meant to be • adam banks

chapter eighteen

ella

It's New Year's Eve. I'm cramped in some random person's basement with a ton of my friends, the warm feeling I get when I'm drunk taking over my body as I converse with the people around me.

I'm used to parties like this. The cramped basement, loud music, and ridiculously drunk people aren't things I haven't seen before, and they aren't things I'll never see again. But something I know I may not see again after this year, is Adam Banks blessing the party with his presence.

I wish I could say that he looks ugly, but that's impossible. A black V-neck t-shirt that shows off his almost fake-looking muscles, gray sweatpants that hang low on his hips, and messy hair that's somehow still perfectly styled, the guy oozes sex and confidence. He knows he's hot, and he knows I think so too.

As the clock hits 11:58, everyone starts gathering around the TV. Drinks are put down, couples cozy up to one another, and everyone else is just in some sort of clump with their friends. I'm not sure what to do... should I go over towards my friends? Should I go towards him? Or should I just stand in the corner like an idiot?

Even though I'm in a black tank top and jeans, you'd think I was wearing lingerie. The way Adam's expression smolders when we lock eyes is almost unimaginable, and it doesn't help the butterflies in my stomach settle when he starts walking towards me.

There's only ten seconds left until midnight, but it may as well have been an eternity. He comes closer and closer until he finally breaks the silence between us, even though there's tons of people counting down around us.

"Ella... you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this again." he says, pulling me into him as the countdown to midnight ends. His lips are on mine, and then...

I jolt awake.

It's New Year's Day. I'm in Italy. And Adam Banks was not my New Year's kiss.

My own boyfriend wasn't even my New Year's Kiss for that matter, because it's not like he's here with me and my family. And I know, it looks really bad that I was just dreaming about kissing another guy... especially when my boyfriend and this guy hate each other.

At least it was just a dream though. And besides, they're going to have to get used to each other sooner rather than later, because they're going to be teammates for at least the next year or two.

I sit up and stretch, grabbing my phone and trying to forget the pure craziness my mind put me through for the last two minutes. I don't even know why I'm complaining. Tyler and I got surprised with this trip to the Amalfi Coast on Christmas morning, and we literally had an hour to pack and get to the airport in order to make our flight.

For the past week, I've been soaking up sun, swimming  in some of the bluest water I've ever seen, eating all my favorite foods, and shopping at all of my favorite high-end stores. Like I said before, I don't even know why I'm complaining. This is the best Christmas present I could've ever asked for, and I really should be focusing on that instead of boy drama.

However, that's not the case when I land on Logan Christiansen's Instagram story a few seconds later. All I see is a picture of her and Adam, his arm wrapped around her waist while she's giving him a peck on the cheek. The caption is one simple word, and that's "lover", with a kissy face emoji next to it.

My blood is boiling. I immediately swipe out of the app and open Facetime, calling Sadie without a second thought. She answers after a few rings, her groggy voice filling my speakers. "Hello?"

"Please tell me you've seen Logan's Instagram story." I spit out in disgust, ignoring the furiousness arising in my gut. "That's a fucking joke, right?"