"Are you okay?" Vinny asked quietly to Oliver. They were sitting next to each other on the big leather couches. His parents and Oliver's dad were talking at the other end of the big dining-room.
Duke had taken them straight to the mansion after the outburst from the paparazzi.
"yeah, um... are you?" He asked.
"Yes."
They both glanced at each other.
Nobody could believe the paparazzi would go that far. Vinny's parents were furious. Why did they feel like they could do that to their son? They would never even dare to do that before. Just because it was big news doesn't mean they can treat him like he's another pop star human.
Oliver twiddled his thumbs. He was wondering if it would always be like that whenever he went home. How did they find out where he lived? He couldn't believe how quickly things got out of hand. It worried him that reporters could get into his house so quickly.
Vinny smoothly put his arm on the back of the couch so it was behind his soulmate. They were already sitting quite close. They have somewhat gotten used to each others company and the vampire couldn't help but shuffle closer.
He stopped when he came into contact with Oliver's side. He was warm and comfortable. He wanted to be much closer while his scent filled him with so much pleasure.
Oliver could only concentrate on Vinny. He was sitting so close. He just wanted to cuddle into his body completely and it was hard holding back his feelings. But he wasn't used to this yet.
"Are you working tomorrow?" Vinny asked.
"No, I have the weekend off." Oliver looked up to see that Vinny's face was close. There was something about his presence that was just so addicting. Was it his dominance? his power? His attraction?
He remembered that he wouldn't have to set his alarm clock for the morning. He was still tired from yesterday's chaos. But today wasn't much better. He was not only physically tired, he was starting to feel it emotionally too.
Vinny felt excited about that. It meant he had the whole weekend to be with his soulmate. He wasn't worried that Oliver wouldn't want to be with him, he knew he was feeling the same way.
He watched Oliver's cheeks go a little pink. He was quite close, but for some reason, he has almost accepted that his lover is a male and he does like having these feelings towards him. That's mainly because he doesn't have a choice but to accept it.
Just then, his parents and John walked over.
They sat on the opposite couch and watched the boys. It was unusual for Duke and Madison to see their son sitting so close with another guy but they were happy to see that their feelings were already developing. John was just happy to be sitting in the Vanderwood dining room.
"So, we will arrange a gathering at the council hall with any news reporters, photographers and journalists. Madison and I will make sure they are aware that it was absolutely unacceptable for them to do that to you all. They will lose their jobs if they test their luck like that again. There was a line they crossed when they barged into your home Oliver, and I'm not taking this situation lightly," Duke said. There was still glimpses of irritation on his face. He hated it when people forget who's in charge. But he also knows after their meeting, they will definitely be reminded of who is still the dominant race.
Oliver nodded to show he understood and agreed. It was quite frightening to have that many people in his face and forcing him to speak. He was surprised by how useless he felt. He didn't have the courage like Vinny to push through them all and tell them to leave him alone.
"When will you have the meeting?" Vinny asked, also agreeing with his dad.
Oliver could almost feel his deep voice radiating through him.
"Tomorrow. I've spread the word to the council to arrange it," Madison smiled.
Vinny nodded and glanced at Oliver's hands which were fidgeting. He noticed that he does that a lot. He wanted to take one and hold it tight so he felt better, but he didn't have the courage. Not in front of his parents.
"So John, would you like to inform Oliver of our proposal?" Duke asked before John cleared his throat and nodded. He sat forwards on the couch, getting ready to ask Oliver.
"Ollie, the Vanderwood's have offered us quite an amazing opportunity," He said, grabbing his attention. "They know that under the circumstances, from now on, everything for you will be um... different. You'll be treated as a celebrity and it'll be hard for you to go back to living a normal life. Which is why they asked if we would like to move into their mansion."
Everyone watched him.
Vinny looked at his parents with raised eyebrows. He knows that if he had a vampire soulmate, they would've moved in already. That's just how it works. But Oliver only lives down the road so he didn't think they were going to ask. He doesn't know why he thought that but he should've expected the question, really.
Oliver widened his eyes. He looked back and forth between his dad and Vinny's parents. He didn't expect that.
"Wow, that's kinda huge," He said quietly. To him, huge was an understatement.
"Yes, we knew you'd think of it as a big offer because you were not expecting it. If you were a vampire, you would have known that it was only normal for the soulmate of our son to live here. But we will accept your father too, as he doesn't have his own city to run," Duke chuckled.
Oliver thought that it might be too big of a change. But was it for the better?
"Do you want to go and talk about it?" John asked, seeing the question playing through his son's mind.
Oliver nodded before standing up.
The Vanderwood's waited for them leave until they spoke.
"So, what do you think," Duke asked as Vinny sat forwards. His side felt a little empty and cold without Oliver leaning against him.
"It's great. I hadn't even thought about it, to be honest," He mumbled.
"Oliver's dad seems like a really nice guy too," Duke said as Madison nodded.
"You seem to have fallen head over heels with a boy from a great family," She beamed. Vinny sat back against the cushions. He couldn't agree more. "And you two seem closer already, have you kissed yet?"
Vinny felt his mood come back almost instantly.
"Mum," He grumbled before taking his gaze to the fireplace.
"Is that a yes?" Duke asked.
"I haven't," He sighed and crossed his arms. Thank goodness that they waited until Oliver was out of the room before they started being embarrassing.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm still getting used to this," He said moodily.
"Are you still getting used to him being a guy?" Madison asked softly. They know it must be unusual for him.
"Yes. It's still a bit weird," He said bluntly. "But can you just stop talking about it."
* * * * *
When Oliver and John shut the door behind them, they walked a little bit down the corridor to discuss how they felt about this massive opportunity.
"Okay, I'll tell you what I think," John said as he leant against the wall. "I was so shocked when they asked, I almost thought they were joking. But, they seem pretty serious about this," He looked up and down the grand hallways. He couldn't imagine calling this place his home. "This has happened so fast, I don't think my mind even knows where it is. I can't imagine how you must be feeling."
Oliver did feel overwhelmed by everything but he knew he needed to start rolling with this kind of lifestyle, it's not like he can take any of it back. He didn't want to if it meant that Vinny would be in is life forever, but the pace it's going is too fast.
"I don't know what to think," He said and let out a big breath of air.
"Okay, think about this. Think about waking up tomorrow morning, in this mansion, where it's warm, full of history and so many places to explore. Also, you'll be close to the master all the time," John smiled. "Alpha and Female Alpha explained your bond to me and if you two can't spend more than two hours without each other, then you wouldn't have to keep swapping houses at night." It sounded like John was all for the decision but Oliver thought he as a father, was just trying to help with making his bond easier to deal with and not thinking about what he as a person actually wanted.
"Would you honestly leave our family home to live here, among vampires?" He asked.
John thought for a second, but he could see no negative points to that question.
"Yes, I actually would," He said truthfully.
Oliver allowed his gaze to wander down the unfamiliar hallways. To call this home would be incredible. But he loved his old house. He has lived there since he was a baby. It was filled with so many memories and would be extremely hard to say goodbye to.
He looked down to his hands as his mind thought through the pros of living here. He would be close to Vinny, he wouldn't have to walk to work, he would get to explore this incredible mansion and spend his time soaking in its history. The only Con would be to lose his family home.
But they say, change is good.
And Vinny is definitely a good change.