Chapter Text
Britt wakes up on the morning of September 14th with her heart pounding. She’s in an unfamiliar hotel room bed with the weight of a familiar arm wrapped around her, still sleeping soundly. She checks the clock on the nightstand and sighs. She’s up uncharacteristically early after a relatively poor night of sleeping. Although part of that was not due to nerves. It had been almost a month since she had last seen her LA boyfriend, and they had to make up for that lost time. Their phone calls every few days and weekly “date night” video calls when their schedules allowed did a little to help fill the gap of them living on opposite coasts, but she had still missed him terribly.
They had reunited at the Apple event last night but had to keep things costar appropriate with a friendly hug. She had enjoyed herself, reconnecting with her friends and meeting new ones. She thinks she’s been pretty good at keeping a mask on while out in public with him, but Adam had really been pushing it. He’d been hungry for her the whole night, trying to stay casual but looking for every reason to put his hands on her.
Inevitably, he’d ended up at her hotel room after the event.
Britt smiles, thinking about how these small moments sustain her. She rolls over so that she’s facing Adam. His cheek and nose are pressed into the pillow and his hair is down and covering her eyes and her chest fills with affection towards him. The lines in his face are smoother in sleep, making him look like a younger man. He’s put on weight over the summer, she’d noticed, his body filling out and making him look softer. She wants to be polite and let him sleep longer but she can’t stop herself from bringing a hand to his cheek and kissing him softly on his chin.
He stirs and opens his eyes, a smile forming on his mouth. She feels his arm pull tighter across her, his hand wrapping around her back and pushing her closer to him. His mouth finds hers and they kiss like it’s something they do every morning.
Adam is the first to pull away, looking her in the eyes, “Good morning, you’re up early.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she replies, “I’m too wired up.”
He makes a noise of understanding, “It’s a big day.”
She sighs, “I know I’m supposed to live in the moment, but I’m nervous.”
Adam nods and kisses her shoulder, burying his face into her neck, “It’s normal to be nervous,” he says, voice muffled by her skin.
He pulls back to look her in the eyes, a grin on his face. “Today is going to be busy with all the prep for the show. That should be a nice distraction.” He gives a sly smile and slides a palm down her torso and finds the curve of her ass, “For now, though, I think I can be of assistance in helping you get your mind off of everything.”
He kisses her, and she feels her chest start to fill with heat as he deepens the kiss.
He moves his lips down her neck, kissing a freckle there.
Britt sighs, moving her neck so he can get better access to her. He has this game where he tries to kiss all her freckles after she’d told him once that freckles form in places where a lover kissed you in a past life.
Adam pulls the covers back and pushes lightly on her shoulder to turn her so she’s on her back. He pulls one of her arms straight, inspecting it and pressing his lips on as many of the tiny dots that he can find.
He lowers her arm and rearranges himself so that he’s on top of her, hovering over her body. He kisses her again before his eyes slide down her body, inspecting for any new beauty marks. His gaze lingers on her chest, and she chuckles, “You know where that one is.”
A soft smile forms on his lips as his eyes rise back up to meet hers. He lowers his head to the side of her breast, lips pressing on the freckle there.
A soft moan escapes her lips when his mouth moves to her boob, and he swirls his tongue over her nipple. Heat is coiling in her belly, and she can feel the evidence of his desire for her resting against her thigh.
He settles his body between her thighs. His hands grip her hips as he moves his mouth down her torso, placing tender kisses there.
She knows what’s about to happen when he finally kisses the mole on her inner thigh and she purrs in anticipation.
Adam’s hand slides to her core and he groans when he feels the wetness pooling there.
“Good lord, baby. So wet already.”
She sighs and spreads her legs wider for him.
He chuckles and kisses underneath her belly button, his chin brushing up against the dark curls on her pelvis. His finger runs up her folds, and he pushes it into her entrance.
Britt moans, “Please, Adam, use your mouth.”
He moves his mouth to her cunt and slides his tongue up and down her slick folds before pressing his tongue inside her.
Adam looks up at Britt to see that her head is thrown back on the pillow. Her eyes are closed, and her lips are parted, her breaths panted.
He moves his mouth off her, “Look at me, Baby.”
She opens her eyes and looks down at him with hunger. She moves her hands to wrap them around his hair, messy from sleep. She gently presses his head back down to her center.
Adam works his mouth over her clit, swirling and sucking in the way he knows makes her squirm.
He moves his hand from his grip on her hip and takes his finger back to her center. He pumps his finger in and out of her, relishing in the beautiful noises that escape her mouth.
She's not going to last long. Britt can feel the pressure building as she starts to float above herself. She finds his left hand and intertwines their fingers together. Her thighs are trembling, and he slides a second finger inside her.
She breaks apart, moaning his name loudly.
Adam works her through her climax pumping his fingers and keeping his mouth on her clit until she pushes his head back. He keeps his fingers inside her, enjoying the feeling of her cunt clenching around them.
She looks down at him and laughs, putting an arm over her face.
He pulls his fingers out of her and wipes his mouth. He lies down next to her, removes her hand from her face so he can look at her and kiss her.
“How was that, Baby?”
Britt sighs and giggles, “I think we should start everyday like that.”
He laughs along with her “I guess I’d have a pretty strong jaw if I did that.”
She stifles a yawn and he pulls her close to him.
“You should try to get some more sleep. We still have time before the craziness begins.”
She nods as he pulls her close to him, resting his chin on the top of her head.
Britt closes her eyes happily and dozes off, thinking there’s no better place than in his arms.
—--
The day flies by quickly between press, hair and makeup. Before she knows it, Britt is having a stunning red dress pulled up over her shoulders. Her team secures it to her body and tells her to do a little twirl. The camera shutter sounds buzz in her ear as she spins, a wide grin plastered to her face.
God, she loves this dress.
She takes photos with her oldest and dearest friend before locating her phone and asking her to take one for her.
She doesn’t hesitate to send it to the contact pinned at the top of her iMessages.
Her phone buzzes almost immediately.
Wow!!!!!
She chuckles as a blurry selfie comes through.
The suspenders are a nice touch
Thanks, I knew you would like them. You’re gonna look so hot holding that Emmy.
So will you!
See you soon :)
See you soon xoxo
—---
The nerves come back with a vengeance the moment she’s dropped off in front of the theater.
She makes her way across the red carpet, stopping for quick interviews and hugs when she runs into her friends. So many people wish her luck and her mouth already feels tight from smiling and her heart feels full from all the support.
She keeps looking over her shoulder for him, but knowing Adam, he’ll be one of the last to arrive.
She does locate her castmates, giving them all long hugs and well wishes.
She circles back, deciding to use the restroom before taking her seat. On her way there, she finally sees him, looking a bit awkward and very nervous. Their eyes meet for a beat, and he grins at her.
He shuffles over to her and pulls her into a quick hug.
“I’m so happy to see you,” he whispers into her ear, which makes her laugh because it’s really only been a few hours since he last saw her.
She pulls back to take in his outfit.
“I like your flower, you weren’t wearing that in the picture you sent me,” she says, reaching out to give it a quick touch.
“I wore it for you, Lower, like flower.”
She’s touched by this and feels tears springing her eyes. She clears her throat.
“I was actually about to go to the bathroom and attempt to calm my nerves a bit,” she says, pulling a pastille from her pocket and popping it in her mouth.
"I’ll see you in a bit," she says and squeezes his hand in a gesture that her PR team would probably tell her is just on the line of what they’re supposed to do in public.
As she walks to the restroom, she’s surprised to see he’s still walking beside her.
“Adam,” she warns, her tone not matching the smile on her face.
“What, I have to go too,” he says with a smirk on his face.
“Well, the men’s room is behind you.”
“I was thinking of using the family restroom, it’s more comfortable.”
“You’re not being subtle”, she huffs, feeling her cheeks burn.
“No one is watching us.”
“Not yet but keep this up and they will.”
Adam shakes his head. “Just go in, I’ll take a look before I follow you.”
She rolls her eyes but does go into the bigger room.
She’s leaned up against the sink when Adam enters, locking the door behind him. He reaches a hand out toward hers, which she takes and lets him pull her into his arms again.
“We don’t have a lot of time to waste,” she says
“We have plenty of time," he whispers back, bringing his lips to hers and pressing a light kiss to them. “One last kiss for luck,”
It’s so easy to lose herself in his arms. Her brain knows that they need to stick to their plans and keep it private for the foreseeable future, but her heart and body have a hard time remembering.
He leans forward for one more kiss and she deepens it, using her mouth to show how she feels instead of words. The passion and heat flows through her as her tongue enters his mouth. He groans in surprise but responds, his hands digging into her hips and lifting her onto the sink counter. She presses her body flush against his, loving the feel of her nerves turning into desire.
They break apart, breathing heavily, and their foreheads meet. Adam plants a kiss to her nose.
“You make me crazy, Britt,” he says, voice husky.
She chuckles, “I could say the same.”
Britt gives him one final kiss before sliding off the counter. She takes in her reflection in the mirror, swiping a fresh layer of lipgloss over her swollen lips. Their eyes meet in the glass, and they smile at each other, cheeks pink and pupils blown wide.
She turns around to face him, swiping her thumb along his lower lip and corners of his mouth to remove the pink gloss smudged there. She reaches into the pocket of her dress to pull out the key card to her hotel room and slide it into his hand.
“We’ll have to pick up where we left off later,” she says.
He nods, “I’ll see you out there.”
He leaves the bathroom first and knocks for her to exit when he makes sure that no one is looking.
The last of her pastille melts in his mouth as he takes his seat.
—--
“And the Emmy goes to, Britt Lower!”
Her name is called, and she sees Adam jumping to his feet before she’s even out of her chair. Her vision is blurry and her hands tingle as she makes her way to the stage. The weight of the award is heavy in her hands. She looks out at the crowd and finds him, grounding herself with him in her sights and thanks him by name.
It’s a whirlwind after that, moving from interview to interview and cameras flashing in her direction. She has no idea what she’s even saying or what questions are being asked, but she makes it back to the audience before the end of the show.
John is the first to hug her when she gets back to her seat. Adam almost pushes him out of the way to wrap her up in a huge embrace.
“I’m so proud of you,” he whispers sweetly in her ear, his lips so close he feels them against her skin.
“You’re next,” she whispers with a grin as he lets her go and she takes a seat. Her heart is pounding, and her smile is wide when the photographer takes her picture.
—-
Adam’s name isn’t called. She feels her face fall and tears prickle in her eyes. The disappointment makes her chest feel tight. She tries to meet his eyes but he keeps his face forward, his face not betraying any feeling. She wishes she could reach for him and offer him some comfort, but she knows it’s not her place to display something so publicly. She tries to squash the jealousy that rises up in her as she sees his wife hold his hand; she’s grateful that he at least has someone close to support him.
She doesn’t even register that their show doesn’t win best drama series and that the ceremony is over.
Everyone starts leaving the theater and she tries to catch up with him, but he’s leaving in a hurry.
“Adam,” she calls out to him.
He turns and walks over to her, and she pulls him into another hug, this one longer and she wraps her arms around him, trying to transfer as much warmth into him as she can.
“I’m so sorry,” she says
“Don’t be sorry, it’s okay.”
“You should have won, you deserved it,”
“Britt, it’s okay. This is your night. Don’t let this distract you from your incredible accomplishment.”
She chews on her lower lip, “are you still going to the after party?”
“I’ll show up for a bit, yeah. I’m about to head over there now.”
She nods, a bit unsure of what to say next.
“I’m so incredibly proud of you, Britt”
She blushes, “Thank you. I never would have been able to do it without your support.”
He pulls her in for another hug and presses his body close to hers. He whispers in her ear, "I don’t think I should stay the night at yours, but I will come over tomorrow evening, okay?
He pulls back to make eye contact with her. His hands rest on either side of her hips, settling there like it’s second nature.
Britt nods, trying not to be disappointed.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m disappointed, yes, but I’m going to be okay. It’s important to me that you’re okay and that you have a good time feeling celebrated.”
She nods and smiles at him. Adam has always been so thoughtful and generous.
He gives her cheek a quick peck and releases her. “I’ll see you over there,” he smiles. She notices it doesn't quite reach his eyes.
“See you,”
She takes a deep breath as she watches him leave and tries to ignore the conflicting feelings swirling around in her belly. She pops another pastille in her mouth and looks around for her friend.
—--
The rest of the evening goes fine. Her and Tramell celebrate, and her mouth once again hurts from smiling. Adam is really only at the party for a few minutes. He says a few words about how proud he is of the cast and crew, but Britt sees the hurt in his eyes.
She feels sorry for him, but still makes the most of her night, staying out late laughing with her friends who have started to feel more like her family. Still, she misses him and wishes it had been their night to celebrate together.
She gets back to her hotel room around three in the morning. A little tipsy and exhausted but overall feeling very fulfilled from the evening. She kicks her heels off and sighs as she stretches her feet, glad to have them on the floor.
She yawns as she turns on the light to the bedroom then freezes, a scream catching in her throat before recognition finally kicks in.
Adam is asleep in her bed.