Love Condemned: Beginnings Page 4
Adrian did not waste any time as he headed to the bathroom. Unfortunately, there was a short line. That is the drawback to travelling in larger groups. As he waited in line, a similar line formed at the women’s bathroom as well. Adrian couldn’t help but notice a strong accent that he could not place, but understood that they spoke English. He looked over to see two women in their early twenties as they talked like they had not seen each other in weeks. One of the girls looked his direction and saw him. Quickly, Adrian diverted his gaze and faced forward waiting for his turn.
To his side, he could hear whispering between the two women and they both started to giggle. One of the girls was not as quiet when she said, ‘He is pretty cute. I wonder if we can keep him.’ Adrian started to blush, not knowing how to react. He was glad that it was his turn to enter the bathroom, being chased by more giggling. Adrian washed up a little in the bathroom, tried to clean his face and wash away the tiredness he felt. He realized that he had gotten his sleeves wet in the process. He removed his long sleeve shirt, keeping the small white sleeveless undershirt on. It was not the best looking thing that he owned, but it would serve its purpose and was dry.
Adrian washed his face a little more with the cold water. The tattoo on his right lower arm was a reminder of many things to him in his life. People would see it as a mesh of different designs wrapped around his arm. To him it represented his creativity, his fascination with the fantasy world, courage, bravery, and being strong enough on the outside to not let the little things penetrate. When he was finished, Adrian went to the small café to find something that resembled food and coffee. He was still very tired from him four day walk and he needed to replenish his energy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slowly, Miranda awoke from her well-applied trance. ‘Miranda. We have stopped, you should wake up now.’ She opened her eyes and lifted her head from the pillow, rubbing her eyes to wake up. Oh yes. The bus. Rome.... Adrian. Her head shot up to look straight in his eyes, immediately flashing back on last night, his hand over hers. Why...? But, even if she wanted, she had no time to ask the question.
“Well, I am going to stretch a little and use the bath…..the loo,” Adrian said, and before she could reply he was already off the bus with a group of others. Miranda stayed in her seat for another couple minutes, going over every detail of last night and why it seemed like nothing had happened. Perhaps he was trying to avoid an awkward situation, or perhaps he simply didn't remember. Miranda shook her head wildly to get the brain twists out, and then folded her blanket again. She put it on her chair and placed the pig pillow on top of it. Then she took her bag and left for the loo and the shop for coffee.
There was a bit of a line at the loo, and Miranda was just in time to see Adrian disappear in the men's room. She took her place in the line behind two girls that she hadn't noticed before. Blonde, both of them, and whispering excitedly in something that was supposed to resemble English. Miranda frowned, trying to catch a bit of the conversation to find out where they could be from.
".. but really, try for him! He's cute... "
"Try and sit next to him, he's in the front of the bus, right behind the driver."
Miranda stared at them, a pinprick going through her heart when she thought about herself being abandoned from Adrian's side, either by these girls, or perhaps by Adrian himself. After all, blonde was supposed to be much more attractive than brown hair. She swallowed when the girls had both found a free toilet, being the last one in line. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror she stood next to. Was it just her, or did she look paler than usual? And her hair was a mess... how could anyone like her?
After using the toilet, she found herself in an empty restroom. The two joined sinks were both unoccupied, and Miranda set her bag on the ledge. She stowed away her vest in it and took out a hairbrush. Furiously, she brushed her hair with her headband between her teeth. She couldn't believe how she could be jealous when there was nothing to be jealous about. And the confusion that seemed to be turning into a routine wasn't the most welcome feeling in the world, either.
Miranda spent some time brushing her teeth and cleaning her face. It felt good to feel a little refreshed. When she left the loo, she saw that most people were already boarding the bus again. Her watch told her she had a couple of minutes left. Not hungry, she thought rebelliously, and walked past the department with food without giving it a second glance. Instead, she turned back to the bus with one cup of ice cappuccino in her hand and one in her bag. Caffeine and a massive dose of sugar was what she needed now.
"Miranda! I think you're the last one," said Alice, and nearly pushed her in the bus. She stumbled up the steps, trying to balance herself by grabbing a random pole, and looked up to go to her seat. Just before her, a pair of bare legs extending out from a short jean skirt turned right and into the seat that was supposed to be hers. Miranda cringed. This isn't really happening. Her heart dropped as she walked up the few steps and stared at the blonde girl that had thrown her blanket and pillow on the floor and was now doing her very best to flirt with Adrian.
Miranda had wanted to shout that was her seat, but the words just didn't seem to come out of her mouth. Her hand, which had been around the handle of her cyan colored bag, fell down to her side. Carefully, she glanced at the seat next to the second girl that was now empty. It was in the middle of the bus next to the aisle. After a second, she looked back at the girl that was now in her own seat and gazed at her challengingly. Instantly, Miranda was reminded of the reason why she had no girlfriends. They were mean, mean behind each other’s back, mean to your face, and mean to each other. It was always about a conquest for the best man. Well, this time, Miranda wasn't going to walk away without trying.
"That's my seat," she said sternly, her jaws clenched together.
Chapter Nine
Adrian had just finished eating a croissant and grabbed some coffee for the trip. He walked over to the bus and expected to see Miranda sitting in her usual pose. As he started up the steps, he saw long legs that led to a short skirt. Adrian knew that they did not belong to Miranda, so he was not surprised to see that it was one of the blonde women he saw in line at the bathroom.
“Uhm….I think that seat is taken.” Adrian tried to say politely.
The girl looked at him with a devilish grin, “It is taken by me now. Looks like your little friend was not interested in keeping you company any longer. Take a seat and I will entertain you.”
Adrian looked around the bus to see if he could find where Miranda had moved to. Without success, Adrian let out a long sigh and took his seat. The girl next to him crossed her legs and made sure that she had his attention.
“My name is Sophie.” She reached out her hand to make sure she had contact with Adrian. Something told him that she had done this before and very well. He did not want to be rude though and reached out to take her hand and shook it gently.
“My name is Adrian, pleased to meet you.”
To Adrian, she was a very attractive girl. It would not be the worst thing in the world to have to sit next to her. But inside he felt a knot in his stomach, like Miranda decided he was not worth talking to any longer. Maybe it was his nightmare that scared her off.
“Well, I have to confess something to you.” Sophie turned to face Adrian, smiled at him and pushed her long blonde hair back away from her face. She really was good looking, but it was not the same beauty that he saw in Miranda. Miranda had the feeling of her personality and natural calmness that was attractive to him. Sophie continued, “I saw you in line at the bathroom and I had to say hello.” She looked down a little and tried to pretend to be shy, “I think you are cute and I wanted to talk to you more.”
She was good, but not that good. Adrian could see the act for what it was, just an act. He would not be surprised if she used that line on many other men and had been successful. If he had sat next to her on the bus first, it might have worked on him also. But now things were different. That thought kind of sca
red him because it suggested that he liked Miranda more than he was willing to admit.
Before Adrian could reply, Miranda had walked up, "That's my seat." Startled, Adrian almost jumped out of his seat to apologize. Instead, Sophie replied first. “It is not your seat anymore. Move along little girl and leave us grown-ups to talk.” Adrian knew this was about to get ugly and he was literally caught in the middle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It is not your seat anymore. Move along little girl and leave us grown-ups to talk.”
Miranda stared at the girl for a moment. She was not one to be in a fight, but this crossed even her lines. She grinded her teeth and prepared for a counter attack. She was certainly not going to get away with this. She thought she'd scare Miranda away with her words? Never. She had merely created a very fanatic opponent now.
Miranda planted her hands on her hips. "Well, in that case you can certainly zip it and move along, because your manners are as far away from 'grown-up' as they can ever be. There's no place for your huge ass and ego here, you'd need at least five seats for that. And since there's only one here, you can squeeze in with your friend's attitude and stop suffocating more people than necessary with your bimbo ways." Without wasting any more time, Miranda stepped over Adrian's legs and planted her feet firmly on the ground, directly in front of the blonde. "Out!" she said forcefully, her eyes spitting fire.
Adrian did not know how to react to the events that unfolded before him. The fire in Miranda’s actions surprised him as she put the blonde in her place and told her to get out of her seat. Adrian stood up quickly to give the girl an exit. Sophie sat for a minute staring back at Miranda and did not say a word. When she finally realized that Miranda meant business, Sophie quickly left the seat and made her way back to join her friend.
The whole thing was surreal to Adrian. He did not know that Miranda had this fire in her. He was impressed, even if a little scared. Miranda took her seat without speaking. She picked up her blanket and pig from the floor and brushed them off. Adrian took his seat next to her as the doors to the bus closed. Alice started to make another announcement, but Adrian did not listen. He sat there and waited for Miranda to say something to him, but only silence came forth.
He studied her a little closer. Her long brown hair was well kept and looked beautiful hanging off of her small shoulders. Her colorful headband was in place which kept her hair from falling into her eyes. Adrian studied the outline of her face with his eyes as he took in every feature of this fascinating woman. When he realized that she was not going to speak, he tried to start the conversation again.
“She was sitting there when I got back. She said that you did not want to sit next to me anymore. If I would have known…..”
Not so much as a look or a reaction from her. Adrian decided to stop talking and leave Miranda to her thoughts. The bus jerked as the new driver tried to get used to the controls. Adrian settled back into a comfortable position in his seat and absently traced his fingers on his tattoo.
Truth be told, Miranda had been rather disappointed and taken aback that Adrian was just making conversation with the woman that was sitting in her seat when she got back, looking as if he didn't mind in the least. Apparently, he was enjoying himself with her as much as he had with Miranda. Deep inside, she had been cringing in horror when she thought to have discovered that even Adrian, who had seemed to like her enough, was a bimbo fan like all the other men. But with his next words, she felt like he made it up to her, and proved her wrong. Or at least a little. For now.
“She was sitting there when I got back. She said that you did not want to sit next to me anymore. If I would have known…..”
Miranda swallowed, already sorry she had judged him so quickly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Adrian looking away from her after he seemed to have been studying her for a couple of minutes. After another few seconds of silence, Miranda turned her head to him, now studying him. She hadn't noticed before, but she now saw he had changed into a t-shirt, showing that he had a tattoo covering his right forearm. From what she could see, it looked like a lot of different things put together. It was very intricate. Adrian's fingers were trailing the patterns on his skin. His muscles flexed as he moved, causing Miranda to spend more time appreciating his physique. He was thin but muscular. It was obvious to her that he exercised often, but was not too muscular. He had some facial hair from not shaving for a couple days, but she found that to be attractive.
Miranda left her feet on the ground this time, while her eyes were averted to her hands in her lap, playing with the fabric of her sweat pants. "It's fine," she muttered, while she heard the low whispers behind her back that were obviously about her. Of course, nobody had heard what the blonde girl had said... but Miranda had been standing in the middle of the aisle, and had spoken with a raised, sharp voice. She sighed and slouched back in her chair.
"Listen, Adrian..." Miranda started, her voice a bit quiet again. "If you'd rather sit next to her, if... her company is better than mine... feel free to move your stuff there. I know she's... a lot prettier than me, and probably more fun, too. You don't have to pretend to like me if you don't... I'm used to being alone by now. And I'd rather sit next to someone I know doesn't like me, than sit next to someone who pretends to like me." She paused for a second, still looking at her hands. "I'm not trying to suggest you are pretending. In fact, I hope you're not. But I needed to say it. Just in case you were. And to make sure you know that you don't have to feel sorry for me or anything."
It almost broke his heart when he heard her speak that way about herself. Adrian could not help but think that this girl obviously did not see in herself what he saw. He was relieved that she spoke to him again. He was afraid that she was done talking to him or was too angry to talk. When Adrian looked over at Miranda, he could tell instantly that she had not calmed down and was still nervous. The first thing to give this away was the way she was sitting. No longer with her legs propped up comfortably.
Adrian turned to her and looked directly at her. “Miranda. Can you please look at me? Please.” She lifted her eyes to look at him. “I never wanted to sit next to that girl. All I wanted was to come back to this bus to sit with you. I do not pretend to like you. I wish I could tell you how much I like you, but you would probably go running off this bus.” He flashed a smile at her in an attempt to ease her fears a little.
“Listen, I do not feel sorry for you. Not in the least. I am enjoying our conversations and getting to know each other. And that blonde has nothing compared to you. I hope that you can forgive me.”
An array of thoughts assaulted Adrian’s mind at that moment. He was unsure what Miranda thought or how she would react. He played out many scenarios in his head, but what happened next was not one he had thought of.
Chapter Ten
Miranda stared at Adrian while she listened to his words. Somewhere within she had expected he would have indeed taken his stuff and moved back in the bus with the blonde girls, and she had been bracing herself for this. So what he said now was hitting her twice as hard. How could he think she was more beautiful than them? How could he rather want to sit next to her? Looking at the standard model of evolution, Adrian belonged with them, and certainly not with her. The set of genes both of them owned seemed to be made to be with each other, programmed to be together. She was at the shallow end of the gene pool. Keep out. Who was she to meddle with evolution?
One sentence in particular kept repeating itself in Miranda's mind. I wish I could tell you how much I like you, but you would probably go running off this bus. She was afraid to grasp its actual meaning, and believe in it, but it did enough to convince her Adrian really wanted to spend the rest of the bus trip next to her. Somehow, he was making her feel good, in a way she couldn't really find the words for to describe. Miranda swallowed and looked away, kicking off her shoes and pulling both her legs beneath her on the seat.
"I like your tattoo," she said. She couldn't reply to his words, but t
his was her way to say it was okay and glad he was staying by her side. Miranda leaned over him and took his arm, studying the details of it. She only hoped that she wasn't crossing any lines with this. "Does it... have a special meaning?" she asked silently, without daring to look Adrian in the eyes, and instead keeping her gaze on his lower arm.
Once again, Adrian felt like he had just stuck his foot in his mouth. Why did he have to tell her that he liked her? And now she ignored it and acted like he did not say it. Such an idiot, he thought. Of course she does not like you like that.
Adrian tried not to blush as she traced her fingers his arm. Her touch sent sparks up and down his body, and forced him to close his eyes. He let out a shallow sigh. When he opened his eyes again, he answered, “Uhm….yes, it does. It is a story of who I am, where I have been, and a reminder to me that things can touch you on the outside but not penetrate to the inside. It reminds me of my creativity and writing. And it is a symbol of courage and bravery.” Adrian blushed deeply now and he was sure that he was making a fool of himself. “It sounds stupid, I know. But that is what it means to me.”
Adrian was surprised that Miranda did not let go of his arm when he was finished talking. Instead she held on to his arm and continued to trace her fingers up and down. Sometimes her fingers would trace far past the tattoo, as if her thoughts were distracting enough to absently continue. The sparks were spreading through his body and built a fire deep inside him. He was not sure how much more of that he could take, but it felt so good he did not want it ever to stop.
Miranda let Adrian's words sink in. The motion of her fingers put her in a trance, similar to when the rain was streaming down the window. Her mind wandered and for a minute, she forgot all of her worries. When she pulled herself out of the reverie, she realized that she had been doing this for quite a while. Her fingers stopped in their tracks. When she looked up to Adrian's face, she didn't find even a hint of disapproval in his eyes. It was quite the opposite.