smile.
“Hi, everyone.”
He greeted the girls casually, as though he hadn't disappeared from their lives for months.
Everyone answered awkwardly.
Everyone except Elle.
She remained completely silent.
Adrian eventually took a seat with them, joining the conversation as though nothing unusual had happened. He spoke with Mia, laughed at one of Claire's jokes, and even asked Sofi about her family.
But he didn't say a single word directly to Elle.
That somehow bothered her more than anything.
She watched him from the corner of her eye, trying to understand why he was there and why he had acted like her boyfriend in front of those men.
Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore.
“Adrian.”
He looked at her.
“Can we talk?”
The girls immediately understood.
Sofi stood first. “Come on, girls. Let's dance.”
Mia grabbed Claire's hand, and within seconds, the three disappeared toward the dance floor, leaving Elle and Adrian alone at the table.
Elle stared at him.
For a moment, she didn't know where to begin.
Then the words came out before she could stop them.
“I missed you.”
Adrian froze.
His expression changed completely.
Elle suddenly realized how much she had just revealed, but before she could take it back, Adrian reached for her.
His lips met hers in a sudden, overwhelming kiss.
There was nothing hesitant about it.
It carried all the frustration, longing, and emotion he had kept buried since the last time they had been together. Elle's hands instinctively caught the front of his jacket as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel what she had spent months trying to understand.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing heavily.
Adrian looked at her as though he was still trying to control himself.
“We can't talk here.”
Elle swallowed.
“Then where?”
He hesitated before answering.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“My villa.”
Elle stared at him.
She knew what that invitation meant.
Adrian seemed to realize it too.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Elle quietly nodded.
“Okay.”
---
The drive was almost completely silent.
Neither of them knew what to say.
The city lights passed across the windows while Elle sat beside Adrian, painfully aware of how close he was. Every few moments, she caught herself looking at him before quickly turning toward the window.
Adrian kept his eyes on the road.
But his grip on the steering wheel was tighter than usual.
They both knew what they were doing.
They both knew that once they walked through the doors of his villa, there would be no pretending that the kiss at the bar hadn't happened.
Neither of them knew whether they were ready for what came next.
When they finally arrived, Adrian parked and turned off the engine.
Neither moved.
Elle looked toward the villa.
Adrian looked at her.
For months, they had avoided each other, carried unanswered questions, and pretended they could move on.
Now they were sitting outside the place where all those walls could finally come down.
Adrian slowly opened his door.
Elle followed.
They walked toward the entrance together, neither saying a word.
At the door, Adrian stopped.
Elle stood beside him.
They looked at each other, both knowing exactly what they were risking by stepping inside.
For a moment, neither reached for the handle.
Then Adrian looked at Elle.
“Are you sure?”
Elle met his eyes.
She didn't answer immediately.
She only looked at the door, then back at him.
They both knew that once they entered, there would be no easy way to pretend this was just another kiss.
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