XLIV

XLIV
I never knew smart phones were that addictive while I was still using Android that was as slow as snail. The new phone Adam got for me came the next morning as promised. He helped me set it up, and since then, I've been completely hooked on it. His number was the first one to go in my contacts, before I retrieved the numbers from my old phone into this one.
My friends hadn't seen him yet, they only knew someone got me a phone and my head hasn't been straight ever since. I walked into the sitting room, a bag of chips in one hand and the other hand held my phone, I was laughing so hard, Adam had sent me a funny GIF, and I couldn't help myself as I laughed.
"When did the internet get so crazy?" I exclaimed to my friends.
"It has always been, your old phone just didn't let you see it. Who gave you that phone again?"
I laughed again as another funny GIF came in from Adam.
"You guys will meet him soon, I promise."
"You did end things with Noah right?" Sara asked.
We haven't spoken well since that night, I didn't mind as long as it didn't make things in the group dull or awkward. But if she kept on pecking at the Noah thing, I might have a problem with her.
"I did block him, that's enough message sent right?" My tone had a sharp edge. But she wasn't backing down.
"And in person? Did you stop him?"
I sigh, the girl kept biting at me, but I wasn't going to give her blood.
"No, because we haven't had the opportunity to meet since the day it started."
She was about to respond when a knock on the door stopped her, nobody knocked except Terry, and that was if we were too noisy.
"Did anyone order pizza?"
"Nope."
I was the closest to the door, so I walked to open it. Imagine my surprise when I find Adam standing at the door.
"Adam!! What are you doing here?"
"Came to surprise you. Can I come in?"
I shuffled away from the door to let him through. He walked in with a huge pizza box, he had been hiding it before he entered.
"I bought a peace offering." He pointed sheepishly.
"You shouldn't have." I tell him but take it anyway.
"Hey everyone meet my new friend. Adam. The one that got the phone for me?" I told them while smiling.
Mariana was the only one that seemed excited to see him. But I didn't think much of it.
"Adam meet my friends, Mariana, James, Quinn, and Sara." I say pointing at each of them.
He chuckled, "I didn't know James, Quinn and Sara were your friends. I already met them." He said moving to sit.
Confusion sat on my features, when did he meet them?
"Oh you did? When?" I ask genuinely. I opened the pizza box and placed it on the centre of the the table after taking a slice.
"The morning I met you, I actually did meet them earlier."
I nod and look at them, they looked uncomfortable. Sara looked hard.
"Big news?" Mariana whispered loudly to Quinn.
She shifted on her seat before nodding to Mariana.
I blinked, what the heck was going on?
"Anyway, I came with the intent of asking you a question." Adam said nervously. He rubbed his palms together, and I knew it must be important, he doesn't like to inconvenience someone from what I knew about him.
"Sure."
"My mom is hosting a cocktail party, I wanted to ask if you'd be available to be my escort."
The room went silent after that. Very very silent.
"Too soon?" He asked me gingerly.
I cleared my throat and asked him the first question that came to mind.
"You're bloody rich aren't you?"
He looked stunned for a second before chuckling.
"I don't know what to say about that."
"My parents don't throw cocktail parties, ever. Neither do theirs, that's how I know you're rich."
He chuckled again, "My family has some connections."
"AHA! knew it!" I exclaimed dramatically.
He threw his head back and laughed.
"Nobody just buys an expensive ass phone for someone they just met when they live in this kind of apartment. It was either that or you were into something illegal."
He laughed some more.
"Okay, would you do me the honor of attending your first ever cocktail party with me?"
I laughed, "I'd definitely follow anyone who knows how to throw back sass in the same quantity."
His smile after that could definitely compete with the sun and win, any day.
"Thank you so much!!"
"Yeah, nobody else would have agreed to follow you."
He placed a hand on chest, pretends he got shot, and says,
"You wound me."
I roll my eyes at him.
"When is it? And I have no clue what to wear to things like that." I warn.
"Tomorrow night, and leave the dressing to me, I'll pick up on my way from work and we can go pick out something nice."
I smiled warmly at him, this guy was a complete charm. But there was an absence of those warm feelings you get when you like someone, that was good. I didn't like feelings, they ruined good things.
"What if my evening was not free?" I raise my brows as I asked.
"You already ate my bribe, you'd have no choice." He said looking pointedly at the pizza.
I laugh, he is smart.
"I better get going. I need to wake up early tomorrow." He said rising from the sofa. I get up with him.
"I'll see you out." I say following him.
"Guys, I'll be right back." I tell them. It was the first time I had looked at them since. They looked weird, their energy was weird.
"Your friends don't like me." Adam commented as soon as we crossed the threshold of my apartment.
"That's not true." I say, but I suspect the same thing.
"Yeah, only Mariana seemed to like me."
I blinked, I needed to have a talk with them.
"This is my stop." He commented.
He lived in the same building, but downstairs. Directly below James' apartment.
"Good night then."
I smile warmly at him.
"Good night."
He looked hesitant, but still placed a kiss on my forehead before going in.
When I walked into our apartment, only Mariana sat there munching the pizza.
"What was that?" I ask.
"I should ask you. You didn't tell me you had a love interest."
"Love interest? Adam? "
"Yeah, he's the big news Quinn came with the morning you refused to listen to her."
I remember the morning clearly, I met him then.
"Apparently, Sara likes him."