ADRIAN'S POVI pushed the front door open harder than I meant to. It slammed against the wall.
"Adele? Adele, you here?"
"I'm up here!" Her voice drifted from the top of the stairs, light, almost playful. "Come and see."
Something in her tone made my stomach tighten. I climbed the steps slowly, already tired before I reached her.
She was standing in the middle of the room barefoot, the smell of paint thick in the air.
On the easel Christ.
A forest.
Shades of blue and green bleeding into each other.
And right there in the middle of it,a well.
"What do you think?" she asked quietly.
I just stared. "Why would you do this?"
She blinked, confused for half a second, then her smile wavered. "It's just a painting, Adrian."
I didn't answer. I turned and walked out before she could say another word.
Her voice followed me down the stairs, soft but sharp at the edges. "You always leave when it gets uncomfortable."
The next morning I got to the office before sunrise, hoping the work would numb me.
It didn't.
The receptionist smiled when I walked in. I didn't even manage a hello. Just went straight to my office and shut the door harder than necessary.
For a while, I just sat there, staring at nothing. The air felt thick.
Then,three knocks. A pause. The door opened before I could answer.
Lena.
"Do you need something?" I said without looking up.
"Just dropping this off for your 10:30 she said, voice careful.
"Leave it on the desk," I muttered, flipping through papers that didn't matter.
I glanced up. She was still standing there, file in hand, not moving.
"Leave it," I said again, sharper this time. "And next time,knock first."
"I did knock," she shot back, eyes flashing. "But next time I'll wait to be summoned."
She dropped the file on my desk and walked out before I could think of something to say.
A while later, a raised voice from the waiting area cut through my thoughts.
I stepped out and saw a young boy arguing with Lena.
"Anthony," I said, forcing calm. "Hey. I'm Dr. Shaw."
He turned, face flushed with anger. "I'm not doing this."
"It's just an hour," I said softly. "What harm can it do? Besides, it keeps you out of prison."
He hesitated. His parents looked at me, desperate.
Finally, he followed me into the room.
The session dragged,raw, messy, human. By the end, he looked lighter.
When I walked him and his parents out, I told them, "We'll do this another on Friday, same time."
His mom smiled weakly. "Thank you, Doctor."
I nodded and turned back toward Lena's desk. She was typing, pretending not to notice me until I stopped beside her.
"Lena… I booked Anthony Hawkins for another session on Friday. Same time, 3:45."
She clicked her pen twice, not looking up. "Should I charge for the extra hour he had today?"
"Eh, no," I said quickly. "That was my fault. I didn't want to stop him once he started talking."
Her lips twitched. "I know what Dr. Sharma would say about that."
I finally smiled, small but real. "Well, I won't tell if you won't."
I turned and walked back to my office.
The next day, Lena didn't show up to work.
I stared at her empty desk longer than I should have. Someone said she'd called in sick , after hours, of course. Professional to the end.
I told myself to leave it alone. Told myself all afternoon. By six, I was in my car. By seven, I was standing outside her building like some kind of idiot, thumb hovering over her buzzer.
She answered the door in joggers and an old t-shirt, hair piled up messy. Her face did something complicated when she saw me.
"Oh. It's you."
"You called in sick." I shifted my weight, hands in my pockets. "I was… I was nearby. Thought I'd check."
"It was a headache." She didn't move from the doorway.
"Right."I said
"It was killing me this morning." She touched her temple, looked past my shoulder. "I'm fine now."
"Good. That's…" I nodded too many times. "That's good."
She exhaled. "That's not true. It wasn't a headache."
I waited.
"My son. It was his last day before he left for France, and I wanted to spend some time with him before he left l" She crossed her arms. "I meant to ask before, but,"
"I was acting like a prick."
"Yeah." A small laugh escaped. "A bit, yeah."
We stood there. A neighbor's TV droned through the wall.
"Do you want to come in?"
Her flat was smaller than I expected. Warm though. Felt lived-in. Photos on the fridge, books stacked on the coffee table. She poured wine without asking if I wanted any, handed me a glass that didn't match hers.
"Your place is nice."
"Thanks wine ?" She gestured vaguely at the sofa. "Sit."
We sat on opposite ends. Drank. The silence stretched out between us like something physical.
"Were you really just nearby?" She was looking at her wine.
"No." I laughed, short and stupid i thought it was because of me you didn't come to the office because I was shitty to you… They said you are never sick and em…. I didn't want there to be…em…I don't want us to be…
"Ever the conversationalist, Adrian."
"Christ." I smiled despite myself. "Sorry."
"Why are you really here?"
"I didn't want to go home." It came out before I could stop it. "I've been walking around for an hour. Found myself outside and I just…" I poured more wine, too fast, spilled a bit. "You know, I wondered if it was fate. Us meeting in that bar."
"I think it was bad luck."
"That how you see it?"
She finally looked at me. "All things considered? It didn't work out great for me, did it? I finally meet someone I actually…" She stopped. "Someone I could actually like, and he's married."
"So you did like me."
She threw a pillow at me. "Men and their bloody egos."
We were laughing again, and god, it felt good.
"I kissed you first," she said, quieter now. "First time I'd kissed anyone in ages."
"We really laughed, didn't we? That night."
"Yeah."
"People should be able to do that. Make each other laugh. That should always be there, whatever else happens."I said
She just looked at me. Then: "How long have you been together? You and your wife."
"Long time." I stared into my glass. "Forever, really."
"She's very beautiful."
"Yes." The word sat heavy. "We haven't laughed in… I keep thinking about you."
"That's not fair, Adrian."
"I know."
She stood up, went to the door. Opened it. "You should go home."
"Lena,"
I handed her my glass. Our fingers touched.
Her eyes lifted to mine.
Neither of us said anything.
Then she leaned in and kissed me , a small, trembling thing that felt both wrong and inevitable.
She pulled back, whispering, "Bye."
But I didn't move.
Something in me , something stupid , reached out again.
She hesitated, lips parted, and then The door slammed. We stumbled toward her bedroom, mouths not breaking apart, hands pulling at buttons, zippers. We fell onto her bed, her on top of me, both of us breathing like we'd been running.
After, I lay there staring at her ceiling, feeling my heart slow down, feeling everything else speed up in my head.
"I should…" I started getting dressed.
"Did you just wipe me off?" She sounded almost amused. "Sorry. That was nasty"she said immediately
"Took two of us, didn't it?"
She wrapped herself in the sheet.
"I should go."
"What were we thinking Adrain she said
"We weren't. I guess." I sat on the edge of the bed, one shoe on. "We weren't thinking."
She sighed, pulled her knees up. "I won't bring this towork. I won't say anything."
"Thank you." I tied my other shoe. "Better if we keep things like this out of the office."
"Right. Things. Like shagging." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "That sort of stuff."
I couldn't help but laugh. It came out sad.
"Go on, Adrian it's alright." She looked small in that big bed, wrapped in white.
I kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, Lena."
"Bye."
I was halfway down the stairs when my phone lit up.
A text. From Adele
"Where are you "
I freezed The screen glows cold against my palm.
Then fades to black.