The Billionaire And The Waitress (gxg)

31 - a loss

THE resort manager, Lucas Topaltsis, gave Adrien a head-to-toe stare. "So you're Miss Vitale."

     Adrien was not used to any kind of judgmental tone from people under her employment. Immediately, her defences rose. She pinned Luca Topaltsis with a cold, blank stare―the kind that had made lesser men flee in terror. 

     This man only smiled. He had dark, straight eyebrows, and pale sea-green eyes that stood out against his deeply tanned complexion. "We've been talking about you," he continued. 

     Adrien raised her eyebrows. Though he was the manager of a resort she owned, she hadn't hired him herself. She'd never even met him before. She had too many properties, and too many chains of command below her. 

     "The―ah―infamous owner of the resort, preparing her own wedding at such late notice. You've been quite the topic of discussion."

     "Is the altar ready?" She was hardly unfamiliar with being a source of gossip. She couldn't care less. Her mind was still on Muse, and the way she'd glowed under the sunlight. Sand-flecked and dripping ocean water.

      And Adrien had stood there, and lied. 

     "Everything's ready," Lucas said. "The violets, the lavender flowers you ordered, the bioluminescent centre pieces, the fairy lights―all as you wished, set up on the beach. And the guests have been shown to their rooms. It's just . . ."

      Adrien waited patiently. As patiently as she could muster, at least, when it felt like her world was crumbling around her. 

       Muse had asked if the wedding was still on. That would have been the perfect chance to say to tell her the truth. That her father had no more blackmail, that they didn't need to get married. But she'd lied. She'd opened her mouth, planned to say the words―"The wedding is off"― and just lied. She didn't want to lose Muse. She knew this wasn't right, but―she wasn't ready for them to be over. And they would be, as soon as Adrien called off the wedding. They'd go back to their separate places in New York City, and never see each other again, except maybe if Muse was working at the Moth Cafe. 

      Adrien imagined that future play out right before her eyes. 

      The resort disappeared. Lucas disappeared. The shining afternoon sun and the soft sound of ocean waves lapping gently against the shore beside them disappeared. 

      In Adrien's mind, she and Muse would run into each other months later. Muse would probably have a night-time shift. Adrien would be ordering a Shirley Temple, tired of some business deal she'd made that day. Muse would give her a customer-service friendly smile. And that―that would just break Adrien's heart. Muse's formality, her distant politeness. The impassiveness she reserved for customers, strangers. As if Adrien meant nothing to her, and never had. 

      She could see it so clearly. That future timeline, looming over her like the shadow of a skyscraper. Bleak. All-consuming. Adrien was terrified of it.

      Luca continued staring at her. It seemed he was waiting for her acknowledgement she'd heard him.

      "Just what?" she snapped.

      He raised his hands in defence. "Nothing. Simply curious."

     "I'm in love with her, alright?" She slammed her hand onto the counter. Luca jumped a little. "Is that what you want to know?"

     "I didn't mean to―it just seems quite sudden"

     "Have you seen her?" Adrien already knew the answer to that before she asked. It was obvious.