by A. Marie
"Adrik," Avelina called out to him.
He pretended not to hear a word she spoke as he continued to play his piece, completely ignoring her. Adrik knew that he had to finish to feel better. Interruptions were his least favorite part when telling his story.
She let out a sigh before getting off of his piano and heading into the kitchen. Her thoughts began to speak all at once in the echoes of her mind. She wanted to help him, and it was frustrating that she could do so little when he wouldn't even talk to her.
After his mother had left and Avelina had asked him to tell her about what happened in his life—he completely shut down. He had walked away from her and into his piano room, where he began to play song after song. No words were exchanged between the two of them. Avelina wished she could understand why.
It just didn't make sense.
He was doing so well with speaking about how he felt. They managed to make it so far. Avelina couldn't understand why he decided just to shut her out all of a sudden.
"My mother always told me that if you keep frowning like that, you're going to get some serious wrinkles," Anton spoke, walking into the kitchen.
Avelina jumped in surprise as her hand stretched out over her heart.
"Gosh, you scared me," she chuckled.
"Sorry. I just got here. I was going to knock, but then I heard the boss man playing his piano, so the guard let me in.”
Avelina nodded her head before suddenly realizing how rude she was being. "Are you hungry? It is almost time for Adrik's dinner. I could make you something if you'd like.”
He shook his head in response.
"No, I ate before I came here. Thank you, though."
Avelina nodded her head, not allowing her smile to falter as she turned around to grab the dishes she would need to make Adrik's food. She suddenly grew this urge to ask Anton about Adrik. Anton seemed to know a lot about him and why he gets the way he does.
"Hey, Anton," she called out, "Why does Adrik do that? Is that his way of shutting out the world or something?"
"I don't know if it's my place to tell," he explained.
Anton could see the frustration in her eyes. She looked as though she genuinely cared for him, and it upset him that she would have to undergo much more frustration to capture Adrik’s mind, body, and soul truly.
"I want to understand him. You should know as much as anyone that he will never open up to me. I'm not saying you have to tell me everything, but please share what you can. Please," Avelina pleaded.
He sighed in response.
"I grew up with him, and you should know that he hasn't always been the same Adrik, you know. He once talked to everyone about anything, especially music. Adrik didn't care that he was different back then, but that all changed when he went to school. Kids are kids, and they pick on people who they don't understand. They didn't understand him, and they would hurt him because of it. He went from speaking all the time to never speaking at all. He thought people saw this vulnerability in him when he spoke, which was why kids bullied him. And not just from the kids at school, but the people at his home as well. He stopped going to behavioral therapy; he stopped going to school; he never left his room. He turned colder. Many years later, he got his Ph.D. in business and became a successful businessman generating billions of dollars. He still rarely speaks to anyone—except you," Anton told her.
Her heart wanted to sob out at Anton's words. She couldn't imagine the lifestyle he had to grow up in. Avelina quickly realized why he always managed to make a big deal out of normalcy and why he always felt insecure about his mental capabilities when deeming himself as a 'retard' because it's what he had always been told. His mother's words were living proof of what he had to go through his entire life.
Avelina knew him. She truly knew him, and she also knew that he was so much more than what he thought of himself. Even as the music he played continued to ring through the ears of everyone in the house, she could still hear him. He was calling out to her with each note, and Avelina wanted to pull every single one in a tight embrace.
With each key, she wished to reply, "I know, Adrik, I hear you. It's going to be okay."
"What about his sister? I know Adrik cares for her, but does she care for him?" Avelina questioned.
Suddenly, a memory played out in her mind when she had first gone to Adrik's casino. A reporter had asked her if she was Adrik's 'long lost sister.’ What happened to his sister?
"Her name was Natasha. Natasha and Adrik were awfully close. They were the best of friends.”
Although she was grateful for the information, it still wasn't enough to suffice her curiosity. The memory was vague, but she could remember once when there was a reporter who had asked her if she was Adrik’s sister, Natasha.
"You said 'was Natasha', as in, past tense. What happened to her?" Avelina asked.
Anton began to open his mouth but quickly shut it when the sound of Adrik playing on the piano came to a halt. Avelina's eyes immediately darted towards the entrance of the kitchen to see Adrik entering.
"Go," Adrik let out.
Avelina could see the defeat on Anton's face as he cast her a small smile before walking out of the back door.
"Are you okay?" She asked Adrik.
There was a guilt that settled over her that she couldn't seem to understand. Maybe she shouldn't have prided and asked Anton to give her the answers that Adrik wouldn't, but she felt better knowing. If only there were enough time for her to have heard what happened to Adrik's sister.
"No.”
Avelina bit down on her lip in response. Her eyes settled on him as he walked toward the stove and finished up his food before placing it in a bowl and beginning to walk away.
"Let me guess; you know how to cook your food. You even know how to do your hair, and you can bathe and sleep perfectly fine on your own. I do not even need to monitor whether you take your medication properly because you do not even have prescribed medication. Adrik, I don't know why you even hired me. It just doesn't make any sense when you seem competent all on your own," Avelina spoke up.
She had been wondering for many weeks why Adrik hired her. There was this aching feeling that would dawn on her heart that maybe there was more to the story.
"Avelina, I am currently not in the best mood. May we please talk about this tomorrow?" He requested.
Avelina let out a loud sigh in response before storming off to her room, leaving him there all by his lonesome.
Not only was it completely unnecessary to hire her, but it was also a complete waste of money and resources. She hated this feeling that sponged her heart with insecurities and stained her mind with anxiety.
Avelina's mind went on this endless rant of good luck never being the case for her. Bad luck always greeted her at the door. It awaits her every thought. In the depth of her smile, bad luck was seeping through it all. Bad luck might as well have been her best friend the way it always seemed to be right there no matter what she did.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Care for Feelings
Avelina snatched up her phone and a piece of paper from off the nightstand in her room. The paper that had Johnathan's phone number written on it, so she could use it regarding any questions that could arise during her time working for Adrik. It didn't matter whether or not he no longer worked for Adrik; she still wanted him to answer every single one of her questions.
After dialing his number, it didn't take long for him to answer.
"Avelina, what a lovely surprise," Johnathan spoke into the phone.
She rolled her eyes, plopping down onto her bed.
"I don't want to talk long," she began, "here's the thing, I don't think you hired me just because of my skill. I believe there is so much more to the story. So, please, I'm begging you—tell me why I was hired in the first place.”
The silence was deafening as she waited for Jonathan’s response. It was so silent to the point that Avelina pulled the phone away from her ear just to check if Johnathan
was still on the other line. His name was still apparent on her phone's screen, so she knew that he was still very much there.
"Okay, but not over the phone. I want to meet up with you tomorrow night at Blissful. It's a big-time restaurant, so make sure to dress fancy. See you at eight, Avelina," he told her in such a taunting way.
"No. I'd be stupid to go anywhere with you alone. I don't exactly trust you. Not only that, but I am not going on a date with you," she pointed out with a face shriveled up in disgust.
Jonathan was not an unattractive guy at all. He was quite handsome even though he didn't come close to measuring up to Adrik's good looks. Aside from that, he was creepy.
"Fine. I guess you don't want to know who Vincent is and what he has to do with you. Bye, now.”
Avelina's blood was boiling. Her mind was questioning if she should accept his offer and take what she can get or hang up the phone and never speak to him ever again.
"I'll accept if you agree to tell me what happened to Natasha.”
"You have my word," was the last thing that left Johnathan's mouth before Avelina hung up the phone.
Something sketchy was happening, and it was up to Avelina to find out what it was. She no longer felt safe. Her intuition was screaming at her that she was being played. Her luck was too bad for something good to happen to her.
Sliding her phone underneath her pillow, she let out a groan. Her hand ran through her hair as her teeth nibbled on the inside of her cheek. It was a habit she recently developed every time she was nervous.
Just as she was about to turn off her light to go to sleep, the door opened. Avelina already knew who it was, but her irritation wouldn't allow her to be happy.
"What do you want, Adrik?"
She looked over at him to see he was shirtless with a pair of sweats hanging low on his hips. She even watched as he stepped into the room, but not before shutting the door closed behind him.
"It is difficult sleeping when you are not around me," he told her honestly.
She let out a sigh before moving over on the bed to allow him room to lie down. Avelina didn't even bother to face him. She just turned on her side with her eyes gazing out of the window.
"Avelina."
"Hmm?"
"I do not understand. Is something wrong?" He asked her.
She knew he was genuinely confused, but it didn't even make Avelina feel bad. Genuinely confused was exactly how she felt about everything going on at the moment. It was confusing to her how someone she loved so much and was usually so honest would appear to be hiding something from her.
"No. I'm tired," she lied.
Adrik flipped her over so she could be facing him. He was looking into her eyes as he placed his palm over her cheek.
He loved looking into her eyes.
"You are a very affectionate person who enjoys contact. I can tell that you do not want me to touch you right now. You say that you are tired, but I find that hard to believe," he stated.
She let out a low sigh before placing her head onto his chest and wrapping her arm around his waist. If cuddling was what Adrik wanted, then that's what he got even though she felt the unnerving need to cry.
"Is this better?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.
"Not particularly. Something still feels odd," he let out.
Finally, she broke down. Her tears fell from her eyes as the pressure of holding everything slowly eased from her mind. She wanted so badly to trust Adrik, but she was beginning not to.
"You're right," she began before whispering to herself, "I'm confused, sad, disappointed, and stupid."
"Oh, well, hopefully, things will get better," he said before tapping her back awkwardly.
If she thought she was crying before, she was definitely crying now. She would never dislike anything about Adrik, but she wished he could at least sympathize with her—just once. She hoped that he could lie to her and tell her that he would always be there. As selfish as it sounds, she craved for someone to stand with her on an emotional level, but there wasn't anyone to do that with; there could never be.
She moved away from him and turned back around to face the window once more. She allowed her thoughts to run wild as her heart broke with each theory her mind played out.
"Avelin—"
"Why did you hire me?" Avelina questioned.
There was a silence that overcame them after that question. Adrik didn't say a word that left Avelina to turn around and look up at him.
"I prefer not answering that question," he told her.
She let out a scoff before getting up from the bed and walking towards the door. Every worst-case scenario was playing out in her head as she angrily turned back around to look at Adrik.
"I'm going out tomorrow night. I'm only telling you this because I know you have guards and security. I want your best guards to follow me and be there the entire time I'm at the restaurant. Goodnight, Adrik," she told him before facing the door and placing her hand on the knob.
Just as she was about to open it, Adrik stood up and walked towards her. Something was telling her to hurry up and rush out of there, but she stayed. Deep down, she knew that she wanted him to give her a reason to stay. She loved him too much to leave.
"You are being accompanied to a restaurant by whom?" He asked.
She felt this sudden urge to piss him off and give him a taste of his own medicine. She wondered how he would feel if she answered his question with 'I prefer not answering that question,’ but she knew better. If she had to go to a restaurant with a shady person, she felt better knowing that people were there to protect her. Those people who would protect her all worked under Adrik—which meant he would end up finding out sooner or later.
"Johnathan.”
"No. Hell no," He let out.
She rolled her eyes and tried to pull the door open. Before she could attain her goal, Adrik slammed it shut. She turned around to face him and could tell he wasn't happy.
"Adri-"
"Today's events have been terrible. I do not want to hear you tell me that you want to go out with Johnathan, Avelina," he sighed.
Adrik walked back over to the bed and sat down. Avelina could only watch as he ran his hand through his hair.
"For one, I did not hire you. I planned to fire you the day I met you, but I did not. I just couldn't allow myself to do it.”
Her shoulders fell as guilt settled over her.
"I'm sorry. Why didn't you just tell me that when I asked? I'm an over-thinker, and you helped supply my brain with so much worry and doubt, Adrik," Avelina sighed before sitting down beside him, her head softly plopping onto his hard shoulder.
"Because I am still not sure why I couldn't fire you, Avelina. It only took a second for me to see how different you are from everyone else in the world.”
She smiled at his words as her arm curled around his waist.
"Please stay," he let out.
Avelina nodded her head before playfully pushing Adrik down on the bed and crawling to the other side. He reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist. Adrik pulled her closer and covered her with his warmth.
"Are you still going to go out with Johnathan?" Adrik questioned.
"Yes, but it's only as friends. He's still the founder of HomeCare, which means I still have to report to him, especially since our three-month contract is up in two weeks," she lied.
Avelina hated lying, but she needed the truth from Johnathan, and she was afraid that Adrik would do everything in his power to keep that from happening.
Although she felt better knowing that Adrik didn't have any bad intentions with her, it only seemed to create more confusion on what exactly Johnathan was getting at.
"Okay.”
His grip around her waist managed to tighten. She wasn't even sure that he noticed how much tighter he was holding her. It was almost as if he were too scared to let her go because she may just slip away and never return.
"Hey, it's okay, Adrik," she whispered, her
eyes staring into his own.
She leaned up and captured his lips. He immediately responded by kissing her back and letting one of his hands drop down to cup her bottom. Slowly, she pulled away with a smile on her face. "I've been wanting to tell you that ever since you started playing your piano, but you didn't want to be bothered."
"Okay.”
Avelina placed her head onto Adrik's chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. She still felt terrible for how she treated him earlier and wished she could take it all back. Guilt about lying to Adrik regarding Jonathan also crept into her mind.
"Goodnight, Adrik," she whispered before leaning over and turning off the light.
When she shifted back in their cuddling position, her finger moved to trace over his abs.
She knew he loved to work out only between on weekends. He talked about it benefiting his brain for the days to come by 'triggering endorphins that help prioritize the brain’s functions.’ He then went on to tell her that she should work out with him because, in his words, 'she needed to benefit her poor brain as much as possible.’ Even though it was insulting, she grew not to be so affected by his words. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and began to join him with two hours of workouts every weekend.
A smile made its way onto her face at the memory. Adrik was quite humorous even though he doesn’t try to be.
"You are smiling," he pointed out.
"I am."
"Why?"
"You. You make me happy," Avelina whispered happily.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Care for Answers
Avelina was getting ready for the meeting with Johnathan. She was wearing a black dress that covered up her cleavage and managed to reach the top of her knees. The only reason she decided to wear black was because she knew how terrible the color looked on her, according to Adrik.
She wanted to look as horrifying as she possibly could. The last thing she wanted was for Johnathan to believe they were doing anything besides have a very business-like conversation. Avelina didn't even bother with makeup or her hair. She left her hair in its typical wavy state before slipping on a pair of flats.