Chapter 91: Problem

Adrian straightened for the third time that night.

Just a normal dinner with his mum and his ex-girlfriend’s sister, who also happened to be his current girlfriend.

Damn.

How did things get this bad?

He straightened again, and this time, the movement caught the corner of Rose’s eyes. Adrian noticed her noticing, but he decided not to pay it any mind.

He was probably overthinking it.

That seemed right.

Right?

"Here you go."

The voice came from closer to his side, and Adrian glanced over.

The waiter had returned with their food, carrying the first pan toward the table.

Adrian felt the tension in his shoulders disappear almost immediately.

Apparently, that was something he needed.

The waiter began setting everything down, and the first thing that hit Adrian wasn’t the sight of the food but the smell.

Sweet, warm, and strong enough to make him forget about the conversation for a second.

The creamy cheesecake, covered with a layer of cream, was placed in front of his mother, and the waiter announced its name with the same calm confidence he’d used all night.

Then came Rose’s noodles, the short kind mixed with sauce and whatever else had made the entire plate smell better than it had any right to.

Adrian barely registered the name.

His attention had already moved to his own meal.

An enormous plate of baked pasta sat in front of him, covered in melted cheese with a side of meatballs that definitely shouldn’t have been worth whatever they were charging for it.

Judging by the smell, though, he was willing to reconsider.

He wasn’t even sure he’d heard the waiter finish describing it before his hand was already reaching for his fork.

"Thank you..." Mrs. Hayes leaned forward and took a small inhale over her cheesecake. "Ooh. It smells tasty."

"I can assure you, madam, it tastes even better than it smells."

The waiter said it with enough confidence that Adrian almost believed him.

His mother nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Oh, dear. I almost forgot."

The waiter turned back toward the service tray behind him, reached down, and pulled out a small metal bucket packed with ice.

Then came the bottle.

A big one.

Adrian stared at it.

Then he looked at his mother.

That definitely wasn’t cheap.

Was she seriously squandering the entire five grand?

No.

That couldn’t be right.

His mother had been responsible with money for as long as he could remember, and five thousand dollars was still five thousand dollars.

The waiter placed the bottle on the table.

"Well, that’s that."

Adrian looked back at him.

"If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, just raise your hand and call for my colleague. We’ll be right here."

Mrs. Hayes and Rose both nodded.

At least they were doing something together.

The waiter left, and Adrian finally looked over the table properly.

He’d eaten expensive food before, and he’d even been to a restaurant that had cost more than this one. He couldn’t remember the name anymore, but this place wasn’t quite on that level.

Still, none of this was going to be cheap.

Maybe he should cover it after all—

"Okay, that was nice." Mrs. Hayes looked between them. "So, where were we?"

Rose opened her mouth.

"Oh, yeah." His mother smiled. "You were about to tell me how you met my Ady."

"Um, yeah, I was."

Rose glanced at Adrian.

"It’s nothing special, though."

"Oh, that’s nonsense." Mrs. Hayes waved her hand, then cut a tiny piece from her cheesecake. "To me, every love story always sounds beautiful. So come on, tell me."

She took a bite.

Her expression changed slightly.

Adrian didn’t need to ask.

She liked it.

Rose smiled faintly.

"We’re neighbors."

"Neighbors?"

"Yeah." Adrian shrugged, doing his best not to look guilty. "We met when I moved in, and we’re in the same school and all."

"Ohh?" His mother’s eyebrows lifted. "You’re classmates?"

"No. I’m a sophomore."

Adrian slowly turned toward Rose.

The fuck?

Why would she even say that?

He looked back at his mother.

Her eyes had already widened.

"A sophomore?"

"Yeah." Rose nodded.

"I forgot to mention that part."

"Hm."

That wasn’t a good hm.

Mrs. Hayes stared at him for a few seconds, and Adrian held her gaze while trying very hard not to look like a man who had just realized he’d walked into a trap.

Finally, she looked back at Rose.

"A sophomore taking an interest in a freshman. That’s something you don’t see every day."

Fuck.

She was getting suspicious.

This was supposed to be a normal dinner.

Why the hell did Rose need to tell the truth?

Adrian paused.

Actually, that thought came out wrong.

It was his mother’s fault for making it sound like they were discussing a criminal investigation.

Mrs. Hayes and Rose continued talking, but Adrian stopped listening for a moment as he leaned down and took his first proper bite of the baked pasta.

His eyes widened.

Fuck.

Expensive food was definitely worth the price.

He chewed slowly, wondering whether it was actually this good or whether everything tasted better because he’d spent the last hour watching other people eat.

Growl.

Adrian’s brows furrowed.

His stomach had apparently decided to contribute to the conversation.

Fucking hell.

Come on, man.

Couldn’t he get a few extra minutes before Nutritional Multiplier started demanding payment?

He reached for the bottle, still trying to keep his mind away from whatever interrogation was happening beside him.

Then something Rose said caught his attention.

"Well, you’d think that at first, but when we started dating, I kinda started understanding the age-is-just-a-number thing."

Adrian froze.

His hand stopped halfway toward the bottle.

Fuck me.

He looked up.

His mother’s eyes had widened even more.

She stared at Rose for a second longer than necessary, then slowly turned toward him.

Adrian looked away.

"Just a number, you say?"

Mrs. Hayes turned back to Rose, and the corners of her mouth stretched into a smile.

Adrian knew that smile.

That was not a genuine smile.

"Sorry, but people usually say that when the age gap is way too far." She tilted her head. "Are you... um, how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?"

"I’m twenty."

"Twenty, you say?"

Her voice went slightly higher.

Adrian dragged the bottle toward himself and worked at the cover, which seemed determined to fight him.

He pulled harder.

Pop.

Thank God.

He poured himself a glass, then glanced up.

His mother was looking directly at him.

"Did I miss something?"

"No."

She smiled.

"I guess you didn’t."

Adrian nodded and took another heavy bite of pasta.

"Okay. Um..." He swallowed. "How was work?"

"Fine."

"Oh. Business is finally booming?"

"Yeah. We got a big donation."

She looked at him.

"But you already knew that, didn’t you, Ady?"

Adrian paused.

Then his mother smiled and turned back to Rose.

Rose had stopped eating.

"Mm?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." Mrs. Hayes waved her hand. "I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just..."

She gestured vaguely between them.

"It kinda feels like a lot."

"I get what you mean." Rose put her fork down slightly. "I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to be a mother, but I do know I wouldn’t want someone I loved to get hurt."

Mrs. Hayes became quiet.

"It’s one thing to say that," she said eventually, "and another to do it."

"Ma."

Adrian finally cut in.

"Enough of the questions already. This isn’t a Q and A."

"I’m just talking, Ady." She looked innocent enough to fool absolutely nobody. "Nobody is doing anything else."

Her eyes shifted toward Rose.

"Right, Roseline?"

She paused.

"Sorry. I can call you Roseline, right?"

Rose glanced at Adrian before nodding.

"Of course."

"Good."

Mrs. Hayes smiled again.

Adrian knew better than to relax.

A few minutes later, Rose excused herself to use the restroom.

She squeezed Adrian’s hand before standing.

"I’ll be right back."

"Okay."

He watched her leave, then turned back to his mother.

She was smiling.

Not the fake one this time.

The dangerous one.

Adrian immediately reached for another piece of pasta.

"So."

There it was.

He chewed.

"What’s with the so?"

Mrs. Hayes rested her chin against her hand.

"She’s older than you."

"I noticed."

"And she looks familiar."

Adrian swallowed.

He slowly put his fork down.

"Looks familiar how?"

His mother’s smile faded into something more thoughtful.

"That’s the part I don’t like."

Adrian waited.

She leaned closer.

"The worst part about all this is that she even looks like Maya."

Adrian stopped.

For a second, the restaurant noise seemed to disappear.

He stared at his mother.

"Looks like who?"

Mrs. Hayes held his gaze.

"Maya."

For once, Adrian didn’t have a sarcastic answer ready. He glanced toward the restroom, then back at his mother, as if checking whether she’d somehow mistaken Rose for someone else. She hadn’t. Her expression made that obvious.

And that was when Adrian realized this dinner had just become a completely different problem.