YAY 40 CHAPTERS
WARMTH. Soft, sweet warmth. Adrien didn't open her eyes, but she could feel the sunlight on her face, pouring in through the glass wall. It had to be close to noon. Luckily she had scheduled the resort to leave the breakfast buffet open until two in the afternoon. The wedding night had lasted as late as she had expected. More than half the guests would be hungover, and wouldn't have made it early anyway.
Most importantly, Muse liked sleeping in.
The thought of Muse brought to mind the divorce papers. Adrien would have to call her lawyer today. Once everyone went home, the charade was over. They could divorce, and pretend their marriage hadn't worked out. A little sooner than expected, but fuck what her father's socialites thought. It was too bad about the honeymoon, but nobody would know whether they had gone or not. For all anyone knew, the vacation was a private affair.
Adrien slowly opened her eyes, and realized two things:
The first―the warmth wasn't just the sunlight. Her and Muse must have both rolled over in their sleep, because they were centred within the massive bed, swathed in silky blankets and pillows. The pillow fort hadn't separated them after all. It had caged them in together.
And the second―Adrien was holding Muse to her chest like a teddy bear. One arm beneath her ribcage, fingertips grazing beneath her breasts, and the other resting gently against her stomach. Muse's breathing continued, a soft rhythm. Expanding and contracting.
Sound asleep. Utterly unaware they were cuddling.
Adrien had to extract herself from this situation. She knew how Muse felt about her. She would be pissed if she woke up like this, especially since Adrien should have taken the bathtub.
Slowly, carefully, Adrien flexed her fingers over Muse's stomach. Planning to lift her hand, before she realized a third thing: Muse's right hand was overtop hers, clutching it to her. Her left was interlaced with Adrien's other hand. Their legs were tangled together. And her entire backside was pressed up so tightly against Adrien's front that Adrien didn't know where she began and Muse ended.
They may as well have fused into one being overnight.
Adrien hadn't known it was possible to love someone this much. It was overwhelming. Even Muse's quiet snoring filled her with some stupid, indescribable happiness. She nearly smiled.
"They're not her," she had told Ezra. She had meant it with every fibre of her being.
And she had fucked it up by lying.
She understood why Muse was ending it, but it felt like being cut open regardless. Like being torn apart from every limb.
Marriage was a huge deal. They'd had an agreement, the agreement had ended up being void, and Adrien had lied to get what she wanted―with what she wanted being Muse. It had been so, so selfish of her.
She hadn't even known if Muse felt the same way, if Muse loved her back, and she'd married her so she wouldn't lose her.
Maybe all the women who had called her a ruthless, workaholic bitch had been right.
Maybe Muse had even been right when she'd said, "Just because we love each other, doesn't mean we're good for each other."
It didn't matter how in love she was. She hadn't been a good person. And she hadn't been good to Muse. In every aspect of her life, she pursued what she wanted without thinking of the consequences. She was single-minded, determined to have what she believed should be hers.
That hell-bent focus had followed her all her life. From when she'd broken that kid's nose at eight for the sake of scoring a goal in soccer, to inheriting her father's billion-dollar corporation at twenty-eight.
When did it end? When did she decide she'd had enough?
Muse's snoring stuttered. Her breathing shifted into a softer rhythm. She would wake any minute now.
Adrien had to find a way to untangle herself now. She didn't want to make things any worse―any harder―than they already were. She cursed herself for rolling over in her sleep. Knowing first-hand how warm and soft Muse was in the mornings was bad enough.
Muse's breathing shifted again, her hand instinctively clutching Adrien's tighter to her.
"Adrien?"
Fuck. She was awake. Her voice sounded so perfect. Soft and sleepy and a little confused.
"Good morning, Muse," Adrien said. As if they woke up cuddling every day.
"What are we―oh." Her hand uncurled over Adrien's.
Despite the sunlight, the absence of her touch made Adrien's skin prickle with cold.
"Um," said Muse, rolling away as if she'd been burned with a fire-poker. "I'm―"
"No, yeah―um," said Adrien, trying to make space between them, because it was clear that was what Muse wanted. She coughed a little. "My bad."
"Um, yeah. I―"
"I'll call my lawyer today." She couldn't bear the hesitation any longer. It was as if they were teenagers who'd both lost their virginity the night before. "I'm sure the divorce papers can be drafted up really quick."
"The honeymoon―?"
"We don't have to do that," she said quickly. "Nobody would know."
It was better they didn't keep up the lie that long anyway. It would hurt like hell to keep pretending they were a lovesick couple on their honeymoon. For a week, they'd have to sleep in a suite filled with roses and hearts, go to dinner every night . . . Muse would lounge on the beach all day in a bikini, and the staff would call her Mrs. Vitale . . . all while knowing the second it ended, they would go back to New York City and never see each other again.
Adrien couldn't think of anything else more torturous. A sliver of paradise with the woman she loved, before signing the divorce papers.
She would rather be waterboarded instead.
They both lay on their backs, neither of them looking at the other.
At last, Muse sighed. "Twenty-four hours of marriage. Must be a record."
"I doubt it," Adrien said dryly. "I think I've heard of a celebrity couple somewhere that eloped in Vegas and called it quits the next morning."
"Oh." She laughed softly, without humour. "At least we're not the only ones."
"Yeah."
"I―" began Muse, before a low growl from her stomach punctured her words mid-sentence. "Um."
"Are you hungry?" Adrien had to bite her tongue before adding the word baby at the end. "Breakfast is still going. There will be crepes, strawberries, bacon, eggs, sausage―" God, she couldn't believe she was rambling about breakfast food. How did Muse have the ability to make her so damn nervous?
"Strawberries?" said Muse, perking up.
"Yeah, they weren't in season, but―" But I specially ordered three hundred pounds of strawberries to the resort for today. She cleared her throat. "But I think the resort just got a delivery."
She wondered if Muse could see through her for a moment. But Muse only said softly, "I love strawberries."
I know. "So, are you hungry?"
"Starving," said Muse.
THE resort's dining hall was arranged buffet-style. The ceilings towered high, framed by white marble columns, with skylights shining down over the various circular tables. Most of the guests had already come down, and were seated within groups of their own families and friends, though they stood to greet Adrien and Muse as they passed.
"Late night, eh, kids?" said Mr. Pescuzzi, clasping both of Adrien's hands in his own. Though he was near her father's age, his skin wrinkled and nearly translucent with veins, his grip was firm.
"It was their wedding night, honey," Mrs. Pescuzzi tittered, her neon pink lipstick-painted smile sharp at the edges. "You know how it goes."
Once Adrien and Muse had survived the various congratulations―Adrien purposefully avoided making eye contact in Grey's general direction―she grabbed them both plates and reached for the tongs.
It felt less like a peaceful post-wedding breakfast and more like a war zone.
"What do you want first?" Adrien asked Muse.
"You don't have to put food on my plate, Adrien. I'm not a princess."
"Ridiculous." Adrien grinned. "Of course you are."
Muse glowered, but she let Adrien serve her a chocolate crepe, waffles, yogurt with granola, blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, sausages links, bacon, and a heap of strawberries.
"Adrien. You're putting enough on my plate to feed an army of three-hundred pound, seven-foot tall men."
"So? You're hungry."
"Adrien."
"My girl's gotta eat," Adrien said without thinking, but Muse wasn't paying attention. She had made the fatal mistake: she'd looked over at Grey. He was now standing from across the room, waving both arms in gigantic sweeping motions, and calling their names.
If this really were war, he had a loaded gun aimed straight at their heads.
"We saved you a seat!"
He appeared to have chosen the biggest table in the dining hall Adrien had seen yet. Several of her father's business associates and partners had already set down their plates. Baby Grey Junior was wailing on Sherry's lap. She tried frantically to calm him.
To the left, at a smaller table, Phoebe and Agnes were seated with a few of the men's wives. No two seats were empty at their table. And it seemed Ezra and his wife hadn't come down from their room yet.
Leaving Adrien and Muse with no choice. Their fate sealed.
"What do we do?" Muse whispered, as if enemies were lurking around the corner.
"We sit with Grey," Adrien said, resigned.
It felt like death row. Soldiers heading towards their own execution.
They both walked slowly, as if Muse could read Adrien's mind, and she, too, understood this was certain death. Adrien balanced her plate in one hand and put her arm around her. If they had to go down, they'd go down together. Nothing else mattered right then.
Grey pointed at two seats directly across from him and Sherry. Adrien pulled out Muse's chair for her, waiting for her to sit first, and then took her place beside her. On her left, Eli Helsinki was mid-conversation with James Whitney about the Ponzi scheme.
"So," Grey boomed, startling a strawberry off Muse's fork. "Had a nice night?"
Adrien thought of her head between Muse's legs, licking her until she came. "Yeah, nice."
Baby Grey shrieked louder. Sherry tried to a fit a pacifier in his mouth.
"Excited for your honeymoon?" Something gleamed in Grey's eyes.
The hairs on the back of Adrien's neck rose.
"Yes," said Adrien. Maybe if she began eating, he would think twice about speaking.
She forked a piece of waffle into her mouth, but Grey continued, "You're going to the Empress Resort in Hawaii, right? I'd hate for you to miss your honeymoon. For any reason."
Adrien stopped tasting the waffle. This was war. And he was getting ready to pull the trigger.
Muse glanced over at Adrien, a question in her eyes. Adrien exchanged a look with her. Their conversation was almost telepathic.
How the fuck does he know that?
I have no clue.
Grey's voice was so loud it carried over the other conversations. He had the attention of everyone at the table.
Muse swallowed a bite of strawberry and answered for Adrien: "Of course we're going."
Famous last words.
Grey put his arm around Sherry, ignoring his screaming son, and fired his gun.
The kill shot.
"Well, me and Sherry decided to book a vacation at the same resort. How nice would it be if we were to join you two lovebirds for your whole honeymoon?"
***
Please manifest I pass all my finals.
From the moon and back,
Sarai