flower petals.

“Once upon a time, I was.” He admitted with a laugh. “Typical vampire stereotype, don’t you know? Love ‘em and leave ‘em. Was a real asshole.” Not that he wasn’t an asshole today–just a different sort. “Guess a couple centuries makes you mature.” He shrugged. “At least a little.” Leo paused, staring at Adriana, smile slowly making its way to his face. “Really?” He stood a little straighter now, head cocked slightly to the side. “You are a magnet for trouble, you know that?” But he couldn’t deny feeling more than a little happy at her words. Moving to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingered against her cheek. “And say that this person was interested back? Would…that be a bad thing? Or a terribly good one?”

.

"We all have to grow up at some point, love. Trust me, I know it better than almost anyone." She appreciated their honest discussions, even if they were filled with honey coated words. The smirk on her lips grew wider at the thought that he might have been right. Maybe she was a magnet for trouble, even if she didn't want to fully admit it. The minute she felt his touch as he tucked her hair behind her ear, she inhaled sharply. His teasing confession left her breathless for a moment. There was a pang in her chest as it tightened; fear, excitement, anxiety all in one confusing moment. For half of a second, her mind drifted to Matteo, and then to the last few men she had tried to see. People she had tried to be with and it fell apart in some way. What if this was like that? What if people were right and she did move too fast? Her thoughts were all over the place. Taking a deep breath brought her back into the moment, face to face with Leo. She pressed her face into his hand for a brief moment before finally answering his question. "Perhaps not good or bad. Maybe just wonderful and terrifying at the same time." She straightened up, just a bit, only enough to lean closer to him. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she nervously pressed a kiss against his lips.

Kira raised her eyebrows in surprise when Adriana said that it was her she was here for then her eyes went to the bottle of wine. “Me?” She asked at first. “Sure! That’ll be great and to get out of here for a couple of hours. Come in, I’ll change because I look a right state.” Kira pushed the door open. “My parents were down here last week, you should’ve seen Matteo. He tried so hard.”

.

“You look fine. But I understand. I’m glad you’re agreeing, I was worried you wouldn’t want time away from the boys,” she said with a chuckle, following her in. Of course, Adriana would never confess that she needed the company more. She was pleased to hear the news about Kira’s parents, though she wasn’t surprised. “He’s a good, good man,” she said with a nod. “My father adored him. Probably would have adopted him he was allowed to. Do your parents like him?”  

Rory was taking the day off, thinking that he’d get some downtime with his boyfriend, but since the clinic called him away, he no longer had any plans. Which was fortunate for Adriana and Gianna. He smelled them before he heard them, a smile on his face as he went over to open the door. “Ha. Ha. Very funny. Who decided I was the little wolf?” he teased, before his face completely lit up at the sight of his niece, scooping her up in his arms. “Did you teach your mom that one, huh, squirt?” He stepped aside to let Adriana in, closing the door behind them. “Wow, coffee and doughnuts. You must badly needed a sitter if this is supposed to be a bribe.” 

.

“You’re younger than me. Therefore, little,’ she teased, playfully winking at him. Seeing him embrace Gianna truly warmed Adriana’s heart. For too long her little girl had gone without extended family, because of her. The little girl gave a soft ‘mhm’, as she nodded to answer his question. “Of course she did,” Adriana chimed in. The wolf rolled her eyes at his last statement and scoffed. “If I needed a sitter, I’d have come over with money. I was hoping the three of us could spend the day together. If you wanted to, that is. If you’re busy, we can make plans for another day.” 

“I-” He seemed taken aback by the question, not out of offense, he simply wasn’t expecting it. “-they have. Just…not in a long time, I suppose.” In truth, he hadn’t thought about it until she brought it up. Huh. The smirk on his face grew a little as he noted her reaction, clearly he was having more than just a small amount of fun teasing her. But that didn’t mean his words were untrue. He was many things and yet seldom a liar. “You couldn’t get on my bad side if you tried, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” He leaned back at her next words, arms folding across his chest. “Moreso when I was human.” It was thrown out casually. “After I became…” He gestured to himself. “…this-I was less focused on the attention of others. A couple centuries passed and I fell back into old habits however, you know how much I love being the center of attention.” He nudged her playfully. “But your reaction is more telling than mine. Do people not compliment your beauty often? They must be blind to not notice.”

.

“That’s a shame,” she replied softly. “I feel a bit foolish to have thought of you as a sort of playboy that women threw themselves at. Human or not, you should be the center of attention.” The color of her cheeks intensified after his playful nudge; the light pink shade now a bright red. “Oh no, they do,” she muttered. Clearing her throat, she looked him directly in the eye and smirked. “I get compliments quite often, actually. From men, from women. So much so that I feel as though some folks think I’m the town harlot. But...” The brunette shrugged and bit her lip, unsure of how to continue her confession at first. “Usually the compliments aren’t from someone I’m interested in. I suppose that changes the meaning of the words, doesn’t it?” She could feel her pulse racing now, her heart all but leaping out of her throat. The wolf knew that there was no taking back the words, but if he could tease, so could she.

based on this / @deadlydiviniity​

Adriana had somehow developed the reputation of being “fast” in town. There were whispers that she had gone through multiple men in a short time span, and that was something that was neither true, nor false. She had spoken to several, but none of them had worked out. She was unlucky in love, comfortable in the discomfort of her loneliness. Perhaps that’s why she was so hesitant to make any moves with Leo. He was a good friend, a good man in general, in her eyes at least. He was the only one outside of her family that knew she was pregnant with Gianna, the only person she trusted to not betray her secret. How could she ever let her feelings corrupt such a thing? Yet, somehow, she still felt giddy about having one of his jackets in her possession. It could be chalked up to a mere friendship, but she had secretly hoped for more. She often received questions and taunting from her friends about it; they questioned her intentions behind wearing it. Her answer always remained the same - ‘it’s comfortable’. It wasn’t a lie, it was comfortable. Comfortable in the sense that it smelled like him. It was comfortable in the sense that wearing it reminded her that she wasn’t alone. It was comfortable because he had once been inside its sleeves, and so, in a way, it was like he was holding her indirectly. All of the things she would have loved to express but was far too fearful to. Just looking at it as it hung in her closet made her think of that night.

She often thought of the night she had borrowed it. It was chillier than usual, and goosebumps peppered her mostly exposed skin. Typically, Adriana didn't wear anything too revealing, but she had wanted to impress Leo. It was a red bodycon dress, with a keyhole just below her breasts. She had complained of the chill, multiple times, enough so that in the midst of the evening, he had handed his jacket over to her. Despite his cool skin, she instantly felt a wave of warmth wash over her. At the time, she simply chalked it up to the bottle and a half of whiskey she had consumed in the past few hours. Being a werewolf, she had to drink enough to kill a man in order to feel even the tiniest of buzzes. Looking back on it now, she knew it was the start of her feelings for the man. She had continued to drink and dance the night away. The shoulders were far too broad for her, and the length of the coat itself came to her mid-thighs. If she was daring enough, it was large on her to the point that with some strategically placed tape, she could have worn it as a dress on its own. The night had wound down and it was now time to part with the garment she had begun to love over the course of a few hours. Yet, much to her surprise, he had told her to keep it.

Kira had been finishing up in the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” She called out and went over to answer it. Seeing Adriana standing there, she smiled. “Hey! Do you wanna come in? I can go get Matteo for you. I think he’s in the shower though but feel free to wait.”

.

“There’s no need for that,” Adriana said with a smile. “I’m actually not here for Matteo. I was wondering if you were free.” The brunette offered the bottle of wine, though at the last minute she wondered if that was a good idea at all. “I was thinking about having a bit of a girls’ day in town and wondered if you wanted to tag along.”