"W-wait! I’m coming!"
Hurried footsteps sounded from inside, followed by a small crash that sounded suspiciously like a shoe hitting the wall. A second later, the door opened.
Adrian’s breath caught for a moment.
The shy neighbor he was used to seeing had somehow disappeared.
Chloe’s long red hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, framing her fair face. A faint blush already colored her cheeks. She wore an elegant blue evening dress that hugged her figure without being overly revealing, simple enough to look effortless and graceful at the same time.
Her blue eyes met his.
They widened.
Then immediately dropped to the floor.
"G-good evening, Adrian."
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
’She’s beautiful.’
The thought came before Adrian could stop it.
Chloe wasn’t having an easier time.
She had expected him to look good. She just hadn’t expected him to look like this.
The midnight-blue suit fit his shoulders perfectly, his long hair was tied neatly behind his head, and the watch on his wrist looked painfully familiar.
’Is that a Patek Philippe?’
She had seen one in a magazine advertisement before. The price had been so ridiculous she’d assumed the number was a printing mistake.
And yet Adrian was wearing one casually on his wrist.
Only two days ago, he had been the man she’d occasionally seen coming and going in faded clothes, sometimes slamming his apartment door behind him. She had noticed the unpaid bills and the grocery bags that Michelle usually carried. Chloe had worried about him, but she’d never felt it was her place to interfere.
Then Michelle had left.
And for one dizzying afternoon, Chloe had allowed herself to hope.
"You look really handsome tonight," she blurted.
The moment the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back.
Adrian smiled.
"And you look amazing yourself."
Her face turned scarlet.
"T-thank you."
"Shall we?" He offered his hand.
Chloe stared at it for half a second before carefully placing hers in his.
His palm was warm and steady. Her heart, unfortunately, was neither.
It stumbled hard enough to make her feel as though she’d dropped an entire stack of plates inside her chest.
They walked down the hallway together. Chloe stole a quick glance at him, taking in his sharp jaw and relaxed expression. He seemed completely at ease, while she was concentrating far too hard on remembering how to walk normally.
A middle-aged neighbor stepped out of his apartment with a trash bag just as they passed.
He stopped.
His eyes moved from Chloe to Adrian.
Chloe immediately looked away, her cheeks growing even hotter.
...
A few minutes later, they stepped outside.
Chloe instinctively looked toward the curb, expecting to see the rideshare Adrian had presumably ordered.
Instead, a silver Ferrari SF90 Stradale was parked outside the building.
It looked absurdly out of place.
The old cars surrounding it were stained with rust and dust, their faded paint making the Ferrari’s polished silver body look even more expensive by comparison.
Chloe slowed to a stop.
For a moment, she simply admired it.
Then Adrian reached into his pocket.
Click.
The headlights flashed.
Chloe froze.
Her eyes moved from the car to Adrian, then back to the car.
"Adrian," she said carefully. "Is this your car?"
She immediately regretted asking.
It was none of her business.
"Yes," Adrian said. "I picked it up this morning."
Chloe stared at him.
A dozen explanations raced through her mind, and one of them made her stomach tighten.
’Did Michelle leaving push him into something illegal?’
The thought made her uncomfortable.
She quickly pushed it away. She didn’t want to believe that about him.
And what scared her even more was that, if it somehow turned out to be true, she wasn’t sure it would change how she felt.
Adrian caught the uncertainty in her expression.
He had spent years learning to read people. Most strangers took effort. Chloe was almost painfully easy to understand.
For some reason, he liked that.
"I made a good investment," he said gently. "It paid off this morning, so I decided to treat myself."
He paused before adding, "I’m not in trouble, Chloe. I promise."
Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
He’d never thought of gambling as an investment before, but the system had certainly made a convincing case for it.
Chloe’s shoulders relaxed.
"Oh." She let out a small breath. "Thank goodness."
Then she covered part of her face, embarrassed by her own thoughts.
"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed something like that."
"You’re allowed to worry about your neighbor."
Adrian opened the passenger door and gave her a small, exaggerated bow.
"My lady."
A giggle escaped her before she could stop it.
"What a gentleman."
She climbed into the passenger seat, carefully smoothing her dress before settling against the leather.
Adrian closed the door and walked around the front of the Ferrari.
He slipped behind the wheel, started the engine, and pulled away from the apartment building.
The Ferrari glided onto the evening streets, its headlights sweeping across the wet asphalt as the city lights reflected off the windshield.
Chloe watched the passing buildings through the window, occasionally sneaking glances toward his hands on the steering wheel.
After several minutes, she finally spoke.
"Can I ask where we’re going?"
"Somewhere nice."
"How nice?"
Adrian glanced at her with a faint smile.
"Nice enough that I felt bad about my clothes yesterday."
Chloe gave out a soft laughter.
Thirty minutes later, the Ferrari slowed to a stop.
Chloe looked through the windshield.
Her eyes widened.
Discreet gold lettering was displayed above the entrance.
MAISON éLISE.
Her mouth fell slightly open.
Even she knew the name.
Maison élise was one of the most prestigious restaurants in Halcyon City, the sort of place she’d only ever seen in magazine articles and photos online. A single dinner there probably cost more than she was comfortable spending in a month.
"Adrian," she whispered. "This is..."
"Dinner."
He stepped out, walked around the front of the Ferrari, and opened her door.
"Come on."