Chapter Thirty-One

I raise an eyebrow and fold my arms across my chest, waiting for him to look at me. “Don’t think you’re off the hook yet,” I chide.

Adrian sees my expression and frowns in confusion as if he’s already forgotten about the interaction with Jasper. “About what?”

Is his short-term memory fried or something? I tap my foot in frustration, trying not to lose my temper. “Why do you think? You treated Jasper like your enemy or something. He’s a good person,” I say, pointing a finger into Adrian’s solid chest. “Stop being a dick to my friends.”

Finally realizing why I have such an attitude with him, Adrian sighs and pushes his hair out of his eyes. “I don’t hate him. I just don’t trust him,” He says as if it explains anything. “I don’t trust anyone.”

“That’s not a reason to try and run people off,” I say, feeling the anger rise at his lack of sympathy. “I’m trying to make friends but you’re making that impossible.”

“Friends are pointless,” He says plainly as if it’s something I should already know. “Besides, you have me to rely on. You don’t need anyone else.”

He doesn’t really believe that, does he? Even I’ve been betrayed by my friends recently, but I still think that everyone deserves a chance. Just because I’ve been burned before doesn’t mean I’ll give up. “Trust is earned,” I say, looking at him in disappointment. “You can be friends with someone without trusting them entirely.”

The expression on his face tells me that he doesn’t understand my point of view, but the crease on his forehead says that he’s trying to. “They’re the same thing to me.”

I sigh, realizing that it’s going to take more than one discussion to get through to him if I’m successful at all. I’m not sure if he’s always been so untrusting or if someone really hurt him in the past, but this is going to take more explaining than what I can manage right now. This seems to go way beyond just a protective mentality.

“Whatever, let’s just go,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’m tired so let’s get this day over with.”

Mercifully, Adrian doesn’t come up with any more asinine excuses for his poor behavior and simply escorts me around the last two classes, keeping his mouth shut except for when I ask him to do something for me. We don’t run into Jasper or Serene for the rest of the day, and by the time we finish our last lecture, most of the students have already left for their dorms or off-campus housing for the night.

The corridors seem much larger without so many bodies crowding them, and the fluorescent bulbs overhead are the only source of light keeping the night-dark at bay. The windows that we pass by seem almost too dark to seem real as if there is a black screen just on the other side of the glass. Somehow, the lack of sunlight spilling through makes it feel impossibly colder in the poorly insulated building, making me shiver and pull the lapels or Adrian’s coat closer to me.

Adrian gives me a side-long look as we walk, turning down hallways and closed doors that we haven’t ventured past before. Somehow, he seems to know exactly where he’s going as if he has a map of each brick and stone laid out inside of his head. Knowing him, I wouldn’t doubt that he does.

“Are you cold?” He asks, his voice reverberating off of the stone walls surrounding us and echoing off of the ceiling. Without the rest of the students, this old castle seems too big and empty. Considering that it’s the first thing he’s said to be in several hours, I take his question as a peace offering.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, shrugging further into his coat. It looks like a dress on me, so it’s hard to bury myself any deeper into it at this point. “Unless you want to strip naked to give me the rest of your clothes,” I joke, offering a shit-eating grin.

Adrian tries to suppress his smile, but his dimple pops out anyway. He’s obviously pleased that I’m no longer mad at him, at least enough to act civilly. “I would if you asked me to,”

I roll my eyes at his honesty and jab my hands into the enormous pockets of his coat. My outfit doesn’t look nearly as good when I’m wearing it, but at this point, I don’t care as much about the presentation with this temperature. I wouldn’t be surprised if it snows on our way home.

“You know I wouldn’t ask,” I say, following him as we round another corner. I’m surprised to see an elevator at the dead-end, and not the old ones that feel too dangerous to ride in. “If you want to strip, it has to be of your own volition,”

Adrian snickers and presses the ‘up’ button, the silver doors opening immediately. I’m not surprised that we’re the only passengers this late at night. We haven’t even run into any janitors or late working professors, giving the castle a creepy feeling.

“Maybe one day, if you’re lucky,” Adrian jests, gesturing me in ahead of him. I watch as he presses the button to the top floor and the elevator doors close smoothly before we begin to move.

Adrian follows my gaze to the red numbers counting the ascending floor numbers as an awkward silence falls onto us again. “Does it really bother you that much?” He’d waited so long to bring it up again that I nearly forgot what he’s referring to.

“Of course it does,” I say, glancing over at him. I’m unsurprised to see he’s already watching me, his eyes dark in the shadows of the elevator cabin. “I don’t like being lied to.”

Adrian presses his lips together in a line, making an almost guilty expression. “I don’t want to if it makes you feel any better. There are just some things that are better kept in the dark.”

I roll my head back to look at the ceiling, pleasantly surprised to see it studded with tiny lights, like the cabin of a Rolls-Royce. It gives the atmosphere a starry night ambiance. “Maybe. I’m not a little kid anymore though. I deserve to know.”

Adrian sighs and turns his attention back to the numbers, two floors away from our destination now. “You wouldn’t be able- no, willing, to understand certain things,” He says, reaching over to touch my hand. His fingers gently bump mine, not asking for anything, just brushing skin-to-skin. I don’t pull away as he continues. “But I can tell you the truth anyway. Just don’t call me crazy.”

The glint in his eyes reminds me that I already think he’s a little unhinged, but the warm trails his fingers leave on the back of my hand expose what my heart feels. I want to say something, but the doors to the elevator ding open as we reach the top floor of the building, sliding ajar to reveal an office. No, maybe a library would be a better description or a study.

As we step out of the elevator, I crane my neck to look at all of the books that line the shelves, covering every wall from floor to ceiling with exposed spines. Unlike the hallways, this room is lit by candlelight, offering a dimmer, warmer feeling. Adrian leads me around empty tables towards the back of the room, where an old wooden desk sits, facing the entirety of the library. Behind it sits a worn leather chair, though the cushions still shine as the person who sits in it pivots towards us.

“Oh, is it that time already?” I’m surprised to hear that the voice isn’t nearly as old as I expected. Once the chair is turned to face us entirely, I’m equally as shocked to see a man, probably no older than my own father, sitting behind the desk. The man closes a massive book he was reading and sets it gently on the desk, which is cluttered with towers of other similar tomes.

Adrian dips his head in a nod, behaving with unusual respect. “It is. This is Ms. Loveday, Martin’s daughter,” He introduces me, placing a hand gently at the small of his back.

Despite being in his prime, the Dean picks an ornate walking cane from the corner of the desk as he stands, coming to walk towards us. Unlike Raphaël Tremblay, the owner of the vineyard we visited, the Dean seems to actually need it as he limps towards us.

“Ah, of course,” The Dean says, his voice gravelly yet pleasant. “A pleasure to finally meet you. You look just like your lovely mother, God rest her soul.”

The mention of my mother makes my smile falter, but I try to remain polite. I step forward to meet the Dean, extending a hand. “Thank you. I’m grateful for your admittance to attend this beautiful college,” I say, keeping my tone as even as possible.