Rival Arrival

Chapter 26 - Closer

My head is a mess.

What was I thinking? Telling Celeste that I just can't seem to get her out of my head? If there was one sure-shot way to push her further away, I'd just gone and done it.

Damn me and my big mouth.

It always seems to happen when she's around. Again, again and again.

"Hey, Adrian," a familiar voice calls from beside him, bringing him back to the reality of the party in full swing around them. Kai's deep emerald eyes are focused on him, the unasked question lingering in the air between them.

"Do you like Celestine?"

Adrian wanted to say the truth. To say no. Because he truly, utterly and wholeheartedly did not like Celeste.

"Maybe," he murmurs before he can stop himself.

There's a pause as Kai stares back at him with a piercing look. The tight corners of his mouth and the blankness of his gaze don't give much away.

"But you hate her."

It's Adrian's turn to flinch. "Hate is a strong word," he laughs awkwardly. It's unlike Kai to be so direct. He's supposed to be the laid back one out of the three of them.

"You didn't answer the question."

"Look," Adrian sighs, rubbing a hand across his face. "It's not as simple as that, okay? You're right, there is some... dislike. I disagree with lots of the things that she says and does." Silence lingers as Adrian tips his head back, downing his drink in one large gulp.

"But you just can't stay away." Kai mutters, voicing the thoughts that Adrian hadn't.

Adrian's head jolts up. "That. Exactly that, what you said." He lets his whiskey glass fall to the counter of the bar they're sitting at with a soft thud. "I don't like her, or at least, that's what I tell myself. But then time and time again, I find myself gravitating towards her. Finding some excuse to be next to her, to hear her laugh, to make her laugh."

"Well, Adrian," Kai inches nearer, and drops a hand on his shoulder. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're in love."

***

A series of knocks at her door jostles Celeste from her restless sleep. Disoriented and tired, she looks down at the messy desk she presumably drifted to sleep on. She's surprised she managed to nap for this long, because her stomach's been roiling since the afternoon; a constant discomfort. Even the green tea didn't help. Shielding her eyes from the dim yet all too bright lamp, she glances at the time on her phone screen.

00:32. Who could possibly be at the door at this time?

Pulling the door open by a slight crack, she peers out into the hotel hallway.

"Hey, Love."

"Ugh." She lets the door swing fully open, trying to calm her heartbeat. "Do you even know what time it is? You should have let me know you would stop by. Hearing that knock at the door scared the shit out of me." She rolls her eyes and starts to turn around, when he abruptly grabs her wrist.

"Don't leave," he giggles. Adrian's voice sounds different. Airy. Celeste grinds her teeth as she pieces the situation together.

"You're drunk, aren't you?"

"No," he stares at her with flushed cheeks as she gently releases her arm from his grip. When she raises an eyebrow in disbelief, he looks to the ground guiltily.

"Maybe, just a little." He confesses in a small voice.

She scoffs, lost for words. Never in a thousand years would she expect to see this version of Adrian. He looks like a child who's just been scolded for eating too much candy.

A slight bit apologetic at his expression, she clears her throat and concedes a small smile. "You wanna come in, or? The hallway looks pretty plush, you could set up camp there if you wanted."

Before she knew it, he had bridged the gap from the doorway to the centre of the room in a few strides. A benefit of being tall, she supposed. Since she's the only one with her wits presently about her, she decides to head down to reception and book Adrian another room. After all, she hadn't actually expected him to show up.

"I'm gonna go find you another room, okay? Just wait here for a-"

"I want to sleep here. With you."

Celeste does a double take. She begins to splutter. "If you think for even one second that I'm about to entertain that hope of yours, then you're sorely mistaken, Adrian."

His stoic expression eases as a wide smile sculpts his face, growing by the second. "As stubborn as ever, Vora." The alcohol's causing him to slur his words, dragging them out a fraction longer than he usually does. It's irritatingly adorable, just like the pinkish glow on his high cheekbones.

She sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. How was one supposed to reason with him? "Look," she leans against the desk with her arms crossed, directly facing Adrian, who's now unabashedly moved on to making himself comfortable on her bed. Just as she's about to carry on, she notices how sleepy he looks.

"Adrian!" she practically yells his name, stopping him from dozing off.

"Y'know," he sits up lazily, and she has to summon every ounce of willpower not to look at the unbuttoned top of his shirt, exposing his tanned chest. "They say a person's favorite word is their name."

"Get to the point, Adrian."

"And god, does my name sound heavenly on your lips."

She's desperately trying to cover the blush creeping up her face as she mutters, "You're going to regret this in the morning, when you remember the nonsense you spoke whilst you were trashed."

He shakes his head slowly. "A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts, Cel."

"I'm going to do you a favor, and ignore that." Celeste whispers, as she pushes off the desk and heads to the door. "Now, are you going to leave or should-"

A large thud draws her attention, and she swivels around immediately. Only to find that the source of the noise was Adrian.

Adrian, who fell off the bed and is now fast asleep on the carpet.

"Well, that solves that problem," she huffs under her breath. Taking a spare blanket and chucking it haphazardly on top of him, she then settles into the bed and flicks the lights off. She's absolutely exhausted, but sleep doesn't come easily. Her thoughts are running at a million miles per hour, and her stomach has made it a goal to torment her. She feels as though she's on board a ship that's rocking back and forth, and isn't going to stop anytime soon.

It must be the early hours of the morning when an overwhelming wave of nausea sweeps across her, startling her from her sleep. In a split second, she's racing towards the bathroom, trying to regain her balance as she steps on something lumpy, and she hears a low groan in the background.

As she reaches for the toilet, her brow is sweaty and her body is wracked by shivers. She leans over the bowl as cool hands sweep her hair away from the nape of her neck, holding it back.

"Hey," Adrian whispers from beside her, kneeling on the cold tile of the bathroom floor. He rubs her back gently, in slow, calming motions. "Easy, I've got you."

When her stomach finally begins to settle, she leans back, completely devoid of strength. "I don't know what's wrong," she tells him shakily. "My stomach's been like this since yesterday, I think it's indigestion."

"Shh, it's alright." His hands massage her shoulders, his grip firm but light; an invitation to lean into him further. "Don't worry about a thing. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Her head finds the nook of his chest. Snuggling into him deeper, she's too tired to care about the consequences as her eyelids begin to droop closed.

"Shit," Adrian utters under his breath, as he looks down at her. Trying to make sure she's as comfortable as possible, he strokes the top of her hair, and they stay huddled up like that for a while. Her, in his arms, and him, in hers.

"Shit, Cel," he sighs, tipping his head back against the wall. "You're driving me insane."
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