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David,
Went home to shower and feed the dogs. Pick me up at my parents’ house later please.
Love,
Jess
I haven’t said the words aloud but I know it won’t be long before I do. Last night has me in the best of moods today with a positive outlook on the choices I’ve made such as enrolling at ASU and most importantly, giving David a second chance. I love him and it’s time I told him.
Thrilled is the best way to describe how I feel when I pull up and both my parents’ cars are gone. I run upstairs, assembling my backpack and reviewing the syllabus from each of our professors. Now all that’s left is to get myself ready. While I’m buried in my walk-in closet, my phone vibrates on the nightstand.
Dad: Hope you have a great first day of school, Jess.
Me: Thanks, Dad!
Guess he’s not that mad about last night, right? An hour or so later, another comes through:
David: I’ll pick you up at seven.
He pulls up at seven p.m. sharp. I fly downstairs, sling the door open and run directly into a wall of muscle.
“Umph,” I groan as I pair of familiar arms wrap around me.
“Good to see you, too,” David leans over and kisses me. “Ready to go?”
We walk into our first class and select seats toward the rear center of the lecture hall. Slowly the room begins to fill, I guess night classes work for many students. Professor Dean touches on the sylIabus then dives right into chapter one. My hand cramp up as I’m taking notes. While massaging it, I scan the unfamiliar faces in the room. The majority of the female population are fixated on David. He catches my eye and grins, however, I fail to see the humor in this.
What the hell?
Our drive home mimicks a teleporting scene from a futuristic sci-fi movie as we travel from point A to point B at warp speed. At one point I have to close my eyes to keep from vomiting. When I’m finally able to open one, I eye the speedometer. David is going over a hundred and sixty miles per hour. I’m sure the only reason it isn’t higher is due to the fact the gauge doesn’t register that high. My gasp draws his attention and he chuckles.
“Don’t worry, Jess. Heightened senses is a perk for my kind. I can see where the police are and only need to travel to a place once and it’s mapped in my head. Trust me, we’re more than safe.”
I sit back and try to become one with the leather seat, white-knuckle death grip on the belt, wishing I hadn’t looked. Exiting the freeway moments later, he asks, “Do you want me to take you home or do you want to come back to my place?”
“Yours, please.”
“You know if you wanted to leave some things there like a toothbrush, or extra clothes, you could.” Shyly, he turns his head away. It isn’t a bad idea, I do spend more time at his house than mine.
I shrug. “Maybe an extra toothbrush wouldn’t hurt.”
Again, he opens the door before I can grab the handle. Without thinking, or turning on my brain/mouth filter, I blurt, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to your ability to move faster than the speed of light.” Outwardly, I’d accepted this whole ‘I’m a vampire’ deal but internally it’s a constant struggle. I can’t deny there are many unexplained gifts David possesses, though how he got them I silently question.
He laughs and closes the car door behind me. “Jess, I want you to feel at home when you’re here.Mi casa es tu casa.Help yourself to the food in the kitchen, it’s there for you. But err on the side of caution when you open the fridge. My food is in there, too.”
Ew, could have done without that, though I know it’s something I need to get used to. Besides, it could be worse, at least I’m not an accessory by helping him bury bodies…
“Sorry, while there are many perks to being a vampire, consuming blood isn’t one of them,” David replies, staring at me like he expects me to run away screaming.
Between school, work, and David, I’m only home a couple hours a day, just long enough to check on my dogs, do laundry and grab clean clothes. With my grandfather’s gift, I don’t need to work so I’m not sure why I’m trying to kill myself. With that thought in mind, I decide to give my notice and focus on what matters. Building a future with David.
David turns out to be the best study partner. He literally retains everything we read and when I struggle with grasping a particular concept, he finds ways to put them into perspective for me.
Before I know it, the holidays are here and Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. I told Dad that I wasn’t attending Mom’s family gathering at my grandmother’s house in Scottsdale. I’m an adult now and adult me is putting a stop to my being the family doorstop.
“You’re an adult now, Jess. It’s your choice whether or not you go,” Dad tells me.
“I choose not.”
