Incite (Sphere of Irony 1)

“Of course, it’s this way Adam.”

I follow her through the restaurant, ignoring the way she’s blatantly swinging her hips in an attempt to be sexy. Christ, she’ll never give it up. It’s quite pathetic and overall makes her very unattractive.

“Here’s your table Adam.” She opens the door to a private room near the kitchen. I’ve dined here before, so I already knew that the room has a wall of glass so you can watch the action in the kitchen as you eat. It’s brilliant really, a chef’s table without being in the actual kitchen where it’s hot and sweaty and sometimes a little crazy.

“Thank you Lucy. Please bring my friend back here as soon as she arrives, and let the waiter know that I’d like two pints of Spitfire Ale, please.”

Lucy scowls, clearly wanting to say something else, but she realizes that she’s being dismissed and leaves without embarrassing herself any further.

That’s a first.

I pull out my phone and read the latest updates regarding Kiera’s arrest. Turns out Dax was right, she went down spectacularly. Making threats to kill Sydney? I knew she was crazy, but she’s downright psychotic. Thank God we broke up a while ago.

The door opens and Lucy escorts Sydney into the room. I put my phone away so I can stand and greet her. “Sydney, you look lovely. Much better than last night.” I give her a quick hug.

Last night, Sydney asked me to meet her at a college bar near NYU. She said she just needed to get out and have fun, but she definitely seemed sadder than usual.

She sits in the chair I pull out for her and smiles.

Lucy speaks before Sydney can say anything to me. “If you need anything else, your server is Victor and he’ll be by in a moment.” With that, she’s gone, thank God.

We eat while Sydney shows me her ideas for my new flat. They’re all brilliant, just like I knew they’d be. I’m hoping that the redesign of my flat will help to further raise her profile as a great designer. She deserves the recognition, because she is bloody brilliant.

As she’s speaking, I realize that she honestly thinks I hired her to get her into bed. Which, since I almost think of her as Ellie’s little sister, is hilarious when it comes right down to it.

“You still think I did all of this to get into your knickers, don’t you?”

She bursts out laughing at my blatant question. “Oh my God! I don’t know Adam, it’s all too convenient. Don’t you think?”

Convenient?

Firstly, I don’t want in her knickers, not really. Secondly, she’s with that arsehole Forrester, therefore, not someone I would want to be with for personal reasons. Well, maybe to piss him off, but the resulting rift between Syd and me wouldn’t be worth it.

I can’t think of a good reply, so I go with veiled honesty. “Actually, if I wanted to be with you, I would find it decidedly inconvenient, seeing as you’re not available and all.”

She blushes at my response, but manages to change the subject gracefully. “Can I ask you something?”

Interesting. Maybe I can get the tight-lipped Miss Tannen to reveal some things about herself in exchange. “Only if I get an answer in return,” I throw back at her.

Sydney thinks it over for a moment before answering. “Alright, you can ask your question, but I’m pretty private. You may not get the answer that you want.”

Seems reasonable to me, so I agree. “Fair enough, what’s your question?” I lean across the table so I can see her eyes. She’s very evasive, but I can usually tell how she’s feeling by her expressive eyes. Even though it kills me to look in them, considering they’re identical to Ellie’s.

“Ummmm…” She loses her train of thought for a moment, then shakes her head slightly and continues. “Why do you and Drew hate each other so much? It doesn’t seem as though it’s just about Kiera. It feels like it goes back further than that.”

Great, the one question I don’t want to have to answer is the one she asks. I knew it would come up eventually, but I don’t want to be the one to let her know that the guy she’s dating is a massive prick.

Sydney senses my discomfort. Being the kind person that she is, she refuses to press me for answers. “If you don’t want to tell me, I understand.”

I can’t look at those eyes of hers as I respond, I don’t want to see the disappointment in them. It’s too painful, too much like Ellie. “No, it’s not that Sydney. I just… I don’t want to speak ill of your boyfriend in front of you.”

“Well, I appreciate your discretion Adam.” Naturally, she’s understanding of my reluctance. Fuck! She’s too good for that tosser! She’s too good for most people I would guess.

I suck it up and meet her confused gaze. “Can I still ask mine?”

“Sure, but like I said, I’m extremely private and don’t like discussing myself.”

What a shock, I think sarcastically. She’s only the most insanely private person I’ve ever met. I smirk at her. “I’ve noticed. I think the fact that I had no bloody clue who you were and you never said a word to me sums it up nicely.”