Adaline flopped backwards on the bed, as John dropped her suitcase onto the nearby table. He looked at his friend already lounged out on her bed and grinned to himself. He knew if he didn't get her up, it may be several hours before she would be motivated for their busy evening, but he couldn't bare upsetting her rest period.
The five hour drive had taken a lot of them both, and even he had to admit sleep sounded good right about now. He sat in the nearby chair and continued to look at her form, now snuggled up to the pillow, facing him with her eyes closed, as if she were having the best rest of her life. He smiled once more, recalling the past 20 years through his mind.
They had been through a lot, he knew that. They had became fast friends when they were little and John could never let the girl out of his sight, even when she was just a tiny thing at the tender age of 7. She had changed and matured a lot since then, but her eyes; that clear, aquamarine color had never changed. Her passion for life, her sense of strength and her tender, kind heart had never changed either.
It was something John had fallen for over the years, although he had never acted on it. There was never drunken kisses, or stolen kisses for that matter; he never made his move and sometimes, over the course of their friendship, he would silently kick himself in the ass for not doing something sooner.
Now, he was with Liz and he was forced to put on a smile for everyone, something he hated doing. He hadn't been exceptionally happy for the past couple years in their relationship, but it had been 7 years. It would be unknown territory for him if he were to break it off. No matter how much he hated to admit it, there was a sense of comfort with Liz.
But nothing like he had with Adaline. She could get under his skin, irritate the hell out of him and piss him off to no end, but the minute she flashed her smile, with her perfect teeth and he saw those same blue-green eyes shine, everything went away; no matter what feeling it was he was feeling. His family adored her and they accepted her with no hesitation. Liz, on the other hand was something different. They tolerated her because she was John's girlfriend, but that was as far as the pleasantries went. Adaline was the only person that knew everything about him, down to every last detail.
Except for the feelings he kept locked deep inside him, that sometimes wanted to burst outwards, but he contained them, somehow, for so long.
He stood then, making his way to the bed and sitting beside her still form. He brushed the strand of auburn hair from her cheek, letting his hand rest on her shoulder. He smiled again, watching her sleep peacefully, without a care in the world. He kissed her cheek gently, letting his lips linger for a second before pulling away when she stared to stir.
"John?" she said, in a hushed tone.
"It's alright. Go back to sleep." he urged, rubbing her back gently.
She stared at him, their eyes locking again. The amount of emotion emanating from them both would be evident to anyone else who witnessed it, but to them, they were oblivious to how the other one felt, regardless of how close they were. It was friendly nature to them.
Or so they thought.
Almost as if on cue, John's cell phone began ringing the familiar ring that usually interrupted any moment they shared. John groaned, causing Adaline to smile. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently.
"You better answer that. She might get pissed." she said, silently before rolling over and closing her eyes again.
John sighed to himself. He felt like there might have been a moment he could share his feelings, but of course, Liz had to ruin the moment. Which didn't surprise him in the least. He got up and picked his phone up, almost regretting the conversation that was about to happen before he even answered the phone.
"Hello?" he answered, as cheerfully as he possible could.
"John, baby, where are you?" Liz asked from the other end.
"I'm in my hotel room, Liz. Well, Adaline's hotel room. We just checked in." he answered.
"What are you doing in her hotel room John?" Liz questioned, becoming angry.
"Liz, put a cork in it. It's not what you think. I was helping her with her shit. Was there a reason you called?" he asked.
"What? I can't call my boyfriend for no apparent reason now?" she asked.
"Liz, just don't start. I figured there was a reason you called." he said plainly.
"What's your schedule for the rest of the day?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I have a signing, a meeting and a radio promotions in the area." he answered, taking a glance at Adaline.
"Sounds busy. When will you be home?" she asked sweetly.
"Liz, we've been through this. I'll be home on Saturday. That's 3 days from now." he said, becoming agitated.
"I still don't see why you had to leave a day early. You've put your signings and stuff on hold before. Why not this week?" she asked.
"Because of that right there! Listen to yourself. Just listen Liz. Jesus! It's my God damn job!" John said, standing up and flinging the chair backwards into the wall.
Adaline jumped from the bed and grabbed her chest. She looked around the room before her eyes feel onto a very angry and pissed off John, who was now pacing the length of her hotel room. She inhaled a couple more times, trying to catch her breath before John looked in her direction and shook his head.
"Liz, I've gotta go. I'll... call you later or something." he said, slamming the phone shut and moving to the side of the bed where Adaline now sat.
She swung her feet over the side of the bed, letting her feet rest onto the floor. She placed her head into her hands, letting her hair cover her face. John knelt beside of her, afraid to say anything for a minute.
"I'm..I'm sorry." he finally managed.
"It's alright, John. You just scared me." she answered, not lifting her head.
"Look at me." he said softly.
She lifted her head slowly, causing John to release the anger he once felt, his heart melting for the woman who sat before him. He tilted his head to one side and smiled at her. She returned the smile and hugged him tightly.
"Wanna do dinner tonight?" he asked.
"Yeah, that would be nice. I'll call Randy and Sam later to see if they wanna join us." she said, pulling away from John. He rubbed her head gently, before standing up.
"Don't bother. It's just you and I tonight. I think we need this." he said, smiling at her before grabbing his bag.
She stared at him for a minute, wondering if there was some underlying meaning to his invite. Deciding against the thought, she smiled and shook her head. She and John had been to dinner by themselves before. It wasn't anything new.
It's not like it's a date.
"I'll be by to get you around 8:30. We'll go after the meeting." he said, walking towards the door.
She stood, and walked him the rest of the way, opening the heavy metal door for him as he entered the hallway. She smiled at him again, feeling at a loss for words.
"I'll see you then I guess." she said, shaking her head.
"Get some sleep before the signing. I need my assistant well rested." he said, touching the end of her nose with his finger before disappearing down the hallway.