DESI
“Just don’t get caught.”
The words echoed through my brain as I drove home later that night. I got home Christmas evening, just in time to meet with Aleida. She was waiting in my driveway, with a forced smile on her face.
“Merry Christmas, Desiderio!” She threw her arms around me, and I stiffened.
“Hi.”
“Can we go inside? It’s snowing.”
I pushed her away from me gently and motioned to the door. “Yeah, okay.”We went in, and she frowned at the bare place—no decorations in sight. She slid her coat halfway down her shoulders and stopped. “No tree? No stockings? Not even any lights?”
“Why would I do any of that? I’m hardly here anymore.”
“Yes, but…” She stomped her foot. “We’re here now. And last year, we decorated the whole house!”
“Last year, I didn’t have a job that kept me busy. Last year, I wasn’t chasing down guys right up until Christmas.” I hung my coat on the rack and walked further inside the room. “The guy your dad gave me went on the run. Someone tipped him off. I had to go clear across the fucking state to find the fucker.”
“But you made it home in time! I was worried when you weren’t here last night, but Daddy said you were on the job.”
This new career path I somehow found myself going down would hopefully help me see Scout more without people growing suspicious of why I wasn’t around as much, once I was more established.
“I was. I don’t get a break, I’m always gone. I’m thinking about dropping the lease on this place.” I went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I returned to the living room, where Aleida was still standing by the door, with her coat and boots on.
“What?” I asked.
“Do I not get a gift?”
“A gift? I just got back from a month's worth of hunting down people for your dad, and you think I stopped and got you a gift?”
“Well, yeah. It’s Christmas.”
“Did you get me a gift?” I asked, knowing she didn’t. That wasn’t Aleida’s MO. She wanted to be the receiver, never the giver. Her very presence in someone’s life was the gift. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a gift from you now that I think about it. Birthday, anniversary, why would today be any different?”
“You know what? I did, actually.” She lifted her head high in the air. “I was going to let you do that thing you’ve been asking for the last year.”
I blinked, trying to remember, and then I laughed loudly. “You think fucking your ass is a gift? When you’re giving it to every other guy in town, I think I’ll pass. Go, offer it to that Bloodshed.”
“Desiderio—”
“You staying or going?” I snapped. I was tired of her already. Before, I could handle her whiny bullshit for hours if I needed to. Now, I didn’t even want to look at her.
“I got invited to this vamp party. I thought maybe you could come with me? It’s fully decorated and I think they’ll be human food, you know, for others like you. It’d be good for people to see us together in public.”
No, it would not.
“Why would I want to go and stand in a corner all night and watch you suck on someone’s vein?”I plopped on my couch and propped my feet up. “I just got home. I haven’t slept comfortably for a month. Consider it my Christmas present from you. Stop inviting me to your stupid vampire parties.”
“You act like you’re not going to be involved in the scene in just a few months. You don’t understand how important it is to get in certain circles as soon as possible.”
“I understand; I just don’t give a shit.” I took a swig of my beer. “I don’t care if I’m popular. I don’t want to be invited to the blood parties or be involved in the scene. I just want to be left alone.”
“You’re going to start your eternity on a bad start.” A single blood tear slid down her cheek, and she quickly rubbed it away. “But I refuse to do the same. If you want to sit here and mope, fine, but I’m going.”
“Good. Go. Don’t fucking come back if you can.”
“You took that job so you can start saving for a house for us. I thought this was what you wanted, and now, you act like you don’t want to be with me.”
