I’m so annoyed, that I reply flippantly, “Oh no, I’m quaking in my Wonder Woman boots. Go ahead. What was it? You’ll kiss me so hard I’ll ‘forget my own name’.” I roll my eyes, then finding a well-hidden break in the giant wall, start dragging him toward his room. “But first you’re going to feed.”
We’re most of the way to his suite when my mind comes back to me and I realize: a) that I used the stairs instead of the elevator and b) I just told Nolan to kiss me, but only after he bites me. All the blood drains from my head, and I really wish time travel was a spirit witch power, so I could stuff a sock into ‘past me’s’ mouth.
I keep marching forward, too embarrassed to look at him, and once we’re inside, I drop his hand and kind of look around like I’m waiting on him. With my newly freed hand, I grip the stone that hangs around my neck and gently slide it back and forth on its chain. The necklace may not match the costume, but not blowing up the town takes priority. Don’t think Nolan would appreciate his home as ground zero either.
“Is that for me?” Nolan asks, motioning to the small bag I’ve been using as a butt shield.
I clear my throat and nod, stammering, “Yeah. Uh. Happy birthday… or happy early birthday? Should I wait until your actual birthday to give it to you? Wow, I’ve said birthday a lot.”
“Now’s fine,” he answers gently, slipping his fingers into the loops of the handles and extracting the bag from my grasp. Walking over to the couch, he sits down on the arm and starts pulling out the decorative tissue paper.
Chewing on my lip, I fidget with the leather strips of my skirt. “I, uh, didn’t know what to get you, so… um, I made you something. You don’t have to wear it or anything.”
He holds up the bracelet, chuckling softly as he investigates the bat beads, and proclaims, “Of course, I’m going to wear it.”
Dropping the gift bag on the floor, he starts working at the knotted clasp to loosen it enough for him to put on. I walk over to him so I can help tighten it, awkwardly aware of my fingers grazing the underside of his wrist.
When I’m done, he grabs my hands, holding them by my fingers and rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. “You don’t have to do this,” he murmurs. “I can find someone else.”
“I want to help,” I insist, with a stomp of my heel. “I can do this.”
“I’m sure you can. But should you?” he replies, his straight brows furrowing over his worry filled eyes. “Callie love, you’re so nervous, you’re practically tripping over your own tongue. Is this how it’s going to be every time we’re alone? You so skittish that just being near me has you trembling?”
“What?” I reply, then hang my head and groan, “I’m embarrassed, not nervous. What I said downstairs and how it sounded-- I didn’t mean for it...”
He looks confused as I trail off.
“The threat,” I grumble, ready for the floor to swallow me.
“Oh…” Nolan exclaims his gaze focusing on my mouth. He releases a breathy laugh and shakes my hands playfully. “How about this? I’ll let you call my bluff tonight, and we’ll make a pact. I won’t kiss you, and you won’t kiss me. Seriously, though, please stop apologizing. It’s making me feel bad.”
I nod, inhaling and exhaling a calming breath. “Deal.”
His gaze falls from my eyes to my bare legs, then he shifts awkwardly, clearing his throat. “I’m thinking sitting on my lap again may not be the best approach… What I, um, mean is, you know… I don’t want to get any blood on your costume or anything… with the wig and all.”
“What do you suggest then?” I ask, subtly transferring my weight back and forth from to foot to foot. There’s already a hot pain developing in the pads of my feet from standing too long in these dumb boots. “Please say it’s something that gets me off my feet.”
His eyes get caught on the sway of my hips, and he blinks a few times before they make their way back to my face. “I could get some towels, and um, we could try lying down… upstairs, not on the couch. More room.”
Giggling softly, I tease, “Now who’s nervous.”
He groans, dropping his head against my stomach. “I just… I know what my bite does, and I want to make you as comfortable as possible.”
Ignoring the butterflies that are going nuts inside me from the nearness factor of his face and… other things, I sigh, “Look, just do what you have to do. I’ll be fine. If you think lying down is the best option, then let’s do that. My feet are killing me.”
He tilts his head back, his chin still braced on my stomach. “At least the bite should help with that. I’ve been told on top of other things, the venom helps with pain.”
Yeah, that’s because the person is too distracted feeling all the other stuff.
Everything decided, Nolan picks me up bridal style to once again carry me up the stairs, playfully dropping me on his giant bed when we reach the top. I plaster on a friendly smile, determined to make this timenotweird, while he heads to the bathroom to get towels.
I grab some pillows and lie down perpendicular to normal, keeping my shoes off the bed, and carefully move the tresses of my wig to one side. My heart begins to pound in my ears, memories of the time before washing through me.I’ll be fine. This will be fine. What’s a little blood between friends? Yeah, because that’s what I’m worried about.
Walking back out of the bathroom with a couple of beige towels, Nolan laughs when he sees me. “You could just take off your shoes, you know.”
I rock my head back and forth. “Nope, if I take them off, I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to put them back on. How do girls wear these?”
“Practice and willfully ignoring pain?” he answers, smirking.
