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weekend.
Things are actually starting to lighten up, I said.
He took a deep breath, showing that same resolve and anxiety he d had when asking me
for future dates. Sydney, he said, voice formal, I don t think we should see each other anymore.
I stopped mid-sip. Wait& what?
I know how devastating this probably is for you, he added. And I admit, it s hard for me
too. But in light of recent events, it s become clear you just aren t ready for a relationship yet.
Recent events?
He nodded solemnly. Your family. You ve broken off a number of our social engagements
to be with them. While that kind of familial devotion is admirable, I just can t be in that kind of
volatile relationship.
Volatile? I just kept repeating his key words and finally forced myself to get a grip. So&
let me get this straight. You re breaking up with me.
He thought about it. Yes. Yes, I am.
I waited for some internal reaction. An outpouring of grief. The sense of my heart breaking.
Any emotion, really. But mostly, all I felt was kind of a puzzled surprise.
Huh, I said.
That was apparently enough of a distraught reaction for Brayden. Please don t make this
harder than it is. I admire you a lot. You re absolutely the smartest girl I ve ever met. But I just
can t be involved with someone as irresponsible as you.
I stared. Irresponsible.
Brayden nodded again. Yes.
I m not sure where it started, somewhere in my stomach or chest, maybe. But all of a sudden,
I was consumed by uncontrollable laughter. I couldn t stop. I had to set down my coffee,
lest I spill it. Even then, I had to bury my face in my hands to wipe away tears.
Sydney? asked Brayden cautiously. Is this some kind of hysterical-grief reaction?
It took me almost another minute to calm myself enough to answer him. Oh, Brayden.
You ve made my day. You ve given me something I never thought I d get. Thank you. I
reached for the coffee and stood up. He looked completely lost.
Um, you re welcome?
I left the coffee shop, still laughing like a fool. For the last month or so, everyone in my life
had gone on and on about how responsible I was, how diligent, how exemplary. I d been
called a lot of things. But never, ever, had I been called irresponsible.
And I kind of liked it.
The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel
CHAPTER 24
BECAUSE THIS DAY couldn t get any weirder, I decided to stop by Adrian s. There was
something I was dying to know but hadn t had a chance to ask.
He opened the door when I knocked, a paintbrush in hand. Oh, he said. Unexpected.
Am I interrupting anything?
Just homework. He stepped aside to let me in. Don t worry. It s not the crisis for me that
it would be for you.
I entered the living room and was happy to see it filled with canvases and easels once
again. You ve got your art studio back.
Yup. He set the brush down and wiped his hands on a rag. Now that this place is no
longer research central, I can return it to its normal artistic state.
He leaned against the back of the plaid sofa and watched me as I strolled from canvas to
canvas. One of them gave me pause. What s this? It looks like a lily.
It is, he said. No offense, but this lily is kind of more badass than yours. If the Alchemists
want to buy the rights to this and start using it, I m willing to negotiate.
Noted, I said. I was still smiling from Brayden s breakup, and this only added to my good
mood. Although, admittedly, the painting kind of lost me a little as the abstract nature of his
art often did. The lily, despite being more stylized and badass than the prim one on my
cheek, was still clearly identifiable. It was even done in gold paint. Splashes of free-form scarlet
paint surrounded it, and around the red was an almost crystalline pattern in ice blue. It was
striking, but if there was some deeper meaning, it was beyond me.
You re in an awfully good mood, he observed. Was there a sale at Khakis-R-Us?
I gave up on my artistic interpretation and turned to him. Nope. Brayden broke up with
me.
Adrian s smirk faded. Oh. Shit. I m sorry. Are you& I mean, do you need a drink? Do you
need to, uh, cry or anything?
I laughed. No. Weirdly, I m fine. It really doesn t bother me at all. But it should, right?
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