That was when it hit me. Adrian and Caitlin were not like Vladimir and Kristen. They were like me. They also had to put up with crappy parents. I didn’t know why it had taken me so long to notice. Perhaps because Adrian never showed any discomfort, and Caitlin, well, I had only met her once years ago.

“You know, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.” I squeezed his hand.

“Now that you’ve said it, I do get a little bit chilly at night, so if you don’t mind maybe you could—”

“Not that kind of need!” I cut him off, letting his hand go and giving it a good smack.

“Can’t say I didn’t try.”

My body relaxed for a moment before both of his hands caught mine. He kept his eyes locked with mine as he leaned in and brought my hands to his lips. I was transfixed by the severe edge to his voice as he whispered softly so that only I could hear, “Thank you.”

The smell of the food being delivered to our table was enough to break the melancholic moment. I basically stuffed everything in my mouth, acting like someone who had not eaten for forty days. Adrian, on the other hand, ate gracefully. Once we finished our meal, the desserts arrived; I went for a slice of New York cheesecake while Adrian just had a cappuccino—which was a pitiful choice for dessert, in my opinion.

“Hail Zeus! This is to die for!” I licked some leftover cream cheese off of the small fork then set it down on the now empty plate. Adrian laughed.

“Hey! Cut me some slack. I’m technically on vacation here. Everyone indulges while on vacation. I’m a Regular, remember? I don’t get to go on lavish vacations like you, so my sweet tooth and I have to take advantage.”

“You Montgomerys seem to all have good metabolisms. I mean, your dad is still jacked at his age!” Adrian shook his head in slow disbelief. “Isn’t he, like, fifty?”

“Forty-five,” I corrected. “Yeah, I don’t know what his secret is.”

Adrian gave it a thought. “Maybe he secretly hired a trainer and goes to the gym all the time.”

“Pfft!” I choked a laugh. “No way. He’s too damn stingy.”

Adrian bobbed his head then took a sip of his cappuccino. “I haven’t seen him around the Court. I suppose he’s been busy, huh?”