Author's note: Thank you so much for all the adds to follow this and favorite it and for the reviews. I hope you all continue to like this. Please keep all that coming!

And I would like to thank the anonymous guest and it makes sense in context for pointing out that I originally had Sydney's eye color wrong. It is now fixed. If you find any more mistakes, please feel free to point them out as it's been quite a while since I read The Golden Lily.

Anyway, happy reading!

Chapter Two

I stared at my reflection in my mirror. I had changed twice, but I only owned the same dull clothes. Normally I liked them, they fit and they were easy to replace if they were ever damaged, but lately it was different. I wanted to look good for Adrian. Not that that mattered. This wasn't officially a date as far as everyone else was concerned.

I smoothed my hand once more over the light blue blouse that I had settled on. Though it was a good color on me, I still worried about how I looked. I knew I looked as good as I was ever going to look. And Adrian seemed to like it. I picked up my purse from beside the door. I flexed my fingers as I walked down to meet everyone in the lobby. My hand ached to be held by his. And my lips tingled at the memory of our shared kisses.

I put those thoughts out of my head as I stepped off the last step. Jill smiled and waved when she saw me.

"Adrian's getting anxious. I told him we'd be there soon." She explained.

"Well, text him and say we're on our way." I said as I led everyone out to Latte.

It was already dark. The earlier nights increased the fear I was so good at pushing away these days. I was still concerned for our safety, but since we were all out in a group, and Adrian and I had been taking the self-defense classes, I wasn't as bad as I would have been in the past. Not to mention we had a skilled guardian in our midst. And Jill and Angeline were making a lot of progress in their own training.

Adrian was waiting for us when I pulled up. Jill again obediently moved to sit in the back when he walked up.

"Good evening, all." He said jovially as he closed the door. "How was your Saturday?"

Everyone mumbled that their day was good. Mine was filled with worry for the evening. I said nothing.

Adrian's hand slid across the seat and rested on my knee in the darkness.

"Stop." I said, barely above a whisper.

"Don't be so uptight, Sage." He murmured before he removed his hand.

Jill kept up most of the chatter. Adrian brushed his fingertips over my thigh, making me blush. I whispered again for him to stop. He did, moving to stare out the window. I focused on the road.

"Hey, Sage, could you spot me?" He asked softly as we walked to the box office.

"I guess." I said with a sigh, pulling my wallet out of my purse.

"You pay for me this time and I'll try to pay next time." He promised.

"You already owe me a lot." I pointed out.

"Hey, isn't this supposed to be a date?"

"On a traditional date, the guy pays."

"Well, this guy is a little strapped for cash because Mommy's in prison and Daddy blames me."

I shook my head and stepped forward, ordering our tickets to the agreed-upon movie. Angeline and Eddie had wanted something full of action and explosions. Jill had requested something lighter, maybe a romance. Adrian and I said we could care less. But we finally came to the compromise of a drama.

"Do you want popcorn or anything?" I asked, sure he was going to beg me for it anyway.

"How about you and I share a tub of large popcorn?" He leaned in and whispered, "So our fingers can brush occasionally."

"Shut up, already." I said, shoving his shoulder. "You're supposed to be my brother."

"Really? Because I'm having some very un-brotherly thoughts about you."

Ignoring him once more, I stepped up to the concession stand and ordered the popcorn and a diet pop. "And whatever he wants to drink." I motioned to Adrian standing right behind me.

He requested, "What she's having."

I hid my shock and passed over my money.

"Do you think I have time to go out for a smoke?" Adrian asked as we finally made our way into our appointed theater.

Eddie looked down at his watch and said. "Movie starts in ten minutes."

"Perfect amount of time." He shoved the popcorn at me and turned to head out the door with his drink in his hand.

We took a seat near the back of the theater. There was already a couple making out heavily in the last row. We sat near the aisle, Jill saved a seat for Adrian between her and me. Eddie and Angeline sat on the other side of her. We all talked as we watched the before-movie trivia. None of us were really big on pop culture, having been so sheltered in our respective lives, but it was fun to try and figure out all the ridiculous things asked.

My phone went off and I looked down to see Adrian was calling.

"So, I'm the idiot who didn't get his ticket from his girlfriend before taking his smoke break."

"Don't use that word, please." I said as I stood. I told Jill, "Be right back, I have Adrian's ticket."

"Which word? Idiot?" he asked.

"No, I don't mind you using that word. I often find you are an idiot."

"Ah, so you object to me claiming you're my girlfriend?"

"Yes. Because I'm not. We are very far from that step."

"No, you just come over to my house and make out with me."

I stepped out into the night and ended the conversation. I spotted Adrian a few feet away, still shrouded in smoke.

"I need to start carrying fabric refresher in my purse." I said as I stepped over to him, waving the air in front of me.

"Don't worry, I got it covered." He ran around in circles, waving his arms around like a windmill.

I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of my chest at the ridiculous sight. I bit my lip and looked away.

Then he stopped and pulled a bottle from his pocket and spritzed it onto his shirt. He walked over to me. "Sniff me." He demanded.

"No, I think I'm good." I said, backing away.

"Smell me. Do I still smell like smoke?"

"Adrian, the movie is starting."

"I'm not moving from this spot until you sniff me and tell me I smell like the grass after a spring rain."

"Fine." I said. I stepped forward and took a quick whiff. "You don't smell so cloyingly like smoke that I can't sit beside you for the next two hours. Now, come on." I held out his ticket. "Dark theater, remember?"

His smiled grew seductive and he snatched his ticket out of my hand and picked up his drink from the ground. "Ah, yes."

We took our seats after the lights went down. Jill whispered to Adrian that she had to fight off the people trying to steal our empty seats despite the popcorn tub sitting in one seat and the dink in the cup holder of the other.

"Thanks, Jill." He said.

I saw her lean over and whisper in his ear and then he chuckled and reached into the bucket in my lap. He popped the kernels in his mouth and then leaned over and whispered, "Jill said she almost gave our seats away so we'd have to find other seats."

I smiled and rested my arm on the armrest between us. "There are still eyes everywhere." I whispered back.

He slipped his hand into mine and rested it on his lap. We didn't say anything else the entire time. I shifted in my seat and put the popcorn tub on his lap to hide our hands a little better. If I knew it wouldn't be obvious, I would have rested my head on his shoulder. He actually smelled really nice. It was a spicy, yet soft scent that tickled my nose and made me want to bury my face in his neck.

But I restrained myself, reaching over to snag popcorn to distract myself. He ended up timing it just right so that our fingers brushed more than once. His curled his index finger around mine and we shared a smile before he released me and let me eat the last of the popcorn.

The movie ended and the credits started rolling. I squeezed Adrian's hand quickly just before I removed mine and shifted away.

As we shuffled out with everyone, Adrian ended up pressed close to my back. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I haven't had a chance to tell you that you look really pretty tonight."

I hid my smile and kept walking.

Adrian and I ended up outside before everyone else. He pulled me outside and around to the dark alley between buildings. He gently pushed me against the wall and pressed close to me. "Drop them off and then come back."

"Here?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"If you want." He brushed a quick kiss over my lips and then stepped back. "I hear Jill."

"Because she knows what's going on and is warning us." I stepped away and around the corner into the crowd just as Eddie, Angeline, and Jill broke through.

"I'm starved." Angeline announced. "Can we go to a diner or something?"

"I could go for desert. How about Pies and Stuff?" Adrian suggested.

"That depends." I said.

"On what, Sage?" He challenged.

"How much of my money you want me to spend tonight."

"Come on, Sydney. It's not like you don't have it. Don't go to the coffee shop a few times this week."

"Don't." I said before we could get into an argument. "Fine. Pies and Stuff." I led the way back to Latte and keyed it open.

Adrian leaned over the seat and murmured, "Sorry, I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"I know." I patted his hand before I started the car and drove toward the dessert shop.