“Did I say something funny?”
“His name is Robert Pattinson, he played the character Edward Cullen, and no, I’m not a huge fan. Well, I’m a slight fan, or I was when I was in high school, but no, that doesn’t mean I want a guy who is a vampire.”
“Because they exist?”
“Who exists?”
“Vampires.”
“No, they don’t exist.”
“So then it doesn’t matter if you want one or not then.”
“I was just answering your question.” I said, infuriated at him. “You were the one who brought them up in the first place.”
“So is it a yes or a no?”
“Is what a yes or a no?” I said, thoroughly confused at this point.
“Do you want me to bite you?” He leaned towards me, and his eyes were sparkling. I held my breath as his lips came within inches of mine. I was scared that he was going to kiss me, but I knew I wouldn’t pull away if he did. I closed my eyes, and waited to feel his lips to press against mine. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my cheek, and my heart started pounding, excited at what was about to happen. I waited patiently for about several seconds and then opened my eyes to see what was going on, as I hadn’t felt his lips press against mine yet.
As I opened my eyes, I saw that Zane was staring at me with an indescribable look on his face. I saw several emotions flicker through his eyes quickly, and the look was so intense that my breath caught. We stared at each other for a while, and then he looked away.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and led me back to his car, and I followed, silently confused. I knew that we had just had a moment, but I didn’t understand it. I wanted to ask him why he hadn’t kissed me. My whole body was still on edge, waiting for the meeting of our lips.
“You didn’t kiss me.” I blurted out as I got into the car. He looked at me with a surprised expression. His what-the-fuck-expression matched the screaming in my head. I was shocked and horrified that I had spoken the words in my head out loud.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea.” He said, slowly starting the car.
“Why?” I continued, not really sure what I was hoping he would say.
“I’m not looking for a relationship, Lucky. I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to hook up.”
“A kiss isn’t a hookup.” I felt my stomach fold over at his words. I felt more than a slight tinge of disappointment at his rejection.
“You’re a nice girl, Lucky. I’m not looking to get involved.” His words came out harshly, and the venom in them took me aback.
“Fine.” I stared out of the window, visibly shaken and confused. Had I imagined the stares I thought we had shared? “I guess you have Angelique and all the other girls anyway.”
“Angelique is a friend.” He said smoothly. “She knows the score.”
“She looked like more than a friend to me.” I said jealously.
“She is more than a friend.” His stare was challenging me to say something else and I wanted to slap him.
“Okay.” I said simply. “I don’t really care.”
“Lucky, you can’t honestly tell me you’re the type of girl that partakes in one night stands?”
“No, I can’t.” I whispered still upset. I should be happy that he hadn’t tried to seduce me, after everything I had been holding out for. And especially now that I had met Braydon. Zane wasn’t worth my energies or my time. He didn’t want me, and as far as, I was concerned, I didn’t want him either. I already knew that he was a playboy.
We drove in silence, and I closed my eyes, hoping to get over the dull ache that reverberated in my heart. I wanted to shake myself for feeling down. I barely knew Zane and what I did know wasn’t exactly positive. He had none of the qualities I was looking for in a man. I couldn’t afford to become emotionally attached to him. I needed someone who could provide me with what I wanted. Someone to love me and be with me forever. Zane wasn’t that guy. I knew that and had to accept it. I opened my eyes and saw a VW Beetle driving past, and I was just about to shout out “Punch Buggy” when I remembered I was in the car with Zane, and not my parents. I bit my lip as I felt myself start to get emotional. It had been a long day, and a lot had happened, and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I looked down at my phone, and all I wanted to do was call my mom. I just wanted to hear her voice telling me that everything was going to be okay, and that boys came and went. I was glad when Zane pulled up into the driveway of what I assumed was his house. I jumped out of the car quickly, happy to be distracted from my thoughts.
“Wow, this place is huge.” I said, impressed at the grandeur of his home. “Do you live here alone?”
“Yes.” He nodded and walked to the front door. “Come. Let’s go inside.”
I followed him into the house, and it was all I could do to stop my jaw from dropping to the floor as I walked in the door. Zane’s home was unlike anything I had ever seen before in my life. It was open-plan, and I could see the living room, dining room, and kitchen, but the most amazing part was the view. The back of the house was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows and overlooked a huge pool and hot tub. The walls were painted white and had huge paintings on them, I was pretty sure I recognized a Chagall and my breath caught. There was a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and I imagined my frat boyfriends trying to jump up and swing from it. I giggled to myself at the thought. This was the home of an educated and distinguished man, not some drunken Sigma Chi. The floor shone underneath my feet and I realized it was solid marble. But it was the huge pool that beckoned to me from beyond the glass.
“I love your pool,” I said shyly.
“Thanks, Noah used to swim in it every day. It was the reason we bought this place. It’s Olympic size.” He spoke matter-of-factly, and I turned to look at his face.
“Who’s Noah?” I asked quietly, wondering if Zane was perhaps g*y? Maybe that was why he wasn’t really interested in kissing me, I thought.
“My brother.” His voice was curt. “Let me show you to your room.”
I followed him up the marble staircase quietly; it was obvious that he didn’t want me to ask him any more questions about his brother. I wondered where he was and why he had left this amazing house. I had a million different questions twirling around in my brain, but I kept them to myself. Zane didn’t seem to be interested in my questions, and I didn’t want him to think I was prying. I was, after all, almost like his staff. I felt slightly weird following him up the stairs as if I was his guest. I only really knew him from the diner. One encounter at a party didn’t exactly make us fast friends.