Adrian Ivashkov | Vampire Academy/Bloodlines (ivashkinated) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2020-03-02 17:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | !completed gdoc, !log, ~2020 march, ~~~~adrian ivashkov (ivashkinated) |
WHO: Rose Hathaway and Adrian Ivashkov
WHAT: Having a talk
WHEN: Today
WHERE: The Attic
WARNINGS: Nah
STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
Adrian was over Rose. .He knew that. His love for Sydney was bigger and stronger than the infatuation he’d had for the dhampir. He’d been convinced at the time that she was the love of his life, but he knew now that he’d been wrong. Was there some soreness left about how things had ended? Sure. He’d probably never completely get over the fact that she’d cheated on him, or the feeling that she’d used him for his money. But he’d been the one to offer that in the first place, so it wasn’t like he could really blame her for taking what he’d offered. Still. There was some bad feelings there, but not the intense, debilitating blackness that had engulfed him until Sydney had pulled him out of it. So while he wasn’t actively avoiding her anymore, he also wasn’t going out of his way to seek her out.
So when he stepped into the Attic to have a cup of coffee, he was jolted when he recognized her sitting at one of the tables. He took a deep breath, angry with himself for still having this reaction. He was tired of it. And it was time for it to end.
Without ordering his coffee, he went and sat across from her.
“Rose. Hey.”
***
Rose was not a coffee drinker. However, she did indulge in a well-brewed cup of tea once and awhile, especially if she was in need of a jolt of caffeine to help her through the day. Her caffeine fix today happened to come from the Attic; it was a small shop she had not visited previously despite being in Madison Valley over a year now. The shop felt more personable than Starbucks and its relative obscurity for the most part kept it from being overpopulated by clientele, even during a peak time like early morning or late afternoon. Being that this dhampir tended to be impatient in many aspects of her life, a lack of a line for her cup of tea was a blessing.
After paying and obtaining her small green tea with a twist of lemon, the brunette claimed a window seat and took a sip. It was no Starbucks, but it wasn’t bad either. As long as she had her dose of caffeine before work, she considered the venture a success. Plus, this tea was light on the pocketbook and she could appreciate that even more than the lack of a wait time.
Being a trained Guardian, Rose was aware of everyone and everything happening in the coffee shop. Every time the the bell rang, signalling someone had entered the shop, Rose looked over from the window to see who had entered. Obviously, she spotted Adrian the moment the moroi stepped foot inside. Despite knowing she should not stare, Rose watched him approach the counter, gaze only shifting back to the window when she saw his head start to turn in her direction. No doubt he’d spotted her. While the two were on better terms, especially since Sidney showed up, Rose knew things remained awkward between them. How could they not? Rose had cheated on him with Dimitri and while Adrian had moved passed it for the most part, Rose knew that kind of action stayed with someone for a while. She’d also taken his money in an attempt to track her ex-boyfriend down. She’d used Adrian even if he had offered the financial aid in the first place. It was toxic from the very moment she’d agreed to try and date Adrian, but at the time, she’d thought it was the right thing to do.
Rose regretted it now. While they had moments together, she knew they were not meant for one another. He was so much better with Sydney and they both knew it. The dhampir took another sip of tea. She wouldn’t be surprised if he avoided her even now despite them being in the same place. She wouldn’t hold it against him; however, Adrian surprised her. Rose looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching her table, surprised to find him in front of her, greeting her.
It was an olive branch and Rose was not going to turn it down. “Hey Adrian,” she replied as he claimed the seat across from her. “How are you?”
***
“I’m...okay,” he said. “Good, actually. Really good. Being engaged is kind of awesome.” And so was Sydney. And the fact that there weren’t any Strigoi here to worry about. He might still be using a little too much Spirit but other than that he was actually feeling really good, and the way he smiled at her and the twinkle in his green eyes made that clear.
Despite the fact that he really was trying to extend an olive branch to her, this was still a little bit awkward. He couldn’t look at her without remembering everything that had happened between them, and he was pretty sure that would never go away. He didn’t love her like he once had, but she was still a person who had hurt him deeply and that was hard to forget.
He took a long sip of his coffee, his eyes lowered to the warm liquid.
“I was thinking maybe we could all get together for a dinner or something. You, me, Sydney, Jill, Eddie, Lissa…” He shrugged. “I mean, if you want.”
***
After her visit home, Rose knew all too well what Adrian was like without Sydney. It wasn’t...pretty. That was actually putting it lightly. Before Sydney, Adrian had been drowning in booze and women before Rose’s friend had stepped into the Moroi’s life. Without her, Rose wasn’t sure what would have happened to Adrian. She owed Sydney for potentially saving Adrian’s life on top of mending his heart. Essentially, the same.
Rose smiled. “Just kind of awesome? You’re beaming. I’m thinking it is way more than ‘kind of’.” Rose didn’t mention that during her last trip home she’d accepted Dimitri’s proposal. Though he wasn’t here, she was technically engaged even though she kept the ring on a chain around her neck, currently tucked away safely beneath her shirt. She wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Not even to Lissa. It was not something she was ready to face.
This was awkward though and Rose knew that. She also knew that what she’d done to Adrian was not something that would heal overnight or even maybe in a year. It would take time. At least they had made it this far though and that was something. She would take what she could get at this point, including this olive branch. She took a sip from her tea before answering.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Rose replied, nodding. “It would be good for us to get together and we can celebrate your engagement too.”
***
“An engagement party? You know I always love parties,” he grinned. He didn’t go to as many of them as he used to - before Rose and Sydney he’d gone pretty much every night and always ended up with a different girl - but that didn’t mean he still couldn’t appreciate a good one. Especially if he was the guest of honor.
“And I am happy. Sydney...makes me a better person.” He’d changed since he met her, he knew that, but it was change for the better and he really felt proud of himself. He’d moved on from a lot of the things that had given him his negative reputation at Court, and he’d actually started to do good things. He was proud of that. It hadn’t been easy, but with Sydney’s support he was honestly a better man.
“And we can celebrate just...being here. Where there aren’t any Strigoi and we’re all happy and safe.” It was pretty much the first time in his life he’d ever been able to say that.
***
Rose took another sip of tea. Seeing the change in Adrian was remarkable, beautiful even, and Rose was again struck by how happy she was for him and for Sydney. They deserved all the good things that were happening to them right now. Rose hoped that maybe she could find some sense of happiness here. Eddie had Jill, Adrian had Sydney, but what about her? Could she find someone? Could she move on from Dimitri? Was that possible? Rose wasn’t sure she wanted to and yet, if she was stuck here for years and years, did she have a choice?
“Yeah, I do.” Rose smirked. “But just a party in general for all of us sounds good too. Just celebrating being safe and happy.” And Rose was grateful for that.
***
“I think we’re some of the ones who are happy to be here,” he said. “I think it would be fun just to have a party celebrating that.” A lot of people weren’t particularly happy to be stuck in Madison Valley, but the people from their world seemed happier than most. He knew it had to be a bit awkward for Rose since they all had their partners except her...but none of them could control whether Dimitri showed up or not. And honestly, Adrian was rather glad that he hadn’t. He was starting to smooth things over with Rose, but the arrival of his least favorite person in the world might complicate things.
“So let’s just have a party for all of us. We can have an engagement party later. Maybe we can have it at my house, although I’ll have to talk to Sydney, of course.”
He was pretty sure that she’d kill him if he just planned a party in their house without her agreement.
***
Rose was happy...to an extent. She did miss Dimitri, but she was glad to be here. To see her friends happy, especially Lissa, meant a lot to Rose. As long as they were happy, she could find a way to be happy too without Dimitri. If he showed up, he showed up, but if he didn’t? Well, Rose would find a way to be happy here as long as she was here. “I think that sounds like a good idea. A party to celebrate us being happy here and finding a place for ourselves.” Rose took another sip from her tea.
Rose laughed. “I would suggest you run that by Sydney before we throw a party. Definitely.” Sydney was controlled and she liked organization. “Besides, we need her killer organization skills to throw a good party.”
***
“Yeah. I’m not sure she’s ever actually thrown one, but she kind of seems like a natural, doesn’t she? I mean, now that I’ve taught her how to have fun.” He grinned. Sydney knew how to have fun before they met of course, but Adrian still liked to take responsibility for it. Because he was Adrian. “But yeah. I’ll ask her and let all you guys know.”
He stood, grabbing his drink.
“I’ll leave you to your coffee, but take care Rose, okay?”
It was the most civil conversation they’d had in a while, and Adrian was pretty proud of that.
***
“Oh, I’m sure she always knew how to have fun. Just not the kind you did.” Rose added the last part with a playful wink. In a lot of ways, Sydney and Adrian had rubbed off on each other and made one another better. It was the best kind of relationship to have. “I look forward to hearing back about it.”
Rose gave him a sincere smile and nodded. “You too, Adrian.” It would still take time, but they had made progress and Rose was hopeful that it would continue.
***
FIN