🔹Crystal Russell

"Lily told me that Sophie had paid a visit." Adrien said and I remembered about it.

"Oh, Yes. I forgot to tell you." He nodded then said again, "What had she come for?" He looked skeptical as he asked.

"She apologized for being arrogant towards me at our wedding. And as we talked a little, we became pretty fond of each other. I like her." I smiled widely.

"That's... good?" He turned to look in the front as he said. It was more like a question as he had doubts if was really good.

"You both must have been really close friends. She knew a lot about you." I told him. I hoped my envy wasn't evident in my voice.

"Yes. Our mothers were good friends and we grew up with each other's company." He told me and I nodded.

"All these years, you never noticed her growing feelings for you?" I asked out of curiosity. I knew Sophie had loved him and I wanted to know about his feelings too.

"I never saw Sophie as anything but a friend. When she came out clear to me about her feelings, I felt stupid for being so clueless." He answered while thinking deeply about something.

"If.. I hadn't been in the picture, would you have married her instead?" I hesitantly asked. For some reason, I was nervous about his answer.

He looked at me and my heart beat sped up a few beats. We stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before he sighed.

"Maybe." His eyes darted downwards and I couldn't help the disappointment at his answer.

"I love Sophie." He said.

Stop.

"But I could never fall in love with her. If I knew that she loved me earlier, I would have married her only for her happiness."

I didn't know if I was supposed to feel good or bad about his answer.

"Sophie had always been a little 'love-deprived'. If not for Dad's pressure and the media's lash out, I wouldn't break her heart."

In simpler terms, you would choose Sophie over me, anytime.

I expected this answer, but I couldn't stop the slight pain in my chest.

We stayed quiet for a few minutes but again, I decided to break it with another question.

"Have you ever been in love, Adrien?"

He froze at my question and his expression turned cold. Looks like I had pressed a nerve.

Bad move, Crystal.

"Yes." The frequency of his voice changed. I took a glimpse of his eyes that were now darker.

Anger. Hurt.

I didn't say anything. I understood if he didn't want to talk about it. Anyway, I'm probably not the person who he would like to share such deep things with.

"Once. It's been almost three years though." He relaxed a bit, as if he didn't want it to affect him.

"I..." He trailed off, contemplating whether he should continue or not.

"It's okay. If you don't want to talk about it, I understand." I told him and he looked at me with a small smile.

"I've got over it. It does not matter to me anymore but as I think about it, it's probably normal to feel a bit... bad?" He asked himself with a frown and I smiled at his cute expression.

"Her name was Brie. We were college sweethearts for more than three years until I learned that she had joined hands with Alan Marshall and had used me for my money. I trusted her so at first I didn't believe the proof that was shown to me. I wanted to talk to her, to confront her. But when she just ghosted on me... I had to accept that I was betrayed."

My heart ached when I heard the truth. It hurts like a fridge when some you love and trust so much betrays you. Although I had never experienced such heartbreaks, I felt a strange connection to him.

"Is that why you think you will never fall in love with Sophie?" Because he's afraid to fall in love again.

"No." He said almost immediately looking back at me. "I am pretty sure I will fall in love again. I still believe in love." He watched him with an amazed expression.

"I couldn't let one person define a strong emotion as love for me. I had seen my parents be in love and lead a happy life. I have seen my friends falling in love. In Fact, all the while I had been in love with Brie and thought that she loved me too, they were the most beautiful moments of my life."

I smiled proudly at him. He wasn't just strong physically but also emotionally and morally. He didn't let his few moments of sadness overtake his happiness.

"About Sophie..." He began again and I paid my attention. "She can be really impossible sometimes.. scratch that, most of the time." I giggled.

"She loves having all the attention to herself. She is stubborn and can be really controlling at times. As much as we are best at being friends, I am sure we would make the worst couple." He chuckled heartily and I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my heart.

"How about you? Have you been in love?" This time, he questioned me.

"If having a crush on your English teacher at 9 years old is considered being in love, then yes." He laughed at my confession. "If not, then no. I never got a chance." My smile died in the end and so did his laughter.

"What happened to your parents, Crys?" He asked.

Crys sounds good, doesn't it?

I stayed quiet for a few seconds before looking at him when his eyes were already on me.

I took a deep breath and started. "Do you know about the fire that took place in an under-construction building in Brooklyn. It was nearly nine years ago." He thought for a while then rapidly nodded.

"Yes. It was massive damage." He exasperated.

"My father was a civil engineer. He was working on that building and was at the site when it happened. He died in the fire." My heart started to feel heavy and I felt a knot in my throat as I controlled my emotions.

Adrien looked shocked at the information. His mouth was open ajar and he looked like he didn't know what to say.

"That's.. unfortunate. I'm sorry." I said nothing and quietly nodded.

"My Mom was already suffering from acute brain tumour and after Dad's death, we were emotionally and financially suffering. Almost two years later, her growing tumour killed her as well." I breathed hard.

As hard as I tried to stop my tears, they somehow escaped from my eyes but I was quick to wipe them. Adrien held my hand on my lap and caressed it carefully, his eyes not meeting mine.

"I was 14 when Dad died and 16 when Mom." My voice cracked a little and I looked up in the sky to relax a little.

It was helpful.

"What did you do after they passed away?" Adrien asked in a hushed voice.

"My uncle had taken my custody. I stayed with them for two years. Although he was a good man and cared for me a lot, his wife didn't really like my presence in her house. I made sure to not get on her bad side and as soon as I turned 18, I left their house and never really contacted them again. I got myself a few part time jobs and a house on rent... you know the rest."

As I finished speaking, Adrien kept staring at me with studious eyes. My heart skipped a few beats when he tugged on my hand to bring me closer and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

His lips lingered there for a while and my eyes fluttered close. The warmth of his soul made me wish to make a home in his arms.

His lips were replaced by his forehead and while he caressed my cheek with his palm, he whispered. "You're stronger than anybody could ever think, Crystal. You have gone through so much grief, yet you manage to be so soulful. You find happiness in the smallest things and that's not even the best thing about you. There's so much more."

His voice was so soft that it soothed my heart. It had been years since I had last felt secure and protected. Since I had someone to appreciate me and feel proud of me. Adrien and managed to bring all my suppressed emotions over the surface.

"And I know that the only thing that you fear is.... Horror movies."

Of Course. How stupid of me to think that he was consoling me.

I groaned and hit his chest hard, making him jerk away and he again started laughing like a freak.

He won't let that go anytime soon, will he?

"Prick." I muttered underneath my breath while he tried to stop laughing.

A small smile threatened to appear on my face but I bit my lip to stop it. I was aware that he teased me to lighten the mood and honestly, I was thankful for it.

"Okay, sorry. But I genuinely meant what all I said before that." He defended and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. What's the time, anyway?" I asked and he looked at his watch.

"It's past 10:30." He informed me.

"We should get going. It's late." He agreed with me and jumped down the car before helping me do the same. We sat in the car and drove off.

"You sure you don't want to eat anything?" He asked after a while.

"If you are hungry, we can have something on our way." I told him and he stopped at McDonald's to fill our stomachs.

The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence. After our deep conversation back there, the silence was preferable.

By the time we came back home, it was past midnight and the house was surrounded with darkness. I entered the room first and Adrien followed me. When I heard the clicking of the door, I turned to see Adrien closing it. He turned around and his eyes fell on me. More like my body. I suddenly felt nervous when he slowly came closer to me and I didn't know what to do. He hovered over me and I panicked at his closeness.

"Wh-what are you d-oing?" I stuttered while my heart beat rapidly. I couldn't look up at him so I kept my eyes fixed on his chest.

My breath hitched when I felt his hands on my neck. Goosebumps rose on my skin as his hands slowly slid from my neck to my shoulders and suddenly the warmth around me was gone.

I looked up with a small frown when he moved away from me. "I was taking my blazer." He shrugged the blazer in his hand that was around me a while ago and I looked at him with disbelief.

"What were you thinking?" The corner of his lips rose a little and I stopped myself from banging my head on the wall.

Stupid Crystal.

Or even better, bang his head. He knew what he was doing.

D-bag!

The warmth that I was missing had returned to my face and I avoided looking at him.

"No-nothing. W-what would I be.. thinking." I turned around and put my phone on the bedside. "I-I should freshen up." Without waiting for his reaction or reply, I sprinted to the closet, then to the shower.

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The harsh wind blew through the leaves making them move with a rustling sound. On the cold night with the absence of the moon, I walked down the dark street all alone.

I flinched slightly when a flock of crows passed over my head. There were no signs of a man for miles and I walked non-stop without knowing the destination.

After a long while I spotted a young soul curled up in the corner. Worried about her, I went closer and noticed her shoulders shaking. Her head was buried between her arms while her black hair styled in two messy braids flew around because of the wind.

"Hey." I slowly whispered to her. Her body stopped moving and she fisted her white long dress.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, brushing my palms on her clothed arm. She didn't answer nor did she lift her head up. I kneeled down in front of her, trying to talk to her.

"What's your name?" I asked and a few seconds later, I heard her raspy voice.

"Annabelle."

I froze.

My eyes widened with terror. I wanted to run away but I couldn't move a limb.

And slowly, she lifted her head up, looking straight into my eyes.

I woke up with a loud gasp, shuddering with fear. Looking around, I found myself on the couch of a dark room.

"Crys? Are you okay?" I heard Adrien's hoarse voice and came back to reality.

It was just a dream.

I touched my head to calm myself a little. Cold drops of sweat ran down my face and tried to breath stably.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Adrien came and sat beside me, gently rubbing my arm. I did not give any answer and only shook my head.

"Nightmare?" He asked. When I felt comfortable again, I sighed and replied.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream." He took a glass of water from his bedside after turning on the bed lamp and returned back to me. "Drink some water."

"Relax. Take some rest." He patted my arm and before he could return back to the bed, I heard a loud ding and flinched again.

"It's just a notification alert. Calm down, please." I sighed and rubbed my eyes in frustration.

Grow up, Crys.

"Sorry." I muttered slowly. Adrien looked at me with calculative but concerned eyes and I felt stupid for my actions. I got him worried over nothing.

"You should sleep on the bed." He insisted and I kept denying but at last he forced me to use the bed.

"What did you see in the dream?"

"Annabelle." I answered without paying attention.

"Huh?" My eyes widened and I almost smacked my own head on realizing what I had just said.

"I- I mean, I-" I couldn't come up with words and heat creeped up my face in embarrassment.

"You said, Annabelle." He looked at me with a glint of amusement and sat in front of me on the bed. And since he had already heard my ridiculous answer, I knew there was no escape so all I could do was groan.

"I didn't know a fictional movie could scare someone so much. How old are you again?" He smirked mischievously. I rolled my eyes and looked outside the window.

Of course, I had this coming.

"Seriously by the way, how old are you?" This time he asked with utter curiosity and I mumbled in response. "Twenty-two. Twenty-three in March."

"March..?"

"Ninth."

He nodded and I continued to ignore him in silence.

"What is with you and horror movies, anyway. I mean, a movie cannot scare someone so much." I looked at him while he had his eyes already on me. "There's a story behind it, isn't it?" He raised his perfect eyebrow.

I nodded slowly and thought for a while before squinting my eyes at him.

"You shouldn't laugh." I warned sternly and in response, he shrugged with a grin.

"No promises." I glared at him before starting to narrate.

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