I throw myself onto the bed and I let out a massive sigh. I try to process everything but somehow it is not sinking in. Sophie rushes over and flings herself down onto my bed and she lays spread out next to me. I look at her and she has an enormous smile on her face. I let out a giggle.
“Can you believe that he is actually here?”
“I knew that he would come back. He loves you too much and I am so jealous right now.” Sophie gushes. I lay straight back against the bed and Sophie does the same.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him. He was a dream that I had wished would come true. I never expected it to become a reality.” I admit. I hear Sophie sigh.
“Alanna, the guy wanted to marry you. Did you really think that he would just leave and never come back?” Sophie protests. I sit up onto the bed and I cannot contain my smile. I play with my curls as they embrace my face.
“All I know is that he is back now and I will never let him go again.” I get up from the bed and I go over to my dressing table. I take a seat and I lift my hairbrush. I slowly begin to brush my hair as I try to ease my tangled curls. I gaze into the mirror and I notice Sophie staring over at me. I quickly turn around and I look at her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask in a soothing tone. Sophie shifts a little nervously before she responds.
“Now that Adrian is back, where does Michael fit in your life?” I feel stung by her words and I am not sure how to reply.
“I don’t know. I owe everything to Michael and I cannot really ignore him. He is with Katharine now so hopefully everything can work out.” I say almost believing my own words.
“Alanna, Katharine is our friend and we have to support her. However, it is very hard to when it is clear to see that the guy she is dating is into someone else. Michael loves you and in his eyes Katharine will never match up to you.” I set down my hairbrush on the counter and I again gaze at Sophie.
“What can I do? I have talked to him about this and he assures me that he won’t hurt her.” I protest. Sophie shakes her head as she grazes her long black ponytail.
“Do you believe him?” She asks.
“I have to.” I admit.
“Does he know that Adrian is back?” I exhale and twiddle my fingers on the glass surface of my dressing table.
“No, I don’t think so and I am dreading when the two of them come face to face.” I clench my teeth as that thought enters my head. The love of my live has returned but the guy who saved my life could soon leave it for good. Adrian might not be as understanding as he says he will be. I fear that he could make me choose between them. I know that Adrian would be my first choice every time but I still do not want to live without Michael.
“There is a storm coming and I would hate to be caught up in it,” Sophie says and I am shocked by her words. I am confused as to what she means by her comment.
“What do you think will happen?” I ask. Sophie rolls her eyes.
“Alanna, you have to wake up. Adrian will not sit around while Michael swoons in. He will fight for you and Michael will fight back. I cannot picture this ending good Alanna and you have to make a choice. The sooner you choose the better it is for everyone.” I hold my head in my hands and I search for a reply. The truth is that I know what Sophie is saying is the truth. Adrian will not watch as Michael flirts and tries it on with me. I only want Adrian but I cannot explain the need that I have for Michael. As long as that need for him is there, then I will hold out for him and I will not make a choice until I absolutely have to.
Seven
I smile as I hear the bell that signals the end of today’s classes. I quickly gather up my books and I ram them into my bag. I jump from my seat and I march out the door. I walk swiftly along the hallway with a smile bigger than New York on my face. Just as I reach my room, I slow down as I notice Michael. He is standing alone and he has an irritated look on his face. He automatically sees me and he begins to walk over.
“What took you so long?” He says in an angry tone. I look at him and I can tell that he is not in a good mood. I slowly walk past him and I open the door to my room. I walk in and I throw my bag onto the floor. I stride over to my bed and take a seat. Meanwhile I leave the door open for Michael. He bursts in and the anger in his eyes is infuriating. He begins to pace around the room and I do not know how to react to his actions. I simply wait for him to speak.
“I hear that lover boy is back.” He says in a very sarcastic voice. I look down to the floor, as I do not want to look him directly in the eye.
“Alanna look at me.” He insists, I weakly lift my eyes from the carpet, and I gaze at Michael.
“Adrian is back,” I whisper. Michael rolls his eyes very heavily and I begin to feel annoyed with him.
“So the idiot finally shows his face, after a month.” He blurts out and my annoyance is beginning to grow. I stand up and walk over to him.
“Don’t talk about him like that. He is your brother and it is not fair to punish him like this. You know about his past and surely if I can forgive him for not being there then so can you.” I say harshly.
He takes my hands in his and he gently squeezes them. “I will never forgive him,” he says in a husky British accent. I try to pull my hands free from him but his grasp is too tight. I look into his icy blue eyes and I force out a smile.
“Michael, please don’t be angry. Nothing has to change I am still here and I want you in my life.” My words are sincere as they blurt from my lips.
His grip on my hands begins to get tighter and his broad nostrils are flared. His eyes a bolting and I begin to feel scared of him. I try again to loosen his grip but he is too strong.
“Michael you are hurting me.” I say desperately.
He does not even flinch at my words and the fear inside of me is growing. I have never seen him like this before and I do not like this violent side to him. I briskly move my arms trying my best to fend him off, he looks at me with passion and he leans in and kisses me hard on my lips. I shake him off me and he finally lets go of my hands. I step back from him and I see that he is shocked by his actions. He tries to lean in again but I push him away. He comes closer and now he has his hands on my face. I wriggle my head and I push him firmly away. He does not pay attention to my actions and again he tries to make a move on me. He grabs me by the waist and he roughly pulls me towards him. I manage to push him away and he stumbles back against the dressing table. He looks at me and he is amazed. I almost feel as if that was not him. It was as if something had taken over his body and he was not in control. However, the anger I have towards him is deep and I am not going to let him off with that behaviour.
“Michael, what was that?” I ask as I place my hand on my hip. He looks devastated by his actions and I almost see a tear run from his eye.
“Alanna, I cannot tell you how sorry I am. That wasn’t me and I don’t know what came over me,” he says very apologetically.
“That was out of order. “ I say almost shouting. He walks over to me and he tries to catch my hand. I immediately push him away and Michael looks distressed.
“I know it was but it will never happen again. Can you forgive me?” He says as he runs his fingers though his hair. I narrow my eyes at him and although I am highly annoyed with him and I almost cannot bear to look at him. I still feel connected to him, he saved my life and I feel obliged to him. I know what he did was completely unacceptable but something is screaming out that this guy is hurting. I look into his blue eyes and now I am positive that there is a tear. He quickly wipes it away as he awaits my response.
“Michael, I am mad at you. This behaviour cannot continue and I will not tolerate it much longer. If you want me to forgive you then there has to be some ground rules.” I say confidently.
He looks at me and says, “I need you, so what is your rules?”
“You have to accept the fact that I am with Adrian and you have to stop your rude comments about him. I will not stand for you slating him every second of the day. I als
o need you to move on from me. You are with Katharine yet you forced yourself on me. It’s not fair to string her along so end things with her if you are not serious about her.” I say proudly. Michael steps back and he looks down at me.
“It is done. Whatever you say goes.” I wrinkle my face at his agreement. I wonder why he is agreeing to my rules so easily. I look up at him and I say.
“As long as we are clear,” He nods.
“It’s crystal clear.”
I shift nervously as I hear a knock at the door. Michael looks towards the sound and his eyes look panicked. I quickly march over the door and I open it to reveal Adrian. He smiles at me and pushes into the room. His smile soon fades when he sees Michael. I look at the two of them as they stare at each other - like gunslingers. I soon realise that my worst fear has now came true. I am caught in the middle of two brothers and as Sophie said, there is a storm coming and I was unlucky enough to feel the wrath of it earlier on. I walk over and stand by Adrian he takes my hand as he locks his eyes on Michaels.
“Brother, it is nice to see you.” Adrian says. My heart races as I wait for Michael to respond. I notice him rack his brain for what to say and then I see him walk over to us. Michael glances at me and then he holds is hand out to Adrian.
“It’s nice to see you too, no hard feelings?” Michael says and I cannot explain my relief. I feared this moment ever since Adrian came back. I stare up at Adrian as he lets go of my hand and firmly shakes Michaels. I breathe a sigh of relief at the two brothers.
“I must thank you for what you did. I will always owe everything to you.” Adrian says kindly. Michael resists the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he presses out a smile.
“I just did what anyone would. Now if you can excuse me, I have a girlfriend to get to.” Adrian nods at Michael as he heads out the door. I quickly turn around and glance at him as he leaves. He shortly returns my gaze and then he is out of sight. I turn to face Adrian.
“Thanks for being so understanding. I was worried about what might happen when you two met.” He moves closer to me and grabs me by the waist. He softly kisses me on the neck and whispers.
“Baby, you worry too much.” I smile at his touch and I slide my hand along his strong back. He pulls back from me and he takes a small box from his jacket pocket. My heart races and I remember when Sophie told me that Adrian was going to purpose. He notices the anxiety on my face and pauses before he hands over the small black box.
“Don’t worry it is not what you think it is.” I blush at his words and I feel slightly disappointed by them. He carefully places the small box into my hand. I pause as I open it,
“Adrian you don’t have to buy me things.” He gently lets out a puff of air and he alerts me to open the box. I sigh and I open the box to find, a thin white gold chain with two small letters hanging from it. I take out the necklace and I hold it up. The letters AB hang from the chain and I smile at the sight of the diamond initials. Adrian smoothly takes the delicate necklace from my hand. He makes his way to the back of me and he slowly clutches my hair into a single strand. He pushes it forward and begins to place the necklace onto my neck. His long thin fingers touch my skin lightly as he buttons the clasp. I must have a look of confusion on my face and Adrian quickly notices it.
“Right now this necklace signifies me but one day it will stand for Alanna Black. I want you to wear this as a symbol of my love until that day.” I instantly turn to face him and I place a hand on each broad shoulder. He pushes my hair from my face and he gently stokes my curls as he glides them down my back. I glare into his eyes and I cannot catch my breath. He pulls me close to him and he holds me tightly. I catch a whiff of his strong cologne and I bask in the scent. He whispers softly to me.
“I cannot live without you and I will never let you go.” His smooth London accent rings in my ears as I hold onto him.
I rummage through my closet as I look for a suitable outfit. Adrian has asked me out on our first official date and I want to look perfect. I glance over at him as he talks rapidly on his phone. He catches me staring and he quickly smirks at me. I flash him a smile and I turn back to massive pile of clothes that lie on the floor.
“Just pick something Alanna.” Sophie says as she stands in my closet with me.
“I want everything to be perfect.”
Sophie smiles, “you have Mr perfect what else do you need?” She says in a slow sarcastic voice. I pout my lips at her and I begin to sort through my pile of jeans. After throwing out several pairs, I finally choose a dark blue pair that still has the label on them. I reach over and select a black turtleneck sweater. I gather my outfit and I head into the bathroom to change. I throw on my outfit and I scrunch my hair into a loose bun. I quickly wipe my face with some cleansing wipes and I apply some soft light blush. I use a shimmer of gold eye shadow and add a few strokes of mascara. I finish with a light pink lip-gloss and I take out my hair tie. I swish my hair around my face and I apply a touch of smoothing serum. I step back and I take a good look at myself in the mirror. I feel that I look fine, however I also fell that do not match up to Adrian. I sigh and I can hear Sophie and Adrian talking in the other room. As childish, as it is I place my ear close to the door and I listen to their words.
“So where are you taking her tonight?” I hear Sophie ask Adrian.
He quickly responds. “It is a secret but I am sure that she will tell you later on.”
Sophie lightly giggles and she begins again. “Adrian if you don’t mind me asking, why did you decide to come back,” I hear Sophie bravely ask.
“The main reason I came back is that I could not stay away any longer. I was a total mess without Alanna. Nothing mattered to me and I could not focus on the business. I tried to go back to London but I did not make it past - check in.”
I am surprised by Adrian’s openness and especially to Sophie. It was not that long ago he was telling me to be aware of her. I shake my head and I still cannot believe how things have changed in such a short space of time. I clasp my ear again to door as I hear Sophie respond.
“You really love her, don’t you?”
“There is something about her that completes me. I know that my life would be over if she was not in it. I knew that I loved her from the first time that I saw her.” Adrian gushes and I beam at his confession.
“I was very wrong about you and I apologise for treating you the way that I did.” Sophie sounds sincere in her words.
“Everyone judges me before they get to know me and you are no different. You mean a lot to Alanna and I wanted your approval.”
“Then you have it. No one makes Alanna smile in the way that you do.” I lean back from the door and I push it open. I walk out into the room and Adrian stares at me.
“Baby, you look amazing.” He gushes. I smile at him and I walk over to my closet. I rummage amongst my coats until I find my black fur, sleeveless jacket. I slip it on and I tie it at the waist. I switch of the light and I again enter the room.
Adrian instantly smiles at me.
“Are you ready?” He asks softly. I walk over to him and I link my arm into his. I stare at him and I notice that he has also changed his clothes since this morning. He has replaced the black shirt with a white one and he now has on a long black coat. His hair is greased back with one or two strands falling loosely around his forehead. He is massively tall and with six-inch Jimmy Choos on, I still feel dwarfed by him. Sophie claps her hands gently at the sight of us. I cannot contain my smile as Sophie says.
“You two look amazing together.”
Adrian lightly strokes my hair as he replies. “I wouldn’t look as good if I didn’t have this beauty on my arm.” He lets out a husky laugh at his own words and I cannot hold back my giggles. Sophie says goodnight and Adrian escorts me out of the room and along the hallway. He walks rather slowly and I gaze up at him.
“Alanna, what is wrong?” He asks.
I smile and say, “Nothing is wrong. You are just walking a little… slow.”<
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He looks down at me and his hair falls from its place. He lightly pushes it back and he looks into my eyes.
“I am in no hurry.” I smile at him and I grip him tighter. I still feel as if someone needs to pinch me. Yesterday my life was in tatters and now it is perfect once again. I knew that I missed Adrian terribly but having him back really points me in the direction of what I want. Adrian is everything that I could ever need. I love him more than life and I thank god that I never once gave up on him. I knew that there had to be more and I was persistent in confirming that. Adrian’s return has sparked a fire inside of me and that fire will never be distinguished.
“Are you going to tell me where we are going?” I ask nicely. Adrian does not look down at me as he picks up the pace.
“No it is a surprise.” I smile at him and I walk faster to keep up with him. We reach the front door and we step out into the cold snowy night of Manhattan. I glance around at the busy street and it does not take long for me to figure out which car belongs to Adrian.
“Still driving the Rolls Royce?” I say in a light sarcastic tone. He smirks at me as he opens the door.
“Technically I don’t drive it,” he says just as sarcastic. I carefully slide into the car and I caress my stomach as I do.
“Are you in pain, baby?” Adrian has immediately noticed my emotion. I glide over to the opposite side of car and I lean back into the soft leather seat. I look to Adrian as he gets into the car and softly closes the door behind him.
“I am okay, it was just a twinge.” I say trying to prove to him that I am fine. He briefly flashes me a smile as he signals the driver to pull away. The car drives slowly around Manhattan and I glare out of the window at the beautiful city that is New York. The streets are filled with people who look as if they could not be happier. I turn to Adrian and I soon realise that I could not be happier than I am right now. He places his hand on the armrest that sits between us. He glances to me and he makes a gesture with his eyes that alerts me to take his hand. I carefully place my hand on his and a gentle smile comes to his face. We bask in that moment for what feels like a lifetime. Until Adrian’s phone starts to ring and he pulls away from me so that he can take the call. I stare at him as he answers,
Three Thousand Miles - Jealousy (book #2 of Three Thousand Miles Series) Page 11
