Acumen: Riddling Life

29. The truths and answers

Day 26

I pace my room, occasionally glancing at the window. My heart thudding in my chest as I chew my bottom lip.

Previous night was equivalent to a horrifying nightmare.

First Sophia, later that conversation between Will and Adrien and followed by that incident.

I'm reaching to Adrien's words with a slight difference, I happen to be in all the wrong places at all the wrong times. How else would I explain whatever happened to me yesterday?

Arianna seemed to be well aware of everything regarding prior events, but kept quiet on the breakfast table. Dylan on the other hand looked clueless.

Adrien ignored me, didn't even utter a word. I dare say it was one of the longest twenty minutes of my life.

If he is to stick with his preceding night's comment, he should show up at my door any moment now.

I don't have much time to develop a reasonable lie. I've resolved not to tell him I heard the exchange between him and Will.

What trumped-up story could possibly be adequacy for covering every aspect?

As I consider different excuses, three loud knocks snap my train of thoughts.

With a sharp inhale, to calm my drumming heart, I make my way to the doorway. I rub my palms on my thighs before turning the doorknob.

Adrien glances at me, eyebrows arched and jaw set, before setting his gaze forward. I step aside and he strides in and shuts the door.

He walks into the room, past the secretaire that faces towards the window, and stops on the farther side of the bed.

I take my time crossing the place and stand next to the desk.

He fixes his hard stare on me; I shift with discomfort and settle on looking outside, at the trees planted in the garden of the hotel.

"You were lucky last night that guy attacked you. If I had seen you strolling, I would have made hell rain down on you right then and there. Ten thousand times worse than that dude ever could," his barks, the slightest tremble in his finishing words indicating his contaminated anger.

I pluck up the courage to peek at him, and his eyes burn holes into me. My usual habit kicks in and I nibble my lip, while fighting against the fidgeting of my fingers.

"Is this the fucking pattern?" His voice booms, reverberating from the walls clanking in my skull, and I look away.

"To give me a heart attack in every single country we set foot in?" he pushes a palm through his hair. That's when I notice the bruises on his knuckles.

I blink and draw my gaze elsewhere from his hand. Guilt clawing at my insides.

If I wasn't so weak, I wouldn't have left for starters.

"To make up for doing nothing in Belgium, you pulled this stunt! Have you started planning what you're going to do in Denmark? We're headed there in four, five days. Please don't let me stop your great mind generating great fucking ideas,"

I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. He told me he didn't care I had locked myself in my room, back in Geneva... and great mind, great idea? That sounds familiar.

Shit! Jeffry said that!

Is he running out of weird combinations to throw at me that now he's using other people's words as insults?

"Didn't I tell you where I was?" he presses his thumb and index fingers together, waving his hand around, his eyes wide, hair sticking out in every direction.