Chapter 2 Not Just Black And White

ADDISON'S P.O.V.

As I rolled on my bed, I wondered which was worse: the pounding on my door, followed by my brother's annoying voice, or the sun trying to blind me through the thin curtain.

"Addison," my brother's annoying voice echoes again, prompting me to get out of bed and open the door.

"Fuck off, Adelson. Go be annoying somewhere else." I said while also giving him the middle finger.

"You look more awful than last night. Did you cry? Your eyes are red." He said with a smirk. "Mom says you need to eat something before you die; apparently we don't have money for a burial after sponsoring a certain girl's prom."

"I am a lady, Adelson, and you will address me as such." I said with a glare while placing my hand on my hips.

"What!" Adelson said, laughing. "I would have believed you if you weren't my sister," he said with an eye roll.

I glared at him from head to toe before noticing his outfit. "Where the hell are you going, all dressed? Today is Saturday."

"Going out with Scott. He is downstairs," he answered casually, like he did not just drop a bomb.

My breath hitched, "What! Adam is here? In this house?" I glanced at him immediately, suspicious, lacing my tone. "You better not be telling lies. Why will Adam want to go out with you while that girl is here?" I said, feeling a pang of pain and not being able to call her his girlfriend. I took a step away from my room door, towards the rail, and tried looking at the living room but did not see any sandy-haired boy with amber eyes.

"You mean his girlfriend," my brother replied with a grin, dragging the last word like a dagger, enjoying the silent torture I was going through. "I guess he needs to bond with guys after all that drama yesterday."

I shot daggers at him, not believing him. "Tell Mom I will eat later." I snapped, before taking a step towards my room door.

"He is in the kitchen. And he is saying lots of loving things about his girlfriend." He said, clearly enjoying messing with me.

"It makes me understand why he chose her and not you. You are a nightmare, and she is a daydream," he says, waving his hands animatedly.

I ignored him and pushed him away, storming down the stairs and walking to the kitchen like I had a mission. If Adelson is lying to me, I would make sure he never gets to use the thing between his legs, I silently promised. Then I heard it, the rich, familiar laugh that made my heart race and halted my steps.

'Adam is really here,' I silently thought, before last night's event came back to me, making me realise that it wasn't a dream, my head spun, and I quickly grabbed a chair.

'Go away, Addison.' His voice echoed in my head.

I steady myself before entering the kitchen with a face devoid of emotion as the events of last night continue to flood in. Adam was sitting across the counter, like he belonged here, with his back to the door and me. His waft scent of lavender and mint hit my nostrils, making me dizzy.

"She's studying veterinary science," he said, his voice full of pride. "She is an animal lover, so it is an ideal fit for her."

My head throbbed, and my vision blurred. Maybe it was because I hated Louis, Adam's dog; that was why he didn't want me. Or maybe it was because I have no idea what I wanted to study, even though I am done with high school; that was why Adam did not see me fit to be his girlfriend.

"Are you okay, baby?" Mom's gentle voice snapped me out of my reverie.

When I opened my eyes, all eyes were on me. Adam's amber eyes caught mine, and he smiled at me like last night did not happen, making me doubt my sanity.

"Hey," he said awkwardly, a look of concern in his eyes.

"Good afternoon, everyone." I greeted before clearing my throat. "No one informed me that we would be hosting a guest today." I spoke while glaring at Adam.

"A guest? Who? Adam?" My mom asked with a surprised look. "Adam is family, not a guest," she said, acting like she didn't know that he broke my heart last night.

"Addy, your mom made your favourite," my dad said, his eyes filled with guilt and concern.

"I'm not hungry." I replied stiffly, still glaring at Adam. "Your guest can eat everything; I am going to my room."

I turned around, planning to race to my room, but Adam's warm hand stopped me.

"Addy's daughter," he said with tenderness and affection.

I froze as his hand on my arm sent a jolt of electricity through my body, and for a moment, I was a child again-back to the night my brother was born, one of my earliest memories. I was barely three, and as soon as I heard that my mom had given birth to a boy, I burst into a fit of cries. No one could stop my cries, not Adam's parents or my dad. But five-year-old Adam did.

"Why are you crying, Addison?" Five-year-old Adam asked me. "You have a brother now, someone to play with; you should be happy, not sad," he said, his eyes filled with longing.

I had shaken my head furiously, "Dad will no longer love me." I said, my voice breaking and my nose running.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"He has a boy now. He has always wanted a baby boy; that was why he named me Addison." My cries started again. "Am I going to be sent to the orphanage?" I wailed.

"No, I will not let that happen." Adam reassured me. He seemed to understand my plight, so he went further to explain when I stopped wailing. "The meaning of 'Addison' might mean Addy's son, but you will always be your dad's daughter, Addy's daughter. If you want, I can call you Addy's daughter forever," he said sweetly to me, and I happily agreed, smiling at him.

His voice now brought me back to the present. "Addy's daughter," he repeated with his gentle voice. "Are you okay?"

I calmed my heart and met his eyes. "I am fine. Enjoy your lunch." I responded.

"Can we talk?" He asked, still holding onto my wrist. "It's important." He said his once-bright eyes seemed dull.

"Important?" I laughed hysterically, scaring my parents and Adam.

"Okay, we are going to give you two privacy," my mom said, dragging my reluctant dad along.

I looked at him with a crazy look as soon as my parents left and whispered. "Unless you're about to refute your words and tell me that you don't love her and you were at gunpoint to date her, I'm not interested."

He flinched slightly, and something danced in his eyes-shock? Guilt? Regret? I just couldn't tell, but after that, his eyes refused to meet mine, and at that moment, I knew that Adam Scott was hiding something from me.

Maybe, just maybe, this relationship wasn't as black and white as I was made to believe. Perhaps it is a freaking mess of grey, entwined with every shade of black and white.