Love Condemned: Beginnings (5 page)

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“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 this 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 d
etails 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 th
at 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 tr
ied 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.

A flash of confusion crossed her face
as her eyes locked with his. Both of them held the gaze for more than just a few seconds. Then slowly, without letting her dark eyes break contact with Adrian's green ones, Miranda pulled back her hands. "It doesn't sound stupid," she said softly while she let herself sink back in her own seat. Suddenly, both of them seemed to realize how intimate the moment had become, and quickly averted their eyes. 

Chapter Eleven

The
remainder of the bus ride was filled with small talk and awkward silence. Miranda did not know what to say or how to react without scaring him away. She had not liked a boy in so long that she was scared. There were occasional, accidental touches that made Miranda flinch and the heat in the bus increase, but generally the conversation was a relaxed one. Miranda had brought a magnetic scrabble board, and they enjoyed themselves with that for a while. The digital numbers of the clock above the aisle showed it was 12.23pm when Alice stood up and announced they would be arriving to their hotel momentarily. A cheer went through the bus, and Miranda grinned. She had quite enough of sitting, and would be glad to do something more active. 

"We will give you the time to settle in to your rooms first," said Alice through the microphone. "You have until two o'clock to unpack and get some lunch before we'll go to the first point of interest in Rome. We made it a good one - the Pantheon. Please note that every
item you consume in the hotel is included in what you paid for the whole trip, everything outside it is at your own cost. We will first be assembling in the lobby of the hotel, Hotel California, where everyone will receive their keys." 

Miranda nodded unconsciously, knowing she'd be stuck with The Eagles' version of "Hotel California" all day now, and quickly fished her bag from under the chair when the bus stopped. Everything she did radiated quiet enthusiasm. Close behind Adrian, she left the bus after checking she had everything. There, the bus driver was already removing all the bags and suitcases from the loading area. Soon enough, Miranda's
plaid bag came out. When everyone had their luggage, Alice asked them to follow her. The hotel was two street corners down from the bus. Miranda laughed silently as she watched people trying to carry and drag their excessive luggage over the cobblestone path. This is the reason she brought her small bag. Miranda stopped in the lobby and waited while Alice fussed over a list with names and a whole bunch of keys. 

"Sophie Kensington and Ellen Hope?" Alice asked, and moved toward
s the two blonde girls that raised their hands. "You are in Room 21. Adrian Hunter, you can use the room of the passenger that didn't come along, Room 22." She handed Adrian his key and checked her list again. 

"Miranda Carroll, room 23." When Miranda accepted the key with the cold steel number on a key
ring, she thought over this coincidence. Their rooms were next to each other. She realized it wasn't a coincidence at all. She and Patrick had booked together, and had asked for adjacent rooms. Miranda smiled at Adrian, perhaps to let him know that she didn't mind she was still "next to him". She hardly heard anything else Alice said when he smiled back, forgetting everything around her. 

"Well people," Alice demanded attention again, "the elevators are over there. I will meet you here again in two and a half hours." Miranda
grabbed her bag off the floor and followed Adrian to the elevators as one of the first. With wide eyes, she stared at the thing that was supposed to resemble a lift. It seemed to be ancient, with cast iron gates that had to be closed by hand if you wanted it to move. When they stepped in, the wooden box wobbled dangerously. Nevertheless, they made it to the second floor without any accidents, though Miranda vowed she would take the stairs next time. 

"I think it's that way," she said as she gazed in the left corridor. And sure enough, numbers 22 and 23 were the last in the hallway. Never assuming, M
iranda was glad her key fit in the lock as it was supposed to, and opened the door. Before she got in, she glanced at Adrian. "Well.. I'll see you in the lunch room?" He nodded, and quickly, Miranda dashed in her room, closing but not locking the door behind her. 

Alone.
This was the first time in twenty hours that she was alone. She had to admit, she needed some room to breathe and think. Thank God there was air conditioning in the room. It was cool inside, and the blue carpet welcomed her in. A bed, that was supposed to be a double bed, looked smaller than it should. Since there was only one of her Miranda didn't mind. A big dark wooden cupboard stood on the right of the room, while on the left there was a smaller one with only drawers. In the small hall she had entered into, there was a door to the right that revealed a smallish bathroom, with a loo, a sink, a mirror and a shower.

Contently, Miranda heaved her
bag on the neatly made bed and dropped her smaller carry-on bag next to it, to start unpacking. She was only halfway through her plaid bag, humming 
Hotel California
, with pieces of clothing all over the bed and some stowed away in the closet, when there was a knock to her door. Suspecting it was Alice, with some other announcement; Miranda looked up with her long, white leather jacket in her hand. 

"Come in," she called happily. "It's open!"