Broken

• Chapter 77 •

"This is so nice!"

"Yeah..." Adrien is pale, he looks like he's about to faint.

We're in a hot-air balloon, which I did not expect. "You okay?" I grab his arm.

He looks like he's about to throw up, "I'm not a particular fan of heights..."

I'm confused, "So why did you take us on a hot-air balloon..?"

"I didn't know we'd be this high up! I didn't think it through, I thought it would be romantic!" he tells me.

I blow out a laugh as Adrien continues to throw his tantrum, "Shit. Can it stop getting higher? We're going to run out of oxygen!"

I can't breathe. I want to film this, but I'm too busy clenching my abdomen. A sudden gust of wind shakes the hot air balloon, causing Adrien to topple over. I catch his arm and pull him back before he falls off. He clumsily falls on top of me instead, hands on either side of my head.

I look up at him with a raised eyebrow, "Comfortable?"

He smirks, planting a quick kiss on my lips before helping me up. "Thanks for saving me," he mumbles, eyes wide at his possible near-death.

"I gotcha," I give him a wink.

He presses his lips together, evidently scared to death. I sigh, "Hey. Look at me. Don't look down, it'll only scare you. Look around, it's fucking beautiful!" I take a moment to admire the view, LA really is stunning from up here.

I turn back to Adrien, whose eyes are roaming the view. "See?" I tell him.

He shakes his head, "Nope. Still fucking horrifying."

I snort and roll my eyes at him, turning back around to look at the scenery. Adrien shuffles behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Partially because it's cute, and partially because he doesn't want to trip and die, I'm sure. He rests his chin on my shoulder.

"... Feeling better?" I tease.

"... Yeah."

A soft chuckle escapes my lips, I tilt my head to face him. He has a boyish grin on his face. His hazel-green eyes are on mine. God, he's adorable sometimes. He gives me a light peck and pulls away with a giant smile on his face.

It feels like a dream, the wind softly brushes against my face. I look at him, really look at him. His delicate features are shining a beautiful golden color with the sun setting behind us. I turn around to face him completely, his arms are still clinging to my waist.

My hands make their way to the back of his neck, eyes locked to his.

"I—"

"You're beautiful," he cuts me off.

My heart skips a beat. I instinctively roll my eyes at him and give him a playful smile, "Cheeseball."

He flashes a grin and looks at my mouth, "You like it."

"Hmm... Maybe..." my eyes linger on his lips.

We both lean in until our lips meet. It's a nice, almost-kiss.

"You have really nice lips, by the way," he breathes. "I know," I tell him as I plant another one on his lips.

He lets out a soft laugh and pulls away, "I think we're finally landing."

"Bummer. It was funny watching you panic like a three-year-old," I shrug.

___________________

"So I totally beat the shit out of him," I conclude the story about how some kid tried to steal my chocolate milk in second grade. And how he probably regrets it to this day.

Adrien's eyes are wide with fear, he lets out a laugh. "Remind me not to get on your bad side," he mumbles.

"Okay. Time for twenty-questions," he tells me after the waitress gives us our food. Adrien didn't make any health comments when I ordered pizza this time. Progress.

My stomach tightens up, and I think my nervousness reflects on my face because he sighs in disappointment.

"Come on... It's a good way to get to know each other," he says.

I stuff my face in a slice of pizza, hoping he'll get the hint and move on. He clenches his jaw and shakes his head instead. "Don't worry. I won't ask questions that are too personal," he offers.

I relax a bit and shrug, "Okay."

He smiles, "Right then. I'll start. What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

I laugh and narrow my eyes at him. He smirks. "Just kidding. Who was your first crush?" he asks as he stuffs chicken salad in his mouth.

I clear my throat, "Um. I was around twelve when I started liking him, he was my childhood best-friend." I leave out the part where we're still close and it's Eric, knowing Adrien's jealous nature.

He nods, "Was that so hard?"

I snort, "Kay. What was your favorite show growing up?"

"The Simpsons."

The remainder of the evening is spent talking about our hobbies, preferences, and dislikes. He tells me about his life, and how has been brought up to be a football champion, like his father. I feel bad for him, he's under a lot of pressure for a football scholarship.

I grow quiet whenever he talks about his childhood, and he points this out the first few times but lets it go when he sees I won't budge.

"I have to take this," I tell Adrien as I lower the volume in his car and answer my phone.

"Hi, dad."

"Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"Good, and you?"

"Great, great. Are you going to the party tonight or is that not happening?" he asks.

"Yeah, I am," I tell him, glancing towards Adrien who seems interested in this fascinating conversation.

"Hmm... Don't drink and drive, don't let anyone touch you or you'll get pregnant, don't talk to boys—"

"Dad!"

I can feel his smile on the phone, "What time will you be home?"

"I don't know."

"Just be home by midnight."

I snort, "Three."

"One!"

"Two-thirty."

"Two."

I smirk, "Would've gone for midnight."

I hear him huff on the phone, I laugh as I hang up. I glance up at Adrien, "Was that your dad?"

"Yup."

"What's he like?" he asks nervously.

I clear my throat. "Um. Dad's cool, we're pretty close," I shrug.

He can tell I don't really want to talk about it, so he shuts his mouth and we remain silent for the rest of the drive. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel easy, or nice, or comfortable. It's just... Awkward.

My mind can't help but wander to Ashton, and how driving with him was a peaceful and nice type of silence. I shake my head when these thoughts cross my mind, I shouldn't be thinking about him at all.

He doesn't think anything of me.