Chapter 5: Drawn To Him

Adam's friend stood up to shake my hand as we approached the table.

"Hello, ladies. I'm Roy. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Nadia, and that's Abby." I smiled at him and shook his hand.

"Hey." Abby smiled too, her cheeks a bit more flush than usual.

"Now that we are all acquainted, what game would you like to play?"

As Adam asked the question, his eyes met mine and a smirk played on his lips. My mind instantly drifted somewhere inappropriate.

Let's see who can last the longest without craving the other's touch. I thought.

Adam winked as if reading my thought.

Challenge accepted.

"Let's play Bullshit. Also known as Cheat." Roy suggested then started to explain. "Each player gets a stack of cards, and a single card is placed in the middle. You can put down the same card, one above, or one below. The cards in the middle are face down so no other players can see them. Which means you can put down a five and claim it's an eight. If someone thinks you're lying, they call Bullshit, and the loser takes all the cards in the middle. First one to finish all their cards wins."

"Sounds fun. I'm in." Abby laughed and found her way into the seat next to Roy.

"I guess we'll see who has the best poker face." I shrugged as Adam and I moved into the opposite seats at the table.

And so the games began. After a few rounds, everyone knew exactly how to play, and more drinks were ordered.

Currently, there was a King on the pile. I had an Ace, a Four, and a Nine.

I decided to take a chance and place down the Four.

"Queen." Roy beamed calling his card as he placed it down.

"Queen." I smiled back at him.

"King." Abby nervously laughed playing down her card.

I got away with it.

To my surprise, the rest of the night was so much fun. We played games, drank, and danced. It was the most fun I'd had in a while.

"I'm going to flirt with the bartender!"

Abby laughed as she left me alone on the dance floor. I danced by myself and swayed to the music. For a moment, I felt completely free. The stress of work, the confusion surrounding Adam, and every responsibility weighing on my shoulders seemed to disappear beneath the music. A flash of nostalgia hit me as memories of Abby and me dancing together in college surfaced. Back then, our biggest concern had been passing exams and deciding where to go for coffee after class.

"You are so mesmerising when you dance."

Adam's voice came from behind me.

"Adam, stop. We're in public."

"No one will care if I dance with you, Nadia."

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as he said my name.

"I've wanted to be closer to you the whole night."

I could feel his presence close to mine, and that familiar electricity shot through my veins. I liked Adam, but I wasn't sure if I should.

"I meant what I said before. We can only be friends." I tried to keep my voice firm as I spoke.

"Friends can mean many things. Friends can kiss..."

Adam’s voice grew heavy on the last word. Every time he looked at me like that, the pull between us seemed to grow stronger. The more I tried to ignore it, the more aware I became of him. It was becoming harder and harder to remember why I was supposed to stay away.

"Platonic friends." I cut him off before he got any ideas.

"I can't do that." Adam grunts and steps away.

The moment he moved back, I felt the distance between us. His warmth vanished, leaving an unexpected emptiness behind. Frustration surged through me, and I spun around to face him. Anger burned in my chest—not because he wanted more from me, but because it felt like friendship alone wasn't enough for him.

"Then I guess we won't ever see each other again." I snapped and glared at him.

"You don't mean that. I know you don't... because I'm going to walk out the back door, and in five minutes, you'll follow me into the alley." Adam remarked with a shrug.

"Why would I do that?"

"So that we can be alone."

Adam pressed a soft kiss to my cheek before walking away. My heart raced as I watched him disappear through the back door.

A battle immediately began inside my mind. Every sensible thought screamed at me to stay where I was. Following Adam would only make things more complicated. Yet another part of me refused to let him walk away. The connection between us felt too strong to ignore. Logic fought desperately against desire, but in the end, desire won.

Just as Adam said, I waited five minutes and then followed after him.

The moment I stepped outside, cold night air brushed against my skin. The alley behind the bar was narrow and dimly lit, illuminated only by a few flickering lights attached to the building. The distant sounds of music and laughter spilled through the back door, mixing with the cool breeze.

"Nadia, I'm glad you followed me." Adam groaned as he stepped out of the shadows, his eyes locked in on mine.

"I'm not even sure why I did."

The second I saw him, I felt my control begin to slip away. Every reason I had for staying away suddenly seemed less important. I felt drawn toward him in a way I couldn't explain, as though an invisible thread connected us and kept pulling me closer.

"We're connected. You can't deny that we are destined to be mates."

Adam’s voice danced down my spine, sending desire throughout my body.