It had been a month since my return to South Dakota, and seeing Adrian at court was all but forgotten. It was unexpected to have seen him there and I was happy that he didn't try to talk to me. I was surprised that he didn't, but nonetheless I was happy about it.

"Ow!" I burned myself on the pan I was using to make dinner.

It was another night of quietly eating alone. There was basically no human interaction at this post. Once upon a time I would've loved that, but not anymore. I'd much rather be able to talk to someone or work in a group… like in Palm Springs.

"Ugh." I said as I dropped my fork.

What is wrong with me today?

Frustrated, I picked it up and threw it in the sink. I grabbed a new one and then took the hot plate to the kitchen table. As I waited for the food to cool down, I opened my laptop to check for any new emails. I frown. Once realization hit me, I froze. The subject line read: MOROI NEWS: New Family Quorum Law.

Jill.

Alchemists send out organization-wide emails to keep everyone informed on the latest information regarding the vampire world. That must mean that the minimum family quorum requirement must have been successfully removed from their laws.

That meant that Jill could go back to her life! Same with the rest of the group… I wondered where they would all be going. I'm sure Jill would be asked to live at their court, but what about the rest of them?

Well, it didn't matter. It was not my business to know these things.

Exactly two weeks later I received an email from Jill, inviting me to a fashion show in Los Angeles. The show would be in another two weeks but she "wanted to tell me with as much time to plan as possible". Which made me smile when I read it.

I debated if I should go. I didn't think the Alchemists would have a problem with it since it could be considered a work trip to help maintain relationships with the Moroi. But, I was worried about who else would be in attendance. In the end, I decided that it would be nice to see Jill again. Hopefully, Eddie would attend as well. I decided to send an email to Trey Juarez, hoping we'd be able to meet up sometime while I was in Los Angeles.

So, two weeks later I had just asked the waitress for a diet coke when Trey walked up to the table.

"I should've known you'd be early," he said with a grin.

I smiled back as I stood up to greet him.

He gave me a hug. "It's nice to see you, Melbourne."

"You too," I said as I pulled away.

He sat across from me. "Being away from me seems to be going well for you; you look good."

I rolled my eyes. "How have you been? How did you do in Chemistry without my help?"

He sighed. "It was rough but I made do. I've been good. Just trying to mend things with my family, for my dad's sake. How about you?"

"I'm good. Just focusing on work."

"Is that why you're back in California, for work?"

"Not exactly. Jill invited me to a fashion show she'll be walking in tomorrow night."

The waitress came back with my diet coke and took Trey's drink order.

"I was actually hoping you were free tomorrow night."

Trey frowned. "Why?"

"Would you be interested in going to the fashion show with me? I'm sure Jill would be happy to see you, too."

He gave me a smirk. "For a second there, I thought you were asking me out." I blushed. Why did I blush? "I'd love to join you."

I felt relieved that he accepted. For some reason, Trey attending brought me comfort.

"Thank you. I can pick you up before the show."

"Do you want to grab dinner and then head over? I can drive." Trey offered.

"Sure."

The rest of the lunch was nice. The food was good, and it was great to be able to catch up with him. We made plans for him to pick me up at the hotel tomorrow, we'd eat dinner at a restaurant near the venue and then walk over for Jill's show.

I smiled when he showed up at the hotel lobby 15 minutes early the next day. I had just gotten out of the elevator when I saw him walking in.

"You're early." I told him, surprised.

"The things I do for you, Melbourne."

We took the short ride to the restaurant and sat down for dinner. It was a nice Italian restaurant that had huge murals painted on the walls, to make it seem like you were in italy. I had to admit, the murals were very well done and added a nice touch to the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I saw Brayden today." He said after taking a bite of his lasagna. "I mentioned that I was going to dinner with you and he asked me, like, a million questions. I think he was jealous."

He laughed but I frowned. "He has no reason to be jealous, he broke up with me."

"What if he regrets it?"

I shook my head. "I don't think he does."

"Do you? Would you ever get back with him?"

"I- No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." I gave him a questioning look, but he changed the subject. "Terwilliger misses you, by the way. Her star pupil is gone and now she's just stuck with the dimwitted."

I almost choked on the piece of chicken I had just taken a bite of. He was startled but relaxed once he saw that I was laughing.

"I missed this." He told me as my laughter faded.

"I did too. I don't really have anyone to talk to like this in my new post."

"You should visit more often, then. Or tell me where you are so I can come visit you."

"You really won't want to come visit me. It's a lot more exciting over here."

"I bring the fun wherever I go." He said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and he gave me a smug smile.

I hadn't enjoyed myself this much in such a long time. Being around Trey reminded me of what it feels like to have friends… which I missed. A lot.