Chapter 101

Adalind called as I was sitting at my desk, doodling Nick's name on my steno pad beside his sketch. I'd filled the other page of drawings of Monroe's along with his name already.

"Hey stranger," she said in her typical artificial tone. "Haven't seen you at the café in some time. Everything well?"

"Yeah, just been busy with other people… err, things," I corrected myself.

"Oh." She chuckled. "Well, I'd love to meet you for lunch if you're free. We haven't talked much since my party, and well, I was worried my friends might have scared you off."

Adalind and I had only spoken once since her party, and that was over the phone. She'd wanted to know if I'd finished off those tarts of hers, and if my boyfriend had liked them. I told her he never got a chance to try them, but I'd eaten them all on my own. They were way too good to share. She didn't need to know I still had a bunch in my freezer. I'd eat them eventually, so it wasn't a lie.

"Sure. I'd like to do lunch," I said, checking my watch. "Give me half an hour, and I'll meet you there."

As I hung up the phone, I looked down at my paper, adding a little heart to the 'i' in Nick's name.

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

Adalind was already at our table when I arrived. Her artificial smile beamed at me as I sat down across from her. She and I had idle chit chat at first, but I was barely paying attention. Nick was gnawing to get inside my brain again. I missed him terribly.

Adalind held out her hand, and I looked down blankly. "The pepper," she said with a knowing grin. "I asked if you could pass me the pepper."

"Sorry," I muttered. "I'm a bit out of it today." I slid the pepper shaker in her direction, ignoring her open hand.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, picking up the pepper as she sprinkled her salad. "You know you can tell me whatever."

I nodded. "Just some changes going on." I shook my head. "It's nothing really."

"Everything okay with your boyfriend?" she asked.

"Yeah. We're… okay."

"Hmm…" She tapped her nails on the table. "Well, that doesn't sound too okay to me."

"I've just been a bit… distracted recently."

"Distracted?" Adalind leaned forward, resting her chin on the heel of her palm. "Like with someone else, distracted?"

My face flushed. God, was it that obvious? "It's just a little… Oh, it's nothing like a…" I stammered. I couldn't get the words out.

"It is someone else." Her eyes lit up. "So tell me about this new guy."

I chewed at my top lip as I took in a breath. "He's just a friend, who's become more than a friend… And well, I don't know what to do. I'm falling really hard, really fast."

"So is it serious?"

"It could be? I can't stop thinking about him, and we're both in relationships, so it's just not right. But then again, it's wrong not to want to pursue it." I knotted my fingers together as I spoke. "He told me he loved me." Chloe didn't even know this much, and I was sharing this deep secret with Adalind. That felt, wrong, too. "It's just a difficult, complex, situation."

"Do you love him back?" she asked candidly.

"I do. I mean…" My face flushed. "But I love my boyfriend, too."

She nodded as her blue eyes twinkled. "Sounds like you've got yourself a choice to make."

A choice. Oh, crap. The Two of Swords. A choice. Was this what the Gypsy saw? No, I was doing it again… trying to pin those cards on everything. But Adalind was saying the same thing Chloe had told me. I couldn't just keep doing this. I had to make a choice and be done with it. I had a Grimm Gemini that said he loved me, and who I could relate to, but then I had a Blutbad Scorpio that showed me he loved me on a daily basis without ever saying the words, but he and I were completely different creatures. Oh, this was too hard.

"So, what happened when you saw the Bee Whisperer?" I asked. I needed to change subjects immediately. "I feel awful not asking sooner."

"Oh, we're doing well. Since I went over to his house bearing baked gifts, we've been seeing each other nonstop." She gave a satisfied smile. "We're having dinner tomorrow night to meet his friends."

"Well, that's wonderful news. So he appreciated your baking skills, then?"

She nodded with a smug grin. "Oh, he seemed to enjoy it."

"I'm so happy for you. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It's a dream come true." Her smile faded slightly. Adalind glanced down at her watch. "I should head back. Now you keep in touch with me about that new guy of yours. I want to know all the details." Her artificial smile crept back on her face as we paid for lunch.

My cheeks were still hot as I walked the path toward work. Maybe I'd shared too much.

A/N: Short chapter, but we're back to Adalind trying to find out about Renée's love life. Setting the stage for Love Sick, coming up.

One more chapter tonight. Hope you're enjoying. Comments appreciated. (: