Chapter Seventeen:AdamA Weekend
953 Words
That was how long it had been since Adam had last stepped inside Alexander Hayes’ penthouse.
Two weeks of…
Texts.
Phone calls.
Random check-ins.
Unexpected conversations.
It had become part of his routine so naturally that Adam hadn’t even realized when he started looking forward to them.
Every morning, there was a message.
Good morning.
Every afternoon…
Have you eaten?
Every evening…
How’s the painting?
Or…
Did the canvas surrender today?
Alex had a dry sense of humor that only seemed to appear over text.
Adam found himself smiling at his phone far more often than he cared to admit.
And then there were the stranger questions.
What are you wearing?
The first time Alex had asked, Adam had laughed out loud.
He remembered staring at the message for almost a full minute before replying.
An old shirt. Why?
Alex’s answer had been simple.
Just wondering.
Nothing more.
No explanation.
No flirtatious follow-up.
Just…
Curiosity.
At least, that was what Alex claimed.
But Adam wasn’t completely convinced.
Because the questions kept appearing every few days.
Already in bed?
What are you wearing tonight?
Are you comfortable?
Adam found them oddly… endearing.
A little bold.
A little unexpected.
Maybe even slightly flirtatious.
And if he was being completely honest with himself…
He liked them.
More than he probably should.
He liked knowing someone was thinking about him in the middle of an ordinary day.
Someone who remembered to ask if he’d eaten lunch.
Someone who wanted to know if his latest painting had cooperated.
Someone who called just to hear his voice for ten minutes before wishing him goodnight.
It was quiet.
Simple.
Comfortable.
And Adam had grown surprisingly attached to it.
⸻
Friday afternoon found him walking slowly through his gallery.
The sunlight poured through the tall windows, illuminating canvases that lined the white walls.
A couple wandered through one corner of the room.
Another customer stood silently in front of one of his newer pieces.
Adam smiled politely as he passed them.
His phone vibrated inside his pocket.
Without thinking, he already knew who it was.
He pulled it out.
Alex.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he even opened the message.
Do you have any plans this weekend?
Adam typed back.
No. Why?
The reply came almost immediately.
Would you spend the weekend with me?
Adam stopped walking.
He read the message again.
Then again.
His heart did a strange little flip.
Spend…
The weekend?
He looked around the gallery as though someone else might have an explanation.
None came.
He and Alex weren’t officially dating.
They hadn’t talked about whatever this was.
There had been kisses.
There had been quiet nights.
There had been mornings filled with coffee and breakfast.
And there had been two weeks of conversations that somehow felt more intimate than many relationships Adam had experienced.
Still…
A whole weekend?
That felt…
Different.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
He wasn’t uncomfortable.
Just surprised.
Because despite everything, Alex still managed to catch him off guard.
Adam found himself smiling.
It was weird.
Very weird.
But…
He couldn’t pretend he didn’t like the idea.
He imagined spending two quiet days painting, talking, watching movies, or simply existing in the same space.
For reasons he couldn’t explain…
That sounded nice.
Really nice.
After another minute of debating with himself, he finally replied.
Okay.
Almost instantly—
Pack an overnight bag. I’ll pick you up after work.
Adam laughed softly.
He quickly typed back.
You don’t have to. I can come by myself.
The response came less than thirty seconds later.
I’ll pick you up.
That was it.
No explanation.
No discussion.
Just a simple sentence.
Adam stared at the screen before shaking his head.
“There he goes again,” he muttered.
One thing he had learned about Alexander Hayes was that the man rarely raised his voice.
He didn’t need to.
Alex spoke quietly.
Calmly.
Respectfully.
But somehow…
Every sentence carried a certainty that left very little room for argument.
“I’ll pick you up.”
Not…
“Would you like me to?”
Not…
“Maybe I could.”
Simply…
“I’ll pick you up.”
Adam should have found that irritating.
Instead…
He found it strangely reassuring.
It wasn’t controlling.
It was simply the way Alex communicated.
When he decided to do something, he committed to it completely.
Adam smiled to himself.
“I guess I’m getting picked up.”
⸻
When the gallery closed for the evening, Adam returned to his apartment.
He stood in front of his closet with a small travel bag resting on the bed.
“This is ridiculous,” he murmured.
He wasn’t going away for a week.
Just a weekend.
Still, he folded a few comfortable T-shirts.
A couple of sweaters.
Jeans.
His sketchbook.
A handful of pencils.
His toothbrush.
And, after a moment’s hesitation, the soft pajama pants Alex had once teased him about.
He zipped the bag shut and looked around his apartment.
Everything felt ordinary.
Yet somehow…
He couldn’t ignore the small flutter of anticipation growing inside him.
He still didn’t know what this thing between them was.
He still didn’t know where it was going.
But for the first time in a long while, he wasn’t trying to figure it out.
He was simply letting it happen.
A few minutes later, his phone buzzed again.
Alex: I’m downstairs.
Adam looked at the message and smiled.
Of course he was.
Right on time.
Taking one last glance around his apartment, he picked up his overnight bag and headed for the door.
Whatever this weekend was going to be…
He had a feeling it would change something between them.
He just didn’t know what.
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