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Adrien snorts. “You can stop,” he tells me, cheshire smile still firmly in place. “I get the message. And you aren’t wrong.” He leans back against the driver’s seat, half reclined in it with his eyes drifting shut. His lashes brush his cheeks, rendering me jealous once again.
“I owed them a favor,” he admits. “But don’t tell them that. And don’t tell them that I like them, either.”
“They probably know that already,” I can’t help pointing out. “You know, since you told them about this, helped them, and, oh what was that other thing. Right–I walked in on you fucking Ansel into the–”
“How’d you like the both of them, anyway?” Adrien drawls, interrupting me as if I’m not speaking. “You and I might be a little different in preferences, but I figured we could compare notes. Was Ronan sweet for you? Did Ansel whisper sweet, filthy promises in your ear? God, did you let them both top? That has to be a fun change for Ro.”
“You done?” I ask, once he’s finished.
But Adrien only gives me that sly fucking look. “Not at all. I think I’m jealous, actually.”
My brows climb towards my bangs. “Of…?”
“Of them getting to fuck you while I came out here to come up with a plan,” he sighs, like it’s been the most arduous task in the world. “And I did, by the way. We just need a few things.” Without warning, he flicks the car into reverse and pulls out of the parking lot, my stomach jolting.
“Can we stop by my motel? So I can get my phone?”
“Sure,” Adrien agrees magnanimously. “We can even stop for coffee, if you ask me nicely.”
We do stop for coffee, after I make a quick stop by the motel to get my phone. Agatha stands behind the counter, and when she sees me, her mouth twists into a scowl.
It takes a few minutes, and a few lies about my night, but by the time I’m walking away, I’ve been given a donut from the box of them on the counter, my phone, and my keys. Agatha tells me to sleep in, assuring me that she’ll take care of covering for me if I need her to, and by the time I’m back in the SUV, I’m biting into the donut with relish.
Adrien gives me a sidelong glance but only snorts, and by the time our coffee from the local drive thru is cool enough to not cause permanent, internal damage, he’s pulling up to a hardware store that I’ve certainly never been in before.
“Do I look like a hardware store girl to you?” I ask when he directs his surprise my way. “Do I look like Rosie the Riveter?”
“My bad,” he drawls, sliding the car into park. “I’m so sorry.” But he definitely isn’t. Still, he takes a few sips of his coffee before fishing his phone out of his pocket to show me the list of notes he’d apparently made back at the motel.
“Since you’re so helpful, want to split this up with me?” I take out my own phone at his words, and I type out the items on the list that I can actually find without help.
“This looks like we’re about to murder someone and bury their body,” I admit, when I type the word tarp - black onto my phone. Adrien doesn’t speak, and it takes me a moment to realize what that implies. “Oh.” I blink. “Gotcha. Okay. Yeah, this is a fun field trip.” With that, I take another sip of coffee and stride inside with him, working hard to appear normal. Like we aren’t two weirdos about to kill more people before hiding their bodies somewhere that hasn’t been disclosed yet.
It’s probably a good thing that the two of us split up. I don’t know if I could hold my questions if we were together, so by the time we’re back in the SUV, I can barely resist any longer.
Adrien is second to close his door, a white plastic bag in his hands, and I speak before he’s even pressed the button to turn on the ignition.
“If you didn’t have all of this, what did you do earlier with the bodies from the pier? Ro and Ansel said you’d stayed behind to clean up, and–”
I break off when he tosses the bag into my lap, jumping a little as he does.
“Happy Halloween.” Adrien throws me a grin and smoothly pulls out of the parking lot once his seat belt is in place, leaving me to open the tied up bag and unwrap what he’d bought in the hardware store without my knowledge.
“Oh.” The word comes out soft and breathy as I stare down at the black, blank plastic mask. The smooth features of a face have been molded into it, a bit more noticeable than the ones that Adrien and the guys use, and there’s no slash of a neon smile or shock of eyes drawn on. But it’s still a mask. And gloves, I note, when I dig deeper in the bag.
Quietly, I take a drink from the paper coffee cup, grateful that it’s no longer at the level of causing third degree burns. My fingers smooth over the mask at any chance they get, and I don’t know what to say for the seven-ish minute drive back to the motel.
“Thank you.” The words finally come out once we’re parked in the deserted lot, the trees above us barely hanging onto their orange and brown leaves.
“It’s not as nice as ours. And not as customized,” Adrien is quick to say, as if he doesn’t want to focus on the fact he’s doing something nice to me. But I see the way he glances my way, and I can’t help but grin at him.
“thank you,” I say again with more emphasis this time. Clumsily, I get to my knees, being careful not to spill burning coffee all over me as I lean across the jeep to press a stupid, loud kiss on his cheek.
Or at least, that’s the plan.
But Adrien turns at the last minute, one hand going to settle at the nape of my neck. A small yelp of surprise leaves me, but he only grins against my lips and drags me closer, to kiss me harder.
“Jerk,” I murmur against his lips, causing him to chuckle.
