Thirty-one - Adrian

Adam's dirty blond hair tumbles over his creased forehead.

The boulder shards begin their reunion in my throat.

"You can't stack plus cards." Heidi stares me down with contempt. "Pick. Up."

No way! I don't need to pick up the four cards. I stacked. I won.

Adam soundlessly takes four cards from the overturned centre stack and slides them towards me.

'This is madness!'

I turn to Bear to make sense of what is happening, but the blood gushes out of my body when I see the crumpled rules sheet spread out in front of her.

One of Bear's delicate fingers rests underneath a sentence.

No!

The words bounce around my brain as I reread the sentence, clarifying that I'm wrong.

I exhale deeply after a sharp intake.

I shamefully accept the four cards from Adam and retract my played card from the discard pile.

Adam and Heidi's turns pass by with them failing to prevent Bear's go.

All eyes are on the single card in her pale hand.

There's a green three atop the discard pile.

Bear's free hand hesitantly reaches for the overturned deck. Her fingers pinch the top card ready to prolong the game.

But then a corner of her rosey lips turns upwards and she relinquishes her grip. Placing her remaining card on the pile.

A green eight.

Before I get the opportunity to curse internally, Bear's chair is flung backwards as she leaps up, cheering in celebration.

The wholesome joy emanating from her movements and glowing emeralds lights a campfire in my chest. Softly crackling in the background as my frustration melts into the past.

"What are you staring at?" Bear enquires as she prods my dimples with her index fingers.

I don't realise my hand has cupped the back of her head to draw her down to me until the slapping of Heidi's cards against the wood permeates the air.

"I can't believe you've won again!" Heidi scowls before slamming her now empty glass against the table.

Adam gathers the empty glasses and carries them to the kitchen.

"You're such a sore loser." Bear giggles as she plops back into her seat.

"Maybe I'm just bored of you winning every game we play!" Heidi counters.

"Then maybe you should play better?" Bear teases before relaxing her expression, "When are you going to your parent's?"

"Not until next Sunday now, my mum has Covid." Heidi's voice is filled with more annoyance than concern. "Adam even took a week off work. What a waste."

"Oh, that is a shame." Bear's low tone sounds over the rim of her glass. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll pick up a few extra shifts." Heidi chugs her refreshed drink, "Do you two have any plans?"

An adorable rouge settles across Bear's cheeks. "Adrian goes to Paris on Monday."

I reach over to position my hand on her thigh, running my thumb over the rough denim.

"Nice! We're going in July for graduation." Heidi perks up.

"Now you're all just making me jealous." Bear pouts jokingly, unaware of the idea she's just planted in my mind.

"Why don't you come on Monday?"

"What?" Bear's emeralds double in size to match Heidi's gasp. "But it's a work trip?"

"I've just got a few meetings spread across the three days." I reason, "And Heidi and Adam are also welcome?"

"No, I can't put that on you." Bear half-whispers, eyes desperately searching mine.

"I'm staying in one of my hotels, so it's no trouble to arrange a second room." Bear begins to chew her reddening lip, so I continue, "Plus I'm taking the private plane, so travelling is no issue."

"But that's so much Ade." Bear's voice is barely audible this time.

"I promise it won't impact me, and I'd like to show you around Paris." I squeeze her bouncing thigh and it immediately halts.

Besides, my reasons are completely selfish.

I've been worrying about leaving the country again whilst she remains here. Even if Chris will be accompanying her.

After our argument this morning, I realised I'd have to use a more subtle security approach.

So, I've asked my best bodyguard to shadow her.

Although, I'd much prefer to have her in the same country as me. And this way, she can go out with Heidi and Adam when I'm not around, so she won't appear to be alone.

"C'mon Eve, it'll be fun!" I give Heidi a grateful glance for her encouragement.

"Okay!" Bear gives in with a sigh before capturing my gaze, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." I shoot my little Bear a wink.

It's refreshing to be around someone that expects nothing from me and worries over the smallest gesture.

It only entices me to spoil her more.

Bear places her warm hand atop of mine.

The radiating heat fuels my heart rate.

I try to calm myself by shifting my focus to my new hand of cards.

"Adam, what do you do?" I ask, trying to break the seal on his voice.

"I'm a club bouncer." He mumbles.

'No way!'

I observe his lanky limbs and unconfident demeanour as he places his card.

That has to be a joke.

"How long have you two been together?" I alter the subject to avoid offence.

"Just over a year!" Heidi chirps proudly as she elbows Adam's arm.

Scowling, his hand immediately starts to massage his scrawny upper arm, where her elbow made contact.

"So, do you guys live to…" A sharp kick from Bear interrupts my sentence. She punctuates her point by abruptly shaking her head.

"No. Someone's mum doesn't think they're old enough to move out at twenty-three." Heidi bites through gritted teeth and Bear sags in her chair.

"She just thinks I should save first." Adam quietly protests.

"She told you off for buying a game and took your card away yesterday!" Heidi climbs a few octaves, "It's your money, from your job! It's a game, not drugs!"

Bear manages to silently slip from her chair and motions for me to follow.

The tightly closed balcony doors do an excellent job of muffling Heidi's screeching.

"Sorry." My little bear mouths with her back to the glass doors.

"You tried to warn me." I shrug.

The balcony is almost entirely enclosed by exposed brick walls. The dark decking and wooden ceiling make it feel cozy, whilst the opaque bamboo privacy screen makes it feel tucked away.

However, the lack of furniture strikes me.

Apart from some alcohol and soft drinks, the balcony is otherwise empty.

"Do you come out here often?" I probe gently.

"Surprisingly, yes. I never liked to go out in my parent's garden, it was always more messy than calming." She leans against the red brick alcove, "But, I love coming out here for fresh air. It doesn't feel like I'm really outside."

"Then why don't you have any chairs out here?"

"Garden furniture isn't exactly the top priority when moving into your first home." She chuckles sweetly. "I'd love to get an egg chair, so I could just hang in a cocoon and watch the rain. But, they're not exactly practical for a balcony."

The picture paints itself vividly in my mind, with Bear buried under a thick blanket.

Closing the remaining distance in a single stride, I wrap my arms around her slim waist and pull her flush against me.

I duck my head to nuzzle into the crook of her neck. Peaches swirl around my senses, luring me closer.

Letting my eyes fall shut, I inhale deeply to further intoxicate myself with the sweet aroma.

Bear leans her head against mine.

I want to pull her even closer and feel the warmth of her soft skin against mine, with her grounding weight on my chest.

A knock resonates through the thick glass, causing Bear to jolt in my arms.

I hesitantly release her to check who has interrupted my bliss.

Heidi is dramatically beckoning us inside with her hands on the other side, so we follow her instruction.

Adam's resting his head in his hands. His gaze is unfocused and distant.

Once seated, I spot the already dealt cards.

The games outlast the daylight, with each game feeding the rapidly expanding tension.

The explosion competitions drag me into the unfamiliar territory of aggressive yet harmless arguments.

Heidi's going for Bear's head and as the only other victor, Bear has declared war against me.

Despite the chaos, Adam hasn't uttered a single word.

I only throw the towel in when Bear's forehead crashes into my tactically placed hand and startles her awake.

After drowsy goodbyes, Bear curls up on my chest underneath her grey duvet.

Heavy breaths whisper that she has already drifted off as I place a kiss to her forehead.

I stroke her soft hair as it tumbles from her crown.

Her petite form looks so delicate against my body.

I admire the slight movement of her curves as she's rhythmically lifted with every breath I take.

Tightening my embrace, I make a hushed promise into her hair, "I'll never let any harm come to you."