Tear You Apart | ✓

17

C H A P T E R S E V E N T E E N
T H I N  B R E A T H

"oh, now i'm a little drunk,
saying what i'm thinking,"
~ clara mae

･｡;+;☆;+;｡･

   "I can't believe I'm going to beat my older brother to graduation," I muttered, feeling Adrian shift next to me.

   He said nothing, allowing me to continue while I stared at the bottom of the cliff. My legs were dangling off the ledge while my white sundress moved with the wind. "I want to drink. We should skip the ceremony."

   A deep laugh left him. "I agree on the drinking, but if we dip grad, Edward's gonna be annoying, and I know your parents—"

   Would kill me? Yes, but I didn't choose those words. Adrian got on edge every time I mentioned the k word. "Would ground me until I'm thirty? Yeah."

   Forcing myself to glance in his direction, I slowly turned my head to the left, staring at his side profile as he took in the scenery around him. With the help of the warm wind, it blew his wavy hair around, while the sun lit his honey brown eyes.

   He was wearing a black button up shirt and trousers, and I couldn't help but eye how his arms looked with the sleeves rolled up.

   Three weeks went by since my almost accident. Since then, Yuna and I studied for exams and spent my free time with Adrian. We hadn't mentioned what happened that day, and I didn't want to.

   The line was blurred, and for once in my life, I was too nervous to ask about it.

   He made sure to ask I wasn't alone almost daily. When he wasn't with me, he got Yuna's number and confirmed with her that she'd be with me. Or if I was home, I'd confirm that someone was there.

   Although I made my annoyance obvious, I couldn't help but feel... things, when he cared.

   His sigh took me away from my thoughts before he turned his head, meeting my gaze instantly. "We should go," he tightly smiled before shoving himself back so his legs weren't over the edge.

   I watched as he stood up before offering me a hand. I took it and he carefully lifted me up until I was standing barefoot on the green grass. "Thanks," I smiled before bending down. I grabbed Adrian's jacket—which he gave for me to sit on. "Here."

   He took it, holding the jacket lazily before dropping a hand on my lower back. "Let's get this over with," he sighed.

   I slipped into my flip flops before walking down the hill until we reached his Jeep. When we sat inside, I switched my shoes to heels.

   "Remember, don't go anywhere—"

   "Alone? But I was thinking about taking a long walk in the forest. At night. All by myself," I pretended to frown. "Damn, Taylor. You're really ruining my fun."

   His hand clenched the wheel, turning white. "Don't, Kelsey. I'm not kidding. We may be almost done with school, but that doesn't mean the fucking killer is done with you."

   "Tristan," I rephrased for him. Although Adrian hadn't directly exclaimed that Tristan was the killer, he didn't deny it. And after finding out he'd gotten close to me to hurt my sister, he didn't want me talking to him.

   Although, the fact the brake lines were cut while I was talking to him, I still suspected his responsibility. He could have an accomplice.

   "Tristan or whoever the fuck. Don't be alone," he repeated stiffly before glancing to me once he reached the road. His eyes softened when they locked with mine. "Please."