As soon as they arrived at the venue, Lissa and Rose were scurrying off to find their boyfriends. Sydney sighed. She couldn't really imagine being so attached to someone. When she was dating Brayden, she certainly enjoyed his company when they were together, but when they were apart she felt, well, just the same as always. She wasn't checking her phone incessantly to see if he'd texted or called. She didn't feel like there was some big weight on her chest, or like a part of her was missing, or anything. And that's how love was supposed to feel, right? The closest thing she'd ever felt to something like that was the panicky feeling she got when Adrian left her at the wedding. The thought had crept up on her unexpectedly, and she shoved it away quickly, embarrassed to think it, even for a second. That was not the same thing at all. Not even close.
Sonya and Mikhail were standing at the entrance, arms wrapped loosely around each other, greeting everyone with warm smiles.
"I'm so glad you could make it, Sydney." Sonya said, stepping forward to gather her in a hug. "You look absolutely lovely."
Sydney blushed, unprepared for the compliment, and stammered a strangled "thank you" as she stepped back from the embrace. "You look stunningly beautiful, the ceremony was beautiful as well, it was like a fairy tale wedding." She smiled, looking past Sonya to where Mikhail stood ardently by. "Congratulations to you both."
"Thank you," they both answered at the same time, then shot each other knowing looks.
"Couldn't have done it without this guy," Mikhail added, stepping forward to clap Adrian on the back. "Thanks for stepping in."
"Ah, yes." Sonya smiled brightly at Adrian, "Imagine my surprise seeing this handsome young man as I walked out."
"A pleasant surprise, I hope." Adrian went into full schmooze mode, taking Sonya's hand in his and gingerly bringing it to his lips. "You look like an angel. Better hold on tight to this one, Mikhail."
The couple laughed good-naturedly at Adrian's antics. "I could say the same to you," Mikhail said, glancing toward Sydney.
"Don't I know it," Adrian sighed, sliding his arm around her. Sydney just stood there, frozen, too shocked to say anything.
"You two enjoy yourselves," Sonya smiled, before turning her attention to more guests that were arriving.
"What on earth was that about?" Sydney hissed as soon as they were out of earshot, shrugging roughly out of Adrian's grip.
Adrian's face was the picture of innocence. "What do you mean?"
"Forgive me for being so blunt," she whispered, "But does everyone know you're in love with me these days?"
Adrian looked confused, then smirked. "Oh, you mean Mikhail? Well, you and I both know subtlety isn't one of my strong points, but he was joking, Sage. Relax. He was just trying to say you were pretty."
Sydney blushed, feeling incredibly stupid. She looked away, taking in the view of her surroundings. "This place is so..." she trailed off, searching for the right word.
"Awesome?" Adrian supplied, wasting no time in grabbing a flute filled with champagne from one of the flat trays that crisply dressed waiters were carrying them around on , something Sydney only thought happened in old movies. He knocked back the bubbling liquid in one gulp.
"Renting this place must have cost a fortune," Sydney mused. It was a large lounge-esque building, one that was built specifically for wedding receptions and the like. The walls were covered in large glass windows, gauzy curtains hanging down uselessly from each one. Long, flat black couches were placed evenly across the hardwood floor for people to sit on. Dangling above their heads were rows of round glittering lights, dimmed to create the perfect romantic atmosphere.
"Yeah, well..." Adrian shrugged, "Mikhail was really intent on everything being the best for Sonya. You should have heard him barking out our instructions for the ceremony like a drill sergeant. I think he wants to make up for all that time she spent being Strigoi, and you know, because he's crazy in love with her."
"I suppose that is rather romantic," Sydney said, smiling slightly. She was glad Sonya was getting her happy ever after. Mikhail seemed like a good man and Adrian was right, the unconditional love he had for Sonya was plain on his face every time he looked at her. Once again, Sydney couldn't really imagine being in love like that. It was inconceivable to her that she could give herself over to another person that way, or that another person could do the same for her. She unwittingly replayed some of Adrian's earlier words to her in her mind. He claimed that he loved her, but how could he be sure? How could anyone be sure? People always said when you knew, you knew. But that was ridiculous. Maybe Sydney Sage just wasn't cut out for that kind of thing. She sighed, trying to tell herself that was a good thing.
"I see my homeland awaits," Adrian almost purred. Sydney broke free from her semi-depressive haze and looked to where he was staring with a glazed over expression. The bar. Of course. She rolled her eyes.
"Adrian, please don't overdo it tonight." she warned. "Nobody likes the obnoxious drunk guy at the wedding."
"Yeah, yeah. Nobody likes a buzzkill, either." He nudged her and smiled widely.
Sydney gasped, feigning offense. "I'll remember that remark when you're wasted and stumbling around, begging me for help because you can't tell the floor from the ceiling."
"As if you're my only option," he countered, raising his eyebrows. "Flatter yourself much, Sage?"
Sydney couldn't help but blush slightly at his words. She was used to being the one cleaning up after his messes. She'd never admit this out loud, especially not to him, but a small part of her sort of...didn't mind it so much. Not that she liked him getting himself into such messes. That, she hated. But being the one to take care of him, the one he came to when he needed someone, that wasn't so bad.
"As if anyone else would put up with you like I do," she finally mumbled, refusing to look at him.
"You've got me, there." he smiled. "That's yet another one of the reasons we're meant for each other."
"Adrian!" she hissed, giving him a hard look. She was sure her cheeks were bright red.
He nudged her again. "Relax, I'm joking. Well, I'm not, actually. But you can pretend I am, if it makes you feel better."
"You said you weren't going to make me feel bad," Sydney reminded him dismally, an unpleasant sensation rising in her stomach.
"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. He looked back toward the bar longingly. "But if I'm going to uphold that promise, I'm going to need another drink."
She shook her head, "Go on, then. Have fun. But be careful."
"You're the one who should have a little fun," he said, looking back to rest his gaze on her. A wicked grin appear on his face. "Let me buy you a drink."
"Absolutely not," Sydney said, shocked at the suggestion. "I'm not even legal to drink yet."
"So what?" Adrian asked, as if that were irrelevent. "It's a wedding, Sage. Everybody drinks. What happens here stays here, that sort of thing."
She scoffed, "All the more reason for me to be the responsible one."
He rolled his eyes. "Try to have a little fun, at least. Dance or something." His expression darkened suddenly. "Not with any boys, though."
She blushed, unequipped to deal with him being territorial. She tried to keep her tone light. "What are you, my dad now?"
"No, and thank God for that." he winked. "Unless you want to call me daddy, if you're into that sort of thing."
"Okay, now you're being disgusting." Sydney slapped his arm as hard as she could. "Get out of my sight."
Adrian chuckled, "The Sage doth protest too much, methinks."
"You don't even know what that means." she rolled her eyes, but she was unable to stop herself from smiling.
"You wound me, Sage, you really do." Adrian pouted dramatically. "I'll have you know I've read Macbeth, like, heaps of times."
Sydney laughed so hard she almost snorted. "That's great, but what you just said is a quote from Hamlet, which I'm guessing you've read zero times."
Adrian laughed as well, a lovely musical sound, then leaned close to her to whisper. "I totally knew that. I was just testing you."
"Riiiight." Sydney nodded sarcastically. His closeness was beginning to make her feel light-headed. "Of course you were."
"You calling me a liar?" Adrian pressed even closer to her as he spoke, grinning that stupid sly grin of his. "I can prove you wrong."
"Adrian." she warned, backing away from him. "Stop it. People can see us." she looked around anxiously, thankfully at the moment no one was looking in their direction.
Adrian raised his eyebrows. "That can be easily remedied. Let's find a dark corner." his hand ghosted against the bare skin of her arm.
"Adrian," she said his name more forcefully, amazed she found the strength to do so when her legs felt like jelly and her brain felt like it had been engulfed in fogginess . "Seriously. Stop it. You promised you wouldn't do this."
He stepped back, putting up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "You're right. Again. I'm sorry. But it's hard to control myself when you look so..." he paused, letting his eyes roam lazily over her body, biting his lip as he did so. She felt the urge to slap him again. Only this time across the face.
"I don't think you want to finish that sentence," she said, looking away from him. She caught sight of Dimitri and Christian at the bar then. They must have managed to extract themselves from Rose and Lissa. She swallowed. She still needed to try to fix things with Christian.
"There's Dimitri," Sydney said, looking back at Adrian, eager to change the subject. "Isn't he supposed to be buying your drinks for your valiant efforts to save the wedding?"
Adrian's eyes widened with delight. "Oh my God, you're right. I almost forgot. Hey, Belikov!" he raised his voice, striding over to the bar. "Have a martini ready for me by the time I get over there! I take em dirty!"
Sydney shook her head as he went, but was grateful Adrian was out of her hair for at least a little while. It seemed prolonged contact with him seemed to have unhinging effect on her, and she didn't know quite how to deal with that.
She was a mixture of disappointed and relieved to see that Christian had disappeared from the bar. She wanted to talk to him but she didn't really have a clue what she should say. She sighed heavily, thinking she should probably try to find where Rose and Lissa had gone.
She did a lap around the massive room, Rose and Lissa nowhere in sight. She guessed they might be in the bathroom, and scanned the area, looking for where they were located. She pivoted quickly to her right and felt her body press up against someone else's.
"Oh, pardon me." She said quickly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you." she attempted to side-step right out of this awkward situation but the body in front of her stepped in the same direction, blocking her path. She looked up to see a man she didn't recognize. His dark hair was slicked back tight agaisnt his scalp. He flashed her a big smile, revealing his fangs. A Moroi. She attempted a weak smile in return, feeling sick.
"Oh, my." he crooned, his voice had a unsettling quality to it. He propped one of his hands under his chin, and Syndey was momentarily distracted by the garish, expensive looking watch that adorned his wrist. "An alchemist in our midst? To what do I owe the honor?"
Sydney couldn't tell what this guy's deal was, if he was trying to be friendly and coming across as super creepy, or the other way around. The word that came to mind when she looked at him was slimy.
She let out a short laugh, trying to remain calm. "I'm here on business and I'm...acquainted with the bride. I'm really sorry about bumping into you. I'm just trying to find the ladies room." She tried walking past him but he turned his body with hers, again blocking her path.
"Not so fast, little alchemist." his smile turned wolfish. Sydney's heart thudded in her chest. "Why don't you let me escort you? A tiny little thing like you all by yourself..." he made a tsk sound with his tongue and teeth. "Why, that's just asking for trouble."
Sydney tried to laugh again, and smile, like she was flattered by his words. "Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but I'm just fine, if you'll excuse me..." She waited for him to step aside, but he didn't. Instead he cocked his head to the side, like he was amused.
"I'm afraid I must insist," he said, and brought that hand from under his chin, extending it toward her. She jerked away instinctively, but his hand kept moving forward, inches from her neck, and then all of a sudden another hand appeared, closing around the man's wrist and jerking it in the opposite direction.
"What is your problem?" she heard the slimy man growl. Sydney blinked rapidly as she processed what was happening. She looked past Slimy and into the icy blue eyes of Christian Ozera.
"Oh, my apologies." Christian smiled brightly at Slimy, his hand still clamped tightly around his wrist. "I was just admiring your watch as I walked by, what is this, stainless steel?" he jerked the man's wrist right up to his eyes, examining it closely. Slimy's expression mimicked that of extreme discomfort. Sydney watched in confusion as his expression darkened further, and then he let out a high pitched yelp, making her and a few people who were socializing close by jump. He tried to pull his arm away but Christian held fast, all the while keeping that easy smile on his face. After a long moment, he released Slimy's wrist.
Slimy narrowed his eyes, bringing his other hand to close down on the wrist Christian had been holding. As soon as his hand came in contact with it, he pulled it away violently, hissing as if he was in pain.
"It's really something," Christian added conversationally, "Where did you get it?"
If looks could kill, Christian would have been dead on the floor. "Oh, go to hell, Ozera." Slimy sneered darkly before making a big show of storming past him, bumping his shoulder roughly against Christian's.
Christian spun around and called jovially to Slimy's retreating figure. "Sure thing, I'll save you a seat!"
He turned back to Sydney. "You okay?"
Sydney nodded, in a daze. After a few moments of blinking, she found her voice. "Thanks. I, uh, you didn't have to do that." Whatever he had just done...
Christian shrugged. "Just following orders."
Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Orders?"
Christian smiled, leaning in closer to her. "You asked me, earlier, what Adrian said to me before he went off with Dimitri?"
Sydney just stared.
He dropped his voice to a whisper. "His exact words were: If anyone touches her, set them on fire."
Sydney sputtered, "What?!" Suddenly the recent events made a lot more sense."Is that what you just did?"
He shook his head. "Oh, no. I just heated up the metal in his watch enough to burn his skin. It'll cool down in a few, but it'll leave a nasty mark." he smirked, clearly pleased with himself.
"You're not supposed to use your power like that," she said, because that's what she was supposed to say. She realized this was the second time vampire magic had come to her aid in the past 24 hours.
"Yeah, well." Christian just shrugged, "Maybe when he looks down and sees it he'll think twice before harrassing a girl again. Or wearing such an ugly watch."
Sydney felt her heart squeeze in her chest. "Christian..." she sighed, "I don't know what to say."
He shrugged again, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "You don't have to say anything."
"No, I do." Sydney took a step forward, "Let me start with, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that you heard what I said to Ian." she shook her head, "I didn't mean it. It's like I told you before, the alchemists don't trust me like they used to. They already think I've gotten too close to vampires, the littlest thing could set them off and so when Ian saw me and you together, I panicked. I knew I'd have to lie my face off to keep them off my back."
"I'm not a complete idiot, Sydney." Christian chuckled, "I kind of figured as much. Well, I came to that conclusion eventually." He looked away, then back at her. "It just kind of sucked, hearing you say that stuff. You were pretty convincing." he gave her a wan smile.
"I had to be," she replied, miserably. "If they knew the truth..." she sighed, "They'd pull me out of Palm Springs immediately, and I'd probably never see any of you again."
He raised his eyebrows. "Just for being friends with us?"
"They sent my ex co-worker to re-education for less than that." She frowned.
"Re-education?" Christian asked curiously.
"It's where they send anyone they feel has breached the line of an appropriate relationship with a vampire, which is no relationship at all."
"Whoa." Christian breathed. "That's..." he shook his head in disbelief. "Intense."
Sydney nodded, unsure of how to continue the conversation. "Anyway, I'm just sorry you had to hear what I said. Even though it wasn't true."
But Christian had other things on his mind. "Forget that," he said, his eyebrows knitting together now in concern. "If you can get sent to Alchemist Alcatraz for something so minor, don't you think..." he paused, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. "Don't you think you should end things with Adrian?"
Sydney almost choked. "There is nothing to end between me and Adrian, because there's nothing going on between me and Adrian."
He cocked an eyebrow dubiously. "Might wanna tell Adrian that."
Sydney rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I have." As if on cue, she caught Adrian out of the corner of her eye, leaned up against a far wall, the not unattractive bridesmaid leaning against him, saying something with her lips pressed up against his ear. The sight made her stomach flip weirdly. Not too long ago he'd told her they were meant for each other, and now here was all over some other girl. Not that it mattered. It just went to show how not serious he was about his feelings for her, which was a good thing. "Case in point," she said to Christian, nodding her head in their direction.
Christian turned his head and frowned. He looked back to Sydney, opening his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by two whirlwinds in dresses attacking him from behind.
"There you are!" Lissa shouted, wrapping her arms around him. She looked up and smiled. "And you found Sydney!"
"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Rose exclaimed, "Where have you been?"
"I was looking for you guys, too." Sydney laughed. "Where were you?"
"Over there!" Rose yelled, flailing her arm in the air uselessly. "Have you started drinking?"
Sydney shook her head. "No, and I don't plan to. Someone has to be responsible."
"But you're always responsible." Rose whined. "Come on Sydney, live a little, please!"
"Pleeeease," Lissa added, bouncing up and down lightly. Both girls were clearly already a few drinks past tipsy and going strong. "We want you to have fun with us, because you're our friend!" She looked up lovingly at Christian. "Sydney's our friend."
"I know," Christian smiled at her, kissing her softly on the forehead. "She's awesome."
Sydney was suddenly overcome with emotion. It was embarrassing, but she wasn't used to having people like this in her life. People who actually wanted her to be around, people who seemed to like her, people who called her their friend.
"Okay," she conceded after a long moment. "I will have one drink. And that's it."
"Yeah!" Rose and Lissa cheered together. Rose grabbed for Sydney's arm and linked hers in it. "The party don't start til Sydney walks in!" she sing-songed, shoving her playfully as she dragged her to the bar.
"I'm only having one drink." Sydney reminded her, trying to keep her steady as she stumbled.
"Famous last words." Rose taunted, giggling.
"Is Lissa coming?" Sydney asked, looking back to where they'd all been standing.
"She'll catch up," Rose sighed, "She gets really clingy when she's drunk. Young love." She made a gagging noise.
"I don't think you have much room to talk," Sydney laughed. "You and Dimitri were sort of intolerable at times. And you weren't even techncially together back then."
Rose smiled a goofy smile then. "That seems so long ago..." she snorted, "God, can you believe I was dating Adrian back then?"
Sydney swallowed uncomfortably. This was not where she wanted the conversation to head.
Thankfully they'd succeeded in reaching the bar at that point. "So, what should I have for my first drink?"
"Shots!" Rose announced, drumming her fingers on the bar. "Shots Shots Shots Shots!"
"Okay!" Sydney exclaimed, resisting the urge to clamp her hand over Rose's mouth. A shot actually didn't seem like a bad idea. Just a quick little gulp of whatever and she'd be done. She certainly wouldn't be drunk of that. "I'll do a shot."
Rose waved the bartender over. "Get the girl a shot! Of...wait...what do you want a shot of?"
The bartender looked wearily between the two of them, probably tired of dealing with cheesy music and loud, drunk people.
Sydney just shrugged. "I don't know...um..." she looked to Rose for help.
Rose scrunched her face up. "Ugh. Where's Adrian when you actually need him?"
Sydney winced at the mention of Adrian's name, the second time Rose had brought him up in the past five minutes.
"Just...vodka will be fine." Sydney said, smiling at the bartender. "Any vodka, whatever you have..."
"Oh," the bartender seemed to notice Sydney for the first time. "It's you."
Rose and Sydney eyed him, confused. "Huh?" Rose grunted.
He turned around to fill a shot glass with clear liquid. He slid it toward her. "You're Sydney Sage, right?"
"Um...yes..." Sydney said cautiously. "How did you know that?"
He shrugged. "Guy came up to the bar a few minutes ago. Said you might come up here soon, said you'd have a tattoo on your face and that you're name was Sydney Sage. He said what ever you ordered was on him."
"Well," Rose huffed, "Did this generous admirer leave a name, by chance?"
Sydney immediately felt sick to her stomach, the image of Slimy popping up in her mind. She certainly wasn't going to accept any "generosity" from him.
"Yeah," the bartender said, glancing up as if he was trying to remember. "Jet, I think. Jet Steele."
It was a good thing Sydney hadn't brought the drink to her lips yet because she would have choked on it.
Rose scowled. "That's the dumbest name I've ever heard."
The bartender just shrugged and walked away.
"Who the hell is Jet Steele?" Rose asked, leaning her head on her hand.
"I'm gonna drink this now," Sydney said, picking up the shot glass and ignoring her question.
"We made it in time to see baby's first drink!" Lissa squealed, appearing seemingly from thin air right beside her. Christian was at her side, smiling.
"Do either of you know a Jet Steele?" Rose asked, craning her neck to where Lissa and Christian were standing.
Lissa furrowed her brow in thought. "No, I don't think so, why?"
"Okay!" Sydney exclaimed, bringing the glass to her mouth, "Here I go."
She tipped the glass back and tried to swallow it down as quickly as possible. The liquid was bitter and burned her throat. It tasted exactly how rubbing alcohol smelled. She closed her eyes tightly, trying not to cough. After a few moments the burning sensation in her throat and chest settled, and she opened her eyes. Rose, Lissa, and Christian erupted into loud cheers.
"What are we celebrating?" Sydney looked up to see Dimitri and Adrian had come upon the scene. Dimitri place his hand on Rose's back, stroking it absent-mindedly.
"You missed it!" Rose laughed, "I got Sydney to take a shot."
Dimitri raised his eyebrows. Adrian just smirked.
"Took it like a champ," Christian added, patting Sydney on the shoulder. "No chaser or anything. Way to go, Sage."
Adrian's smirk vanished. Sydney blushed. Lissa cleared her throat awkwardly, then shook her head slightly at Christian. Sydney was close enough to hear her whisper, Don't call her that.
Rose turned her attention to Dimitri and Adrian. "Do you know who Jet Steele is?"
That almost got Adrian's smile to return. "Never heard of him," he answered. "Sounds like a badass, though."
"Why do you ask?" Dimitri asked, looking down at her.
"Apparently he's got the hots for Sydney, whoever he is." Rose shrugged.
"It sounds like the kind of name someone would make up instead of giving their real one," Christian frowned. "You don't think it's creeper?"
"It's not." Sydney answered quickly, knowing Christian was speaking of Slimy.
"Hmm?" Rose looked toward Sydney. "Who's creeper?"
"Just some guy from earlier," Sydney sighed, wanting the subject to drop. "I bumped into him when I was looking for you and Lissa. He was...well I don't really know what he was trying to do, but Christian took care of it."
"Well, thank God for that," Adrian said bitterly, "Where would this world be without Christian?" And with that, he turned and stalked off, pushing his way through the crowds of people, heading for the exit of the building.
Rose rolled her eyes. "What's he pissed about? Wait, what were we talking about again?"
Dimitri wrapped his hand gently around the back of her neck. "Maybe we should get some food and water in you, Roza."
"Noooo," she moaned, "I'm fine! I just want to know who Jet Steele is." she slumped forward, her head falling against the bar.
Sydney pushed back from the bar, sighing. "I'll go talk to him."
"Jet Steele?" Rose snapped her head back up lazily. "You know who he is?"
"No, I mean Adrian." Sydney replied, almost smiling at the irony of her statement.
"Oh," Rose slumped her head back down, muffing her voice, "don't bother, he's just being a drama queen."
Sydney just grimaced and muttered that she'd be back, taking off after Adrian.
Christian looked between Lissa and Dimitri. "I don't get it," he said, genuinely confused. "Did I do something?"
Lissa looked at him, frowning. "You called her Sage. That's Adrian's nickname for her."
"Oh." Christian said, mentally kicking himself. He realized, then, that he'd never heard anyone beside Adrian call her that. "Damn. Well, I didn't know."
"And you saved her from that guy," Lissa added, shaking her head slightly. "What did you even do, by the way?" her face was concerned.
"Nothing that wasn't neccessary," he replied defensively, "And Adrian told me to! He said if anyone messed with Sydney to take them out. The guy was practically molesting her, what else was I supposed to do?"
"He'll get over it," Dimitri said, trying to coerce Rose into drinking a bottle of water he'd ordered. "You know how Adrian is. He's just jealous. And drunk. A lethal combination."
"Why's Adrian jealous?" Rose asked, tentatively sipping from the bottled water. "Oh no, it's because of me, isn't it?"
"No, Roza." Dimitri said softly, "It's not because of you."
"I miss being friends with him," she sighed, falling against Dimitri sleepily. "Do you think he still hates me?"
"I doubt it," Christian said, smirking. "He's got bigger problems to deal with these days."
"Christian." Lissa hissed, elbowing him in the ribs.
"What?" he asked, rubbing the spot she'd hit, "I'm just saying."
"Wait!" Rose yelled suddenly, sitting up right. "Did you say someone molested Sydney?"
"Almost," Christian corrected. "I told you, I took care of it."
"Good," Rose said narrowing her eyes, then she looked around, and frowned. "Where did Sydney go?"
"To talk to Adrian," Dimitri reminded her gently, "Here, drink some more water."
She took a long gulp of water and stood up. "I'm going to go find them."
"No!" Lissa, Christian, and Dimitri all said at once. Rose looked around at them, confused.
"Why not?"
"Just say here," Lissa said, "They'll be back soon."
Rose narrowed her eyes again. "I'm going to go get some fresh air."
"Here, let me help you." Dimitri said, grabbing her arms, but Rose batted his hands away.
"No, no. I'm fine. I changed my mind, anyway. I have to pee."
"I'll go with you," Lissa offered.
"Why are you all acting so weird?" Rose asked, clutching her head. "You're giving me a headache. I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"Adrian!" Sydney called, pushing the door that led outside into the cool night air open, "Don't be like this."
He was fumbling around in his pockets for something, muttering to himself.
"Just go back inside, Sydney." he said, his tone as icy as the wind that whipped around her. "I came out here to be alone."
"No, you came out here because you're upset." Sydney said, as he continued patting around his legs and then his chest, "What are you looking for?"
"A goddamn cigarette," he growled, his hands frantically searching inside his jacket. "I haven't had one in weeks..."
That surprised her. She stepped forward, grabbing his hands and holding them. "Stop." she whispered. "Just stop. Take a deep breath."
He looked down at his hands in hers, stopping in his tracks. That was what she'd hoped for. He inhaled shakily. "What are you doing?"
She let his hands drop. "You needed to calm down," she said softly.
"Why'd you follow me?" he asked, looking away from her.
"Because I was worried," she said, shrugging slightly. "And because I don't want you to be upset. There's no reason to be."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't need you to babysit me, you know. I'm a big boy."
"Then stop acting like a baby," she said, earning a sharp look from Adrian.
"Shouldn't you be getting back to your knight in shining armor?" Adrian asked, kicking at the ground, "or whatever."
"If you mean Christian..." Sydney scoffed loudly. "You're the one who told him to look out for me. And would you rather have him just let that guy...do whatever he was going to do to me?" Sydney shuddered at the memory of Slimy's hands inches away from her neck.
Adrian's expression was dark. "No," he finally said. He finally looked toward her. "What happened?" he asked, his voice devoid of any bitterness or sarcasm.
Sydney shrugged. "I really don't know. I was looking for Rose and Lissa, I bumped into this guy on accident. He was a Moroi. At first I thought he was just like, overly friendly, but then when I tried to get away from him he wouldn't let me. He tried to grab me, and then Christian was there, following your orders, might I add. I think he almost burned the guy's hand off."
Adrian's expression turned even darker. "Good." He sighed, "I'm glad he was there, Sydney, I'm glad you didn't get hurt. I just..." he shook his head, "never mind."
"No," she said gently, reaching for one of his hands again and holding it. "Tell me. Talk to me, please."
"I wish it would have been me, obviously." he rolled his eyes, "I want to be the one who saves you and makes you go all swoony. Duh."
Sydney sighed. "First of all, if you think I'm swooning over Christian, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."
Adrian smiled at that, then when back to brooding. "He called you Sage."
"Well, that is my name." Sydney said, not wanting to go down this road.
"You know what I mean." Adrian said softly, stepping closer to her. "You're my Sage."
Her breath caught in her throat. His voice was like velvet and he was so close to her. Close enough to make her head spin. "I'm not your anything," she said after a moment. She sighed heavily. "You're being a little overly sensitive."
"I'm drunk!" he announced loudly, spreading his arms wide. "Of course I am."
"Second of all," Sydney referred back to her original point, "While I was being accosted, you were a bit busy with your little bridesmaid buddy, so you really haven't a leg to stand on when it comes to playing the jealousy card."
He scrunched up his face in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"I saw you all over that girl from the wedding," Sydney said, "Don't try to deny it."
"She was all over me!" Adrian argued. "I can't help it that women throw themselves at me, Sage. It's not as if my good looks and charm have an off button."
Sydney shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek as not to smile . "You're really unbelievable, you know that?"
"Why do you care, anyway?" he asked, "You're not my anything, remember?"
Sydney blushed, "I don't!" she answered quickly, so she wouldn't have to actually think about that question. "You're free to do whatever you want with whomever you want. But all I'm saying is, you can't do that and then get jealous just because I'm talking to someone else."
Adrian shook his head slowly, "This sucks."
"What sucks?" Sydney asked.
"Being in love with you," he grumbled, pouting.
Sydney blinked. "Well, then, stop."
"As if I can just stop," Adrian sighed, "If only it were so easy. I can't just stop loving you. I tried that already. It's literally impossible."
Sydney shook her head. "How do you even know you're in love with me?" she asked. He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "No, I'm seriously asking. Becuase I've been thinking about it a lot and I still don't understand. How can you be so sure I'm the only person in the world for you? I mean, you can't."
"I can, though." he said with complete confidence.
"How?" Sydney asked, "You used to think Rose was the only person in the world for you, too."
Adrian scoffed. "First of all, I never thought Rose was the only person in the world for me. Sure, I wanted her. Badly. And I thought I loved her. Maybe I did, in a way, but this is completely different from that. I thought I explained this to you, Sydney. What I feel for you is...on a whole other level of existence than anything I've ever felt before, it's-"
"I'm sorry I brought it up," Sydney cut him off, not wanting to hear this. "We shouldn't-"
"No, let me finish," he said, "I don't just want you because I can't have you. I mean, yeah, that definitely drives me crazy, makes me want you all that much more, but in the big scheme of things that's totally irrelevant."
He was much too close to her now, and he had that slightly wild look in his eyes. Sydney was reminded of the fact that spirit could sometimes becomes too much for a user to deal with, and it would manifest itself in unpleasant ways. With Adrian, sometimes he seemed to go off on these nonsensical tangents, like a crazy person, and that's certainly how he looked and sounded right now, but unfortunately Sydney didn't think it was spirirt that was to blame.
"I love everything about you," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's not just because you're beautiful, either. It's all of you. Your brilliant mind, your sneaky sense of humor that most people seem to miss, your drive and ambition, they inspire me."
"Adrian, please." Sydney breathed, she couldn't just stand here and listen to him say all these things to her. They were wonderful, lovely things that made her sure she was blushing like mad. But the fact that Adrian was the one saying them made her stomach turn over like she was on a rollercoaster. He couldn't feel this way about her. He just couldn't.
"You asked," he said, his voice sounding considerably more normal. "You know, when Rose broke up with me, she told me I needed to find someone who balanced me out. I thought it was just a cheap line at the time, but she was right. I never thought I'd find someone who makes me feel so...grounded as you do. And you can't tell me that is one-sided. I know you feel the same way about me, in that aspect, at least."
Sydney bit her lip. She couldn't exactly disagree. It was true. It wasn't that painful pining feeling that still evaded her, but when Adrian wasn't around her, especially ever since they kissed, she felt inexplicably...weird. Like, something just wasn't quite right. She'd chalked it up to the fact that they hadn't been on speaking terms, which was awful. But now that they were, the feeling still lingered, like when he'd left her at the wedding. And when he'd gone off to drink with Dimitri. It was like when he was gone she was holding her breath and didn't even realize it until he returned and she could finally exhale.
"I agree with you, Adrian." she said softly, trying to choose her words very carefully. "I think we get along great because we're very similar in a lot of ways, and you're right. We help each other, we..." she paused, taking a steadying breath. "We balance each other out."
He smiled a different sort of smile, then. One that threw Sydney completely off balance. It reminded her of the knowing glances Sonya and Mikhail had been sharing all day, which was ridiculous, because that was true love in motion. This was...something else. Something that needed to stop before it went too far.
"I want to be your friend, Adrian." Sydney continued, swallowing hard. "I want that more than anything. I care about you and I think you're amazing, but I just can't reciprocate anything more than that."
His smiled faded, but only slightly. "What's reciprocate mean?"
"To respond to in a corresponding fashion." she said, "Synonyms being return, requite, repay-"
"I got it." he said, thankfully cutting her off before she went on an unnecessarily long grammar tangent. "That would be fine with me, Sydney. I want you in my life in any way I can get you, and if I truly believed it was as simple as you not loving me back, then I would move on and be happy to be your friend, but I don't believe that."
"Well, I don't believe you, either!" Sydney surprised herself by blurting out.
Adrian was confused. "What do you mean?"
Sydney shook her head. "You keep saying you love me, Adrian. Love. That word is just...so unfathomable to me. It's a big deal to say that to someone, you know. I don't understand how people just throw it around all the time. How do you even know what love is?"
"I didn't," Adrian said simply. "Not until I met you."
"Oh God," Sydney brought her hands up to cover her face.
Adrian chuckled, "Okay, that was a little cheesy, I admit. But it's still true." His face turned serious again. "I'm not just throwing it around, you know. I only say that word when I mean it." A strange look passed over his perfect features. "Oh. That's what this is really about, isn't it?"
Sydney looked up at him through the slits in her fingers. "Excuse me?"
"You're afraid to love me back because you think I don't really love you." Adrian said, with a smug I-just-solved-a-mystery expression on his face.
Sydney frowned. The words hit a nerve she wasn't ready for. Focusing on the fact that she and Adrian couldn't be together because of all the obvious reasons, like the fact that he was a vampire and she was a human, was almost like a security blanket, of sorts. As long as she held onto that then she didn't have to deal with what her own feelings for him might be, or the fact that falling in love was a little bit terrifying.
"Sage," he said softly, bridging the gap between their bodies so he was close enough to touch her face. She should have pushed him away, but she didn't. His emerald eyes gazed directly into hers. "I love you. How else do you want me to say it? What do I need to do to prove it?" he sighed, "I don't really think I need to. I know you can't still be hung up on my less than stellar reputation. You know me, Sage. You know me better than anyone."
She stared back at him, unable to tear herself away. He was so close to her, if she were to lean forward just a little bit their lips could be touching. No no no, why was she even thinking like that?
"I am ill at these numbers," he said with a sly smile, "I have not art to reckon my groans, but that I love thee best, oh most best, believe it."
A stupid smile wormed its way onto Sydney's face. She had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. "You are ridiculous." she finally managed to say.
"I told you I knew Hamlet," was all he said in reply. "And you didn't believe me." he shook his head, "You should really start having a little more faith in me."
"I have all the faith in the world in you," Sydney replied automatically. "I just wish you would understand that we can't do this."
"I'm going to choose to ignore the second half of that statement," Adrian murmured, cupping her face with his hands. "And I'm going to kiss you now."
"No you're not." Sydney commanded, but she made no effort to break free of his grasp.
"Tell me you don't want me to," he whispered, his lips were so close they ever so lightly brushed against hers when he spoke, sending a jolt of lightning through her.
She closed her eyes. "What I want doesn't matter," she breathed.
"What you want is all that matters, to me." his forehead rested against hers. "Just one kiss," he said. "Just give me tonight. If you still feel the same way in the morning, then I really won't bother you about this anymore. I swear. But we're here now, alone. There's no alchemists, no one else but us. Just make a mistake for once," he laughed softly. "It's good for you."
"You're not a mistake-" she started to say but she couldn't finish because his lips were on hers after that, kissing her soundly. She closed her eyes and the world fell away. She should have been thinking about how nothing good could come of this, that this would just confuse both their feelings more, that someone could possibly see them, but thought was not an option when she was kissing Adrian. She brought her hands up around his neck, pulling him closer. It was a slow, deep kiss that made her whole body tingle. One of his hands moved from her face to trace down her neck, then down her spine which made her shiver against him. He made a soft groaning sound against her lips. She moved her mouth against his relentlessly, wishing she could just kiss him forever and never have to stop.
An indiscernible amount of time later, they did stop, foreheads pressed together, breathing heavily. Adrian reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek affectionately as he did so. She looked up at him shyly. Butterflies flurried around in her stomach as her eyes met his. He smiled that knowing smile at her, and she was preparing to disentangle herself from him when she heard a strange noise off to her right.
She and Adrian both whipped their heads around to see Rose Hathaway standing a few feet away from them, an overwrought look of disgust on her face.
She looked back and forth between the two of them, shaking her head in disbelief. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."