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“You will be too, won’t you?”
Adelaide looked at him and blinked as he gave her a small, encouraging smile that warmed her insides, making her feel invincible. She gave him a small nod and King’s smile turned into an eye-crinkling grin.
He asked, “When do enrolments open?”
“They’re open now. Classes start in a few weeks.”
He passed her the phone sitting on the table. “What are you waiting for?”
This was it. The possibilities opened before her, scary and exciting at the same time. She could picture herself sitting down, reading, and listening to videos. Except… where the hell would she study? The space she’d made into her bedroom was too open and way too small to fit a desk, she’d already taken over the part of the garage that didn’t have boxes and the furniture from Pop’s old house piled up in it, and the kitchen table was just off the lounge room—the loudest room in the house. “I don’t know where to study,” she rushed out, cringing. “Shit. I’m going to have to go to the library every day.”
“It’s out of the way, but you can come to—” King started. He looked down and a pretty pink flush dotted his cheeks. He tried to bite back the shy smile, but Adelaide wasn’t having it. She loved that smile—it was perhaps her favourite of his, one he didn’t share often.
“Study at my house,” Liam responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world to suggest. “I’m right next door and there’s plenty of room. You can have a key. Come and go whenever you need.”
“You wouldn’t mind?” She looked between King and Liam. When they both shook their heads, Adelaide threw her arms around her boyfriend and gave his lips a smiley kiss. “Thank you!”
Ten
Adelaide
L
ightning flashed across the sky, lighting it up. The crack of thunder shook the house, startling Adelaide even though she knew it was coming. They were curled up watching a movie together, listening to the howling wind outside, but Adelaide suspected she and King should be watching the night sky instead.
The light in the kitchen flickered, dimming before powering back up again. “One sec,” King murmured against her hair before he slid out from behind her and fished out a box from the bottom of the cupboard, placing it gently on the coffee table he’d been resting his feet on. “Just in case the power goes out.”
He’d barely finished speaking when another flash lit the sky. The TV went black, but the room wasn’t plunged into darkness. The spiderweb of lightning across the sky took care of that. But as it faded, King pulled out old-fashioned hurricane lanterns. He lit them and Adelaide smiled serenely. She loved how he was a caretaker. So prepared for anything. It was the little things he did that meant the most to her. The way he’d looked in three different nurseries to find her favourite flowers so he could plant them in his garden and give her bunches whenever new flowers bloomed. He’d changed the milk he drank with his coffee because Adelaide commented she preferred the farmer co-op brand and had even placed an order through her online store for the condoms she stocked too, despite Adelaide being able to grab a box from her supplies.
The rain began its pitter-patter on the roof, but the gusts of wind caused it to hiss against the glass too. When King returned to the couch, he shifted her, opening her legs, and stretching out above her. Adelaide wrapped herself around him, holding him close. After kissing her softly, he asked, “Will you stay tonight? I don’t want you driving home in this.”
She smiled, sure she looked love-drunk, and hummed. “I’d love to.” It really was the small things he did and said that mattered most.
Fingertips traced along her waist, tickling her with the gentle touch. She cupped King’s face, deepening their kiss and slid her hands up the back of his shirt. Peeling each other’s clothes off, they touched, rediscovering the way their bodies fit together. Their movements slow. Unhurried. He worshipped her, lighting her up like the lightning was doing to the night sky. They hadn’t said the words yet, but Adelaide knew. He never left her in any doubt about the depth of his feelings. As much as she hoped King knew that she had fallen for him too, Adelaide wanted to tell him. She didn’t want him to doubt what they had, not even for a moment. Those three little words were on the tip of Adelaide’s tongue. She needed to say them, the urge getting stronger with each passing day to squash any question in King’s mind about how much she adored him.
*****
Adelaide opened the door, letting herself in after spending the night at King’s. She’d intended staying while he was at work, having the house to herself all day, but their plans had been thwarted when the power went out and hadn’t yet come back on. Instead, she came home but the noise that met her made her turn straight around.
Three weeks into class and Adelaide was loving it. She was powering through the materials, reading everything she could get her hands on. Every reference book, every article mentioned by her tutors or in any of the texts she read were added to the list. She watched every video and participated in the online forum, responding to most of the comments like they were encouraged to do. Learning about the body, how it interpreted signals, and dismantling many of the class’s preconceived notions to help their clients build a new foundation was exhilarating.
She slipped through Liam’s side gate, skipping along the flagstone pavers to the back door, her bag slung over her shoulder. Adelaide couldn’t see his sporty black SUV when she looked through the windows of the garage. That meant she’d be alone for at least part of the morning—a much-needed quiet haven from the laughter and shouted smack talk at her house. It happened whenever Pop and Mum played Scrabble. As much as she loved the happiness her family exuded, she desperately needed peace and quiet for her project. She had a forum post to write on the topic they’d just covered in class—the impact of porn on partner connection and intimacy. It was only a short piece, but it needed to pack a punch, provoke discussion, and make her view clear at the same time.
That wasn’t possible with yelling in the background.
Eternally grateful for the key Liam had given her, Adelaide crossed the patio and unlocked the back door, sliding the glass all the way open so she could capture the breeze blowing in off the ocean a twenty-minute drive away.
Adelaide had her head buried in her laptop, scrolling to find a reference she’d uncovered when the garage door began opening. “Honey, I’m home,” Liam yelled as he rounded the corner a moment later.
“Doofus,” Adelaide responded with a laugh, shoving down the longing for him to be serious. The guilt of even thinking like that while she was dating King sent her into a spiral of self-recrimination. It wasn’t helping that they’d been spending so much time together either. Liam was enjoying his post-season holiday after the gruelling season he’d had. But taking a break just gave him extra time to study, so if they weren’t gathered around his table working together, he was at their house with Lij.
He ruffled her hair, messing up the wave she’d managed to calm the frizz into given the humidity after the storm as he walked past. “Stop it,” she grumbled, slapping his hand away.
“Sorry, babe.” Liam didn’t sound sorry at all. In fact, the glee in his voice was matched by the shameless toothy grin he shot her when Adelaide looked up and glared at him. “Whatcha working on?” He leaned over her shoulder at the handwritten notes on her page.
“Porn and the impact on intimacy in existing relationships.”
“Yeah?” He cleared his throat and formed a fist, raising his hand like he held a microphone. With a serious expression, he asked, “Tell me, Ms McMahon, what do you think of… porn?” He wiggled his eyebrows and Adelaide snorted out a laugh.
