Chapter Thirteen:AdamAn Unexpected Invitation
840 Words
The next morning felt… awkward.
Not unbearable.
Not uncomfortable.
Just strange.
Adam stood in the guest bedroom for a long moment, looking at the neatly made bed.
It still didn’t make sense.
None of it did.
How had he gone from celebrating with Sarah at a bar to waking up in Alexander Hayes’ penthouse?
How had the man who barely spoke somehow become the person making him breakfast?
Adam walked into the dining area.
Alex was already dressed for the day.
Dark suit.
Perfectly tied tie.
A cup of black coffee in one hand.
He looked as though he had stepped out of a business magazine.
“You should eat something.”
Adam blinked.
“…Okay.”
There wasn’t much conversation after that.
Neither of them seemed to know what to say.
The silence wasn’t hostile.
It was simply… there.
Alex broke it first.
“I’ll drive you home.”
Adam looked up.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
Another short silence.
“But I will.”
Adam didn’t argue.
He wasn’t entirely sure why.
Maybe because arguing with Alex always felt strangely pointless.
Not because Alex was intimidating.
Because he spoke with such quiet certainty that it was difficult to refuse him.
The drive was equally quiet.
The city passed outside the windows while neither of them said much.
Adam glanced at Alex once or twice.
His eyes stayed on the road.
His expression remained unreadable.
Adam wanted to ask him a hundred questions.
Why were you watching over me?
Why did you want me to stay?
But every question felt too big.
Too complicated.
So when the car stopped outside his apartment building, Adam simply unfastened his seat belt.
“Thank you.”
Alex nodded once.
“Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
Adam climbed out of the car.
Before closing the door, he looked back.
Alex was already looking ahead again.
And within seconds, the car disappeared into traffic.
⸻
The rest of the day felt almost normal.
Adam spent hours in his studio.
He mixed colors.
Started a new canvas.
Scraped away half of it.
Started again.
His hands were busy.
His mind wasn’t.
It kept wandering back to Alex.
To his quiet voice.
To the strange way he cared without ever explaining why.
Late that afternoon, his phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
Adam frowned before opening the message.
How is your hangover?
He stared at the screen.
Then typed.
Who is this?
The reply came almost immediately.
Alexander.
Adam smiled despite himself.
How did you get my number?
There was a brief pause.
Then…
I got it.
Adam laughed softly.
That was hardly an explanation.
Very informative.
Three dots appeared.
Are you feeling better?
Adam looked at the message for a second before answering.
Much better. Headache’s gone.
Good.
Another pause.
The conversation should have ended there.
Instead…
Have you eaten?
Adam blinked.
Yes.
Good.
Adam shook his head, smiling.
The conversation was oddly formal.
Neither of them seemed particularly good at texting.
Still…
It continued.
They talked about small things.
Whether Adam had gone back to painting.
How busy Alex’s day had been.
Nothing personal.
Nothing particularly meaningful.
Yet Adam found himself enjoying it.
Then another message appeared.
Would you come over tonight?
Adam frowned.
He read it twice.
Then a third time.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Why?
That was the obvious question.
Why was Alex inviting him over?
Yesterday had already been confusing enough.
They barely knew each other.
And yet…
There was something in the invitation that didn’t feel demanding.
It wasn’t an order.
It wasn’t even pressure.
Just a question.
Adam typed.
Why?
Several seconds passed.
Finally, Alex replied.
I’d like to see you again.
Simple.
Direct.
No games.
No elaborate explanation.
Adam leaned back against the couch.
This whole situation was unusual.
Alex was unusual.
He was impossible to read one moment and unexpectedly honest the next.
Adam checked the time.
He didn’t have any plans that evening.
No commissions due.
No gallery events.
No dinner with Noah.
He found himself smiling.
Maybe curiosity worked both ways.
Okay.
The reply came almost instantly.
I’ll send the address.
Adam looked at the message and laughed quietly.
“You already know where I live,” he muttered to himself.
A few minutes later, after changing into a clean shirt and dark jeans, he left his apartment.
As the taxi carried him across the city, he watched the skyline drift by.
He still didn’t know what this was.
It wasn’t dating.
It certainly wasn’t friendship.
And it was far too complicated to be explained with a single word.
But for reasons he couldn’t quite understand…
He wasn’t nervous.
He was curious.
Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of one of the city’s most exclusive residential towers.
Adam paid the driver, stepped onto the sidewalk, and looked up.
The building stretched high into the evening sky.
Somewhere near the top…
Alexander Hayes was waiting.
Adam took a slow breath.
Then walked inside.
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