I place the bottom of my bookmark on the last line I read and close the book, placing it on the coffee table, and glance at the watch, 2:27.

I take off my glasses and put them over the novel. The story kept me distracted enough to follow the promise I had made to myself. It also calmed my nerves. Somewhere in between, I dared to retrieve my fallen keycard.

I push myself to my feet, stretching my arms as I yawn and walk over to the bed. I shove aside the covers when a loud slamming noise makes me halt.

Frozen to the spot, I clutch the corner of the duvet, directing all my focus, hoping to hear something from the other side.

Another banging sound, followed by a muffled voice calling my name.

Relief floods through me and my grasp loosen. I move to the doorway, while I tug down my shorts in a vain attempt to cover more skin.

I wonder what Adrien has to say this late at night.

I texted him a while ago, informing him I've left, to prevent the Amsterdam incident from repeating.

Pulling the door open, there he stands, his forehead pressed next to the doorframe. Adrien straightens himself. His bloodshot eyes scan my face before a lazy smile curves his mouth.

"Eleanor!" he slurs and stumbles, struggling to stand straight in front of me.

Alcohol's scent attacks my senses.

I squint, skeptic I ask, "Did you mistake your room with mine?"

A laugh tumbles out of him, making him stagger. "No," he splutters, squinting, he leans to me. "I wanted to see you," and offers a small smile.

Unsure, I mumble, "Okay,"

His expression changes as he presses his lips into a thin line, and glowers, "Why him?"

I furrow my brows. What is he talking about?

"Why that asshole?" he shouts, pointing his index finger at me.

My eyes widen. We can't get kicked out of the hotel now!

"Adrien," I start, taking a step toward him.

He backs away, "No!" he snaps but loses his balance. I catch his hand in time to stop him from falling, and pull him, trying to straighten him.

"Let's talk inside, okay?" I suggest in a soft tone.

He cocks his head, gazing at me, and replies equally softly, "Okay,"

Relieved that he's agreeing, I help him in and shut the door behind us.

He walks further in, sometimes using the wall to maintain his stability.

"You were reading?" he asks with surprise and turns to me.

"Yeah," I nod.

He grins. He surveys me as I remain in the narrow hallway leading to the center of the suite across from the window. He shifts his weight from one leg to the other, "You look nice," he remarks, slurring the last word. I raise my eyebrows in bewilderment. How much did he drink? He's not being himself.

With unsteady strides, he moves towards me. "Wear like this more often," he tells me, then pauses and frowns. "No, I take that back, don't, assholes stare at you too much already,"

He walks to the wall and leans to it. His attention fixes on the view as I stand in front of him and cross my arms.

His eyes bore into me. "Why that asshole!" he demands.

Does he mean Jeffry?

I rub my brow. It doesn't make sense.

"Why?" his voice breaks as he looks at me.

I step closer to him. "Adrien," I start.

He interrupts me, whispering, "Why not me?" His gaze accuses me of something I have no idea about. "Why is it never me?" the helplessness in his tone and features makes my heart ache for him.

What is he talking about?

Adrien stands upright, his glossy eyes lock with mine. The greenish-blue appears greener and darker. His arm snakes around my waist. Before I know it, he spins us.

I squeeze my eyes shut and hold on to him as I gasp with surprise, bracing myself for a fall.

He stops and I dare myself to see what's happening. I catch him placing his palm on the wall as he steps to me, causing me to press my back to it. He leans down to my eye level. The woody scent of his cologne mixed with alcohol burn my nostrils, his hair unruly, he studies my face. For a long moment, his gaze lingers on my lips before our eyes lock again.

Adrien removes his arm from my waist, that's when I realize I'm still clutching his shirt.

Shame and embarrassment kick in as heat rushes to my cheeks. I focus on the coffee table and withdraw my hands.

He places his free hand under my chin, bringing it up, searching and urging me to return his gaze.

"Please," he breathes. The emotion lacing the plea tangles and draws my stare to him.

A small smile curves his mouth, as he moves to cup the side of my cheek. My heartbeat accelerates.

He presses his forehead to mine. My eyelids fluttering shut. His thumb lightly brushes my skin underneath. I cease breathing for the first few seconds before the need for air drives me to draw shallow breaths.

"This is wrong," he mumbles.

For prolonged moments we stay like that. I want to call out his name, to ask what's wrong, but the capability of speaking has left me.

"I hate him for getting near you, for touching you," he murmurs.

Panic fogs my head, provoking my already racing heart to pound.

He is talking about Jeffry! Has Jeffry told them about what happened?

James will make tomorrow a hell for me. I'm sure of that, or Olivia since she's been trying to hunt him from Amsterdam. Maybe Tina too.

Fuck.

Adrien's warm hand drops from my cheek and the absence of warmth snaps me out of my thoughts. He wraps his arms around me, placing his head on my collarbone and pressing his forehead to the side of my neck.

"Eleanor," he muses, "my favorite name... it even sounds different from all the other Eleanors," he slurs and I feel him smiling, his breath tingling my bare skin.

I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing. He is too drunk to make sense of what he's saying.

His smile falters, his embrace tightens. "I can't..." he mumbles in a slur, the last part jumbles making it impossible to understand. He keeps slurring and rambling, his voice thick with pain, sounding alone and broken. I only catch a few understandable words like Sophia, asshole which doesn't benefit to figure out his speech.

To comfort him, I place my palms on his shoulders, the muscles tense for a moment under my touch before relaxing.

As we stand there, I try to offer the solace I can while motioning a hand in idle circles. My breathing stabilizes.

The moments stretch on until he picks his head and his eyes lock with mine. The emotion behind them has shifted, prominent enough that I'm able to spot it and strong enough that stops me from looking away.

His arms untangle themselves, and he cups my face. He scans me, and his focus remains on my lips.

"I'm sorry, I can't," he whispers. His gaze returns to my eyes. I notice the little details about his features for the first time. His skin smooth, eyes a blend of green and blue, pupils dilated to the fullest, his mouth parted the slightest.

Before I process what's happening, his soft lips land on mine.

He tastes like vodka. His lips move in a slow rhythm with desperation as if savoring every second and yet urging me to comply.

The world melts away as I close my eyes, my logic evaporates.

One of his hands travels to my shoulder and then rests on the small of my back, enfolding me. His other hand moves, his fingers reaching to the nape of my neck, tilting my head up.

Tempted to give in and return the kiss, a voice in the depths of my mind screams at me, reminding me of my lack of experience.

The reality crashes down on me.

We're kissing!

Coming back to my senses, I find myself clinging to his shirt, my heart drumming. An unfamiliar feeling of fluttering, tightening and loosening happens at a rapid pace in my rib cage. I snap my eyes open, uncurling my fingers from the fabric, and break the one-sided kiss with a gentle nudge to his chest.

It does the trick. With the slightest pressure, he pulls away, and I turn my head at the same time. His eyes widen as if realizing what he's done. He stumbles a step back.

I fix my gaze on the other side of the room, on the sofas and coffee table, pressing my palms to the wall, trying to calm my ragged breathing.

What did we just do!

Why the hell was I even considering returning the kiss.

Oh my god, this night just keeps getting more complicated.

Adrien Clark, my high school bully, kissed me on our last day in Paris!

✈︎ ✈︎ ✈︎

((Finally a chapter that a lot of you were waiting for! What do you think about the kiss? (btw, do you think it's too soon... but they kinda have spent over 60 days constantly together... idk. Tell me your thoughts!

Also, this is my first ever kissing scene! So like really, what do you think about it? I spent about four days Googling to get a hang of this scene XD so your opinion really matters!

I might update tomorrow too, I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^ lots of love! <33333  ))