After raining for half the day, the sun fought its way through the thick cloud cover one last time as evening approached.
Sadie shook out her umbrella on the street before entering the hallway. As always, she was deep in thought while loud music blasted through her headphones. Almost ponderously, she dragged herself up the stairs to the fourth floor. Almost casually she looked over her shoulder and was startled when Adam suddenly appeared behind her. She stopped abruptly and pulled her headphones off her head.
Sadie squinted her eyes and took a deep breath. Carefully, she opened them again.
"Fuck, are you insane?" she nagged at him. Wildly gesturing with her hands in the air.
"My mother always said I was special."
Sadie's eyebrows drew low on her face. Her heart still beat wildly in her chest.
"She must truly love you," Sadie slowly walked up the last few steps. Adam followed her at a slight distance. Still, with his height, they were always on equal footing.
"I was a sweet kid. That probably kept them from abandoning me," he brushed a few strands of hair from his face. The old wooden stairs groaned and creaked under his footsteps. Adam wore dark red, scuffed leather boots. His large feet barely found room on the narrow steps.
"And what stopped them from making it look like an accident later?"
"Scruples?" he looked up at Sadie. His big blue eyes caught her cold. She slipped off the last step and stumbled. Quick-witted, Adam reached out and caught her near fall.
"To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" breathed Sadie, a little out of breath as she lay half in Adam's arm.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me?"
"Is this supposed to be a date?"
They both simultaneously reached for Sadie's umbrella, which had slipped from her hand.
"As long as neither of us calls it a date, it's not," Adam grabbed her umbrella first. He handed it to her. A slight smile on his lips. Hesitantly, she reached for it while looking at him, already almost lost in thought.
"You could have texted me on my cell instead of ambushing me here," Sadie straightened up again, smoothing down her pants and pulling her jacket into place. She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. Almost automatically, her weir-like curls sprang back into her face through the humidity. She must have looked awful.
"It's easier for you to find an excuse on your cell phone why you don't have time," she looked at him questioningly. She had to stifle a laugh.
"I could also tell you right now that I don't have time."
"Could you?"
His big blue eyes gleamed as he looked at her. Sadie pressed her lips together. Nervously, she nibbled at the nail bed of her thumb.
"At least give me ten minutes to shower."
"We could shower together, too? It'll save water."
"Hold on to that thought when you're stood alone in your shower."
Showered, Sadie stood in front of her closet and thought about what she could wear. She pulled a few clothes out of the compartments and held them up, but none of them really appealed to her. Why had she only agreed to this? Sadie let her head fall back and took a deep breath in and out. She squinted her eyes so hard she saw white stars and specks. Before she could get dizzy, she let her head snap forward again. Carefully, she wiped her face. Sadie clasped her hands together in front of her chest as if in prayer. She clenched her fingers so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She confidently reached for another top. It was laced at the back and otherwise plain black with long sleeves and a round neckline. She turned to the mirror hanging on the closet door. A slight smile on her lips. Her initial doubts had evaporated. Even if it wasn't a date and even if it wouldn't lead to anything, she was looking forward to getting out of the house.
Before Sadie left the apartment, she checked her hair and makeup. She hadn't been this excited in a long time. She adjusted her pants and brushed the wrinkles out of her top. Casually she straightened her boobs and had to laugh at herself.
Sadie opened her door and stepped outside as she recognized Adam's light head of hair in the corner of her eye. He was leaning casually against the wall in the hallway. He pushed himself off the wall and turned to Sadie. She could see him eyeing her. He seemed to be quite taken with her now, although he hadn't even seen the highlight of her outfit yet. A pleasant heat flowed through her.
"Sorry it took a while," she apologized casually as she almost conscientiously locked the door behind her. When she turned back to Adam, his gaze was almost frozen. Sadie smiled to herself, apparently her plan seemed to be working.
"Are you sure you're wearing your top right?" Adam made a slight circling motion with his hand while barely taking his eyes off Sadie.
"I hardly think it would make you happier if the lacing was in the front."
"I'd have to see that first to judge objectively," Adam winked at her with a mischievous grin. Sadie rolled her eyes in annoyance. She pushed past Adam toward the stairs, deliberately nudging him with her shoulder. A soft snort escaped him.
"What I was going to say," he paused dramatically. Sadie turned to him and looked at him tensely.
"That you really do look stunning."
"Thank you," Sadie nodded at him in affirmation "Why not like that?"
"Wasn't sure I really needed to mention that anymore?"
Sadie looked at him questioningly.
"Don't tell me you don't know that yourself?"
Adam took a step toward her. He first looked deep into her eyes before examining her entire face and then looking down at her. It was strange but somehow his looks didn't make her uncomfortable. Instead, she too looked at her counterpart a little closer. He wore a thin black sweater, which already looked a bit tattered, but still looked fabulous on him. Perhaps also just because of it. As always, his hair stood out in all directions and partly hung in his forehead. Meanwhile, his hair had a small dark blond tinge to it. Sadie put her head a little to the side and tried to imagine how Adam would look with his natural hair color?
"No word on my outfit?", Sadie looked at him with wide eyes, lost in thought. She swallowed and cleared her throat softly. Her throat felt like sandpaper.
"Quite nice," her voice sounded raspy. Hesitantly, she brushed a strand of hair out of his face that was hanging directly in his eye and carefully adjusted the collar of his sweater. She wondered at herself. Again, her heart beat to her throat. Adam looked down at himself until he finally looked back up at her. A slight smile on his lips. Even before their eyes met, he looked down in embarrassment. He bit his lower lip. Like Sadie, he also picked at his fingernails when he seemed nervous.
"We should go," he couldn't help grinning. With a sweeping gesture, he pointed in the direction of the stairs. It was as if he wanted to bow to her. Sadie made an awkward curtsy to him and they both started laughing. A little unsteadily, Adam put his arm around Sadie's shoulders. It seemed he wanted to wait for her reaction. Somewhat tentatively, she leaned against his chest. She felt the heat rising in her head again. She hadn't been this close to a man in a long time.
A pleasant breeze blew through the metro station while Sadie and Adam waited for the train. Next to them was a group of young men who were talking loudly. Sadie was not particularly bothered by this. She was used to the silly chatter of half-breeds. Meanwhile, Adam seemed to be a bit tense. His eyes kept wandering over to the small group. Sadie gently poked him in the side. Somewhat irritated, he looked over at her. Sadie smiled tentatively at him. A slightly questioning face. Hesitantly, he smiled back.
"Are you all right?" she inquired of him.
"Yeah, everything's fine," he stammered to himself. Carefully, he put his arm around her waist as the train pulled in. Slowly, the doors opened. Almost like a bodyguard, Adam escorted Sadie into the compartment. Most of the seats were already taken, so they simply stopped at the door. There were no more than two stations ahead of them, so they could stand.
The two were so close that Adam's smell literally enveloped Sadie. It was always more pleasant than the usual smells. While loud conversations filled the compartment, Sadie and Adam remained silent. Sadie played nervously with her fingers. Before she could say anything, the cell phone in her pocket vibrated. Panicked, she fumbled for it. Just as she fished it out of her pocket, the train stopped and Sadie lunged forward directly into Adam's arms. Embarrassed, she looked up at him before disengaging. Annoyed, she glanced at the screen on her phone.
"Emma," she murmured softly. Adam looked at her questioningly.
"My sister," Sadie mentioned casually.
"Go ahead and answer it."
"Ah, it's all about the wedding again anyway," Sadie maneuvered the phone back into her back pocket.
"Wedding?"
"My sister's getting married soon and I'm maid of honor," Adam looked at her with wide eyes. "Must be about the appointment on Friday. I'll call her back later."
"What appointment?"
"For the fitting. And I don't know why I'm even telling you this right now," she ran her hand through her hair, stressed.
"We can continue to keep quiet, of course" he wrestled a pressed smile from himself. "But just as a suggestion how about a strapless or backless dress?"
She looked over at him skeptically. Her eyebrows pulled wide in her face. She tried to remain serious, but she had a hard time keeping a smile off her face.
With wide eyes Sadie looked around the place Adam had chosen. Until the end, he did not want to tell her where he was going to take her. The indirect light created a pleasant atmosphere. A young waitress promptly approached Adam. She escorted the two to an empty table in the middle of the room. While the waitress had eyes only for Adam, Sadie frustratedly eyed the young woman with the ebony shoulder-length hair and her sparkling green eyes. Next to her, Sadie looked like a stray. The black blouse that all the staff here seemed to wear perfectly accentuated her assets. Why was it that all the other women seemed to have had bigger breasts than Sadie?
The waitress excused herself briefly to get them the drink menu. Sadie imagined that the waitress sought physical contact with Adam a little too often. Was she jealous of the waitress? Sadie tried to calm down. This wasn't a date.
It wasn't long before the young woman returned with said drink tickets. Friendly, they both thanked her, even though deep inside Sadie was seething when the waitress again put her hand on Adam's shoulder. The young waitress was barely out of earshot when Sadie leaned over to Adam.
"Did you see the waitress's eyes?"
Adam raised his head and looked up from the menu. Questioningly, he looked at Sadie. His gaze briefly wandered over his shoulder to the young woman at the bar and back to Sadie.
"Emerald green."
"If you say so," Adam turned his attention back to the map.
Sadie puffed out audibly. What exactly was she trying to accomplish?
"Green eyes are rare."
Adam put the card aside without a word. He clasped his hands together.
Sadie continued unperturbed.
"Unlike, say, brown eyes."
"What's wrong with your eyes?"
Sadie looked at him, a little startled. Nervously, she nibbled at the plastic of the sides of the drink menu.
"Nothing but brown eyes are just common," she folded up the card and placed it on the table in front of her. She stroked her hands over the leathery cover a few times.
"I don't think anything about you is ordinary."
Adam's words caught her cold as ice. She tried not to let her uncertainty show.
"How am I supposed to understand that?"
"You're kind of complicated," he rested his head on his hands. A slight smile on his lips, he looked her straight in the eye. He didn't seem nervous at all while Sadie's heart threatened to leap out of her chest.
"I'm terribly sorry about that now," she tried not to sound too offended.
"I like complicated," he lowered his hands back to the table. He leaned over to her. "You have beautiful brown eyes, though."
Adam grinned at her, almost satisfied. Sadie felt the blush rise in her face. Fortunately, the light in the diner was too dim for Adam to have noticed.
"I still won't sleep with you tonight," Sadie tried to look confident.
"I heard you the first time," he leaned back in his chair. A slight snort escaped him. Sadie's reaction seemed to cheer him up.
"Then why are you being so nice to me?" it escaped Sadie.
Adam shrugged his shoulders.
"Probably because it bugs you."
"Very mature," Sadie shook her head as she slid back in her chair to put some more distance between them again.
"Like trying to make me like the waitress?"
Adam pursed his upper lip slightly as he eyed Sadie suspiciously.
"I don't know what you mean?" Sadie tried to play dumb. She didn't know herself what she was getting at with all this. But apparently Adam seemed to have figured her out.
"Are you so afraid that if we just spend some time together, I'll walk all over you?"
The next words didn't come easily to Sadie. She took a deep breath. Her hands clenched into fists in her lap.
"I'm just not ready for another relationship."
"Neither am I."
"Then we're just friends?" Sadie looked at him with her big dark eyes. Adam smiled kindly at her. Not a sly smile. No ambiguous grin. Just an understanding smile.
"If that's what you want?"
"I could use a good friend, I think," it was as if a centennial weight had fallen from Sadie's heart. She lifted her gaze. An embarrassed smile on her lips, she looked at him from under her long black lashes.
"You're cute when you smile, by the way. Just between friends."
