THE BILLIONAIRE’S PLUS-SIZE BLIND DATE

Chapter 4

Elowen’s Pov

What started as a simple lunch with Adrian turned into an entire afternoon that I wished would never end.

We ate sandwiches at a small cafe, walked through an outdoor craft market, and spent nearly an hour getting lost inside an old bookstore. By the time the sun began to sink below the trees, painted in shades of bright pink and gold, we were sitting on a green bench in a quiet little park near my apartment.

I pulled my jacket tighter around myself against the cool breeze, but I wasn't cold at all. Being near Adrian felt like sitting next to a cozy fireplace.

"You didn't eat the crust on your sandwich earlier," Adrian said, breaking the peaceful silence. He was looking at me with a soft, thoughtful expression.

I blinked at him in surprise. "You noticed that?"

"I notice everything about you, Elowen," he said gently, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers brushed against my cheek, sending a sudden wave of tingles straight down my spine. "I know you like chocolate over vanilla, you dream of designing huge luxury hotel lobbies one day, and you hate when people talk over you."

My heart did a tiny, happy dance inside my chest. It had been so long since a man had actually listened to me. Most guys I dated in the past spent our dates talking about themselves, only looking at me when they wanted to show me off like a trophy. But Adrian was different. He remembered the silly little things I said in passing.

"Okay, master detective," I teased, trying to hide how flustered I was. "What else do you know about me?"

His smile faded just a little bit, replaced by a quiet, serious look. "I know that someone hurt you really badly, and it pisses me off."

I went completely still. The bright autumn leaves rustling above our heads suddenly sounded very loud. "What do you mean?"

Adrian leaned back against the bench, his dark brown eyes holding mine. "You always get a tiny bit defensive whenever we talk about the future or about meeting people. You hold your guard up like you're waiting for me to say something mean."

I looked down at my hands in my lap, twisting my silver ring around my finger. The painful memories I tried so hard to bury started floating back up to the surface.

"My ex-boyfriend... he was terrible, Adrian," I whispered softly, the old hurt stinging in my throat. "Right before he was supposed to introduce me to his rich family and friends, he took me out to dinner. I thought he was going to say something sweet. But instead, he looked at me across the table and asked if I could go on a strict diet. He said he loved me, but he was worried his friends would laugh at him for being with a curvy girl."

Beside me, I heard Adrian's breath catch. His hands clenched into tight fists on his knees. His jaw was clenched so hard I could see a tiny muscle pulsing in his cheek. He looked furious—not at me, but at the man who had said those horrible words to me.

"He said that to you?" Adrian asked, his voice low, rough, and full of deep anger.

"Yeah," I said, trying to laugh it off even though my eyes felt hot with unshed tears. "It made me feel so small. It made me feel like my body was something I needed to apologize for."

Adrian didn't try to make a grand speech. He didn't try to act like a superhero. He just reached out and took both of my hands in his, squeezing them tightly. His hands were warm, strong, and completely steady.

"Elowen, look at me," he commanded softly.

I lifted my eyes to meet his.

"That guy was an absolute i***t," Adrian said, his voice trembling with real emotion. "You are stunning. You are strong, funny, brilliant, and breathtakingly beautiful. You should never, ever have to shrink yourself or change who you are to make a weak man feel comfortable. Anyone would be the luckiest person in the world to stand right beside you."

The sincerity in his eyes hit me like a physical wave. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but for the first time in years, it wasn't a tear of sadness. It was a tear of pure relief. He meant every single word. He didn't look at my body like it was a problem to fix. He looked at me like I was the only girl in the world.

We sat together until the sun completely vanished and the streetlights turned on. Adrian offered to walk me all the way to my car parked down the block.

When we reached my car door, the night air had grown chilly, but the space between us felt electric.

"So," Adrian said, putting his hands in his jacket pockets and smiling down at me. "When do I get to see you again? Or do I need to send another bribe of garlic lasagna?"

"Hmm, I don't know," I said, stepping closer to him and resting my hands lightly against his chest. "I'm a very busy businesswoman, Mr. Cole. My schedule is very full."

"Please, Miss Briar," he pleaded playfully, leaning his head down slightly. "Give a guy a chance."

I looked at his soft lips, then up at his dark, hopeful eyes. My brain told me to slow down, but my heart was completely done waiting. Before I could talk myself out of it, I stood up on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pressed my lips against his.

Adrian froze for a split second in complete shock. But then, he let out a soft gasp and wrapped his arms firmly around my waist, pulling me tight against his warm body.

The kiss was gentle, sweet, and filled with a deep tenderness that made my knees feel like water. It was the kind of kiss you read about in storybooks—the kind that makes the whole world go quiet around you. When we finally pulled back, we were both breathing heavily, our foreheads resting against each other.

"Wow," Adrian whispered, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Yeah," I giggled softly, my face burning red. "Wow."

"Next weekend," he said immediately, pointing a finger at me with a serious face. "You are having dinner with me next weekend. No excuses."

"Alright, fine," I laughed, unlocking my car door. But right as I opened it, I turned back to look at him, my expression becoming serious again. "Adrian... I really like you. But I need you to know something. I value honesty more than anything. If we are going to do this, we have to be totally honest with each other. No secrets."

For a tiny second, a strange flash of worry crossed Adrian's face, but it disappeared so quickly I thought I had imagined it.

"Of course," he said softly, giving me a warm smile. "No secrets."

Two days later, I was sitting in my interior design office when my phone rang. I picked it up, and my mouth instantly fell open as a high-end property manager told me that a huge client wanted to hire my studio for a massive hotel remodeling project. It was the biggest news of my career!

I was so excited I couldn't even think straight. I immediately dialed Adrian's number.

"Elowen!" his deep voice answered on the second ring. "Is everything okay?"

"Adrian, you won't believe it!" I screamed happily into the phone, bouncing up and down in my office chair. "I just got the hotel contract! The big one I told you about at the park!"

"That's incredible!" Adrian cheered through the speaker, and I could hear the genuine joy in his voice. "I am so proud of you, beautiful! You deserve this so much."

"I can't stop shaking!" I laughed, clutching my mug of coffee. "We have to celebrate this weekend!"

"We definitely will," Adrian promised softly. He paused for a moment, and I heard him take a deep, nervous breath over the line. "Elowen... before we meet up this weekend, there's something important I need to tell you. Something about my life."

"Oh?" I asked, setting my coffee cup down on the desk. "What is it?"

"I... I want to tell you in person," he said gently, his voice sounding heavy and full of hesitation. "Just promise me you'll hear me out."

"Sure," I said, my brows furrowing in slight confusion. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Adrian promised softly, though he didn't sound completely sure of himself. "I'll see you soon, Elowen."

I hung up the phone with a happy smile still resting on my face, completely blissfully unaware that the huge secret he was hiding was about to shatter my whole world to pieces.