“So, it was you who put me into bed?”
David swallowed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered. But, when I found you at your dresser, I nearly fell to pieces. You looked so alone, so destroyed, and worse, Ara, I did that to you. I made you sad because I never told you the truth—that I’d be leaving. If I had, you would never have let yourself fall so in love with me, and the worst part is, that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
“That’s so horrible, David. How could you be so mean?”
“It wasn’t my intention to be mean. I just wanted to love you. I really, honestly thought things would be different—that when it came time for me to leave, you either wouldn’t care as much as you did, or you might—” He exhaled, rubbing his brow.
“Might?”
“Might come with me.”
I sat up and dumped the sandwich beside me. “Come with you? That’s an option?”
He frowned. “It’s always been an option.”
“Well, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You—” His frown deepened. “Ara, you broke up with me before I had the chance.”
“Yes, because you’re leaving! If we could stay together, that changes everything.”
“As does coming with me. Ara, you couldn’t—” He huffed, pursing his lips. “You couldn’t live a normal life. You wouldn’t be able to see your family anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because—remember I told you I have secrets?”
I nodded.
“That’s why.”
“Well, what’re your secrets then?”
“Are you ready to hear them? Are you ready to hate me?”
“Are you really going to tell me or are you going to start, then say you’ll tell me later?”
“How does the full truth sound?”
“Sounds good.”
He ran a hand through his hair and sat on the bed beside me. “I shouldn’t be doing this today—you’re in an emotional state.”
“Uh-uh!” I wagged my finger. “Don’t you dare. You are telling me, Mr Knight.”
He let out a short laugh. “Fine. But—”
“But?”
“But.” He turned slightly and grabbed both my arms, squeezing firmly. “By hearing this, you’re—well, you’re making a verbal agreement, Ara, as am I.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…I have obligations to fulfil, should this go bad.”
“Which are?”
His fingers tightened around my arms again.
“David, what?”
“I might have to kill you.”
“What?”
“If…” His jaw went tight. “Look, in the past, people have not taken this news well and there have been instances where, some in my position, have had to kill those they’ve told.”
My mouth hung open. I rolled my quilt away and slowly rose to my feet.
David shuffled back, letting me walk to the other side of my room.
“Would you really be capable of doing that to me?”
He looked down. “I…I don't want to. Which is one of the reasons I haven’t wanted to tell you, thus far.”
“You’re serious! You’d kill me?”
“No, Ara. But if you—if you told anyone, if you freaked out, it would be out of my hands.”
I nodded. “Okay, so I won’t freak out.”
“I hope you don’t.” He smiled and patted the mattress. “Sit with me.”
I shook my head.
“Ara, please?”
I shook it again. If this secret was so bad he might have to kill me, there was no way I was sitting next to him. No way!
He looked down at his hands. “Ara, I’m a vampire.”
“A what?”
“A vampire—guys who drink blood, you know—fangs, all that stuff.”
I burst out laughing, folding over a little.
“Stop laughing, Ara. It's not funny.”
“No, it's cool. Hey, can you turn me?” I rolled my neck. “I think I'd suit immortality.”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know, this isn't a joke.”
I folded my arms. “Prove it.”
“P—” He shook his head, wiping the incredulity from his lips. “Prove it?”
“Yeah. If you’re really the undead, prove it.”
“Ara, we’re not undead.” He stood up. “And what do you want me to do to prove it, eat you?”
I shrugged.
He groaned. “Fine.”
I had time only to smile before he rushed in and wrapped his arms around my waist, nuzzling his face into my neck. The tickly sensation of his cool breath sent a shiver down my spine, allowing warmth to return only once my heart skipped a beat.
“You are a very silly girl,” he said calmly, pressing his lips to my shoulder. “What if I’d bitten you? What then?”
“If you really were a vampire, you could do a lot worse than bite me—if you wanted to.”
“Right. If I wanted to.” He stood behind me and gently swept my hair over my shoulder, clearing way for his lips. “Remember that when you freak out in a minute, okay?”
I laughed. “Sure thing.”
“Okay. Now, see that rise of hills over there?” His finger aimed to the eastern hills where the first rays of sunlight touched the earth each morning.
“Yes.”
“There’s a garden on the other side. Blue roses grow there. Have you seen it?” He went back to kissing the curve of my shoulder.
“The Applebury Reserve?” I rolled my eyes, lost in pleasure. “Yeah, I’ve seen it.”
“It’s twenty miles away. How long do you think it would take to run there?”
“I don’t know? Depends how fast you run. And then, calculating that would involve math, so...”
David’s irritation blew out in cold air through his nose. “What if?”
“What if?” I said back.
His arms tightened on my waist and he pressed his cheek to mine. “What if I told you I could do it—run there and be back before you had a chance to blink?”
“I would say that you are very talented—” my voice trailed up with humour, “—and I would be jealous.”
“But it would prove I’m a vampire; you’d believe me then?”
“Yeah.” I spun around, hands on hips. “Let’s see what you got.”