Without even looking at his face, Adele could tell he was not him, though the man's broad shoulders and raven-black hair reminded her of the handsome candy stranger. As she looked closely she noticed the candy guy was more... imposing, and larger.
And she was right. When the man turned it got confirmed he was someone else entirely. Yet, she was lost in the comparison, images of those red furious eyes flashed in front of her eyes, and she remembered that sneaky mole beneath those eyes.
"Ooh, whom are you staring at?" Charlotte's delighted voice jolted her back to reality.
"The guy by the lake?" Melissa squinted, looking at the man "The one in the dark suit?"
"I wasn't staring at anyone specifically!"
"Uh-huh. Sure." Sophie grinned. "Your face says otherwise." Adele didn't knew her face was a shade red.
Later Adele bid her goodbyes. Despite the teasing, these women had been kinder to her in one evening than most wolves were in a year. And just like that the party ended in surprisingly pleasant terms for Adele.
As night fell by, Adele changed into comfortable sleep clothes, braided her hair, and collapsed onto her bed with a sigh of relief. She survived. She actually survived a social event without June there to protect her. Although it was a small victory, but it was something for her.
And just as she was about to drift into slumber, she was jolted awake by the ting of notification on her phone.
Adele reached for it, and looking at the screen she frowned to find two notifications. One was from Lyra but the other was a new number.
[Lyra: Hey! Hope you don't mind! He was asking around for your number. Thought I'd help my sister out.]
He? Who's he? She switched her tab to the unknown number.
[Unknown: Hi Princess Adele. This is Harry Hartwell. We were both at the garden party today. I saw you with Princess Lyra's friends and wanted to introduce myself but I kept getting dragged into conversations… and by the time I escaped, you'd already left.
I hope it's OK that I asked Princess Lyra for your number. I totally understand if this is weird or too forward .....no pressure at all. Just didn't want to miss the chance to say 'Hi' to an unique flower.]
Adele read the message three times. 'Harry Hartwell?' He was a stranger to her. She clicked on his profile picture and she saw the man by the lake staring back at her.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Adele's first instinct was panic and to delete the message.
But then, she thought, maybe this is a chance. Maybe this is the Moon Goddess giving her an opportunity.
She took a deep breath and started typing.
[Adele: Hi. It's OK.] She added an Ok emoji. Was it too awkward?
The reply came back immediately.
[Harry: Great! …are you awake? Oh wow, that was a stupid question. I guess if you're replying, you're clearly awake. Ignore it. So.....how did you find the party?]
[Adele: It was nice.
Harry: Just nice? ]
Adele bit her lip, actually she wasn't good at this casual texting.
[ Adele: The party was beautiful.
Harry: Yeah, it was! Though I have to admit I was more interested in a certain flower than the scenery.]
Her face heated. Was he flirting? and she fumbled to reply back. Few minutes passed without any text from either side.
[Harry: Knock-knock?….. did I scare you off? Was that too forward again? But let me give you a fair warning, Princess—you should get used to me, because...]
He left the message hanging, tugging at Adele's curiousity.
[ Adele: Because...?
Harry: Because, I'm planning on us talking for quite a while. And maybe, eventually, you'll let me hear that voice instead of just reading your words.]
That made her smile foolishly. They messaged back and forth for over an hour, mainly it was him leading the messaging, and Adele was just... conversing. Having easy, comfortable conversation that made her feel seen.
When she finally said goodnight, she stared at her phone for a long moment with something warm blooming in her chest. Hope.
Over the next few days, Harry became a constant presence in Adele's phone with good morning messages, book recommendations, questions about her day alongwith his usual flirting, and gradually delightful sparks started pricking her stomach.
When one day, Adele was moving through the corridor in silent steps holding a library book which she intended to return, she sensed a group approaching before she saw them. She was a quite, inconspicuous girl, with a talent of demising her presence even at her own home, so Adele quickly stepped to the side, not wanting to attract attention, giving them way, pressing closer to the wall as Lyra passed with her small circle of friends and a pair of trailing maids.
".....sometimes what finds us is exactly what we deserve." Though Lyra was speaking to her group, her gaze slid briefly to Adele and to the phone in her hand before she passed her a sweet, deliberate smile and moved on.
Five days in, Harry asked the question Adele had been looking forward to, which she had read in a book as next step, a date. The café Harry chose was small and cozy, tucked away on a quiet street with warm lighting, engulfed in the smell of fresh coffee and baked goods.
Mr.Davison had looked so happy when she'd asked him to drive her to meet someone.
"A friend, Princess?"
"Something like that," she'd answered.
Adele arrived ten minutes early, her nerves making it impossible to time it perfectly. When Harry stepped in and spotted her, he walked towards her as possessed, flashing his charming smile, and he took her hand in his without a word spoken, and pressed a gentle kiss to it's back giving Adele's heart a stir of joy. "You look lovely!"
On their first date, he told her about his work in pack security, about growing up in a smaller territory, about his family. He was a beta and he was easy to talk to, patient when she struggled for words, never making her feel awkward about her silences and occasionally flirty.
Two hours passed before Adele realized it, and they decided to part.
"Princess, how soon is too soon to ask you out again?"
"Huh?"
"Tell me when you will be free?"
"T-this saturday."
He responded with a smile that made her heart stumble. "Saturday. OK! I'll behave.....mostly!" He winked playfully before leaving her to the car. She held her hand he'd kissed the entire drive home.
Harry had already decided that their second date would be at a movie theatre, but Adele never made it there.
By Friday night, she suddenly started getting chills, and by Saturday morning she was admitted to the hospital, with IV lines taped to her wrist.
She was disappointed on herself because she had let him down. And after staring for a long while at her phone she decided to update him. His reply came almost instantly.
[Harry: Hey. Don't apologize. Are you okay?]
A few minutes later, her screen lit up again, this time with an incoming video call from Harry. His face filled the screen,
[Who says we can't still have our date? Let's watch the movie in sync. I'll hit play when you do. Same time. No cheating.]
So they watched the movie together, every so often he'd whisper commentary, or make fun of a dramatic scene, and she found herself laughing. For the first time in a long while, Adele was not alone in her hospital room.
Two days later, she smiled at the sight of a man waiting by the woods with his hands in pockets.
"Why are we here, Mr.Harry?"
He took her hand in his pulling her, "Oh! You will find out soon, Princess." And Adele followed obediently deeper into the woods, seeking his plans.
When they stopped in front of a lake, she saw a blanket, basket full of food he'd clearly spent time preparing, even a portable speaker playing soft instrumental music.
He taught her how to catch fish, how to skip stones, and gave her a bouquet of roses that looked as though he had arranged them himself as a parting gift.
Next day, Adele was sitting in the backseat, watching the buildings pass by her window as she was returning from her hospital visit.
Since meeting Harry, her days had been going well lately. Really well. The thought made her smile despite herself.
I think, I am starting to like him. Her mind drifted to their last date by the lake, and her face heated even in the privacy of the car.
At some point, Harry had been telling her about something, when he'd reached for his water bottle at the same moment she'd reached for hers. Their hands brushed, it was such a small thing.
But they both froze, not moivng an inch. Then he turned to look at her, his dark eyes desplaying an intensity that had stolen her breath.
"Adele!" He moved closer then. Slowly. And his hand came up to cup her cheek.
Is he going to kiss me? She closed her eyes in anticipation. But instead of kissing, Harry pushed the lock from Adele's hair behind her ear, and she was not sure that she was more disappointed or embarassed.
I'm being ridiculous. Adele pressed her cool fingers to her warm cheeks in the backseat.
She forced her mind to think about something else, and she noticed that strangely, on the days when Harry asked her out, those triplets didn't ask her to work. Can it be a coincidence?
Meanwhile, the car slowed to stop at a red light. Adele was gazing absentmindedly out of the window, when her eyes caught on the man who told had her he was out of the city today. Harry.