Bite, p.13
Bite, page 13
Joseph had a weird feeling so I thought I’d come check on you. Make sure everything was okay he answers back. The others hate when we communicate this way but for right now it comes in handy.
I focus back on Gina and the desire to kiss her grows stronger. I hear my brother warning me against this but as long as she keeps still and I control how much of her scent I take in, I should be okay. This time I gently touch her hand minding my strength so I don’t accidently crush it and I say to her softly, “I know this may sound strange but I’ll need for you to keep still.” Not sure if she really heard me since her face has nothing but confusion on it but she does as I ask anyway. I smile as I think of how beautiful she is and how generally happy she is being with me. I figure if I hold onto how special she’s become to me then maybe that might be enough to motivate me not to kill her.
I take a deep breath as my hands gently grab her face. Pace yourself Charlie silently orders and I quietly tell him to shut up. I focus back on her and I tell myself one more time that I can do this. As I move in closer, a rush of her scent almost makes me lose control but I quickly brush off the urge. How I wish the sun wasn’t hidden behind the clouds so at least I would be too weak to even entertain the thought of tasting her.
I’m so focused on being careful that for a split second, I didn’t realize how close our faces are until her sweet breath hit me. I give another slight smile and then softly I press my lips against hers. I don’t eagerly kiss her because I’m waiting for her to jump back at the horror of my cold lips against hers. I’m expecting the screams and for her to run away and shout that she never wants to see me again.
But she didn’t run away or scream. She didn’t even pull away from me. In fact, Gina seems to bring herself closer to me and I feel her hand stroke the side of my face. That is as much as I can take and I break our connection a little too abruptly. I didn’t need to look at her to know that I must have hurt her feelings. I can’t smile since I feel the tip of my fangs begin to grow out of my gums and my yearning for her blood is increasing.
I have to calm down since my thirst is rapidly increasing and being next to her isn’t helping. Relax Sam I hear Charlie say to me and I mentally scream back What do you think I’m doing?! As I try to get myself to calm down, Gina softly asks, “Did I do something wrong?”
Without looking at her I respond, “No.”
“Oh. Is everything okay?”
“Yes everything is fine.” I hate lying to her but better that than for her to see me for what I really am. I feel some of the tension exiting my body and I am finally able to look at her when my fangs are no longer out for her to see. I see the sadness in her eyes and I realize that I really did hurt her feelings. “I’m sorry if I seemed rude. I guess I was caught off guard with how wonderful that kiss would feel. Please forgive me.”
Shit that was a lame excuse but that was the only thing that popped into my mind. I stare at her waiting to catch me in my bullshit lie and she responds with her cheeks turning slightly pink while saying, “Glad I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.”
I do a quick brush with my tongue across my teeth to confirm that my fangs are not going to show. After the confirmation I give her a huge smile as I say, “Oh yes, the feeling is definitely mutual.” I gaze at her face and this feeling rushes over me, which I don’t know how to explain. I want to sit here for hours with her just talking and inhaling her scent until it feels like my nose is going to burn off my face. I figure the more I’m around her; the quicker my immunity to her blood will be until it doesn’t bother me at all. But I feel time is moving and as much as I want to stay with her, I know it’s time for me to get her to the campus. I give her a small smile as I say, “We should get moving. As much as I hate to leave you, I really should take you to school now.”
Gina moves closer to me and whispers, “Oh I’m not in a rush to get to class. What’s one day anyway? The school will still be there tomorrow right?” She giggles a little while adding, “Mark is in a lot of my classes so I can just get the notes from him. I like being here with you over school anyway.”
I guess you don’t need me anymore Charlie mentally asks and I grin wider as I reply Nope. I look back at her and while still smiling at her response; I lean in and kiss her again. This time since I know what to expect, it is a little easier and I even notice my nose isn’t burning from her scent as much as before. She instantly responds and I pull away as I hear her moan and with a smile I murmur, “What did I say about your education? I’m not going to be responsible for you missing one day of school so forget about playing hooky Gina.”
She smiles at my humor and I’m even surprised myself that my mood is so different around her. I can’t figure out why she’s making me feel this way but the weird part about it is I actually like the way I feel when I’m with her. She strokes my face as she playfully pouts and I chuckle as she says, “Fine if I have to go then I’ll go. But I hope you finally realize that I’m not running away from you.” Her voice softens, “I’m in this for the long haul as long as you want me.”
I stroke her face while murmuring, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The Gift
(Gina)
I can’t believe how quickly time is flying. Being with Sam makes every day pass in a blur and I’ve been so happy with every moment I’m with him. But the time of year that is usually festive in our house is approaching and the last thing I want to do is join in on all the holiday fun. The holiday season was my dad’s favorite time of year and I didn’t want to pretend that I was enjoying all the holiday activities around me. I dreaded it for weeks because I was afraid that everyone would expect me to participate in shopping or decorating or the festivities the school had planned. But when Thanksgiving and Christmas came, I did all that panicking for nothing. I have the most amazing friends because they understood how I felt and I was grateful that everyone let me be and I just spent the time with my mom. I was worried how Sam would feel about me wanting to skip the holidays but he equally understood and wished me well.
My mom and I decided to spend Christmas together with a quiet dinner in the house with my choice of music in the background. I was a little shocked but she was dealing with the holidays in her own way and the last thing she wanted to hear was a Christmas carol playing in the background. My dad used to sing them so much that we couldn’t help join in until the three of us broke out into laughter at the end of every song. Again it may seem corny but I loved moments like that with my parents. I didn’t want to pick anything too heavy and make my mom’s ears bleed so I settled on some old school Madonna as we ate our turkey. Yeah I know but I think Sara would have put her foot down if I chose Linkin Park or Nirvana.
Sitting down for dinner with her was okay but the silence was deafening. Both of us was scared to speak since we didn’t want to upset the other but this was getting ridiculous. So I decided to bite the bullet and start the conversation.
“I’m dating someone,” I blurted out as the memory replays in my head.
Sara looks up from her mashed potatoes with a curious expression and raises an eyebrow, “Oh really?” I nod my head and she actually smiles, “that’s great Mija. Anybody I know or is he someone from school?”
I knew this was coming but I couldn’t take another minute of the silence. I swallowed hard as I replied, “I don’t think you know him. I met him at the bonfire.”
“Okay so tell me about him.”
And I remember once I opened my mouth to talk about Sam, I found that I couldn’t stop. He is so special to me and just thinking about him makes my heart flutter. After giving her the basics about him, Sara started asking the embarrassing questions and I knew our conversation had to change quick since I didn’t think my cheeks could turn any more red than they were. I’m glad I told her though. It helped us get through dinner and the rest of the evening a little better and I don’t have to hide my relationship from her. For our first Christmas without my father, I have to say that it really wasn’t as bad as I thought.
But now it’s New Year’s Eve and I can’t believe the year is over. I’m relieved because after everything that has happened, I’m actually looking forward to a brand new year and more importantly a brand new start especially if Sam is still part of my life.
I’m trying to find the energy to climb out of the bed but instead I just turn over to try to get another half hour of sleep. I hear a knock on my bedroom door and Tiffany pokes her head in. She searches my face for signs of me being awake and smiles as she says cheerfully, “Morning sleepy head.”
I yawn as I reply, “Morning.”
“Get up. You know what time it is so let’s get a move on missy.”
That makes me perk up as I say, “Right. I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Cool. Move it; I’m starved!”
I laugh as I rise out of bed and start getting myself together. Every morning on New Year’s Eve, we always go out to have breakfast together. Since freshman year of high school, we would go to IHOP and enjoy the last morning of the year together. We would relax and reminisce over the crazy stuff we’ve done over a hot stack of pancakes loaded with fruit and whipped cream. We always have a blast.
I’m dressed and after quickly brushing my hair I’m ready to go. When I get downstairs, Tiffany is yapping away on the phone but goes into a whisper when she sees me at the bottom of the stairs. She continues to chat on the phone while glancing over her shoulder to make sure I’m not sneaking up behind her. What’s that about?
After she hangs up the phone, she gives me an innocent smile while asking, “You ready?”
“Who were you talking to,” I ask her while looking at her suspiciously.
“None of your business. Now let’s go. I’m hungry.”
I was going to protest further but her face tells me she’s not going to tell me no matter how many times I ask her so I decide to drop it. When we get to the IHOP, I’m grateful we get seated right away and quickly place our orders. It’s amazing that you never realize how hungry you are until you smell food whether good or bad. Although my stomach is growling and I know my food is not going to last ten minutes when it’s placed in front of me, it is nice being there with my best friend.
“It feels like forever since you and I been out together,” I comment before talking a sip of my coffee. “Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with Sam. I hope you don’t think I’ve been neglecting you but if you do, I’m really sorry.”
“Oh Gina don’t be silly. He’s your boyfriend. If you weren’t spending a lot of time with him then I would wonder what’s wrong with the two of you.” I know she is trying to make me feel better but I know it bothered her a little. She senses that I am still feeling guilty so she puts her hand on mine and says, “Gina really I’m not mad. I’m glad you’re happy again and I don’t want you to worry about me. We still have our moments together and just because we live together doesn’t mean we have to spend every waking moment together.” She giggles a bit before adding, “What’s important is we’re having our annual breakfast and I’m happy to be here with you now.”
I smile back as I say, “Damn right we were still doing this. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world and Sam would just have to deal while I enjoy pancakes with my best friend.”
“Hell yeah or I would have cursed him out so bad that his ears would have been bleeding for a week.”
We laugh and chat all throughout our meal. Good thing I don’t eat at IHOP too often because as we’re getting ready to leave, I thought my pants were going to burst open and Tiffany would have to roll me out the door. On our way back home, Tiffany asks, “So have you thought about your resolution for the New Year?”
“For nobody to die.”
That blurted out before I’m able to stop it and I want to take it back. It is how I feel but I meant to keep that to myself so I wouldn’t spoil the joyful mood we’re in. But Tiffany being her usual amazing self doesn’t give me a hard time about my statement and gives me a cheerful expression as she says, “I think that’s a great resolution and we’ll all do our best to make sure it comes true.” I just smile as she continues, “Me, I think I’ll see if Daddy will get me a new car.”
Yes she definitely knows how to keep the mood cheerful because I burst out laughing and say, “Tiff, this car is not even two years old yet. Why do you feel you need a new one?”
“Because I’m sick of this one and after the lousy Christmas gifts my parents got me, I think they owe me.”
“You’re crazy,” I say as she pulls up in front of the house. I unbuckle my seat belt and open the car door to hop out. When I realize the car is still running, I ask, “Aren’t you coming in?”
She gives me a mischievous grin as she replies, “I forgot I have a few errands to run so I’m going to head back out.”
Okay Tiffany is definitely up to something and I instantly think back to the mysterious phone call from earlier. I wonder if something is wrong but her smile quickly tells me to stop over thinking things. Since she’s giving me the impression that nothing is wrong, I smile back as I ask, “Oh, you want some company?”
“I don’t think you wanna come. Shopping is involved and I’ve been in a drought so I’m gonna hit the stores hard today”
Oh boy. I’m relieved that everything is okay but I know I definitely didn’t want to join her for that. I hate shopping with Tiffany because she can go overboard sometimes and it would be a miracle if she left the stores before they started locking up and if she would leave anything on the racks. I simply wave as I say, “Well have fun and leave some stuff for other people.”
“Yeah right,” she laughs as she drives away.
I head towards the house and after fumbling for my keys I let myself in. I hang up my coat and as I turn towards the living room, I freeze. Standing there is Sam and he is holding what seems to be an endless amount of flowers (orchids of course) in his hands. He smiles when he sees how surprised I am to see him. Actually, I’m thrilled but I begin to wonder how did he get in?
“Hello,” he says softly. “Are you surprised?”
“Yes,” I reply as I walk over to him. He sweeps me into his arms and greets me with a kiss. When we officially started dating, he used to always hesitate before every kiss like he was afraid I wouldn’t kiss him back or something. But as time moved on, it seemed like he got over it because his kisses were always intense and passionate. Plus he was good at it and I can kiss him all day. When we finally break apart I smile up at him as I ask, “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you. And to give you these of course,” he says as he hands me the flowers.
“Oh Sam, they’re beautiful.”
He gives me a moment as I get settled and I go into the kitchen to put the flowers in water. After fifteen minutes (seriously it was a lot) I bring the vase into the living room and set it on the coffee table and then sit on the couch next to him. It was only a few days since I’ve seen him but now it felt like forever. But knowing how hard my first Christmas without my dad would be, he gave me my space. I love the fact that he doesn’t crowd me; he lets me do my thing without checking on me every two seconds. Sam only sent me an occasional text just to let me know that he was thinking about me but that was it. He never asked what I was doing or whom I was with. He trusted me as I trust him and he never pushed any further. Things like that make me think he’s from another planet.
I peer at him and I swear he has an I-am-up-to-something grin on his face so I take the bait and ask, “So how did you get in here? I mean not that I mind but just curious?”
I thought he is going to get angry but instead he laughs and replies, “I should have known nothing would get by you.” I shake my head as we both laugh this time and with his gorgeous smile he says, “Okay you got me. Tiffany helped me. I wanted to surprise you and when I called her yesterday, she mentioned that you two would be going out for breakfast this morning. So I called the house and she told me you were getting ready to go. I was around the corner in the car with Evan and he dropped me off. She left the door unlocked and as soon as you two left, I came in.”
So that’s who Tiffany was speaking to when I came downstairs? Now that explains why she was acting funny then and during the ride home. Okay they both get gold stars because even though I’m not a fan of surprises I must say I love this one.
“I got something for you,” he says as he presents a velvet box to me. I’m about to protest since part of my vacation from the holidays was that no one get me any gifts since I wasn’t doing any Christmas shopping at all. The words are ready to jump out when he says calmly, “It’s not a belated Christmas gift. This is just a little something I want my girlfriend to have.”
He looks so sweet holding the box in his hands and I mentally scold myself for jumping to conclusions. I told everyone that I didn’t want gifts and I feel like scum for thinking Sam went against my wishes. I should have known he would never do anything that would make me unhappy. I pout for how I reacted and he kisses my forehead to let me know that he’s not mad and I smile as I take the box and say, “You didn’t have to get me anything. Even though Christmas is over the malls are still jammed pack with people exchanging their gifts or using their gift cards. It must have been hell for you at the mall.”
“Well it would have been if I went to the mall to get you this but I never stepped foot inside since I didn’t actually buy it.”
