Chapter Three: Somewhere Along The Way

Six Months Later

Adrian Cole had always thought love was supposed to be dramatic. Grand declarations, perfect timing, some big moment that changed everything. Maybe even a lightning strike, for all he knew.

He had never been particularly interested in any of that. Turns out, he had no idea what he was talking about.

Love, he was beginning to realize, could happen so quietly that you barely noticed it at first. It was only when he looked back that he could see how much Eleanor had come to mean to him, and how naturally she'd become part of his life.

It was the basket of fruits and tray of lunch she left on his desk after stopping by his office before work. It was the phone calls that started with a quick ten minutes and somehow turned into hours. It was the smile that appeared on his face the moment her name lit up his screen, before he even knew what she wanted.

And somewhere along the way, he had started looking forward to hearing her voice after work. He wanted to tell her about his day, even the uneventful parts, and hear about hers in return.

Somehow, without him realizing when it happened, talking to Eleanor had become one of the things he looked forward to most.

Somewhere during those six months, Adrian had stopped thinking of his apartment as just a place to return to at the end of the day.

It had started to feel like home. Whenever Eleanor came over, everything seemed a little better, and he sometimes found himself wondering how he'd gone all those years without her in his life.

………..

Marcus was the first to notice the change. He and Adrian had known each other for so long that they were practically brothers, and after all those years, Marcus could read him better than most people. Adrian had always been an easygoing, happy person, but lately, there was something different about him. Something Marcus hadn’t seen before.

One Thursday morning, Adrian walked into the office with two coffees in hand. Marcus looked up from his laptop almost immediately.

“Oh, thank God. You’re finally here. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up at all.” Marcus immediately stretched out his hand.

Adrian pulled the cups away. “Keep your hands to yourself. This isn’t yours.”

Marcus stared at him. “Wait a minute. You stopped for coffee after leaving your house, came all the way here with two cups, and didn’t think to get me one?”

Adrian set both cups on his desk. “I forgot about you. My apologies.”

“You forgot about me?” Marcus repeated, looking genuinely offended. “You get me whatever you get for yourself, even when I don’t ask. You’ve been doing that for years. And now, all of a sudden, you’ve forgotten I exist?”

Adrian said nothing.

Marcus’s eyes moved to the second cup.

“Who is that one for?”

Adrian opened his laptop. “Someone. Now, please, get back to work and leave me alone.”

Marcus folded his arms, watching him for another moment.

“She’s coming, isn’t she?”

Adrian kept his eyes on his laptop, but the smile creeping onto his face gave him away. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

Marcus laughed. “I don’t even have to see your face to know you’re smiling right now.”

“Dickhead, for the last time, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Right. Of course you don’t.” Marcus leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Tell me something, Adrian. Are you in love?”

Adrian’s head shot up. “What? No! Of course not.”

Marcus laughed again. “You know you talk about her at dinner all the time, right? Half the time, you don’t even realize you’re doing it. We could be talking about literally anything, and somehow, you find a way to bring her into the conversation.”

“No, I don’t!”

“You do.”

“I absolutely do not, Marcus drop it.”

Marcus only grinned wider.

Marcus began counting on his fingers. “Eleanor likes this. Eleanor said that. Eleanor would love this. Eleanor doesn’t like…”

“Marcus.”

“And you’re always on the phone with her, too.”

Adrian shook his head. “She’s my friend. It’s not that deep. I talk about you, don’t I?”

“Sure you do.” Marcus grinned “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Adrian rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his laptop, refusing to entertain the conversation any further.

Besides, he honestly didn’t think he was in love. Marcus was just being Marcus, always looking for something to tease him about. And yes, he fancied Eleanor. He wasn’t going to deny that. She was beautiful, funny, easy to talk to, and spending time with her had a way of making even his most boring days better.

But love? No. Surely, he’d know if he were in love.

Wouldn’t he?

……

Sarah was the next to notice. Neither Adrian nor her husband had said anything, but she didn’t need them to. Adrian had been in a noticeably better mood lately. He smiled more, laughed more, and after dinner, he always seemed to find a reason to step out onto the balcony for a phone call that was supposed to take “one minute.”

At least, that was what he always said.

Those one-minute calls somehow stretched into hours. One night, he’d spent so much time on the phone that he hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten. Sarah had insisted he stay the night rather than drive home that late.

Then Adrian brought Eleanor home to meet the family, and she settled into the Bennett household so easily that it was hard to imagine she’d once been a stranger to them. Weekend lunches became something she was part of, too. Every other week, she’d show up with Adrian, and no one thought twice about it anymore.

The first time Eleanor showed up at the Bennett house with a homemade apple pie, Sarah blinked at her.

“Oh my God, you bake?”

Eleanor let out a nervous laugh. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly call myself a baker. I try.”

Marcus leaned closer to Adrian. “We’re all going to die.”

“I heard that,” Eleanor said, looking at him. “I can bake. I just haven’t done it in a while because I’ve been all over the place lately. But it’s edible, I promise. I’m sure you’ll survive.”

Marcus shook his head and made his way toward the kitchen. “Did you all hear that? Let me get my phone. I’ll need the doctor’s number on speed dial in case this goes horribly wrong.”

Sarah laughed, while Eleanor shook her head at him, already regretting bringing the pie.

“Oh, stop being ridiculous, baby.” Sarah took the pie from Eleanor. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”

Everyone turned to watch as Sarah took a bite. She chewed slowly, her expression giving nothing away, then looked straight at Eleanor.

“Oh, good Lord. This is terrible.”

Eleanor’s smile disappeared. “I’m sorry. I followed the recipe exactly. I don’t know what went wrong.”

Sarah held her serious expression for another second before bursting into a grin. “I’m kidding, sweetie! You should see your face.”

Marcus immediately burst out laughing.

Eleanor released the breath she’d been holding and swatted Sarah’s arm. “That was so mean! I was this close to crying.” She held her thumb and forefinger barely apart to show just how close.

Sarah laughed and pulled her into a hug. “Oh, darling, I’m sorry.” She squeezed her tighter, still giggling. “But you have to admit, your face was hilarious.”

Within minutes, the kitchen was filled with laughter again. By the end of the afternoon, Sarah had already asked Eleanor to teach her how to make her grandmother’s cinnamon rolls, and somehow, that had led to an argument about whether there was such a thing as too much vanilla.

“There is no such thing as too much vanilla,” Eleanor insisted.

“Of course there is! Why would you even say that?”

“There isn’t. I’ll ask Adrian.”

Eleanor turned toward him, but Sarah stopped her immediately.

“Wait. No. Those two are dummies. Unless it’s about work, I’d rather ask Kai.”

Eleanor burst out laughing.

Across the room, Marcus leaned toward Adrian. “I think we’ve lost them.”

Adrian looked toward the kitchen. Sarah and Eleanor were already back to arguing, neither of them paying the slightest attention to the rest of the room.

“I think we have.”

Marcus nodded toward the front door. “We could walk out right now, and I honestly don’t think they’d notice.”

Adrian smiled, glancing at the two women again before returning his attention to Marcus.

………….

Kai, meanwhile, had very little interest in baking. He preferred soccer, basketball, drawing, and taking things apart just to figure out how they worked.

“Adrian!”

Eight-year-old Kai came racing in through the backyard, a ball tucked under his arm.

“Please come and play with me!”

Adrian looked up at him. “I’m busy, little man. Maybe later.”

“But you’re not doing anything.”

“I am doing something.”

Kai looked at him, then at whatever had supposedly kept him so occupied. “It doesn’t look like it. Please, Adrian? Come play with me. Daddy said he’s busy, too.”

Eleanor laughed from her seat, watching Kai try his best to convince him.

Adrian shook his head, fighting a smile. “I’ll come and find you in a bit, I promise. Just not right now, okay?”

Kai didn’t look entirely convinced, but Adrian had already returned his attention to what he was doing.

Kai let out a dramatic sigh before turning to Eleanor.

“Please, can I borrow him?”

Eleanor laughed, running her fingers through his hair. “You’ll have to ask him, sweetheart. He’s the one who gets to decide.”

“I already did, and he said he’s busy.” Kai glanced at Adrian before looking back at her. “But he’s not doing anything except looking at you.”

Eleanor pressed her lips together, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Oh, dear. This sounds serious.”

She turned to Adrian, her smile growing. “I think you should go. He’s right, you know. You really aren’t doing anything besides looking at me.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t looking at you. Well, not like that. I was just…”

He trailed off, apparently unable to come up with a convincing explanation.

Eleanor smiled at him. “Adrian, go and play with him before he decides I’m the reason you’re refusing.”

Kai immediately turned back to Adrian, giving him his best puppy eyes.

“Please?”

Adrian laughed and finally gave in. “Fine. Come on, buddy.”

Kai grabbed his hand before he could change his mind and dragged him toward the yard.

The game lasted nearly an hour. Adrian lost by twelve points. “Now you’re gloating,” he said as they walked toward the back of the house, both of them sweaty and out of breath. “You know I let you score, don’t you?”

Kai scoffed. “You absolutely did not. I beat you fair and square.”

“Don’t forget, you cried when I blocked your shot.”

Kai gasped in outrage. “That is so not true! I got dust in both my eyes.”

Adrian burst out laughing, nearly dropping the ball.

Eleanor watched them through the kitchen window, smiling to herself. Sarah soon joined her with two mugs of tea and handed one over.

“We adore him,” Sarah said, nodding toward Adrian.

Eleanor glanced at her. “I can tell.”

“He’s been such a huge part of our lives. Honestly, I don’t know what we would have done without him.”

Her eyes returned to the backyard, where Adrian was still laughing at something Kai had said.

“The love that man has for Kai is something else.”

Eleanor followed her gaze. “The first day I came here, I felt like I’d known you all my life. Adrian talked about you so much before I even met you.”

Sarah turned to her, smiling. “Did he now?”

“All the time. And I’ve noticed how happy he gets whenever he’s packing up to come here. He looks forward to it so much.”

“He always has,” Sarah said fondly. Then, after a moment, she asked, “Has he told you about his family?”

Eleanor nodded. “Yeah, he has.”

Sarah took a sip of her tea. “Marcus told me most of it. They bonded because they were both orphans. I think, for a long time, they were the only people who truly understood what the other had been through.”

She looked out the window again, watching Adrian reach for the ball Kai was holding out of his reach.

“In all my twenty-six years, I’ve never seen a friendship like theirs. The kind where two people can go through so much and still show up for each other the way they do.”

Eleanor turned to her in surprise. “Wait. You’re twenty-six?”

Sarah looked at her. “Yes. Why?”

“Oh my God, you’re two years older than me!” Eleanor laughed. “I honestly thought you were younger.”

Sarah laughed too. “Well, thank you. I suppose.”

“I mean it as a compliment!”

“Awwwwwwwn.”

They shared a laugh before Sarah’s expression grew thoughtful again.

“You know, I used to be scared I’d come between them.”

Eleanor looked at her. “Really?”

“Terrified, actually.” Sarah shook her head, smiling at the memory. “They were so close, and I didn’t know where I would fit into all of that. I thought getting married to Marcus might change things between them.”

She paused, her gaze settling on Adrian.

“But then I got to know Adrian for myself, and I understood. He’s an incredible person. I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He’s family, and I’m so grateful I got to know him.”

Eleanor smiled softly.

“He’s strong,” Sarah continued. “He’s happy now, but he wasn’t always like this.”

Eleanor’s smile faded a little. “What do you mean?”

“He used to work all the time. Always busy, always finding something to occupy himself with. I knew he wanted a family of his own, even if he never admitted it. Whenever Marcus and I were being all lovey-dovey, I’d catch Adrian looking at us sometimes, and I’d wonder when he’d find someone of his own.”

Sarah turned to Eleanor. “And now?”

Eleanor swallowed. “Sarah…”

“I think he has.”

For a moment, Eleanor didn’t know what to say.

Sarah gently nudged her arm. “Look at him.”

Eleanor turned toward the backyard where Marcus had joined Adrian and Kai, and the three of them were now arguing over the rules of another game. Adrian was gesturing animatedly while Kai protested, and Marcus seemed perfectly content to make things worse for both of them.

Eleanor couldn’t help smiling.

“I don’t think I did that,” she said quietly.

Sarah looked at her with affection. “Maybe not all by yourself, darling. But I think you had something to do with it.”

Eleanor lowered her eyes to her tea, smiling despite herself.

Neither of them said anything else. They simply stood by the window, sipping their tea and watching the three people they loved argue in the backyard.

……………

After dinner, everyone settled in the living room. Marcus and Sarah were busy arguing over what to watch, while Kai lay on the rug with his comic book. Eleanor sat at one end of the sofa with her legs tucked beneath her, and Adrian was beside her. They hadn’t said much, but neither seemed bothered by the silence.

Then Kai looked up.

“Adrian?”

“Hm?”

“When you get married…”

Adrian turned to him. “When I get married? Who told you I was getting married?”

Kai pointed straight at Eleanor.

“Because she’s your person. Daddy said you’re going to marry her.”

Nobody said a word. Eleanor felt her cheeks grow warm as she looked at Adrian. He, on the other hand, turned slowly toward Marcus, who had suddenly become very interested in the ceiling. Sarah hid her smile behind her cup.

Kai went back to looking between them.

“Don’t you want to marry her?”

Adrian stared at him, opening his mouth before closing it again.

“And you’re always looking at her,” Kai added.

That was when Adrian finally turned to Marcus.

“What exactly did you tell him?”

“Nothing!” Marcus protested. “He asked who Eleanor was, so I told him.”

He gave a casual shrug, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“And honestly, is he wrong?”

Adrian shot him a glare. Kai, apparently satisfied that he'd made his point, returned to his comic book as though he hadn't just left the adults in the room speechless.

Adrian turned back to Eleanor. She was already looking at him. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Somehow, he couldn’t think of anything to say, and he wasn’t sure he needed to.

For six months, he’d given himself every possible explanation for what he felt for her. Attraction. Affection. The comfort of having someone in his life outside Marcus and the family. He’d taken all those little things and convinced himself they couldn’t possibly mean anything more.

But with Eleanor sitting beside him, looking at him the way she was, those explanations suddenly felt a lot less convincing.

Maybe Marcus had been right all along. Maybe Kai had seen something Adrian had spent six months trying not to name.

He thought about the coffee he brought Eleanor without thinking, the phone calls that stretched for hours, and how easily she'd become part of his days. He'd spent so long telling himself it was nothing more than affection and attraction that he'd never stopped to consider what it all meant. Maybe Eleanor really had become his person, just as Kai had said.