Silence enveloped the room, unbroken by any further words. Rowlen maintained his gaze, his expression adorned with an intolerable smirk. “Nice way of telling everyone you’ll sleep together.”
Adelaide’s lips parted, a blush moving quickly up her cheeks and reddening forehead. “That’s not what he—you don’tactually?—”
Hasan moved his chair back, hiding a smile. “We should get going.” Yunus was now asleep in his arms. How long had we been talking? “It’s almost time for night prayers and I have to make sure this big boy doesn’t wake up.”
“You don’t believe him, right?” Adelaide pushed.
Hasan cradled Yunus. “Whatever you and him do is your business.”
“But we’re not?—”
“Well,” Umaima smacked her hands together, following Hasan. “It really is time to head out.”
Adelaide looked fucking adorable when she was shocked.
Umaima pressed a kiss to the top of Adelaide’s head before she thanked me for the food. Hasan merely looked at me and tipped his head down, a form of good luck or support—still didn’t know. Rowlen left with a subtle reminder to update him if anything new happened.
While Osama walked the guests out, heavy air thickened in the space between us.
Adelaide’s thoughts were written all over her face. “Why’d you say that?”
“Say what?” I asked, gathering the dishes.
“You made it seem like we’d sleep together.”
“No, I didn’t.Youassumed it.”
She followed me into the kitchen. “What did you mean by helping me then?”
“Exactly what I said,” I put the dirty dishes in the sink. “I’m gonna teach you how to be confident.”
“You can’t just teach someone how to be confident.”
“Sure, you can.” I leaned back against the dark island with my arms crossed.
“How?”
“You’ll know when I teach you.”
She pinched her lips together. “I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.”
“Friendships are overrated anyways.”
“You’resoannoying, Christian.”
If this was the only way to get her to talk, then I’d annoy her all the time.
“Why don’t you talk when everyone’s in the room?”
She stared like a deer caught in headlights. “What do you mean?”
I backed her up against the fridge.
An imperceptible sigh escaped my lips, a silent reproach triggered by her presence and the sudden whiff of her rosyscent.
“You have thoughts and opinions, but you never say them.”
Her silence shattered instantaneously, replaced by a formidable wave of fury bearing down on me like an unstoppable force.There’s my girl.
