Adam&Audrey

Rule #4: Date Night (Part One)

Rule #4: Date Night

I didn’t mean for it to slip out, it just did. A pained look flashed across Audrey’s face before she blanked it. But just as I opened my mouth to explain, we were interrupted.

“Hey, Adam? Not that I mind witnessing a lover’s spat now and then, but would you mind asking your girlfriend to please get back on the customer side of the counter?” May said in a sickly sweet voice. She and Audrey stared each other down with calculating looks before I released Audrey’s wrists and she slowly pushed the mini-door to get to the other side.

“Are we going home?” Audrey asked me, her voice controlled, or maybe just somewhat normal. Her eyes were still on may’s.

“I... uh… May?”

May shot me a look that I think was supposed to say something before she sighed. “Yeah, go on. I’ll teach you the ropes tomorrow.”

Suddenly feeling bone tired I gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks, man. For everything today. Really, I owe you a ton. Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be a ton of gold or something,” I joked lamely. No one laughed, but the mood was lightened considerably as she rolled her eyes.

“Just go, Adam,” she whined, suppressing a grin.

Saluting, I took off the uniform and handed it to her before grabbing Audrey’s arm and leading her out to the parking lot (which, apparently, had been right across from Starbucks the entire time).

“Wait!”

Audrey and I both turned to see May awkwardly jogging towards us, a coffee tray in her hands. Putting a hand over the two cups to keep the coffee from sloshing over the rim, she slowed down as she approached us. “Here,” she said, handing me the tray sheepishly. I looked at Audrey, who shrugged.

“What’s this for?” I asked, taking the tray from her.

May lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “You didn’t get to drink your iced coffee from earlier, and I sort of felt bad after the whole Jay and two terror thing.” I avoided looking at Audrey and barely restrained a smile.

“You both look like you’ve had a long day. I thought a little something might help.”

I was touched by her small gesture and gave her a warm smile. “Thanks.” Audrey mumbled her thanks as well before May nodded one last goodbye and turned to head back into the mall.

I turned to Lana and unlocked her, sliding behind the wheel. Hearing the other door open, I looked up from the gearshift just as Audrey was buckling herself in. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Her eyes flashed to mine briefly. “Uh, going home?”

“Oh, no, not with me you aren’t.”

Her mouth shaped a small ‘o’. “Sorry?”

I sighed, the pent up anger and stress from the entire day crawling up my throat and into my head “What I mean, Audrey, is that you’re not coming home with me. Now get out of my car.”

Her surprise turned to amusement, which only ticked me off more. Best friends or not, today had been hell for me. Literally. And she needed to understand that by at least giving me some time alone to process and decide what the hell to do next.

“So I’m supposed to just walk home?” she said, her eyes taking in my serious appearance. With a pointed glance towards the evening sky outside she looked at me again, brow raised. “Alone?”

Taking a note from her book, I rolled my eyes. “Auds, you can crawl home for all I care, just go.” I knew it. Here it was. The guilt seeped into my gut as her eyes kept flicking from me to the door. She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. I am not backing down.