Adrian and I enjoyed the bath in silence until the water got cold. Since we couldn't rinse ourselves simultaneously, I let him do it first. A phone was ringing and as we both have an iPhone, our ringtone is the same. Assuming it's his, he got out of the shower and I continued washing myself.

Soon after, I joined him but his mood was completely different from a couple of minutes ago. He was sitting on the sofa with my phone in his hand and looking mad. Several thoughts passed through my head but stopped on one - Instagram.

"Why don't I know about these?" Adrian turned my phone showing Julian's old and also new messages. I sighed.

"I forgot to tell you. Why are you going through my phone?" I lied and tried to shift the conversation to the fact that he took the liberty to check my messages. A partner shouldn't do these things.

"Oh but you remembered to tell me every other detail. And you know what I told you to do once you make an account. You didn't remember to tell me at least once during this past month?" He didn't raise his voice but his tone held anger in it. I approached him and sat down.

"Honestly, I wasn't comfortable with you checking on me like that. I'm not doing anything behind your back and as you can see, I never replied to Julian's messages." I confessed being entirely sincere. Him checking my likes, comments, messages and stuff even though there is nothing to find, still bothers me.

"I warned and showed you that I'm territorial. Hiding things from me is the same as lying. Clearly you are not ready to be mine. Now I'm doubting whether you are worth it." He concluded. He started making me feel guilty, but the last part only angered me.

"Oh so I didn't give you my Instagram password and you are doubting whether I'm worth it!" I fired back, almost shouting. I got up and it made him get up too.

"First you lied and now you already broke the rule about answering back... Nice." He applauded with his hands but didn't shout back. Reaching for his car keys on the table, he turned to tell me one more thing. "Pack your things, I'll call you a taxi. Go home before I'm back." He finished off calmly and before I could say another word, he slammed the door behind him.

I felt angry, sad, guilty and right. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to break everything around me or fall to the floor and burst out crying. Making use of my last bit of patience, I opted to remain calm and let all the emotions out once I get home. It didn't take me long to pack since I didn't bring many things.

The taxi driver waited for me in front of the building but I ignored him and went home by walk. I needed it in order to gather myself, and I was too proud to use the taxi he paid for. It was arrogant of him to literally throw me out like that. That's what makes me angry. Most couples have arguments similar to this one and I've seen them in movies too, but instead of taking it for granted I took it seriously. I always feared him leaving me that now I decided to push the thoughts away, deny the pain and not allow myself to enjoy someone's attention to this extent again.

I spent the evening binge watching series and eating snacks. I didn't let myself think about Adrian, although I threw a glance at my phone every now and then.

___

In the morning the work at the library came as a relief because it took my mind off everything. There was a lot to do as some new books arrived and I had to place them on the shelves. An unfamiliar face was sitting behind Ms Heilig's desk.

"Hello?" I said questionably and took a seat on my chair. A young man, maybe a few years older than me, smiled.

"Hi, you must be Lana." He stated and I nodded in confirmation. "Gina is my mother. She had a little accident and hurt her leg so I'll be replacing her for a couple of days."

It took me a whole minute to realise that Gina is Ms Heilig's name. If he wasn't sitting at her desk I'd never guess. With his tall and lean body covered in tattoos, including some on his face, he shares no similarities with his mother except for the facial bone structure. I found him handsome immediately and despite the tattoos which give him a sexy look, he has a baby face.

"Yes that's me. Is she okay?" I returned the smile and waited for him to say something else, scanning his appearance from top to bottom.

"Mum said a lot of nice things about you..." He paused looking at my eyes. "And yes, she will be fine." The first part of his reply stunned me.

"She did?" I narrowed my brows and asked in surprise. I used to wonder whether Ms Heilig knows I exist.

"Your expression says everything." He chuckled. "She isn't the most social of people but she means well."

I asked him for his name and he said it's Valentin. Unable to resist, I made a lame Valentine's Day joke to which he fake laughed and it made me wish for the Earth to open. But if we excuse that dumb moment, Valentin seems like a really cool guy. He isn't the most hardworking of people but he lives in the moment. He works in a tattoo studio and mostly hangs out with his friends that Ms Heilig describes as 'troubled'.

We talked more than we worked and I enjoyed it very much. Although he didn't flirt at all, I couldn't help but think how much we are compatible because of my pole dancing and his free way of life. He only lacks one thing - being twice my age. I didn't mention that I dance however, because he might tell his mother which would get me fired here at the library.

Our conversation was so interesting that we didn't even take a break. I actually forgot about it. It was a good distraction from Adrian. He asked me if I was up to hanging out and I had to think twice before accepting. First, I don't want him to find out about my other job and second, Ms Heilig who is my senior is his mother. But seeing how chill he is, I accepted.

___

In the evening I was at the club as usual and Tom asked how my 'birthday dinner' went. I made up some lie and got on the stage. The time was passing rather quickly and during the break I caught up with Ellen. From what I could notice, she is crazy about Julian.

Just as she was mentioning how she gave him a lap dance the other night, he walked in. I didn't tell her any of the bad things Adrian told me about him, but I intend to if things between them get serious. It puts me in an uncomfortable position, especially since I think that he is doing stuff with her to get closer to me.

"Hey girls." The idiot approached. I didn't bother hiding my eye roll.

"Hey handsome." Ellen spoke playing with her hair and I immediately cringed, but Julian almost completely ignored her.

"Would you do me the honour and give me a dance in private, Lana?" Looking at me, he asked causing Ellen to open her mouth in disbelief.

Angry that he constantly tries to hurt Adrian, pissed that because of him he found out about my Instagram account, and furious that he is playing with Ellen, I opened my bottle of water and poured it all on his head.

"Fuck you Julian!" I threw my bottle on the floor and turned to leave.