by A. M. Hudson
I shoved the chip into my mouth and muttered, “It’s yummy.”
“Yeah, don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Ryan interjected, grabbing one of my fries and helping himself to a dip in my shake.
David smiled inquisitively, reaching over to help himself as well.
“Well, what d’ya think?” I asked.
He frowned at first, then his face lit up. “It’s good—salt and sugar.” He nodded, then looked away quickly.
“David, are you okay?”
He leaned closer, keeping his eyes forward. “I feel like I just want to force you to come with me.”
I frowned, slowly turning back to the front.
“I’m sorry.” He looked down at his plate. “It’s just…being at my aunt’s grave today really put things into perspective for me; I don’t want to miss you like that, Ara.”
Warm blood flooded my heart, a wave of sympathy almost forcing me to splutter out the words, Let’s go now. Take me to the bathroom and turn me—but I stopped myself. “David. I’m sorry, but look, I’ll see you for the last dance at the ball, and who knows what I might decide in that time?”
“You can’t come with me if he loves you, Ara.” David sat up straight. “Mike can give you a life—he’s better for you. You know that.”
“He doesn’t love me. So it won’t be an issue.” I rolled my eyes.
“We’ll see.” David pushed his nachos away and walked over to our lane, slipping into the human role as I sat back, watching him. He blended himself among Em, Spence, Ryan, and Alana rather well, laughing and talking, but his soul was dark beyond those eyes, and no one but me seemed to notice. Even Emily, who paid attention to pretty much everything he did, was blinded by the foggy spectacles of her new romance.
David looked at me then and jerked his head quickly, reaching out as he did.
I let my lip pout for a second.
I’m okay, he mouthed, a smile proving it.
So I hopped down off the stool, strolled over, and took his hand.
“You know, bowling shoes make your feet look big,” he said, looking down at them.
My toes curled. “Arrogant comments make your mouth look big. Besides—” I nodded down at his shoes, “—you look like you just stepped out of a circus.”
“I think bowling shoes are a good look.” Emily popped up beside us and tapped her toe in the circle of our conversation. We looked down at her feet, and my blood boiled. How could her feet look perfectly dainty in those shoes? She wore the same size as me!
“Dave, man. Your turn,” Ryan called.
David dropped my hand and walked away, laughing.
“What?” Emily shrugged at me.
“I hate you,” I said affectionately and headed over to the lane.
She laughed behind me.
Bowling had never been my forte, and even though David rolled a perfect strike every time, with the exception of one, because I shot him an inappropriate thought which put him off his game, we still lost. Ryan and Alana took home the win; a giant, stuffed bowling pin—purchased by all the losers.
“I’ll see you guys at school.” Emily waved as we headed out the door.
“Don’t stay out too late, kids,” Ryan joked from behind the stupid, stuffed pin.
“We won’t,” I said. “But I’m not sure if I’ll be at school tomorrow, anyway.”
“Why not?” Emily stopped walking beside Spencer.
“Um—”
“I have to go away,” David jumped in. “My uncle is taking me on holiday, so tomorrow is my last day.”
“Oh no—Ara’s going to be so lost,” Emily said.
My cheeks went hot; David grinned when I turned my face away. “Well, I hope so,” he beamed, “then I can be sure she won’t give her heart away to someone else while I’m gone.”
“Not a chance of that, David. I think you might be stuck with this one.” Emily winked at me.
Cool, strong arms wrapped my waist and pulled me close to a firm, tight chest. “I hope so.”
“What about the concert and the ball?” Alana stepped around the giant toy and her wide, jet-black eyes reflected the neon lights behind me.
“I can come back for the concert, but as for the ball—well, I may make the last dance.” He snuggled his cheek against mine.
“Well, good luck, David. I hope you make it home safe,” Emily said, her tone holding way too much gravity.
David tightened his grip around me.
“O…kay. See ya, guys.” I waved again and dragged David toward the car.
He opened the door and grabbed my wrist as I bent to climb in. “What is it, Ara? What are you thinking?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“Not clearly. You had about four different thoughts at once.”
“Oh, um…well, I was wondering why you didn’t tell them you’re never coming back.”
David smiled. “We never do that. That’s why telling you about leaving in the first place was such a big deal.”
“Really? So you just disappear?”
“Yes. Mostly. We send letters to people in positions of authority, like schools or employers, once we’re safely away, but if there had been any suspicions surrounding our stay, announcing plans to leave could create unrest.”
“Oh.” I traced the rubber seal along the base of the window. “But, there’s no suspicion this time, so why not just tell them?”
“There’s no way of knowing that. People mostly keep their suspicions to themselves, and besides—” he pulled my finger away as I peeled the rubber back, “—it’s the way we do things. We’re consistent in our behaviours.”
“But you told me you were leaving.” I smiled sheepishly, forcing down a rising yawn.
“Which is rare, mon amour, like I said. Now, come on—” he offered the seat in the car, “—let’s get you home before you fall asleep where you stand.”
I sat down and the door closed behind me, giving my head support as I drifted away, feeling my seatbelt clip around me a second later, followed by a cool kiss on my hand, then nothing more until the quiet thud of door woke my mind a little.
“Shh,” David whispered into my brow, lifting me from the car.
Quietly conscious of his embrace, I rolled my head into the hollow of his shoulder and fixated on the gentle, soapy smell of his shirt, seeping into my nose with each restful breath.
“Oh, she’s exhausted,” Dad’s voice hummed as a pale ring of light broke the darkness under my eyelids.
“Shall I carry her upstairs?” David asked, holding me a little closer.
“Uh, yeah, sure. No need to disturb her further.”
The front door closed behind us. I stayed in the blissful elation of dream world, in David’s arms, until the cold touch of my pillow fell along my cheek and I sunk into the softness of my mattress. My shoes came off and a still silence filled the room; it sounded like no one was there, but I could feel David’s presence. “Goodnight, my love.” He pressed a cold kiss to my brow.
I lifted my mind out of sleep just long enough to whisper, “David?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“Stay with me tonight?”
“I planned to,” he whispered, and the bedroom door closed, leaving me in darkness.
Outside, the sound of Dad’s voice farewelled David as his car pulled away from our house. And the only other sound, after Dad’s footsteps trailed away behind his bedroom door, was the quiet, rhythmic tick of the clock on the wall by the front door, timing my dreams while I slipped away.
Just before the grasp of sleep possessed me, two cool, strong arms fell around my shoulders, and I let myself wander into the peaceful harmony of the night, against David’s chest.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The sweet, chocolaty smell of David stirred my senses through the night, waking me with surprise when I looked up and saw the golden morning sun on his cheek. “You stayed!”
“Of course.” He stretched his arms out above us. “You asked me to.
”
“Hasn’t mattered in the past.”
“Yes, well,” he said, his arm landing back down around my shoulders. “In the past, I didn’t only have two days left with you.”
That put a dampener on the day.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” He rolled me onto my back, his long body against the length of mine. “Just don’t think about it. In fact—” He couldn’t help but smile, his eyes drifting to a thought. “Why not go back to thinking about that dream you were just having?”
My mouth popped open. “You saw that?”
“My love—” He kissed my nose, “I saw everything.”
“God damn mind readers!” With a feisty huff, I threw the covers back and headed for the shower—and maybe a few minutes of unheard thoughts.
“Your thought patterns are not mollified by short distances, Ara. I can still hear you,” he called out as I shut the bathroom door.
“Argh! Stop it.” I covered my ears, as if that would help, but I couldn’t stop seeing those images; David and I—naked, tucked in a loving embrace. And the worst part was, all of it was my own imagination forming dreams out of desires. It was like writing a porn entry in a diary and having someone read it out loud. It was just too personal to share.
I took off the jeans and green sweater I slept in last night and stuffed them in the laundry basket, burying my undies and bra in case David needed to use the bathroom.
“I’ve already seen your underwear, my darling girl,” he called out. “You don’t have to hide them now.”
My shoulders dropped with a vocalised breath. At least there was one good thing about having a mind-reading vampire boyfriend—I’d had plenty of practice at emptying my thoughts and focusing on nothing. I was sure, in some odd way, that could be a good skill to have.
“Speaking of skills,” David said from just outside the bathroom door, “we need to rehearse for the benefit concert. I’m not even sure which song we’re supposed to be playing now.”
I reached into the shower and twisted the faucet on, then stood back and waited for the water to get hot. “Um, we’re doing that one from that movie—the one Nathan liked.”
David chuckled softly. “He liked a lot of movies, Ara.”
“Well, you know which one I mean,” I said, getting frustrated. “I can never remember the title.”
“Are you still doing a solo performance?” His voice echoed slightly too loud through the door, making me cringe a little in case Dad should hear.
“Yeah, and we’re also doing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
David didn’t respond. I waited, looking over my thin body in the reflection of the shower glass for a second, but when the silence lasted, I stepped into the welcoming steam whorls and ran my hands over the water falling through my hair. The running water and locked doors offered me a kind of privacy I wasn’t used to anymore—one where I could imagine my thoughts were unheard...just like my shower singing.
“Ara!” I jumped out of my skin at the sudden thud on the door. “Save some water for future generations, please.”
Geeze. “Yes, Dad—just rinsing my hair.”
“It doesn’t take your mother that long.”
By mother, he meant Vicki. “She has short hair, Dad.”
He groaned aloud.
“Hmph. You’d do a lot more than just groan if you knew I had my boyfriend in my room right now,” I said under my breath. Thing was, Dad would freak if there was a boy in my room, but I bet he’d take it really well if I told him David was a vampire. I think he’d see it as a rare opportunity to hear tales of History firsthand.
I sighed heavily, feeling the full weight of everything I learned about David and his history yesterday. I pictured him there still, by the grave, but when he folded over and buried his face in his hands to hide his tears, it was my name carved in stone behind him. And one day, that scary thought would be a reality.
Slowly, my hand rose up through the swirling steam cloud and rested against the foggy glass. Droplets of water melted around the base of my palm, and as I exhaled a breath of sorrow, the delicate touch of David’s long fingers appeared on the other side of the cold barrier. “Don’t cry, Ara,” he said in a deep, soothing whisper. “Please, please just don’t cry.”
“How can I not cry?” We rested our heads against the glass. “I don't want you to hurt that way, David.”
“I know.” He shut his eyes tight.
I could feel a kind of magic between us that I was sure I’d never find anywhere else in the world; it was like, even though our flesh wasn’t touching, I could feel him against me—feel him from somewhere deep within. And when he wasn't around, I felt a kind of emptiness that seemed unnatural. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to miss you for the rest of my life,” I whispered, watching the hot, steamy water run wasted down the drain below my feet.
“Then don’t.” He exhaled, and as quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone again, leaving my hand against the glass, alone.
The phone rang while I struggled, in the privacy of my wardrobe, trying to pull my light blue cotton dress over my head; it rolled up, catching on my not-quite-dry skin, and stuck halfway down my waist. I tugged harder, a rise of frustration nearly turning to tears. I didn’t want to miss that call if it was Mike ringing before he got on the plane. What if it crashed and I never got to hear his voice again? What if it—
“Hello.” David’s melodious voice filled the room.
I froze, listening.
“Yes, she’s getting dressed.”
Oh, God, don’t tell him that! He’ll freak out, thinking you’re watching me, or something. I pulled my dress down and tripped all over myself to get out of the wardrobe. “I’m here. Gimme the phone.”
David grinned, holding his index finger up. “No, no, nothing like that.”
“David,” I huffed impatiently, offering a flat palm.
“Yes. It’s all she’s talked about for the last couple of weeks,” he said, then laughed.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough.” I snatched the phone from him and, assuming I knew who he was talking to, said, “Hi, Mike.”
“Hey, baby girl. How’s things?”
“Great. You at the airport?”
“Yeah, just thought I’d make sure you hadn’t forgotten me.”
“Yeah right. It’s all I’ve talked about, isn’t it?” I poked my tongue out at David.
Mike laughed. “Well, I’ve been looking forward to it, too. And I expect the biggest hug you’ve got tucked into those skinny little arms tomorrow, Ara.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ve been practicing my squeezing,” I said.
“With David?” he teased.
“Uh-huh, but you get a different kind of squeezing.”
“Oh, fine then, I know where I stand.” I could hear the amusement behind his feigned insult.
“Still in exactly the same place as always,” I added.
“Okay, well, have fun today, and…I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
“Yep, bye.” I had to dig my heels into the carpet to stop from bouncing around like a little girl. And as the phone disconnected, severing the lines of communication to my best friend, an empty feeling swallowed my soul for a second until I looked at David. But he looked troubled—leaning back in my chair, drumming his fingers on the desk, his thoughts a million miles away. “David?”
He looked up at me—snapping out of his stare.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You’re right.” A very cheeky grin lit his eyes. “He did not approve of my being here while you were getting dressed.”
“So?”
“So, he’s overprotective. I know the sort, Ara, he will ask questions about me.”
“Can you read his thoughts over the phone?” I said as I walked over and leaned my butt on the desk.
David shook his head. “No. I can only read certain electrical wavelengths—which don’t communicate over the phone. But I’v
e been around humans and been subject to their thought-patterns long enough to make conclusions from very little detail.”
“Like one of those cool detectives on those crime shows?”
David laughed, resting his chin on his hand. “Yeah, something like that.”
“And you think you’ve summed Mike up, huh?”
He scratched the corner of his brow, taking a deep breath. “All I know is it’s a good thing I won’t be here during the day. I can’t be around you if he is.”
“Why?”
“I might be tempted to kill him,” he muttered with a certain amount of animosity; my mouth fell open a little. “He thinks he has some claim to you.”
“Really?” My cheek tightened on one side with a half-smile. “You know, you’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“Ara, be serious.” David leaned forward, elbows over his knees, looking at the floor between his feet. “I don’t know, maybe I should leave now. It’s just too risky. If he gets wind there’s a guy in your room every night, you know what he’ll do.”
“Look.” I sat on the desk, letting my bare feet dangle. “You might think he’s got some weird Spidey sense that can track the scent of another male like a mother to cigarettes on her son’s breath, but I’m not sure I really care if he finds out I have a guy in my room at night—not right now I don’t.”
He looked up at me. “Ara, if he finds me in your room and we’re forced to meet in person, it will only be a matter of time before he starts asking all the wrong questions.”
“And I’ll give all the wrong answers. I won’t tell him the truth about what you are.”
“It’s not the questions he asks you that I worry about—it’s the ones he asks himself.”
“Well, will it be that bad if he figures out what you are?”
“You mean aside from the fact that he’d steal you away from me, take you across the country, lock you in a closet, then fly back here and start a pitchfork rally against me?”
I laughed, rubbing my hand over my neck where droplets of cold water dripped down from my hair. “You know, the chances are he’ll figure something’s not right, anyway. I mean, especially when I refuse to laze around and watch movies with him at night.”
