"I'd say our party was a success," Bruce said to Adriana.
After the festivities had ended they were getting ready for bed. Adriana peeled of her false lashed and smiled at Bruce. She wasn't sure whether she should tell him about the check that the Joker had returned to her. He didn't want Bruce's money, which was something that wouldn't be understood. No one would turn down such a large sum.
"Can you help me out of this?" Adriana said, talking about her dress.
"Of course," Bruce said and walked around behind her.
"What did you need to talk to Mr. Hayden about?" Adriana asked, as Bruce untied the satin bow on the back of her dress. "When he went into your office with you?"
"I gave him a gift," Bruce said and kissed the back of her shoulder. "From us both."
"Money?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"Best kind of gift," Bruce said. "He said he was in between jobs after all. This should help him."
Adriana stepped out of the dress and took it from Bruce. She laid it across the chair in front of her vanity. She then unhooked her strapless bra.
"I'm glad we could do something for him," Bruce said. "He deserves every penny."
Adriana nodded.
"He does," she said.
Bruce let his gaze drift down her body as he loosened his tie with one hand. She could tell that he wanted her.
"Beautiful shoes," he commented, since she was wearing nothing but heels and underwear.
"Thank you," she said. "For getting them."
"Do you..." Bruce said, still holding onto his loose tie with one hand. "Need help with them?"
Adriana walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Bruce followed her and got down on one knee. She lifted one foot and rested it there. As he knelt in front of her and unfastened the strap, she remembered the moment he proposed to her. She was heavily pregnant at the time and couldn't believe he wanted to marry her. They were married weeks later. Everything had happened to quickly, but they were in love and she was sure that he was the one.
Now, it felt like she had to remind herself of why she was so sure of that. It wasn't a feeling that she enjoyed.
As she slid the shoe off her foot, she began to think of the Joker. They had never made any commitments to each other, he had never made a single promise to her, and she had never once told herself that he was the one. She thought of him, the way he used to look, and felt warmth. She felt open and happy in ways that she never had before. They never spoke of loyalty or the future. They were always in the moment.
Bruce moved to remove Adriana's other shoe. Once it was off, he kissed the top of her foot. She was now remembering the Joker's hand on hers as he discreetly returned the check. She felt a shiver run though her body. She shook her head once to try to make the memory fade and it didn't work.
In a moment of complete honesty with herself, she mentally stated the truth. She wanted another man. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She didn't know how to fix it, and she didn't know how to make it stop.
Bruce did what he wanted. He was with Twyla. Adriana never asked him for any details. She told herself she didn't want to know exactly what he did with her. But she knew at the very least, in that moment he was free. He wasn't thinking about her or their marriage at all. She wanted to get over it but she couldn't. She loved him despite his mistake but the mistake was still a shock to her. His mistake...his moment of freedom. She had never cheated on anyone. She was loyal, faithful, and felt it was easy to do. But in this moment, she felt she needed her moment of freedom
Bruce was kissing the front of her thigh when she stopped him.
"I...have to go," she said and stood up.
"Go where?" he asked.
"Just...out," she said to him and walked over to the closet.
He raised his eyebrows and followed her.
"Adriana?" he asked. "Where are you going?"
"Look..." she said firmly. "Just...out. Okay? I just need some alone time."
"Alone time?" he asked as she pulled on a pair of jeans.
"Yes," she said.
"We're in a mansion," he said while watching her pull on her boots. "There are literally hundreds of places to be alone."
She pulled on a t-shirt, neglecting the idea of putting on a bra.
"I'll be back," she said and kissed him quickly.
"Wait, wait," he said taking her hand gently to stop her. "What is this? Vigilantism? It's too soon for you to go back-"
"No," she said. "Like I said...alone time...I just need a breather okay?"
"In the middle of the night," he said with a sigh. "I don't understand-"
"Yes, well I don't understand why you cheated on me but I looked the other way," she said with enough fire in her voice to make her words a shock to herself.
The night had gone beautifully so her sudden change in attitude was a surprise. Bruce had wanted her to express some hurt, sadness, or anger all this time and now that he was getting a taste of it, he was realizing the magnitude of what he had done.
"Okay," Bruce said, feeling like he had whiplash. "I'll...just wait for you to get back."
She wanted to apologize for snapping, for her abrasiveness. But she couldn't. Her heart wanted her to run, to flee towards what she was craving. She grabbed her jacket and purse and left without another word.
.
.
.
She drove through the city and kept seeing right in front of her Bruce's expression when she reminded him of his cheating. He looked surprised, hurt and defeated. They felt the same.
But more than hurt, she was feeling a strong craving and desire. She needed relief and release. Freedom. The city flew by as she drove to her destination.
She rang the doorbell at the Joker's apartment building. The speaker came on and she heard him clear his throat. The sound made her knees go together and her legs bend. She needed him desperately.
"Yes?" he said.
"It...me," she said, her voice weaker than it had been when she was at home.
When she heard the main door unlock, she opened it quickly and went in. She skipped the elevator and practically ran up the single flight of stairs. She went over to his door and before she could tap on it he opened it.
"God..." she heard herself say as soon as she saw him. The word came out of her mouth with such an aching hunger. The pining was so immediate, so instant, irrefutable chemistry.
As soon as the door was open she felt magnetism pull her in. He backed away, giving her space as she took a few steps. The apartment was dark and he was wearing a white t-shirt and loose black sweatpants. Her body wanted to lunge at him, kiss him deeply, inhale him. But she couldn't move. It was like she was a prisoner in her own body.
He needed to make the first move and she knew it. If he moved towards her, touched her at all, it would be said and done.
"May I ask why you're here?" he asked.
His voice brought her back to earth. She thought it was so obvious, she was burning within. Flames high enough to make her climb the walls.
"Adriana?" he asked.
"Um.." she said, her voice a small squeak.
She wanted him so badly she couldn't stand. She went over to the couch and sat.
"Something wrong with you?" he asked.
"No..no..." she said, trying to remain calm.
She needed a reason to be there. An excuse.
She started to fumble through her purse, her hands shaking so badly she could hardly find anything. And then she found it. The check.
"Here," she said and held it out for him.
"I returned that, " he said crossing his arms. "Remember?"
"Yes," she said and wiped her forehead, surprised it wasn't drenched in sweat. "But...you should have it. Please..take it..."
"I don't want Bruce Wayne's money," he said to her, his arms still crossed.
"Take it!" she said, almost screaming. She knew that she was screaming because she meant the words in more than one way.
He didn't budge or change his facial expression at all in response her outburst.
"If it means that much to you," he said and stepped forward taking the check.
"It...means a lot to us," she said, stammering. "Bruce wants you to have this, and so do I."
"I'll take it," he said.
"You...deserve something for what you did and," Adriana said, feeling herself calm down moderately. "You can do anything you want with this."
"Mmm.." he said, sounding disinterested. "Anything I want."
"Yes," Adriana said. "Unless...you want something else?"
He looked up from the check and into her eyes.
"Something else?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "Anything."
"Anything.." he repeated her word.
She wanted him to want her. As soon as he said the word, she would give him everything. He looked down at the check.
"Now that you mention it," he said. "There is something I would like from you."
"Okay," Adriana said. "Just name it.."
"It's...eh...it could be a bit," he said. "Risky for you to procure, I assume."
"Risky?" she asked, now realizing he wanted something else. "What is it?"
"I...would like my painting," he said.
Adriana paused. The painting of Arsenio.
"When I move to the Dominican Republic, I would like to take it with me," he said. "It has sentimental value."
"I...I know it does," she said. "Bruce...found that painting."
She remembered returning home to the penthouse before their big fight and seeing it there.
"Right," the Joker said. "If it's he's gotten rid of it or destroyed it, I understand. But I though it would be worth a shot to ask."
Adriana nodded, looking down. She loved that he wanted the painting and that it meant so much to him. But she also realized, he didn't want her.
"I'll..." she said. "See if I can find it."
"Thank you," he said. "Again...no big deal if it's gone but it is something I would like."
She nodded again.
"And that's it?" she asked.
"That is it."
.
.
.
Bruce was still awake when she returned home. She undressed and got into bed quietly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as soon as she was under the covers.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," he said.
"What I said-" she said.
"Was true," he said and looked over at her.
He looked at her lovingly. She had been harsh but he was there, he loved and wanted her. She loved him with all of her heart. But when all was said and done, she wanted to curl up to him, hear his heartbeat, have him there when she woke from a nightmare. Yet, the true desire for sexual intimacy was not there. It had to return one day, she told herself. Bruce was her husband and it needed to work. She pulled herself close to him and went to sleep.