The car was still moving when he said it.
"Come home with me."
I turned to look at him, surprised. "What?"
Adrien didn't glance away from the window. "To my place. Tonight."
There was no inflection in his voice. Just cool certainty.
"For… what exactly?"
"To clear any lingering rumors of the scandal," he replied. "We need to be seen together.
"You've already cleared everything up," I said quietly. "The internet's been wiped clean."
Adrien finally turned his head, his eyes meeting mine across the dim interior of the car. The passing streetlights painted fleeting patterns across his face, highlighting the sharp lines of his jaw.
"Online eyes are easily distracted," he said, his voice still level, but now directed solely at me. "But the whispers… they take longer to silence completely." He paused, letting his words hang in the air. "Being seen together tonight. Under my roof. It dispels any lingering doubt more effectively than any press release or deleted article ever could."
