This is my first time writing in first person so it may sound a little awkward.

Post-The Golden Lily

I don't own the Bloodlines series.

Tap, tap, tap.

I didn't like the way my shoes clacked off the marble floor. It made me too noisy, too conspicuous. It made me an easy target.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Lissa better be where I think she is," I said through gritted teeth. I strode through the Moroi Royal Court, snapping at anyone who got too close to me. It didn't really matter, though; the sight of my thunderous face was enough for most of the nobles to give me a wide berth.

I was having a Very Bad Day. It started off with something crashing into me and consequently spilling wine all over my guardian uniform. Then, I had to go change and was therefore late to meet Lissa, which resulted in the Head Guardian yelling at me for being tardy. And when I had tried to call Dimitri just a few seconds ago, he had picked up only to tell me that he was very sorry but he couldn't speak for long.

"Sorry, my ass," I hissed. "Just what the hell–?"

The rest of my breath whooshed out of my lungs when I saw a very familiar person standing in front of one of the vast windows that looked out to the clear blue sky. I halted, opened my mouth, and then closed it again. I wasn't sure whether to call out to him or not.

"Adrian!"

The man turned his neck, shock flitting across his face, before his features were smooth once again.

"Rose," he said casually. His voice sounded tight. I came forwards and joined him beside his window.

Adrian looked as handsome as ever. His designer clothing, his perpetually messy hair, his bright green eyes… even his cologne was the same. The only thing missing was a cigarette, but hey, I wasn't complaining.

There was an awkward silence for a bit. Adrian and I still hadn't quite moved quite to the point of being friends. We were civil at best and snappish at worst.

"What are you doing at Court?" I asked.

"No reason," Adrian said. "I'm just avoiding someone."

I didn't question his strange answer. I searched for something else to say.

"Um… how are you?" I asked softly. I tucked a stray of dark hair behind my ear, looking at Adrian out of the corner of my eyes. He shrugged.

"Fine, I guess," Adrian said coolly. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Life's a bitch, but I suppose that's normal."

I studied him closely. There was something different about Adrian. Something small, but significant. It was something about his eyes.

"What?" Adrian asked self-consciously when he saw me staring.

Something had changed.

What was it?

"You–nothing," I murmured. Adrian said nothing. No quips, no witty remarks.

And then it hit me.

"Adrian!" I blurted out unthinkingly. "You don't look at me anymore!"

"I–what?" Adrian looked at me as if I was crazy. "What the hell are you going on about, Rose?"

"Uh, wait. I'm sorry. I should have said it better." I wasn't sure how I felt. A part of me was sad, but the majority of me was glad. I was so glad for Adrian. "You… you look past me, now."

An eyebrow was raised. "Rose… are you okay? Have you been working overtime or something? Maybe you should get some rest. This guardian job must be driving you nuts."

"Adrian! Be serious for a second!" I said testily. "No, what I mean is… well, you don't look at me like you love me anymore."

That statement was followed by a pregnant pause. Adrian was gazing at me, his mouth partially open.

"Well, generally, after breakups, the two parties move on," Adrian said softly. There was a quiet bitterness in his voice.

"I know, but I'm not talking about that bit," I said. I pressed my lips together. This discovery I made about Adrian was important, but so hard to put in words. "Adrian… are you in love with someone?"

Adrian froze.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

"She must be one lucky girl," I smiled.

A low sigh was heard. "No, she's not," Adrian said dully. "She's probably the unluckiest girl out there."

I cocked my head, frowning. "What do you mean?"

He turned away. "Nothing."

"Adrian, come on–"

"You have no right to pry into my personal business," Adrian snarled, whipping his head towards me again. My eyes widened and I took a step back. I had never seen this side to Adrian before; this angry, defensive side. This was different to his fury after my betrayal to him. This was… protective?

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to."

At my surprised but attempted soothing tone, all the fight seemed to leave the Moroi. His shoulders slumped, his mouth turning down at the corners.

"I–um–I need to go," I said. It wasn't like me to stammer. Why was I stammering? It was just Adrian. Just Adrian… right?

"Hey, Rose," Adrian said in a low voice. I could barely hear him over the mumblings in the Court. "What did you do when you realised that you had fallen in love with Belikov?"

This unexpected question caught me off guard. All thoughts of leaving flew out of my mind.

"What do you mean?"

"Because you obviously would have known that he was off-limits, right? So what did you do?"

"Why?" I asked. I was confused, befuddled. "The person you like… is she not allowed?"

A hand was dragged down Adrian's face. All of a sudden, he looked tired and weary. As if all the world's problems were pressing down on his shoulders. "You could say that. But this–this is even more forbidden than a student-mentor relationship."

There were many things worse than that, but, with a flash of insight, I knew what he was talking about. This discovery shook me to the core. I inhaled sharply.

"Sydney," I whispered. "Oh my God, you've fallen for Sydney."

"Don't say her name like that," Adrian retorted. "Don't say her name like she's some disgusting thing that's not worth your time."

I couldn't say anything in my defence. "No. No, no, no. Adrian, why her? Why Sydney? She's human!"

"I know that!" Adrian's mask broke, and his eyes were filled with pain. "I know she's human. I know we're not allowed. But I can't help who I fall in love with."

Sydney was my friend. Sydney had aided me, given me so much. But this? I couldn't imagine this. Interracial relationships were sickening. It was not tolerated. Only people like The Keepers, with their wild ways, would understand.

I turned around, pressing my back to the window in an attempt to keep myself from falling. "This has got to be one of the biggest messes you've landed in."

"Rose, you've got to help me. Please. I don't know what to do anymore." The ache, the agony in his voice was unbearable. But I didn't know what to do. I was helpless here.

"Adrian," I said gently. "Adrian, I'm sorry. I can't stop love. Even if this type of love is wrong, it's love nonetheless. I can't do anything about it."

Adrian heaved a shuddering breath. His jaws were clenched, his fists balled. He looked so, so despairing.

"It hurts, Rose," he said. "It fucking hurts. I told her–I told her how I felt. I know she feels the same, but she pushed me away."

I didn't know what to say, so I just pulled him into a hug. I tried to tell him without words that I would always be there for him. Adrian stiffened, but relaxed after a few moments. He sighed into my ear.

"I'm a mess, aren't I, little dhampir?" he muttered.

In that split second, I made up my mind. It was crazy, but I was known for my impulsiveness. I couldn't stand seeing the desperation in his face. I wanted it to go away.

"Adrian," I said. I pulled back from him to look him in the eye. "I will support you in this no matter what you do. Even if it is gross and just plain weird, I will be with you every step of the way."

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and I grinned back at him. This expression was much better than the muted sadness that had been there previously. I knew I had done the right thing. Adrian was my friend, and I never let my friends walk into things by themselves.

"Thanks, Rose," Adrian breathed. "It means a lot to me."

I knew that Adrian would try to forget Sydney. I knew he would just pull away from her and pretend she never existed. But I knew better. I knew that even if Adrian avoided her, he and Sydney would be drawn together like a bee to a flower. Why?

Because you can't stop love.

It's already been a couple of months since Rose and Adrian's breakup, so I think that's enough time for them to heal over, even if just a little bit.

Reviews would be nice.