Chapter 10

Adrian’s POV

Ethan’s apartment was quiet when we got back from shopping. The bags were scattered across the floor, and Ethan dropped onto the couch like he had just run a marathon.

“I’m never carrying this many things again,” he groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes.

I laughed and kicked one of the bags toward him. “You’re the one who said you needed new clothes.”

“I didn’t say this many,” he said, peeking at me through his fingers. “You’re a bad influence.”

I sat beside him and nudged his shoulder. “You love my influence.”

He smiled, the soft kind of smile that always made my chest feel lighter. For a moment, neither of us said anything. It was one of those quiet moments that didn’t feel awkward — just calm.

Then my phone buzzed.

I checked the screen and sighed. “Daniel.”

Ethan sat up slightly. “Your manager?”

“Yeah, he wants to see me. Says it’s important.”

Ethan leaned back again, but this time his voice was softer. “Go. I’ll be here.”

I stood up, grabbed my jacket, and looked at him for a second longer than I meant to. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” he said, smiling again. “I’m not going anywhere.”

.........................................

Daniel was already waiting when I arrived. He didn’t say anything at first. He just slid a photo across the table.

I looked down.

It was me and Ethan at the café from a few weeks ago. We were sitting close, laughing. From the angle, it looked more intimate than it really was — but it also wasn’t completely wrong.

I shrugged and pushed the photo back. “So?”

Daniel frowned. “Adrian, this isn’t just so. People are starting to ask questions.”

“It’s a photo of me drinking coffee,” I said calmly. “That’s all it is.”

“You and him look very close.”

“We are close,” I replied. “And we were just having coffee. The angle makes it look dramatic. It’s nothing.”

Daniel studied my face like he was trying to figure out if I was lying. I wasn’t.

“Just be careful,” he said finally.

“I’m not doing anything wrong,” I answered, standing up. “It’s my life.”

When I got back to Ethan’s apartment, the door was unlocked. He was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone, but the moment he saw me, he smiled like he’d been waiting the whole time.

“That was fast,” he said.

“I told you I wouldn’t be long.”

I dropped my keys on the table and walked straight toward him. He looked up, confused for half a second, and then I kissed him.

He froze for a moment, then his hands grabbed my shirt, pulling me closer. The kiss wasn’t slow this time. It was warm and messy and a little desperate, like we had both been waiting for it without realizing.

“I missed you,” I whispered when we finally pulled apart.

“You were only gone for less than an hour,” he said, but I kissed him again anyway.

He laughed softly against my lips, his hand sliding behind my neck, and we fell back onto the couch together like nothing else existed.

The next morning came too early.

Ethan was still asleep when I got up. The sunlight was just starting to come through the curtains, and his hair was falling across his face. For a second, I thought about staying.

But I had a press event I couldn’t skip.

I got dressed quietly, picked up my keys, and looked at him one more time before leaving.

He didn’t wake up.

But the last thing I thought about as I stepped outside wasn’t the cameras, the reporters, or the event.

It was him.

•

The cameras started flashing the moment I stepped out of the car.

It was still early, but the place was already crowded. Reporters stood behind the barriers, microphones ready, shouting my name before I even reached the entrance.

“Adrian! Over here!”

“Adrian, one photo!”

“Adrian, who are you here with today?”

I forced a small smile and walked forward, trying not to look overwhelmed. Normally, I could handle this easily, but this morning felt different. Maybe it was because I had left Ethan asleep in his apartment, still wrapped in my shirt, still smiling even in his sleep.

“Adrian!” one reporter called louder than the others. “There’s a picture of you at a café a few weeks ago. People are saying you’re dating someone. Is it true?”

I stopped walking.

Daniel looked at me quickly, like he wanted me to ignore the question, but the reporters were already leaning forward, waiting.

For a second, all I could think about was Ethan’s face — the way he had smiled when I came back yesterday, the way he had whispered I missed you made me smile slightly.

And then the flashes got brighter.

“Adrian, is he your boyfriend?” someone asked.

The word hung in the air.

I felt something tighten in my chest. I didn’t want to talk about Ethan in front of a crowd like this. Not like he was a headline. Not like he was something to explain.

So I shook my head slightly and said the first thing that came to mind.

“It’s nothing like that,” I replied. “He’s just someone I know. We were just having coffee.”

The moment the words left my mouth, something about it felt wrong.

The reporters were already writing things down, shouting more questions, turning the moment into something else.

The event itself felt longer than it really was. I answered questions, smiled for pictures, and signed things I didn’t even remember signing. Everyone kept talking, but my mind stayed somewhere else.

All I could think about was Ethan hearing that.

Him sitting in his apartment, scrolling through his phone, maybe smiling at first when he saw my name trending, and then seeing the video.

He’s just someone I know.

The words repeated in my head again and again.

When it finally ended, I didn’t wait for Daniel. I didn’t wait for anyone. I left the building and got into my car as fast as I could.

The noise of fame had never thrilled me. Even now, surrounded by it, it felt hollow.

I didn’t know if Ethan had seen the interview yet.

But I knew one thing for sure.

If he had… I had just hurt the one person who mattered the most to me.