Jubliant /ju-bli-ant/
adj. feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

AVELINA WOKE UP to the sound of the shower running. She sat up in bed before running her hand through her hair. Her mind was constantly replaying last night's events on repeat. All Avelina could do was pinch her lip as a smile formed on her face.

Just in time, the sound of running water suddenly came to a stop. Avelina turned to look up at the door just as Adrik opened it with a towel around his waist. She couldn't help but look at his wound to make sure it wasn't excessively bleeding.

"Are you okay?" She asked, moving the blanket from her body and standing-well, attempting to stand. The moment she stood up, she allowed herself to sit back down due to the pain she felt deep down below. It was a sharp feeling that stabbed her lower region, and her face made sure to grimace as evidence of it.

"I am okay. Well, my side is still in immense pain which would result in my answer as bad. Although, I am feeling more jubilant than normal which is what I suppose is good. So, going based solely on averages of the two feelings, I am feeling okay," he explained. Avelina nodded her head slowly in response.

She then watched as he walked off into the closet. A sigh moved past her lips while she found herself using her fingers to comb through her thick strands of hair.

"Avelina," Adrik called out to her from the closet.

"Yes?"

"May you come in here for a moment?" He asked. She bit down on her lip and moved to stand up again, but was only welcomed with pain.

"Uh, is it important?" She asked, wincing slightly. He stepped out of the closet with a tie in his hand.

"I want to impress you," he told her before showing her the second tie he had in his other hand. One was blue and the other was black. "Which one do you prefer on me?"

"Blue," she let out. He nodded his head and walked back into the closet. A smile thrust itself onto her features at the realization that he always wore black ties with his suits. It made me her proud to see he was stepping out of his comfort zone-even if it was for something as small as a tie.

After just a few seconds, he walked right out of the closet and toward the bed. She couldn't help but gaze at him until he was directly in front of her. Avelina really loved looking at him.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she spoke out randomly to fill the silence that was bouncing off the walls. Adrik sat down beside her on the bed. Avelina placed her hand on top of Adrik's while never meeting his gaze. She could feel his eyes drilling holes into the top of her head, but she couldn't manage to look up at him. All she could focus on was his hand and how badly she wanted to grab it and hold it for as long as he'd let her.

"Last night was amazing," she told him before finally looking up into the depth of his eyes. He didn't say anything after that, so she finally decided to grab hold of his hand before pecking his lips.

"Are you in any pain?" Avelina questioned as she allowed her other hand to feel the bandage through his shirt.

"No, primarily because of medication. I am sure if I weren't taking any, it would be excruciatingly difficult to perform tasks-much like how difficult it is for you right now," he told her. Her jaw dropped in response. She didn't even know he realized how much pain she was in.

Suddenly, she grabbed a pillow from behind her and lightly swung it at him. His face was suddenly covered in shock leaving her to drown the room with her laughter. Her head tilted back and her eyes shut with each sound that left her lips.

"Adrik, your- your face," Avelina laughed out.

He stood up from the bed and pulled her up by her hand along with him. His arm wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer to his body. She was quick to place her arms around his neck leaving her head to rest on his chest. There was still this huge smile that never managed to go away.

"I would be happy to assist you with any of your needs," he told her. Her body completely melted against his. She loved it when he held her and allowed her to get lost in his homely warmth. It was moments like this where she felt most protected.

"Ironically, I'm your caregiver," she said softly. He didn't say anything after that. All he did was pick her up bridal style and walk her into the bathroom where he sat her down on the counter.

Avelina watched him turn the water to the shower on. Her eyes followed every movement of his. She was so mesmerized to finally feel cared for. When he finished, he walked back over to her where he placed his hands on the sides of her thighs.

"I am going to my casino today to finish paperwork. I would request for you to join me, but I have decided to let you get better," he told her before lifting her shirt up and off of her body. Her hands immediately flew to cover up her bare-parts but he grabbed her hands and held them at either side of her body.

"I will be home soon, Avelina," he said. Her breathing grew heavy as he leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. The innocence that passed from his lips to hers had locked her in some sort of starstruck haze. He had so much power over her even as he pulled away just to gaze into her eyes.

Just as quick as her hormones made their appearance, they disappeared thanks to her memory that suddenly allowed worry to consume her thoughts.

"Are you going to be okay? You just got stabbed yesterday. I'm sure your casinos will be fine for at least a day," Avelina told him. She also just wanted Adrik to stay for a bit, but she was too fearful to actually say that. Her imagination played out this scene of lying in bed with him as they talked about the past, present, and future all-in-one-- she suddenly grew a craving for it.

"Yes," was all he said. She let out a sigh, but decided to say nothing as he lifted her up once more and placed her inside of the shower.

"Wait," Avelina called out as he began to walk away. He stopped with a raised brow.

When he turned to look at her, she pulled him down to her level by his neck and kissed him once more. It was as if she couldn't get enough of him. For some reason, Avelina felt like if she let him out of her grasp, he would slip away. It was the last thing she wanted because he was her entire world. It didn't matter that she only knew him for two and a half months because, even to summarize Adrik's scientific discovery on love, love waits for no one.

"Okay, bye," she giggled like a schoolgirl talking to her crush after pulling away. Adrik pecked her cheek in response before walking out of the restroom.

Avelina focused her attention on the shower as a smile whisked its way onto her face. She was smiling, and it was for absolutely no reason at all. It was a great feeling-smiling just to smile. Not the typical fake smile, either. She was so happy to the point that a real, authentic smile took over her features with no assistance at all. It was a smile that appeared all on its own.

She washed her body before using his shampoo to run through the strands of her hair. Avelina took her time with bathing and constantly thinking about Adrik. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of him, but she didn't mind it at all.

After she was done with everything she needed to do, she stepped out of his bathroom with a towel wrapped around her frame. Her feet were accompanied by the cool marble flooring as she paddled her way to her room.

The heat from the shower really helped aid her sore muscles. She didn't feel completely recovered, but she felt more comfortable to move around than she did earlier.

Avelina stepped into her bedroom where she immediately went into the closet. Since Adrik was going to be away all day, she didn't feel any need to dress up. So, she reached for a tank-top and some shorts.

The second she had all of her attire on, she walked out of her bedroom.

Avelina wanted to spend her time alone in Adrik's mansion productively. So, with that thought, she decided to clean as much as she could of the already very clean house.

She spent hours cleaning her semi-messy room and organizing her clothes after washing and drying Adrik's bedding. When she was done with cleaning the bedrooms, she headed over to the kitchen.

Avelina actually enjoyed cleaning. To her, it was such a thoughtful process. Not to mention, after cleaning, the feeling of accomplishment and proudness would overwhelm one's body like a blanket. It felt good to clean--it reminded her that getting rid of negativity is a lot easier than some may think. All you may need is a towel and a bit of bleach just to wipe the dirt away.

Just as she finished putting away the last dish from the dishwasher, the loud chime of the doorbell rang through the house.

Avelina quickly dashed to the front with a huge smile on her face, ready and prepared to see Adrik.

The second she threw the door open, her smile dropped from her face completely.

A beautiful middle-aged woman stepped into the house, but not before throwing her coat at Avelina. A gasp left Avelina's mouth just before her eyebrows pulled together. The sound of the woman's heels clanking against the flooring was deafening as Avelina placed the stranger's coat on a rack.

"Um," Avelina let out as she faced the woman. Avelina was finally able to get a good look at her without the coat covering her face. She was definitely beautiful even with her brown hair resting just past her shoulders, eyes the color of a dull pencil, and the smallest wrinkles that no one would notice unless looking at them too hard--she made it all look breathtaking.

"What are you-the cook? The maid?" The woman let out followed by a chuckle. Avelina couldn't help but frown. She could never seem to comprehend why someone would be so rude only to someone they have barely met. It was perplexing.

"Avelina. May I so kindly ask who you are? Adrik didn't mention anyone stopping by," Avelina smiled.

"Of course, Adrik didn't think to mention his own mother," she let out. Avelina's brows had risen as she processed the woman's words. She never anticipated to meet his mother especially under such awkward circumstances. The woman eyed Avelina's clothes with judgemental eyes. Avelina's eyes wandered down to her own attire as she suddenly began to wish she could time travel and put on something different.

"Oh, mother, right," Avelina whispered out. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to lay back the flyaways. Mother. Everything was suddenly going too fast-one minute, she was having sex with Adrik, and the next, she's meeting his mother.

Then, the door opened and practically bombarded Avelina. Adrik quickly latched onto her before she had fallen from the impact of the door.

"Syn," The woman let out as she almost pushed Avelina from Adrik's grip and wrapped her arms around him. Avelina was beginning to feel like a rag doll from how many times she had been pushed and shoved around.
[ translation : son ]

"Chto ty zdes' delayesh'?" He asked her. She immediately pulled away as if his words themselves had formed some sort of sword and sliced her cold heart.
[ translation : what are you doing here? ]

"I think it's about time you send me more money, don't you think?" She raised a brow in question. Adrik looked over at Avelina, and despite how unobviously he appeared angry-she knew he was pissed.

"We're having a private conversation, can you please send your help elsewhere?" She asked, letting out a loud sigh before plopping down on the couch.

"My help?" He questioned.

"Yes, her-your employee or whatever the hell she is. I forgot how retarded you are sometimes," the woman stated before whispering the last part to herself which completely upset Avelina.

"Excuse you. Don't speak to him like that. He's a grown adult and you came to his home, you should show a little more respect-mother or not," Avelina told her behind narrowed eyes.

"Hmm, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're not the help. Don't tell me that my son actually managed to get a girlfriend. No one with a brain would ever want him, so what are you in it for? Money? Fame?" The woman asked. Avelina felt this sudden urge to chokeslam her to the ground.

"You can leave. I will see to increasing your pay tomorrow. Thank you for your time, mat'," Adrik stated before opening the door. The mother plastered a smile on her face as she strode toward the door.
[ translation : mother ]

"Good. Nice meeting you, Angelina," she laughed out just as Adrik slammed the door behind her.

Avelina noticed his balled-up fists and immediately grabbed hold of his hands. She knew he was going to lash out and understood the complete normalcy of it.

"I don't understand. Why are you paying her when she's obviously a despicable human being?" Avelina asked, her brows pulling together.

"There was a time when she would take me to therapy to talk through my behavioral concerns as a kid. She spent a lot of her time making these cards to help me express my emotions, so I could feel like I belonged. One day, she gave up. I guess she got tired of putting band-aids over the broken skin and wiping away all of my tears. She got tired of lying to me about how I was no different from the rest of the kids my age. She introduced herself to a new way of life after my sister had gone. I love her and I love my sister. I would do anything in the world for the people I love. It never mattered to me whether or not they loved me back," he told her. She placed her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat.

He was getting better at speaking about how he felt. The thought made her smile.

"I want to hear your story, Adrik. I want to hear everything about you. Then, after you tell me everything, I'm going to promise you that I will never ever get tired of someone as amazing as you," she whispered.

-

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