By his reaction, I could tell he was teasing before, and I’d definitely made it weird. Adam studied the table, his forehead wrinkled in thought.
I wasn’t ready to ruin everything. Not yet.
I stepped closer.
“Gotcha.” I reached out and slapped his forearm, hopefully convincing him of my lie.
He didn’t look convinced, but he looked less like running.
Time to change the subject. “I bet the red lipstick is actually the science teacher, Craig.”
Adam relaxed slightly. “I’m not sure it’s his color.”
“True. It would wash out his complexion for sure.” I nodded over at Craig, who was standing near Ms. Sparks and was obviously trying to make her laugh. “Hey, do you think?—”
“I noticed the same thing earlier.” Adam smirked. “Not who I would picture for the guy,” he shrugged. “But no one knows what a person and relationship are truly like besides the people in it,” he added softly.
Hm.
That was cryptic, he must be referring to his ex-wife. She must be bonkers to leave Adam and Danny.
“Is that one yours?” Adam was pointing at a little carton of energy drinks
“I thought you already knew which one was mine.”
“I was hoping you would give it away.” He glanced down the line. “I got it, the signed picture of the Muppets.”
“No.” I giggled, but then remembered it belonged to someone, so I quickly covered my mouth and I shoved Adam. “Stop!”
He smirked. “Stop what?”
“Making me laugh. Someone might think I’m making fun of them.” I pinched my lips tight in false anger.
“I like your laugh, it’s so happy.” His tone was low and sent shivers down my spine.
I blew out my breath, trying to ease the tension in my chest. I wanted to reach for his arm again, to feel its warmth under my hand.
“Hm.” Adam tapped a finger to his chin as he studied the objects. “How about that one?” His gorgeous lips pulled up into a devilish smile.
I couldn’t look away from his smile.
“Um, what?” I looked to see what he was pointing at. It was a CD of someone, but based on his raised eyebrow and my flushed cheeks, he noticed I had been staring at his lips. He winked and I blushed.
I stared anywhere but at him. “I’m pretty sure we aren’t supposed to say, right, Dotty?” I searched for her blond curls and bright tinsel sweater.
“Yep. You cannot confirm or deny if an object is yours until the end.”
I nodded back at Adam. “Now who’s cheating?” I tapped his massive chest with the back of my pencil.
The night continued with lots of laughter and people revealing their items and the stories attached to them. I learned more about the staff in one night than I had in the two and a half years I had been teaching here. When it was my turn, I simply stated the perfume was one of my favorite scents.
Adam never guessed my item right, but I loved watching him try. Maybe because it kept him closer, whispering in my ear. His warm breath gave me goosebumps every time. The night was ending, and it was now the small-talk portion, which was arguably the worst part. I needed structure so I knew what was expected. With Adam standing close to my side, I found I didn’t mind it as much. He was like an anchor in a sea of chaos.
“All right, but I picked which cookies were yours right away. Do I get any points for that?” He leaned closer to me, so his arm brushed against mine.
My cheeks flushed. “Do I get points for guessing which cookies you brought?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I’m an open book. See the package of Oreos. That’s mine. But if Mom asks, I brought peanut butter ones,” Adam whispered behind his hand with a grin.
