“Yes I feel that it would, after all if that’s the environment that has brought the stress to you, and then I do firmly suggest that you stay elsewhere for a few days.”
“Alanna would you like to stay with me?” Adrian says trying to sound cool, but I know there is a touch of anxiety in his voice, as to what my answer might be. “Are you staying here in New York?”
“Yes, I have suite at the Chatwal Hotel; you are most welcome to join me.”
“I would love to, but I would have to stop my dorm to pack a few things, is that okay.”
“Of course, my love.”
As I sit next to Adrian in the cab ride to Columbia, I stare at him so much that I think that my eyes are going to fall out. I knew when I first saw him that he was beautiful, but now it is as if I am seeing him for the first time, and seeing his beauty for the first time again. His hair is so thick and pushed back, his eyes green and glowing, his strong jaw, the way he raises his eyebrows when he speaks, the way that his lips move, he is just mesmerizing to watch and I cannot help but find myself lost in his demeanor. I do not even think of what his secret may be. I am just so glad that he is here. When we walk in through the doors of Columbia, it is to a gaping of everyone, in the entirety of the building, staring at Adrian. Every girl, every boy, everyone, cannot help but stare at this tall handsome stranger. I pause, as I go to open the door of little room that Sophie and I share.
“Adrian, if Sophie doesn’t seem happy that you are here please don’t take it to heart. She is just looking out for me, okay?”
“No problem, I will play nice,” he says and he cannot contain his smirk.
I walk into the room and Sophie, Katharine and Michael greet me. Adrian holds back until I am safely through the door.
“Alanna are you okay, we have been so worried,” Sophie says as she runs over to me, and grabs me. “Yes I am fine, please don’t worry.” Katharine also comes over and gives me a hug; Michael on the other hand, just gives a quick nod and says he is glad that I am okay. I break free from my friends embrace, and look to see where Adrian has gone. I turn around, to see him standing right behind me.
“Sophie, Katharine this is Adrian.”
“Wow,” Katharine says, as she cannot contain the smile that has plastered her face. I shoot her a friendly glance, and turn to look at Sophie, who looks as if she is going to cry. All the while, I think she cannot get over Adrian’s looks. She finally manages to tear her eyes away from him to say.
“I have heard so much about you; it’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Likewise,” Adrian says as walks over to her, takes her hand, and gives it a little kiss. The look that is on Sophie’s face is priceless. She cannot hold back her smile, I am sure she is taking back every bad thing she has ever said about him.
“Alanna I will leave you a moment to gather up the things that you need, please take your time I will be just outside, Michael a moment please.”
“Where are you going,” Sophie’s says with a worried look on her face.
“I will be staying with Adrian for a few days.”
“In London,”
“No at the Chatwal Hotel, he has a suite and the doctor thinks it would be better for me to rest there.”
“Yes I am sure she does.” Katharine says not holding in her laugh.
Adrian and Michael head out the room, and I am alone with Sophie and Katharine staring at me, with disbelief in their eyes. I do not know if they are thinking good things about Adrian, or if they feel that he has not lived up to the hype. One thing is for sure, they are just as much under the spell of his looks as I am.
“Alanna that is the most beautiful man I have ever seen, he looks so wise and strong, how old is he?”
“Twenty-five, I know he looks older but he has been through so much, that it makes him seem older than he is.”
“What has he been though?” Sophie says. I feel out of the two of them, that Sophie will be the one that will have something negative to say.
“He had a rough childhood, his father left him when he was two and his mother wasn’t the best.”
“How did he manage to make it as a business man, where did he make all his money from?”
“He was adopted by Michael’s father Mr Jenkins, he showed him how to deal in business and by the age of twenty-one, he had his own company.”
“He is so dreamy, I just can’t help but stare at him,” Katharine adds.
“You can’t just look at that, what if he was a psycho?” Sophie says with ice in her words.
“He is not a psycho Sophie, really you have stop doing this.”
“Doing what, being honest? You do not really know him Alanna, and you are swanning off to some hotel with him. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that I need to get away, I need away from all the pressures of college. And this guy, that I do know and that I do love, is here in New York, and I am not sure how long for, so yes, if it’s a crime that I want to spend time with him, then I am as guilty as sin.”
“Alanna what has gotten into you? I am just trying to look out for you; I am telling you that there is something about that guy, that’s weird.”
“Sophie I don’t want to have this argument with you, so if you will excuse me I am going to get my stuff.” I go over and throw a few things into my carry bag. Why is Sophie being like this? Why is she so against Adrian? Is she jealous? What is her problem? I really cannot handle this right now; I just need to get away. I walk back into the hallway and I see Adrian and Michael talking over by the lockers. There is a flock of girls crowding them, so I make my over and push through them.
“Can we go now, please?” I say to Adrian not even looking at Michael.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes it will be when I get away from here.”
“I will call you later,” Adrian says to Michael and we start down the hallway.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, actually no, it’s Sophie.”
“What happened?”
“She just has to put a negative impact on everything. If she is not the center of attention, then she is not happy.”
“I am sure that is not true, isn’t she your best friend?”
“She was but now I am not sure, a best friend wouldn’t go on the way she does.”
“What does she do, that annoys you so?”
“She won’t accept the fact that I am with you, she feels you’re weird and she doesn’t like you.”
“You really shouldn’t let that get to you; a lot of people don’t like me.”
“That may be, but she is my friend and she should at least make an effort to get to know you, before she judges you.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. Have you ever stopped to think that, maybe she does not want to get to know me? Perhaps, she feels like you are too good for me, the same way that I feel.”
“Are you started with that again, please if you don’t stop saying that, I will kill you and not the people that are chasing us.”
“Wow! Words of anger, I haven’t seen this side to you before, it’s sexy.” I roll my eyes, “Ha,” I let out a laugh and Adrian and I get into the cab.
The hotel is charming from the outside with its brownstone walls and white pillars. The door attendant is dressed in a white and black suit and is extra friendly. The lobby is something quite spectacular, with its wide hallways and lashings of flower arrangements. The woman behind the desk is also extra friendly; she welcomes Adrian as if he is royalty. With a smart skirt suit on and her dark hair in a perfect bun, I cannot help but feel underdressed, in my skinny jeans and flats, my hair looks like a bird has tried to make a nest in it. I smooth myself out as the bellman takes my bag from Adrian, and shows us the way. The room that Adrian has booked is frankly the best room in the hotel. It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a living area the size of my whole house in the Hamptons. There are marble floors and a fireplace that is so large; it takes up half the back wall. I lay my
handbag down, on one of the many sofas in the huge over the top room.
“Alanna, I will show you to your room, come with me.”
He leads me along the hallway, which is full with flowers and soft-lit glowing candles. Elegant paintings hang on the wood lined walls, and I gasp as gaze upon the spectacular surroundings. The room that Adrian has given me is amazing, with a massive four-poster super king bed that stands in the middle of the floor. A massive flat screen TV mounted on the wall, and the furnishings are elegant too.
“Is this okay?”
“It’s perfect, but where are you sleeping?”
“I will be in the next room; I will give you a few minutes to settle, shall I order some food?”
“Yes that sounds good, I will have a quick shower,” I do not why I told him that, why should he care if I shower or not. My face flashes a little red and I say.
“I won’t be long.”
I close the door and flop myself down onto the bed. What will I do? He is too perfect. I focus my mind back to the way his face looked when I first opened my eyes. I could not believe that he was here, however I cannot help but think of Sophie, I really do not understand why she is acting the way she is. Why, will she not just be happy for me? After everything, I did for her, during her break up with Chace; I really feel that she owes it to me, to give Adrian a chance. I shake off the feeling of annoyance I have, and put the Sophie drama out of my mind I do not want to ruin this time I have with Adrian, thinking about Sophie and her games. Once I have my shower, I start on what I am going to wear tonight. I rummage through my bags until I find my white and black striped maxi dress, which is comfortable and quite flattering. I let my hair hang loose and apply some lip-gloss. I take a deep breath, walk over to door, I sigh and cannot believe that Adrian is on the other side of this door. I walk ever so slowly into the lounge area I do not really want to bring notice to myself to soon, as I want to bask in this moment.
I see Adrian sitting at the dining table with a glass of water; he looks so breathtaking that I have to take a moment, to look at him. He has changed out of his black suit, and I realize that this is the first time I have seen him dressed so casually. He now has on, a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a massive gold Rolex; he has swapped his suit trousers for a pair of dark blue jeans. He looks to me as I start to walk over; he pulls out a chair for me when I finally reach him. He takes my hand and kisses it gently. I take the seat and he sits opposite me at the grand dining table.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat, so I ordered one of everything,” he points to the massive silver trays that lie before us. I take of one of the lids to see a lobster; I immediately place the lid back on.
“Don’t you like lobster?”
“Not really,” I say shyly.
“Okay then, what do you like?”
“I eat healthily, salads and that type of stuff.”
“You can’t survive on that, here have some steak,” he lifts off another lid and takes out two steaks, he places one my plate and one his. “Now would you like some potatoes?” “I guess so,” I say and he hands a huge platter filled with potatoes and vegetables of every kind.
“Are you enjoying the food Alanna?”
“Yes it’s wonderful, Adrian everything is perfect.” I place my hand on his, and I feel him pull away a little. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, would you excuse me a minute?”
“Okay,” I say feeling a little rejected. I cannot help but wonder if I offend him maybe, I took things too far, what if he only wants to be friends? A million things are going round in my head.
“I am sorry for that Alanna”
“It’s okay, but may I ask what happened, did I do something?”
“No, it’s not you it’s me,”
“I just get a little distant whenever someone gets close to me, and especially you.”
“Why?”
“I guess it all goes back to Alice, and the way she was with me. I don’t think that anyone wants to be good to me.”
“I see,”
“Anyway Alanna, there is something I need to talk to you about.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“The other day when you went off with that bloke what happened, I need to tell me everything, so I can protect you from him.”
“He had three pictures in a brown envelope, one of a man, another of women that I have seen before, and one of you.”
“This woman you know of, who was she?”
“I don’t know, I just saw her once before at the beach in the Hamptons.”
“What did she look like?”
“She was dark haired and was very skinny in the picture, but when I saw her at the beach she was quite plump and her hair was starting to grey. She looked as if she aged about twenty years, between the picture and now.”
“Alanna that was Alice,”
“What,”
“The photo and the woman you saw, was my mother, Alice.”
“How is that possible?”
“Why not,” Suddenly it all makes sense, the reason I was so drawn to her, was that she reminded me of Adrian. Why, did I not see it before?
“Adrian your mother is here in the vicinity of New York, how do you feel about that?”
“I have no feelings towards her, she means nothing to me.”
“But are you not surprised that she is here?”
“No she is from here, why would I be surprised.”
“I didn’t know Alice was an American.”
“My father was from London, when Alice was sixteen she ran away from home and went straight to London. He met her while she was working as a barmaid, in one of the bars in town. She said he took to her straight away and they quickly began dating after that.”
“There must have been some happy times then?”
“For them, yes, but as for me I only have one memory that is worth remembering.”
“What is it?” He takes a deep breath.
“I was eleven and it was Christmas time, Alice had gone out the night before drinking and it was so cold in the house that my hands were frozen solid. I went outside to steal some wood for the fire from one of the neighbors. Although it was, just an empty shell of a house in a rough neighborhood, there was one woman that always seemed to be helping others. I went over to her house and knocked on her door. When she came to answer, she was surprised to see me. She had tried to speak to me a few times out on the street, Alice had warned me not to speak to her, or encourage her to get friendly with us. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the woman invited me into her home, she sat me by the fire with her two boys, and she told us all a story about Father Christmas, she fed me with sandwiches and hot chocolate until I fell asleep by the fire. When I woke in the morning, it was as if I had a real family, she was there to greet me as soon as my eyes opened. She had no husband but she was all that the boys needed. She was caring and motherly and always put them first. Later that morning when I went back to my house, I saw Alice lying in pool of her own vomit and I wished that Sandra were my mother. I know it doesn’t sound like much Alanna, and to you it must seem so little, but to me that was the best memory that I ever had as a child.”
“Adrian, I am not going to lie to you but I never had to go through anything like that. I had a happy childhood, so I can’t begin to describe or understand how awful it must have been for you.”
“I don’t want sympathy, that’s not reason I am letting you know these things.”
“I know, I can’t help but feel it towards you.”
“Why?”
“I care about you; I hate to think that you have had all these things happen to you.”
“But I am bad Alanna; I can’t see why you would care about someone like me.”
“I have never seen anything yet that proves that you are bad.” Adrian sighs and he begins to say something. “Alanna I love you, but I don’t feel that I deserve to.”
“I love you too, and don’t ever think like that
.”
“I can’t believe you said that, is it true? Or are you just saying it?”
“Of course it’s true, I love you Adrian.”
We talk for ages about many different things however; his childhood or anything that has happened to him, or the fact that he has a secret and that there are people after me, has not come up since. He talks to me about my life, asking me about my family, and telling me that I should try to mend things with Sophie. After all, she is my best friend, and I know that it is the right thing to do. Therefore, I have decided I will talk to her when I go back to Columbia. As for now, all I can think about is Adrian. How strange this all feels for me, I only ever saw him twice before, and one encounter with him was not the best experience. He was being rude, and I thought he was an arrogant ass. When the gifts were coming regular every day, I never thought for one second that it would be him. He never crossed my mind; he had no reason for doing it, as I thought that he hated me.
“Adrian, can I ask you something?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“It’s about, when we first met.”
“Okay then, go ahead.”
“The first time I saw you, remember at the Gala?”
“How could I forget?”
“You were kind of rude to me, what was your reason for that?”
“I am sorry that I did that, but I was taken in by you. I had never seen anyone like you before. You were exactly the type of girl I would go for, but you had this aura around you, which screamed out to me that you were not like everyone else”
“I thought you hated me,” he has a devilish smirk on his face. “How could I ever hate you?”
“I thought you did, you were so rude and obnoxious, but somehow I was drawn to you and that shocked me.”
“When I saw you walk in, I knew that you were what I wanted.” “Now it’s getting late, I will walk you back to your room now.”
“I am not tired just now, can’t we talk some more?”
“No, you are here to rest; we can talk all you want tomorrow. As for now you are going to bed, I won’t have you sick like that again.” I give in and take his hand; he walks me back to my room and places me onto the bed.
Three Thousand Miles To You,(Three Thousand Miles, Series, Book #1) Page 12
