When I met you

Friday Night

Akermisia Miller

We were in the heart of downtown, in an area filled with towering buildings where the lights from rooftop penthouses and ground-floor boutiques illuminated the dark night, making the entire avenue sparkle.

Throughout the drive, we kept stealing glances at each other, the atmosphere growing heavier and heavier until it became difficult to breathe and all I could think was: What am I doing here on a Friday night with Adam Melchior?

After meeting his brother, I had discovered that arrogance apparently ran in the family, and oddly enough, Adam wasn’t even the worst of them. The eldest Melchior managed to be an even bigger asshole than his brother. At least Adam had a sense of humor and was polite most of the time. Kalon, on the other hand, seemed destined to be the king of rich idiots who thought they were superior simply because they ran an empire.

— Ready for your surprise tonight?

He was so confident and self-assured it should have been illegal.

— Where exactly are we?

He parked the expensive vehicle and handed the keys to a chauffeur who, for some reason, was already waiting at the entrance of one of the many silver skyscrapers downtown. Adam opened the door for me and offered his hand as support while my eyes searched for the truth behind his plan and all those supposed good intentions.

It shouldn’t be genuine.

It couldn’t be.

— You rich people really have someone for everything, don’t you?

— Well, I won’t deny that being a Melchior has its advantages sometimes.

That kind of life felt like it belonged to another world a reality so distant and unattainable that it was difficult to understand how some people could have so much while others had so little. But undoubtedly, this was probably normal in the Melchior world. Just another ordinary day. Before I realized it, massive glass double doors were opened for us. Inside, the building was dark except for a few red emergency lights scattered strategically throughout the path leading to the elevators.

Adam pressed the illuminated circular button, and we stepped into the metal compartment. I tried to keep my expression neutral as the floor numbers climbed on the small display. But that strange electric attraction that always appeared whenever Adam was near me was still there.

Crackling between us like sparks searching for a flame.

Taking hold of me.

I closed my eyes in a futile attempt to banish it from both my body and my mind.

Standing beside me, he found my free hand and wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing gently as though he could read my thoughts.

I tried not to react to his touch against my skin. Or to the numbing sensation that spread through my body when his fingers intertwined with mine. I knew I should say something. Break the contact.

Argue with him for crossing one of my boundaries so easily, as if it were a casual gesture. As if touching me were something natural. As if it were easy for him.

But time worked against me when the elevator doors slid open thirty floors later and prevented me from doing anything except allowing him to pull me outside. I opened my eyes. The view stole my breath from the top floor, nearly the entire city stretched before us. Thousands of shimmering lights illuminated the darkness, lending their glow to the surrounding buildings. The mattress was covered with rumpled bedding and scattered pillows. Adam guided me up another flight of stairs leading to a second rooftop. I swallowed hard and blamed the weather for the chill in my hands.

When I finally looked up, I saw it a massive black helicopter.

The words Melchior Enterprises gleamed in silver against the night sky.

— What is this? — I asked, feeling the powerful spiral of air wrapping around me.

— I told you the next time would be more exciting.

— Adam, this is insane! This is completely crazy!

— I’m going to take you to the sky, Akermisia.

Melchior flashed a wide, warm smile. He looked like he’d just won the lottery as he led me toward the helicopter, its blades already spinning rapidly above us. Being in such an open space made me nervous, and Adam seemed to notice because he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me firmly against him, as if I belonged there. And stupidly enough, I liked it.

— Come on. — he shouted over the noise. — Sit down. And don’t touch anything.

Adam exchanged a few words with them, thanking them for arranging everything on such short notice and murmuring something else that I couldn’t hear. Meanwhile, I looked around with a foolish smile on my face because I was actually sitting inside a helicopter in the middle of the city, about to fly.

He closed the door, and I settled into my seat. Adam was beside me, so close, intensely focused.

His scent consumed me like a drug—a mixture of freshness and expensive cologne that, against my will, turned me into someone who wanted to be near him. Fortunately, I was strapped securely into my seat and couldn’t move. Adam looked up at me and smiled as if he found this whole situation amusing, some private joke only he understood.

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Me, sitting this close to him with no way to escape.

— You can’t run from me now.

— Adam… — I murmured softly. — You have no idea how I could escape.

— Oh, I do. That’s why I chose the helicopter. In here, no matter how much you want to, you have nowhere to run. Your only option is to stay right beside me.

I wanted to argue, but I was completely speechless.

— Put on the headset. — he instructed, pointing toward a pair of headphones in front of me, wearing the infuriating smile of someone who believed he’d already won.

The helicopter lifted slowly into the air. Austin became a sea of tiny lights as we rose into the night sky, though my stomach seemed determined to remain firmly on the ground.

We flew between buildings and skyscrapers.

And it was beautiful.

The feeling of adventure, adrenaline, and freedom was impossible to describe.

— It’s beautiful, isn’t it? — Adam asked quietly.

I nodded enthusiastically.

It felt unreal.

The stars had never seemed so close. With the world looking so small beneath us, everything suddenly felt simpler from up there. We flew over the city’s main landmarks, and throughout the flight Adam pointed them out, offering small explanations that genuinely surprised me.

— Do you always impress women like this? You know, taking them for rides in your helicopter?

I asked with a teasing smile.

— I’ve never brought another girl into this helicopter, Isia.

— So this is a first.

— There are a lot of things about me you don’t know.

— Fair enough. I suppose you’re right.

— See? Admitting someone else is right won’t kill you.

I smiled and turned my attention back to the night surrounding us. The landscape below looked magical. The butterflies in my stomach intensified when the pilots made a wide turn and hovered long enough for me to see my hometown from an entirely different perspective. A breathtaking one. I was so captivated that I didn’t even notice when Melchior handed me a glass of white wine.

— Where did this come from?

— You and your secrets, Adam.

— Maybe someday I’ll tell you.

I rolled my eyes even the glasses were luxurious, made of thick crystal with an elegant modern design. I took a sip.

The wine was light, fresh, and delicious. Adam took a sip as well without taking his eyes off me. I could feel his gaze following me, even when I turned toward the window. At some point, our hands met on the seat between us. And for some even more ridiculous reason, I consciously allowed his fingers to touch mine again.

Worse still, I squeezed his hand back.

— Did you like it?

It was a strange feeling to hesitate. I was a confident woman. I’d learned early in life how to stand on my own and not be intimidated by anyone. But Adam operated on a level of confidence I couldn’t quite reach. His certainty made everything in me feel uncertain and fragile.

— That was a low blow, Adam. — My voice came out unsteady, my heart beating far too fast. — How could I not like it?

My subconscious stared at me in horror. I hadn’t wanted to admit that. But I’d promised to be honest and I had genuinely loved it. It was unlike anything I’d ever done. Or maybe it was the wine.

— I’ll take you home. But since I won the bet, I’m picking you up tomorrow.

I stared at him in disbelief.

— Tomorrow is Saturday, Adam. I plan on sleeping.

We had already exited the building and were standing on the sidewalk waiting for the car.

— Eleven in the morning, Isia. Don’t be boring, please.

There’s a lunch at my house with my closest friends, and I want you there. You can bring your friend too. I’m sure she’ll be happy since Coleman will be there. I’ll text you the address. Or I can pick you up if you’d rather.

— My quota for riding in your car is officially exhausted.

He stepped closer. A little too close.

Then he brushed his fingers along my cheek, letting them trail down to my chin before gently holding it between his thumb and forefinger. The cold night breeze slipped beneath my clothes and sent a shiver through me.

He leaned forward until our noses were only inches apart. I could see the smile forming on his lips.

The dangerously sweet kind. My mouth went dry. I wished I’d had more wine.

Adam Melchior was hypnotic. I couldn’t pull away from him.

Not even when his lips toyed with me, moving near my ear, then my neck, then the corner of my mouth. He never actually touched me. He simply lingered there, keeping those infuriating millimeters between us for his own twisted amusement.

Adam was dangerous. My instincts screamed it.

But my body refused to listen. Part of me wanted to run. The other part wanted him to stop torturing me and kiss me already.

Weak. He made me weak.

— I think we should go.

He stepped back. Only then did I realize the car had already arrived. The victorious smile on his face infuriated me. I turned away quickly and marched toward the vehicle.

Bastard.

I tried desperately to cling to what little common sense I had left. He wouldn’t play with me. Not like this.

I threw that common sense in the trash and spun around to face him. He was still too close. Still moving closer. To escape him, I took a step backward and ended up pinned against the car door. It didn’t stop him. I glared at him.

— You i***t…

And then Adam Melchior silenced me with a kiss. His hands found my neck, holding me there with an intensity that stole every coherent thought from my mind his kiss was demanding, desperate. As though he needed my mouth more than he needed oxygen and I melted against him.

But I didn’t.

I stayed.

And I let him pull me closer. When we finally broke apart, I was breathless his lips were slightly swollen, his eyes fixed on mine beneath impossibly long lashes. Adam leaned close to my ear and whispered slowly:

— You’re not a game.

His voice was rough.

— You, Akermisia Miller, broke all the rules and swept every piece off the board. There is no game anymore.

There’s only you. Before I could stop myself, my hands found his golden hair and pulled him back toward me.