Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Blaise

Clicking the door shut behind me I sit at the desk in my room. I am appalled at the way I reacted towards Braeden. Why was I such a bitch to him? My cheeks flame red matching the color of my hair, I’m sure. Closing my eyes, I shake my head and then open them back up. No point in dwelling on what has already happened.

Just as I begin to unwrap my sandwich, I hear someone knocking on my door. I know Clover is still in class and besides she has her key card, so I stand and walk over to the door. Dang, I really wished the doors had peep holes. Cracking the door open a sliver I peek through and gasp. “Braeden?” I ask as I swing the door wide open. I stand in front of him shocked, his name the only word I’m able to utter.

Braeden’s eyes flash gold for a second and then he asks, “may I come in?” With a nod of my head, I step to the side holding the door open so he can enter. After he walks in, I shut the door and wander over to take a seat on my bed. Braeden stares at me for a second before taking the desk chair near Clover’s bed.

Pulling my legs up onto the bed, I stare at him waiting for him to say something. “Is there something I can help you with?” I ask curiously.

“I,” he starts and then stops as though contemplating his words. “I just came by to apologize to you. I know I was a dick yesterday and I couldn’t really tell you why because I don’t know myself.” Braeden’s eyes glow liquid gold for just a second and I feel like he isn’t being a hundred percent truthful with me, but he is trying and so I decide I won’t push him.

“But I also came here to tell you that I didn’t want to leave you, but I had a strong suspicion as to who put that curse on you, and I was going to confront them and drag them back to the office and make them break it.” He looks at me earnestly and I can tell he’s telling the truth.

Snorting a laugh I tell him, “Yeah, I have a suspicion I know who cursed me too.” His eyebrows jump in surprise nearly connecting with his hairline.

“Y-you do?”

“It was that Morgan girl, or at least I think it was her. It would make sense because before I went to grab some food with Carden last evening she decided to yell at me for some reason while I was waiting for him in the common room.” I make a face and scrunch my nose up because for one, I don’t know if Carden ever told Braeden that I had gone to the diner with him and two, I was going to have to tell him what Morgan had said.

There’s shock in his gravelly voice as he says, “you went to the diner with Carden last night?” As he processes this information, he also realizes I told him that Morgan had yelled at me. “Why did Morgan yell at you? What did she say?”

I can feel the heat radiating off my cheeks as I flush in embarrassment. “She uh, said something like ’stay away from Braeden, he’s mine’. Thankfully Carden arrived before things could get heated and walked me outside.” I look at his face, into his eyes and the anger I see flashing in them has me scooting away from him nervously. Hesitantly I ask, “are you okay?”

Braeden is breathing hard as though trying to reign in his emotions. “I swear to the moon as soon as I get my hands on that bitch, I’m going to kill her!” His statement has me jumping off my bed to squat in front of him. I take his hand in mine but jerk back slightly having forgot what occurs when our skin is in contact with one another. He pulls back slightly as well but we still manage to hold hands.

“Promise me you won’t hurt her,” I ask pleadingly. “She’s just a hurt, jealous girl who is trying to deal with her emotions. And if it makes it easier for her to process her feelings then I’ll stay away from you.” I try to read the expression on his face as I gaze into his eyes.

Braeden slowly begins to shake his head no. “There’s just one problem with that solution.” Tilting my head, I arch an eyebrow questioningly. “I don’t think I can stay away from you and, I don’t think I want to.” His breathing has become haggard as he says this, and I find myself leaning towards him.

Just as our lips make contact the door swings open. “Hey sleepy head, are you hungry. I thought I’d come by and see if you wanted to get some lunch with me,” Clover announces as she strides through the doorway oblivious to the fact that she had interrupted anything. The sudden sound of her voice has me falling backwards onto my butt because I had still been in a squatting position and lost my balance.

“Oh snap! Sorry. I didn’t realize anyone else was in here with you.” She offers me a sheepish grin before she turns to look at Braeden. “Hi twin, I didn’t mean to interrupt just came by to check on my girl.”

Braeden stands up and smiles. “All good. I had just come by to check on her myself. But since she seems to be in such capable hands, I’ll head out now.” I watch as he walks over to the door and just like Carden did last night he stops but he doesn’t walk back over to me. Instead, he says, “see you tomorrow, Blaise. Nice to meet you roommate.”

As the door closes Clover and I look at each other and I see the same stupid grin taking hold of her that has claimed my lips as well. “Care to tell me what was happening before I accidentally interrupted?”

Laughter bursts forth as I look at her cheeky smile. Shaking my head I say in between giggles, “honestly, I’m not really sure.”

“Really?” She says with mock surprise. “Because to me it looked like you were kissing him.” Oh my gosh, I think to myself. How many times can someone blush in one day? I stick my tongue out at her which causes her to laugh and me to roll my eyes. “So, do you want to go over to the cafeteria with me? I have an hour to kill before my next class and I don’t really want to sit there by myself.”

Cocking my head I say, “but what about the social order of it all?”

She gives me a shrug. “During the day because there is a continual flow of foot traffic, no one seems to care as much about who sits with who. It’s mostly at dinner time when the majority of us are all dining at once that social ‘norms’ apply.”

Glancing at my now soggy sub I don’t hesitate, “for sure, let’s go!”

∞

Nox

I feel her before her intoxicating scent filters into my nose. Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply releasing the air slowly as I glance around the cafeteria. The loose strands of her strawberry red hair bounce around her porcelain doll-like face as she laughs at something her roommate had just said.

Noting that she’s sitting with her shifter roommate I decide to wander over and check on her. In the blink of an eye, I am standing before them. The bright lights in the ceiling cause my shadow to fall around them darkening their space slightly. They both stop talking and turn their eyes my way. A French fry falls from the girl’s hand as she looks at me in surprise.

She scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. “Um, Nox?” She squeaks out causing my lip to lift in a crooked grin. Her heart rate begins to beat harder as does her friends but in different ways. Her friend’s beat in an anxious rhythm while the red-haired girl’s beats erratically.

“Hi,” I say shifting my weight from foot to foot nervously. “I wanted to see how you are and chat with you for a minute if that’s alright?” Why in the hell am I so nervous all of a sudden? What power does this girl have to make me feel so flustered?

The girl glances at her friend who has suddenly stood up. “I’ve gotta get to class, Blaise. I’ll see you before dinner tonight though, okay?” Blaise simply nods her head and then turns her gaze back to me.

“Would you like to sit down? You’re sort of making me nervous hovering like that...” A nervous laugh escapes her, and I quickly take a seat across the table from her. After I sit down, I hear her sigh audibly and watch her body relax.

“So, I know you think I’m an asshole, but I promise you I’m not. Just dealing with some pent-up childhood anger.” I glance into her emerald, green eyes and half smile at her. “Anyway, I was hoping we could maybe start over, be friends...”

She studies me for a second and once she feels I’m telling her the truth, nods her head. “Okay,” she says sticking out her hand at the same time for me to shake. “Hi! My name is Blaise Salvino. I’m a witch and a freshman. Nice to meet you...”

I chuckle though an alarm bell is going off in the back of my mind. Not knowing why, I dismiss the intuitive feeling and take hold of her hand which is soft and warm to the touch. The pull I feel towards her is almost magnetic and I don’t want to let go of her. “Hi,” I say in response. “My name is Nox Quade. I’m a vampire and a junior. I just transferred this year from an academy in Ireland. And it’s nice to officially meet you.” We grin widely at each other, and both seem hesitant to release our hands from the other.

Blaise yawns and then gasps, “sorry. I’m feeling tired. I think I’m going to go back to my room. But it was nice to meet you my new friend.”

Still grinning I say I will see her in class tomorrow. I can’t help but turn and watch as she walks away from me, her ass is just so perky and cute.