t h i r t y t w o
" trying too hard "
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Adela Chase was over the moon.

She hadn't anticipated Lewis being so at ease with the new turn their friendship had taken. Taken them onto a much more intimate path. And, while Adela's hand rested in his across the table for two, she couldn't even think about what could be at the end of that road.

Whether it be disaster or something beautiful, she didn't think about it. Didn't let those worries consume her and found her thoughts filled with the feeling of his warm hand around hers, watching the candle light dance across his brown eyes, now molten in the dim light and boring into her as if she were pure diamond.

As he dragged a thumb across the back of her hand, he asked, "Is this too... predictable?"

Adela rested her chin on her free hand as she looked at him with those doe-like eyes. Surprisingly sultry between long, dark lashes and sparkling eye-shadows smeared across the plains of her eye-lids in the way that told of a girl who had little love of make up, but enjoyed making an effort. It was enough. She looked effortlessly beautiful and incredibly enticing for a girl who always seemed to be reserved.

She held his gaze as she replied, "What? A romantic meal?"

"Yeah." His accent coming out as he spoke. She liked his accent. "A little cliché, don't you think?"

A smile swung onto her lips as she drew her hand back from him, picking up the wine glass. She paused before taking a sip, letting the scent slip into her nostrils, and said, "It's been a long time since someone took me out for a meal like this. As common as it is, I couldn't ask for anything better."

Adela kept her eyes on him as her lips closed around the edge of the glass, drinking the cool wine.

"So, I did well?" He too sipped his wine, meeting the challenge of her. He liked a challenge, he had to confess.

It surprised him how forward she was being, how open. But it was a change he grasped with both hands and refused to let slip away. She would not cower from his advances now, he hoped, because all he ever wanted to do lately was be around her.

It was driving him insane.

In truth, she surprised herself. She'd felt nervous about the date all day, but, now that she was sat across from him, the nerves scuttled away. And Adela was left with a sense of comfort, revelling in his company.

"Very well," Adela confirmed, smiling at him, even daring to show her teeth through her fear that she'd end up with her lipstick on them.

"Oh, good," Lewis said, sounding relieved, shoulders relaxing slightly. "I thought you might hate it."

"Why would I?"

"Because it's, y'know, full on. I thought you might think I was trying too hard and get... scared away."

Adela caught sight of the waiter over his shoulder, carrying what she hoped was their food.

"If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't have agreed," Adela told him, wanting to reassure him that she did like him as much as her smile have off.

Lewis opened his mouth to reply, but the waiter was already at their table, setting down the steaming plates.

"Thank you," Adela said sweetly, offering a soft smile as the waiter told them to have a lovely evening and slipped away to continue his work.

-

-

The meal had been one of the best dates Adela had ever had. And one of the best dates Lewis had ever had too.

Though neither of them said it. They didn't need to.

It came with other words. With Lewis' offer for her to come back to his, share a few drinks and meet his friends, if she wanted to.

And she did. She really did. If she was going to be a part of his life now, she wanted to know every little thing that made him happy. What made him tick over to the next day. She knew they'd be nice. Of course they would be if they were his friends. And she'd already met Josh, he was friendly to her even if they didn't talk for long.

So, Adela agreed and, just as she was getting comfortable leaning on him in the back of a taxi, they pulled up outside his house.

Lewis squeezed her hand. "We're here," He told her, leaning across to open the door for her. Their hands remained as one while they got out of the taxi, Lewis only letting go to pay, but reconnecting as they walked up to his front door.

He didn't look as nervous as Adela felt with her stomach tight. She told herself it was just from eating too much food.

He opened the door, the warmth instantly hitting them and drawing them in from the cold that nipped at their backs.

She knew he was making extra effort tonight, but still didn't expect him to help her with her coat. He slipped it off her shoulders, cold fingers brushing her soft skin, rocketing shivers through her body. Her head turned, glancing at him over her shoulder where he lingered behind her for a moment.

Adela broke the silence. Feeling her cheeks beginning to flush rosy, she said, "Is it alright if I leave my heels here? They're hurting my feet."

"Yeah," He replied, stepping around her to hang the coat on the rack, "of course."

Heels finally off, she immediately relaxed a little more. Less risk of falling over in front of Lewis and whoever else now.

"It's late so I don't know who's going to be here, but I think I can hear them in the kitchen," He said, suddenly looking a lot more nervous than he had been before.

Adela took his hand in hers and followed him through into the kitchen, clutching onto him a little tighter than she normally would've.

Standing there was three guys. She already knew Josh, but the other two were complete strangers.

"Hey, guys," Lewis greeted, slinging his arm across Adela's shoulders. "This is Adela and uh this is Josh, Matt and Cal." He gestured to each as he said their name and they smiled in response, but at the mention of who she was Cal perked up.

"So, you're Adela?" Cal questioned, putting his drink down on the side and folding his arms across his chest. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" Adela glanced from him, up to Lewis and then back to him.

"Yeah, you're Simon's ex-bird, right?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as if it was an accusation.

"Cal..." Lewis started, trying to defuse the situation before it got any worse, but Adela, to her credit, barely seemed phased.

"Right," She said, "and how do you know him?"

"We work together, occasionally party together. Y'know, the usual." Cal shrugged his shoulders, picking his drink up again and taking a long gulp. "I'll tell him I saw you, if you want."

"I don't think... Uh, maybe it's not the best idea." She cursed herself for stumbling over her words, but this was unexpected to say the least.

"Maybe we should just go upstairs," Lewis suggested, already pushing her out of the kitchen. She didn't say anything more to Cal and let herself be pulled away, more than happy to be away from him.

"I'm sorry about him," Lewis said to her as he closed his door behind them.

"It's fine," Adela replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He seemed like he'd been drinking. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Lewis sat down next to her, putting a hand on her leg, in comfort not in an advance.

She turned her head towards him, looking right into his eyes as she said, "It doesn't bother me if he does tell Simon that we went on a date. I'm not worried about what Simon thinks anymore. Yeah, I loved him, but I'm not in love with him anymore."

"Adela, I-"

She cut him off, tucked her hair behind her ear so there was no longer a curtain between them, put her hands over his lying in her lap, and said, "I like you, Lewis. I'm enjoying getting to know you and I don't want you to think I'm only partly here with you because I'm all yours."

A smile spread across his face as he leant his mouth to her ear, free hand cupping her cheek, and whispered, "All mine? Well, that's convenient because-" Adela cut him off with a muffled laugh as she pressed her mouth against his, pushing a hand through his hair. He pulled back slightly and breathed his next words against her lips, driving her wild. "Because all I want is you, and I hope that all you want is me."

"Of course," She murmured, lifting her chin up to reconnect their lips, grinning against his mouth like she was the luckiest girl in the world.

She sure as hell felt like it.

-

1511 words
can't believe it's almost been a year since I started writing this and it's not finished lmao