Adrian went out of his way with the dinner, there's no doubt about it. He truly put a lot of effort into it. He's really trying. We avoid deep conversations over the food, sticking with the light ones. I think he doesn't start on the subject we both should talk about because he wants to see me eat. He casts a few glances here and there at my plate, wondering how the food is.

It's wonderful. He's a great cook, but that shouldn't take me by surprise. He's a master of many things. "Are you still going to leave the mansion to your wife?" I can't help but ask the question that I've been asking myself. I take the glass of wine and I notice Adrian looks down at my almost finished plate. He's contemplating if he should answer or not.

"Ex-wife," he corrects me. "Yes. She doesn't have anywhere else to go."

I pity her. I truly feel sorry for her. It does not excuse that she's such a vile person, but it explains a lot. "And you're going to live here?"

"That was the plan. Do you like it?"

A laugh bubbles in my throat. "Are you kidding?"

His head falls to his side with interest, his face staying unchangeable. He is not kidding. "I do like it. If not the house for itself, the view bought be."

"Good," Adrian says, happy. "You'll be happy to move in with me, then."

I'm happy I didn't take the sip of the wine because I'm sure I'd sputter it all over Adrian's unbelievingly handsome face. "Pardon?" I ask, almost choking on the air. "That's moving a little bit fast, don't you think? I didn't even agree to anything yet."

"So what is your answer, Cassandra?" He looks as if he already knows the answer, but I am not going to give it to him just yet.

"The woman that came to your house, the one you took to your office right after we ended things. What was she to you? Or maybe I should ask, what were you two doing in your office?"

He scowls. "She's my client. I'm making plans for her weekend house. She's married."

"Being married doesn't equate to being faithful to the significant other, wouldn't you agree, Adrian?"

"It usually depends on the situation. If two people are in love, married or not, I believe they would stay faithful to each other."

I put my arms on the table, leaning forward. "Let me ask you in other words. With how many women exactly did you sleep in this month? You can be truthful about it and I'll be truthful as well."

Adrian blinks. "Do you actually have anything to be truthful about, Cassandra?"

I shrug, not giving anything away. I want to hear his answer first, although I'm afraid of what he's going to tell me.

His face pales a bit. I guess he was not expecting this. "The answer is zero. I haven't been with anyone else. The thought of it made me ill, for Christ's sake."

I'm relieved.

"I'm now afraid to ask you the same question."

"Why? We weren't together. I was free to do whatever I wanted with whoever I wanted."

He looks like he's on the verge of vomiting. Or killing someone. He abruptly stands up, walking to the drinks' cabinet, taking out a glass and filling it with ice and whiskey, drinking all of it at once.

Maybe I shouldn't be playing him like that, but he needs to know he doesn't own me and that he could really lose me forever when he acted such a jackass. I wanted to see what his reaction to that would be.

I stand up, too. He's not looking at me, his back is turned to me. "I wasn't with anyone else, either, Adrian," I say softly, comfortingly.

His shoulders visibly drop, his head hanging. He looks so vulnerable right now. His emotions are right out in the open. I do mean something to him. I don't think this is only him wanting to possess me, I believe it's something more.

I walk to where he's standing, not exactly sure what to do. I put my hand on his back, feeling the muscles tense. I remove the hand, intertwining my hands so they stop shaking.

There's a sudden movement he makes, putting the glass down and fastly turning around, his hands framing my cheeks. I take a step back in surprise, but he comes right forward with me in my personal space, his lips suddenly claiming mine so strongly that I can't do anything but kiss him back.

I put my hands on his forearms, finding the strength to pry them away. "Adrian," I mumble when he doesn't want to stop kissing me. I want to talk to him before we make any moves.

He pries his lips away, but he doesn't let me go. He brings me closer to his body, wrapping his arms around my frame, hugging me close to him. He buries his head into my neck, seeking my comfort. "Please, just give me a minute. Please." His voice is so raw and so full of emotions. I have never seen him this vulnerable before.

I hug him back, soaking in his warmth. He makes me feel so safe. Right now, right here with him; it makes me forget about everything else. It's like nothing else exists, none of our worries and problems. Everything seems so simple, but I know it's not.

His smell, his touch ... everything is so familiar. I missed this, Díos, did I miss this. It's like finally coming home after being homesick for so long.

His hand brushes down my hair, his touch so tender and loving, it makes me squeeze him harder, unable to let him go.

"Adrian, I don't know if I can do this ... with you."

I feel him tense up. He releases me from the hug, but he keeps his hands on my arms. "Why not?" he wonders looking as if the thought is absurd to him.

"I don't think I can be what you want. I'm finishing college this year and I need to focus on that."

Adrian knows I'm telling him bullshit excuses. I'm doing it because I'm scared. "You can do that by my side. I don't see the problem. I won't keep you from getting a degree, Cassandra. I admire you for that and you have my full support. I won't hold you back."

I take a step back from him. "Adrian, I ... I'm so scared. You're not a man who shows many emotions. I don't know what you think sometimes and what's going through your mind. That scares me."

Adrian sighs. "I know I am like that. It's because I have to be. I learned how to control my expressions and emotions a very long time ago. That's why I constantly tell you to ask me, anything you want. I won't ever keep answers from you. Just communicate with me."

He's tearing my walls down. I don't know if I'm making a huge mistake or if this is going to turn out to be the best thing in my life. There's only one way to find out.

"Cassandra, you've been living with me. You've been sleeping with me, eating with me and spending a hell of a lot of time with me. You know me more than anyone else does. I know I wasn't easy on you and I was keeping some sort of a distance between us, but I thought I could let you go when you decided to go. I thought I could let you live your life and find someone who's worthy of you. But I'm so selfish that I can't. I can't give you up. I need you."

If only he knew he already has me. For as long as he wants.

I walk back towards the window, admiring the view once again. "Have you found the person who killed your wife's father?"

"Ex-wife, Cassandra." He sounds annoyed. Probably because I keep changing the subject. "We have. It was someone he was doing business with. He was very careless."

"And how is Milena? Is she going to stay with Mrs– Katherine?" I correct myself. I'm still not used to the fact that she's not his wife anymore.

"No, she'll live with me. Us, if you decide to come live with me."

Again with this. "I can't just come live with you. Besides, I signed a contract. I'm keeping my flat for at least another year."

"Yes, about that. I'm sure the owner will be able to do something about it."

I shake my head. "No, I don't think – wait, why do you think that? Do you know the owner or something?" I think back to the day I moved into the flat. There was a woman who was nice but didn't give anything away. It makes me wonder how Adrian would actually know her ...

"I am the owner."

My mouth falls open. "Pardon?"

Adrian puts his hands into pockets, standing up straight and proud. "I own the building you live in."

"But how – I – Milena –" I stammer, at loss with words.

"Yes, Milena helped you find some flats. She knows about it and I asked her to do it."

I'm pissed. "Wow, you two really went behind my back and created a fool out of me, huh?" I laugh dryly, feeling so stupid.

Adrian is in front of me in seconds. "It was not like that, Cassandra. I wanted to know you were safe and I wanted to know where you are."

"In other words, you wanted to control me." I remember something. "Did you ever come to the bar I was working at?"

"I wasn't trying to control you. I gave you all the space, didn't I? Yes, I've been there twice. Just to get a glance of you. It was harder staying away from you than I thought."

"I wish you didn't stay away, though," I admit. I understand him now. I understand his reasons. We wouldn't be able to be together anyway and it would be only a torture, but he could've told me about it.

Adrian presses his lips together. "What choice did I have? I didn't want to drag you through that mess. Things were ugly at the mansion, I didn't even let Milena stay there."

"Yes, Adrian, I understand you, but you let me go believing we were completely over. Like you don't feel anything for me, after I admitted my feelings. You once said you could love me. I understood that like you could love me, but you won't. You made me believe I ruined everything."

Adrian wants to touch me again, but I step back, not letting it. I wrap my arms around me, hugging myself, protecting myself from his touches. I know if I let him touch me, I'll fall for his charms too quickly.

"Cassandra, I'm really sorry."

I nod. "Yeah. I am, too. Because it'll take a lot more than a simple sorry to fix what's broken."

Adrian nods tightly as if he was expecting that. "But there's still a chance, right?" I've never heard him sound so unsure about anything.

"A chance for what exactly?" I ask, still not sure what exactly he's trying to have with me.

"For us. To be together; properly this time."

I want to laugh. "Do any of us even know how to do that?"

Adrian blinks, confused. "We can certainly try. You just have to give us a chance. Cassandra, I'll try my best, I promise you. I don't ever want to see you this hurt because of me."

I turn back to the view behind me, giving it one last glance. "Can you take me back to my flat now, please?" Or should I just call it his instead ...

"So soon?" I hear panic and regret in his tone.

"I'm working tomorrow," I say as an excuse. Truth is, I just want to go home to think this through. I can't think clearly in his presence.

"You could stay –"

I turn around, shaking my head. "No. Thank you, but I'd like to go back."

His face falls. "I could show you around the house if you want."

He sounds so hopeful, I hate to turn him down, but if I give in, I know he'll find a way to talk me into more, which I'm not ready for. I don't want to go too fast this time. I need my head clear. "Perhaps some other time." That's not a no.

Adrian understands it. I want to see him again and I want him to try to make this work. Only then I'll truly know if he meant what he said. "Alright. Come, I'll take you home then."

The drive back is a torture. Neither of us knows what to say. I know what Adrian wants to hear, but I can't say it just yet. He can't just show up and expect me to erase the past few months from my memory. It's not that easy.

When he parks the car, I hesitate to go out. I'm afraid of what will happen if I leave again. Will he come back?

He puts his hand over mine, shutting up my screaming thoughts. "When can I see you again?"

I sigh. "You need to give me more than a day, Adrian. I have a lot of things to think about."

"I won't pressure you into deciding right away, but we can still spend time together, right? I don't want us to act like strangers when we're far away from it."

But are we really?

"I'll text you," I say.

Adrian sighs. "No, I'll call you," he decides. He leans in, kissing my cheek. "Thank you for taking your time to eat dinner with me." He's so polite all of a sudden.

"Like I had a choice," I say, holding myself back from snorting.

Adrian chuckles. Chills run down my body from hearing that sound. It was a long time since I hear him laugh. Too long.

"Sleep well, Cassandra."

I look at him, for the first time since we left his house. It's too dark to see anything clear, but what I can see is what I like. "You too. Goodnight, Adrian."

I get out of the car before I do anything stupid, like kiss him or throw myself at him.

He waits until I go into the building before I hear him drive away, leaving me empty once again.

Before you all bombard me with "please update" and "when's the next update", it's on Wednesday. The last chapter.