Chapter 6

Adlan

"Marry me. Marry me, Laura George."

The words were out before I could stop them.

I hadn't planned to say them. Hell, I hadn't even thought about marriage until this very moment but staring into her wide, questioning eyes, something inside me snapped into place. A certainty I hadn't known I was searching for.

It didn't matter if it was reckless. It didn't matter if I was losing my mind.

I meant it.

Laura's brows pulled together, disbelief flashing across her face.

"What?"

I took a deep breath, bracing myself. "I know it seems too soon. I know we're not at a place where love or marriage should even be a conversation. Fuck, we haven't even gone on a proper date yet but what's more insane than proposing right now. What's worse is how I feel about you. I..."

She yanked her hands out of my grasp and took a step back, her chest rising and falling unevenly.

"Adlan..." she muttered, shaking her head. She raked her fingers through her hair, her disbelief clear in every line of her body. "This is insane."

"Yes. It is. I am insane." I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "I have no idea what's happening to me. I can't think straight and Laura, we've only known each other for a few days, but..."

"It's not real," she interrupted, her voice sharper now.

I flinched.

"You don't know that."

Her words sliced through me, but she had no fucking idea. No idea what was real or not. No idea what was clawing at my chest, ripping me apart from the inside.

She exhaled, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You can't fall this deeply for someone you just met." She shook her head again. "Saying you want to marry me? That's not love, Adlan. That's—delusional."

I breathed out heavily, feeling the weight of her words settle deep in my gut.

What the fuck was I thinking?

Did I really expect her to just agree? To say yes like this wasn't the most absurd thing in the world?

I ran a hand down my face, frustration mounting. "What do you feel for me?"

She hesitated.

"Adlan..."

"I need to know." My voice was rough, edged with desperation. "Do you feel anything for me? Even the smallest spark? Compassion? Interest? Something?"

She sighed, shutting her eyes for a moment before raking her fingers through her hair again. The movement was frustrated, almost agitated, but fuck, she had no idea how beautiful she looked doing that.

"This whole conversation is going somewhere I never planned for it to go," she muttered.

"Tell me," I urged, my patience wearing thin. My emotions were a fucking storm inside me, raging, uncontrollable. I tried to manage my tone, tried to keep myself from cracking, but I needed to know.

She snapped her eyes back to mine, and what I saw there nearly floored me.

Confusion. Fear. Longing and something else. Something she wasn't ready to admit.

"I don't know," she finally said, the words rushed, frantic. "I don't fucking know what I feel for you. Ever since we met, it's been nothing but chaos in my head. I can't think, I can't make sense of anything, and I sure as hell don't understand this." She gestured between us, frustration bleeding through her every word.

I searched her face, trying to read past her defences, trying to see if there was something, anything beneath her denial but she was blocking me out, shutting me out.

The frustration boiled over.

I slammed my palms against the steering wheel. The impact sent a sharp sound slicing through the air, making her jump.

"Fine," I spat out, my voice hollow.

Her expression shifted. "Adlan, I..."

"It's fine." I forced a tight smile, one that didn't reach my eyes.

She hesitated, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't. Instead, she nodded and stepped out of the car.

I didn't watch her go inside. I didn't let myself see the way she lingered on the sidewalk, staring after me as I drove off.

I just left.

The second she was out of sight, something inside me snapped.

My grip tightened on the wheel, my knuckles turning white. My mind spun back to the past few days, the fucking agony of not hearing from her, the way every second had dragged by, each one heavier than the last. I thought about how fucking miserable my day had been, how wrong everything had felt without her near.

Why the fuck was I doing this to myself?

I slammed on the brakes, the car screeching to a violent stop. My breath came fast, uneven.

Then I lost it.

I slammed my fists against the wheel, over and over, the impact vibrating through my arms.

"Fuck!"

The anger coursed through me, raw and unfiltered.

I had been in a relationship before. I had felt love before. I had felt loss before and yet—this?

This was something else entirely.

I knew what I was feeling and it wasn't just infatuation, it wasn't just desperation or obsession, it was her.

I fucking love Laura.

Before I could stop myself, I threw the car into reverse, spinning it around.

I needed to see her.

I needed her.

I barely remembered the drive back to her place. I parked at a haphazard stop outside her building and rushed through the elevator to her door. My heart was a fucking wreck in my chest as I knocked, loud, insistent.

Nothing.

I almost gave up. Almost turned around and walked away.

Then the door opened and fuck.

She stood there, her hair dripping wet, strands clinging to her skin. A towel was wrapped around her chest, her collarbones slick with moisture. Droplets of water trailed down the slope of her neck.

I swallowed hard, my hands clenching at my sides.

She looked stunned, her lips parting slightly. "Adlan... I thought you left."

I had but leaving her had felt like a mistake.

Without another thought, without a single ounce of hesitation, I stepped forward and kissed her.

I had been fighting myself. Fighting every demon in my head and with her?

I never stood a fucking chance.

She stumbled back, her hands pressing against my chest as if to push me away, but I didn't let her. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me, my lips moving against hers with an urgency I couldn't contain.

She let out a small, shaky breath, then melted.

Her fingers curled into my shirt, and she gave in. She parted her lips, letting me in, her tongue tangling with mine in a way that sent a bolt of electricity straight to my spine.

I groaned, my grip tightening on her waist, pressing her closer.

Fuck.

There was something about her.

Something that turned my entire fucking world upside down.

I reached down, gripping the soft curve of her ass, kneading, feeling, losing myself in the sensation of her.

"Fuck," I growled against her lips before pulling away abruptly.

I was breathing heavily, my forehead resting against hers, my hands still gripping her hips like I couldn't bear to let go.

She looked up at me, her lips swollen, her expression dazed and slightly confused.

I exhaled sharply. "I know what I said earlier was fucking crazy. I know it made no sense but I meant it. I want to do this the right way." I brushed a damp strand of hair behind her ear, my voice quieter now. "Laura... be my girlfriend."

Her eyes widened.

For a second, I thought she'd say no again. Thought she'd run. Thought she'd tell me I was making another mistake but instead, she nodded.

"Yes," she breathed out. Then, firmer, more certain, "Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."

And just like that...

She was mine.