Hot Tea & Heartbroken

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ loved tea, so much in fact, that she was willing to meet Adaryn at the tea shop she'd went to with Travis so many times. She'd always associate the place with him, but she couldn't just stop going because she was reminded of him and all of the memories when she went there. The tea was too good.

She stepped into the warm air and breathed it in as she unwrapped her scarf. She was trying not to fall back into a black hole after breaking up with Travis. She couldn't let herself do that again, not for anything.

She sat down at a table, taking off her hat and gloves and tried to smooth out her hair which she was sure was a curly mess after wearing that hat for the walk here. She didn't kow if Adaryn knew about what had happened with her and Travis, but she was glad that they were friends because of him. She still loved him and she missed him, but not what their relationship had become.

She hated ordering before her company arrived so she waited patiently for the small brunette.

[Adaryn Breslin]

AJ had called, and after what she heard had happened between the two, how could Addie say no? However, Adaryn was afraid going in with that mindset would be detrimental to the entire meeting, since AJ probably wouldn't want to even begin to speak of that. Travis came crying, and she could tell it had broken not only Travis, but AJ as well. Just the way she spoke to her was a bit dull in tone. But upon arriving, Adaryn told herself she wouldn't ask.

It didn't take long for Addie to spot AJ in the downtown tea shop, and her feet brought her over to where she sat. "Hey," Adaryn offered a smile. "Thanks for inviting me. I was getting tired of starbucks," The light-eyed brunette laughed.

She sat opposite of her friend, and took note of the fact that AJ had nothing at the small cafe table that they occupied. Did she wait until she had gotten here to order, or were the beverages simply not there yet? She hoped the latter.

"You didn't wait to order did you? Because if you did, you really didn't have to."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"No problem. I'm not a big fan of coffee, so I wouldn't pick there anyway," AJ offered. Tea and hot chocolate tasted a lot better. "Have you been here before?"

She rested one hand over the other on the tabletop and twisted the ring on her finger. "Oh, it's fine, I always wait until the person who I'm spending time with arrives. It feels weird otherwise. It's just something I picked up from my mother..." She waved it off, shaking her head as if it was silly. "But you're here now, so that means we can order," she piped, standing up. She was afraid if she sat still too long looking at Adaryn, her emotions would really show through. She knew she couldn't hide them, but she could try to make them not so obvious.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"Never," Adaryn spoke as she crossed her legs, rubbing the fabric of her jeans to warm her legs up. Once the tea had arrived, Addie more than likely would not have this issue. However, at that specific moment, her legs were practically numb from the exposure. That was her fault, wearing thin jeans.

Never again.

"Alrighty then," She said in response to the girl announcing they could order. Honestly, she probably was just going to get Earl grey tea and call it a day. Nothing too complicated, but classic. Just what Adaryn enjoyed.

The light-eyed brunette gave a slight nod before continuing. "So it's been a while, how has it been?" Small talk, horrible, but it was the only thing the girl could come up with.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"What? Really?" AJ was surprised. "I thought that the guy you're always with would have taken you here once or twice. He's always carrying around a mug of something," she explained. She'd seen Adaryn around Hammel with a tall, slightly lanky boy with long hair and combat boots. "Sorry...I've seen you with him." A slight blush came upon her face. "I don't mean to be intrusive." It seemed like a place they would hang out. "Or you know, maybe Travis showed you this place."

She made her way to the counter with Adaryn close behind and gazed up at the menu, although she already knew what she was getting. "It's been alright," she said honestly. She hoped that wasn't code for asking about Travis.

"I'll have an earl gray," she told the girl at the counter.

ooc: AJ was totes gonna order that. xD Twinsies.

[Adaryn Breslin]

At the mentioning of Monroe, Adaryn blushed. Yeah, he probably had wanted to take her somewhere, but knowing him, he also thought it'd be cliche and well, boring to do something such as that. That, and he probably didn't want anybody to consider anything a date. Neither of them had made it official anyway. It was... a weird relationship.

"I'm not very exploratory with where I go. Plus, I work at starbucks so they'd probably kill me if I went somewhere else." She didn't want to mention Travis, because at the mentioning of his name, AJ's anxiety spiked. If that wasn't a warning, then she didn't know what was.

When AJ ordered, a surprised smile pulled at her lips. "I'll have the same." She was beginning to see the similarities between the two. They had similar powers, both reserved about their past, and both wanted an Earl Grey. Practically sisters, the girl laughed at herself.

"So I heard you got Mr. Meian as a trainer?" The light-eyed brunette inquired. "How's it been so far?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

The blush on her face told AJ all she needed to know. However, she avoided talking about him. "You know you're allowed to talk about him," AJ told her. "Just because I had a nasty break up doesn't mean you can't talk about the guy you like...are you guys dating?" This was typical of her. Shift the conversation to the other person so that you didn't have to talk about yourself. It was even worse because neither of them really liked to talk about themselves.

She was amused at their same choice in tea. It was nice to have someone like her as a friend. Oriel and Phen were great, but she wasn't exactly similar to them. "Yes," she said with a nod. She now had the same trainer as Adaryn, another thing the two had in common. "Good. He's very understanding."

[Adaryn Breslin]

The direct nature of the question caught Addie off guard, especially after the girl had just spoke of her recent break up with Travis. It was strange thinking that the two weren't together anymore. Hell, it almost seemed like Travis shut Adaryn out as well; she hadn't heard from him in the longest time.

"N-no, we aren't," Adaryn finally said. "It's sort of complicated. I don't know how to explain it." What was the right way of going about saying that he was supposed to fall in love with another person without saying exactly that? Adaryn didn't think Monroe would appreciate it if she were to tell somebody about his predicament. It just didn't feel right.

Her lips instinctively tipped upward when the conversation turned back to a topic she was comfortable. Vincent was a wonderful man, and the equivalent to her father figure. "He's tough, but he knows how to get you where you want to be. I can read people's emotions without feeling them now. It's crazy."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Oh," AJ said, the realization making her feel a bit awkward, because she'd probably made Addie feel awkward. "You guys just really seem like you're together, that's all." She wonderered how it could be complicated, but then again, she understood complicated. Complicated was her life with love interests. With Oliver. With Travis.

"I've seen that in him so far. He really wants to help, even if he's strict with getting you there. I really appreciate it." It was nice having a trainer, having someone who carried to get you to a better place with your power. It made her feel less alone. "That's so great. I hope I can get to a point like that. I mean, with my own power." She felt like she was fumbling for words. It wasn't easy to talk about relationships.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"I wish," Adaryn muttered under her breath. It was the only time she was ever able to admit that to anyone, but she figured AJ wouldn't judge her. Addie knew she could trust her brunette counterpart with almost everything, since they felt the same way on a lot of things.

Adaryn laughed at her word choice, 'strict' was sort of cutting it a bit short. He was persistent and determined, and far more than just 'strict'. "If I refused to go to training in the beginning, he would come to my dorm and drag me out of bed, basically." It was true, and because of that she really didn't like him in the beginning. It was also because he managed to interfere with the whole 'incident' with that boy on the football field that she was placed with him in the first place.

"It shouldn't take long; Mr.Meian is great."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ regarded the girl with a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard for you, but maybe you should talk to him about it. It sounds as if he really likes you. I don't know what would be holding him back from making it official."

"That sounds like Mr. Meian," AJ agreed at what Adaryn said, shaking her head as she thought of her trainer. "But he cares, and that's what I need."

She briefly wondered if Adaryn knew Oliver. Had the whole school known him and somehow he'd slipped past her for a year? That meant he was trying awfully hard at it... She bit her lip for a moment before deciding to ask. "Hey, uhm, do you know an Oliver Barnes? Brunette. Wears plaid a lot."

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn really didn't want to speak of the subject any longer. It was hard enough trying to deal with the whole Eloise/Monroe thing, she didn't need the drama that would ensue if she had spoken up. "Yeah," Addie said, hoping the agreement would end the conversation.

They were back on common ground when she continued speaking about Mr. Meian, and she found herself nodding in agreement. The man cared with every bit of his body and mind. Ever since she had first met him, though at the time she didn't realize, he cared about her well being, and she couldn't thank the man enough. He saved her.

She was smiling then, briefly, as her thoughts were side tracked. It didn't take her long for her to be brought back to reality, "Oliver?" She asked, though it was mainly for her own benefit than hers. "Yeah, we have English together. We were paired for a story book assignment recently. He's really nice. Why?" She asked, her head tilting off to one side. "Do you know him?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Adaryn seemed to swear off the subject with just a "Yeah," obviously not wanting to talk about it anymore. AJ wasn't the type to push, but she did want to help the girl, so she just settled with biting her lip. She didn't push boundaries becuse she didn't like when people pushed them with her.

"Yeah, Oliver Barnes." It was weird to say his name and she felt sort of bad talking about him, as if he would know and as if he didn't want her to. But then again, he'd ignored her at that party and apparently had been at Hammel for a while, avoiding her. And it hurt, even though their circumstances were...ugh. Adaryn said he was really nice, and she didn't doubt that. At least he hadn't turned bitter. It made a hint of a smile show on the edges of her mouth, but the next question proved complicated for her to answer. "Yes, he's from my hometown back in Minnesota." Did she elaborate? Why was she even asking Adaryn about him? Was it because she was so upset that he'd ignored her.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"Well are you two friends?" Adaryn inquired, though she knew from the slight bitterness that was emanating from the brown eyed brunette that they may have been something more than simply 'friends'. How much, she wasn't sure, but she already knew it wasn't some basic relationship, especially if she mentioned him out of the blue.

"He's a lot like you, I think. He's very reserved but he seems really nice, and I was actually thinking of asking him to hang out again, you know? I need as many friends I can get now that I'm sort of 'branching out'" Adaryn put the last two words in quotations and an honest, embarrassed laugh was offered by the Empath. Did that sound weird? Addie hoped not, but if she had been learning anything lately, it was that once it was out in the open, she really couldn't change anything.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"We used to be," AJ mumbled in response to Adaryn's question. It felt hard to answer, painful even. They probably still would be friends if she hadn't manifested on that particular night. They'd have kept in touch and she would have been thrilled when he came to Hammel. But that seemed like an alternate universe.

She laughed lightly at the comment she'd made about them being alike. That's why there were such good friends. "You should," she declared. "I'm glad you're branching out." That was something she'd been working on as well. She cupped her hands around her tea, bringing it to her lips for a sip.