Dream of Us
Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ani’s POV.

“You look stunning.”

Adrian’s compliment makes me relax and stop messing with my hair. I hitch up my strapless dress one last time and smile at him.

“Thank you,” I reply gratefully.

The wedding was a quiet affair in Katie’s local church. She married her high school sweetheart, Ben. There was only about twenty-five of us in the church, however a lot more people are invited to the reception. My foster mother couldn’t get off work this afternoon but will be coming to the reception. I’m a little nervous about introducing her to Adrian, I hope she doesn’t say anything embarrassing.

“Just to let you know, my foster mum is coming to the reception. She knows that I’ve been interested in a guy recently, I can either introduce you as that guy or as my friend.”

Adrian looks intrigued by the options I’ve given him.

“I have a question, the guy you’ve been interested in is actually me, right?”

I laugh and squeeze his hand. “Yes, silly. It’s you.”

“Just checking,” he grins. “I would love to meet your mother. You can introduce me as however you feel comfortable. I know the term ‘boyfriend’ is probably too soon, so ‘guy you’re dating’ might be better.”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and think about it. It should really be too soon for to say I’ve got another boyfriend, although that’s where things are going with Adrian. I want him to be my boyfriend. We’re both adults, we’re not in school, there really shouldn’t be an issue with me calling him my boyfriend. Jaymie and I are on good terms.

“I’ll introduce you as my boyfriend if that’s okay, it’s easier,” I tell him quickly.

Adrian looks surprised but recovers quickly. “That’s fine with me. I was hoping that’s where we were headed anyway,” he says easily.

Everything feels so natural with him, we’re literally on the same page all of the time, I love it.

The reception is held a large hotel in Baldon, a city that is a half-hour train ride from Laleston. Adrian and I arrive in a taxi much like the other guests. We’re served champagne as we wait for the happy couple to join us, they’re taking photos outside first.

My mum arrives as Adrian, and I are talking about our future travel plans. We’re both homebodies and like having somewhere to be settled, but we want to see the world too.

“Hey, sweetie pie. Oh, don’t you look beautiful,” my foster mum greets me with a big hug and two kisses on my cheeks.

“Thank you, Mum. You look lovely.”

“Why, thank you.” She turns her attention to Adrian. “And who is this handsome young man?”

“Adrian Summerhill, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says warmly and extends his hand to my mum.

“Mum, this is my boyfriend, Adrian.”

She looks at me with raised eyebrows. “Boyfriend? Well, this is very interesting. It’s lovely to meet you, Adrian.”

I catch up with my mum and Adrian tells her a bit about himself. The newlyweds arrive shortly after, saving Adrian from my mother’s endless questions. More of my mother’s family arrive and she’s whisked away by relatives, leaving Adrian and I alone.

He keeps looking out of the window with a frown on his face. I didn’t really notice it at first but after he starts doing it every few minutes, it’s impossible to miss.

“Is everything alright?” I ask him.

“Fine,” he replies tightly and forces a smile. He sighs as he realise that he can’t lie to me. “I thought I saw someone I recognise; do you mind if I step outside and see if it’s him?”

An odd request.

“Of course, do you want me to wait in here for you?”

“Please,” he says and kisses my forehead. “I won’t be long. Here, take my card and get us another round of drinks. I’ll have a gin and tonic, thank you so much, Ani.”

He’s marching out of the door before I’ve even blinked. I didn’t miss the tension in his shoulders as he moved. I grip his card and head for the bar.

Something’s wrong.

I can’t shake the feeling no matter how hard I try. I buy our drinks and place them on the table we were standing next to. I sit and tap my foot impatiently. I check my notifications on my phone. I distract myself by taking pictures of the bride and groom having their first dance. My mother comes over and talks to me about how suited Adrian is for me, which is reassuring.

But where is the man that is supposedly so suited for me?

Once it gets to nearly half an hour, I trust my gut and go looking for him. I step outside and head for the trees in the direction that Adrian kept looking at earlier. I lift my dress so that it won’t get dirty and curse my unsuitable stilettos for sinking into the wood chips that have been scattered on the ground.

“Adrian?” I call out for him.

“Dyani, watch out!” He shouts from my left.

I turn just in time to see a man running towards me, dressed in all-black with a determined and ominous look on his face. I jump back out of the way, and he misses me by inches.

Adrian flies past me after the man and tackles him to the ground. He pushes his knee into the attacker’s back and pins him down.

“Adrian! What is going on?” I ask in shock as he gets the man in a headlock.

Why did that man try to attack me?

How does Adrian know him?

“One second,” Adrian bites out the words with difficulty as he tightens his hold on the man’s neck.

He holds until the man goes still, passed out on the ground. I can see that he is still breathing, Adrian hasn’t killed him, just incapacitated him.

“I’m so sorry about this, Ani,” he says and rolls the man onto his back. “I promise, I will explain everything, but right now, this man has been sent to kidnap you.”

“He what?!” I screech. “Kidnap me? Why?”

A horrible thought enters my mind. I wonder if this man has anything to do with my stalker who Jaymie killed.

“I promise, I will explain,” Adrian says through his laboured breaths.

He pulls a silver knife from a hidden sheath on the man’s ankle. He takes a deep breath and then plunges into the man’s chest, making me scream and stumble backwards.

“Ani, please, I know this is a shock, but you need to be quiet,” Adrian urges me.

Something about the way he looks at me and the tone of his voice makes me go quiet. I press my lips together, quaking in my heels at the sight of the bright red blood spreading from the chest wound. The man has stopped breathing; Adrian has killed him. That’s the second time someone has killed for me.

Adrian pulls the dagger from the man’s chest and wipes it on his black uniform. He’s careful not to get blood on himself as he stands up.

“We need to hide the body, so no one replaces it. I know this is incredibly intense, but I need your help. Could you grab some branches from nearby trees? We need to cover him.”

“Branches aren’t going to hide a body, Adrian,” I hiss at him.

“I know, it will be dealt with by the man who sent him, but I don’t want any humans stumbling upon it.”

“Humans,” I whisper the word. “You say that like you’re not…” I gesture at the body. “Like he’s not…”

“Not human, no. He isn’t. Neither am I and neither are you. Please, Ani, the branches.”

What in the world is going on?

I can’t think straight, I blindly follow Adrian’s instructions for something else to focus on. The lower, younger branches of some of the trees are easy to snap off. I follow Adrian’s lead and use them to cover the body in foliage.

“That will do for now, we need to get out of here before others come for you. I’ll call a taxi; you can go back inside and say goodbye to anyone you need to but stay in the building.”

I shake my head. “I can’t,” I tell him in a panic. “I can’t act normal right now.”

He gives me a long look as he presses his phone to his ear.

“Okay, text them then.”

My fingers feel clumsy and sluggish as I pull out my phone and type a quick text to my mother, feigning a stomach upset. Hopefully, she’ll buy it. A text will have to do because I can’t face her right now.

“The taxi will be here in five, we need to get to the front of the hotel. Come on.”

Adrian holds out his hand to me. I hesitate for only a moment before taking it. Despite having just watched him kill a man, I trust him. My body is working on autopilot now and I’m in survival mode, Adrian seems like my safest bet. I let him lead me out of the trees and to the hotel entrance.

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