After spending almost the whole day in the hotel room eating ice cream, sobbing, and watching soap operas on the small flat-screen TV, I finally checked out of the hotel room and headed for the bar where I met the CEO the day before.
My car was in good condition and nothing was missing from it. I unlocked it and got in. I was still new to this vampire thing and knew that I had to avoid sunlight for the time being.
I did not care what Bradley said, I was not about to take my chance on being burned to ashes. Even if that was just overexaggerated gibberish that was played out in films.
The sun had already set and I felt a weird increase in my senses. It felt like everything around me was louder and bolder.
The colors I saw everywhere looked like they popped more. Normally, I had a terrible sense of smell, but now it was different. I could even smell the burger a guy across the road had in his hands as he ate it in his closed car.
This seemed cool but also freaked me out. I just needed to get home, take a shower, get into some clean clothes, and have a long night’s rest. Maybe then I would be able to completely process all the things that had been dumped on me.
The first thing the next morning, I had planned to go to work and then drop by the CEO’s company so he could at least give me some kind of manual or Tedtalk about being a vampire.
When I started my car, the roaring of the engine caused a ringing to hit my ear and I groaned in pain until it faded. What the heck was that?
I decided to just ignore it and try my best to get home in one piece. After driving for a while, I did.
Seeing the house made my heart race, and made my throat dry. I could still remember how upset I was when I rushed out of there after catching Mark with Nora.
I shook the image from my head and I got out of the blue car.
I fished in my handbag for my keys as I approached the door. When I finally found the keys and I was about to try to unlock the door of the house, I heard a small clicking sound. Then the door opened.
Who I saw standing in sweatpants and shirtless was Mark. “Lisa…” His voice was filled with guilt. “I’m so glad you're home.” He gave me a tentative smile.
I scoffed faintly at his mention of the word ‘home’. He did not have the right to call this place home after what he did. Instead of replying to him, I walked right past him and into the house.
I heard the door close and he began to follow me.
The house looked about the same. I would have usually headed to our room but not after what I saw that he did with Nora in there. If I went in there, there was no doubt in my mind that I would snap; rage would be unleashed and that would not do any one of us good right now.
“Are you just going to pretend that I’m not here? Because Lisa, I am.” I heard Mark as he tried to follow me into the guest room. As soon as I entered, I closed the door quickly and locked him out.
“Seriously?” He cried. “Real mature, Lisa. Real mature.”
I tried my best to ignore him by going into the bathroom that the room had. I removed my clothing and took a cold shower, with the intention of trying to ease the stress and anger that I felt. Did it work? In a way, it did.
I had no clothes in the guest room so that meant that I had to go into our room, which I was in no way ready for. I wrapped my body with a huge white towel and headed for the door.
When I opened the door, it hit something, making it hard for it to open normally.
“Lisa,” I heard Mark’s voice. He had been waiting for me behind the door for a while now. If I was mad at him for anything else than finding him screwing my best friend, then I would have found it romantic.
But definitely not now.
“What are you doing?” A tight frown sat on my face.
“I have been waiting for you. I’m really sorry, Lisa. I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am. What we have is something special and I really don’t want to throw that away.”
“What we had,” I corrected him, and he breathed out a shaky sigh. “Look, Mark. I need time to process everything. And seeing you just brings back so many ugly emotions. So please give me the time and space that I need.”
He nodded slowly and seemed hopeful. But his hope was for nothing because there was no way I was going to fix things with him. Yes, I would forgive him when my heart was healed enough, but things were never going to be the same again.
He slept with her four times! He would have continued to do it if he had not been caught, and this sickened me.
“One more thing,” I stopped him from leaving. “Get me my suitcase and most of my things from our room. I would be staying in here now.”
He did not argue about it and did as I asked. In a couple of minutes, he came down with what I needed and I took my things into the guest room, locked the door, and proceeded to change into my nightgown.
The next morning was weird. When I woke up, I felt hunger and thirst that would not be quenched no matter how much food or drinks I got into my stomach. Then it clicked in my mind; a reminder that I was no longer the Lisa from a few days ago.
I was a different Lisa. I had changed and become a vampire but I had also been grieving the loss of my best friend and fiancee. It hurt more because when I was feeling this kind of confusion and sadness, it was Nora that I’d call up.
I would have gone to her house and we would have eaten ice cream and I would have cried to her with my problems, complaints, and sadness. But now I had no one to cry to. And I could not run to her with the wounds on my heart. Because she was the one who put them there.
I was in the kitchen and I had made breakfast. Though it pained me to do so, I did not just make breakfast for myself but also for Mark. He was very quiet this morning which made me feel good for some reason.
He sat on the dining table and ate his eggs and bacon as he watched me. I sat at the table too and was eating but had to stop when I received a call. It was the CEO.
“Hello?” I said when I answered the call.
Bradley cleared his throat and then spoke, “Good morning, Lisa. How did you sleep?”
“I slept well, and you?” I could feel Mark’s eyes on me but I ignored him.
“I always sleep well,” Bradley chuckled. “Do you feel any different? Your fangs would soon start to grow out, you know.”
At the mention of fangs, my eyes widened a bit and I excused myself from the table. I could tell that Mark wanted to say something to me but he refrained from doing so.
“There should be a safeword.” I informed the CEO, and he replied in confusion, “What? Why?”
“A word that we would say to each other before we discussed these kinds of things. I was literally sitting across from my fiance.” I was now back in the guest room with the doors closed.
“You mean your ex.” Bradley corrected me, and I felt a burn on my chest. I did not want Mark to be my ex. I had planned so much with him and it just hurt so much because I thought he would have been the one that I would spend the rest of my life with.
“Yeah, my ex.” I agreed with him. “How did you even survive as the last vampire in Seattle for this long when you’re this reckless when it came to speaking about these kinds of things?”
“Sorry. I’m just not used to having another vampire. Especially one that I have to teach how to be a vampire. It has always been me and it’s easier to keep myself in check that way.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to get used to it because I did not ask for this life. You brought me into it and you’re going to be fully responsible for me now.” My voice had a bit of anger smeared on it.
I did not like being co-dependent but now I had no choice but to be. I was a freaking supernatural! I had no idea what my life would now entail!
“Okay, Lisa. I understand and I’m sorry. Let’s make the safeword…A one-night stand.”
I could not help but laugh at the safeword he chose. “Why would we pick that?”
“Well…you and I know why. It was a one-night stand that changed your life. Plus it’s fun.” He laughed deeply.
“Okay, Bradley. One-night stand it is.” I walked to the full-length mirror and inspected the formal clothes I had on: a pencil skirt, a gray blouse, and heels. My hair fell to my shoulders and I had light makeup on my face.
“One-night stand,” He said the newly established safeword. “As I was saying, your fangs would start to grow out soon. In three full days, they would be ready. And I would teach you how to hide them easily. That would be our first lesson.”
“As for the sun. I use a particular sunscreen tailored for me. It protects me from the sun. Before I left the hotel yesterday morning, I left a few in your handbag.” He added.
My eyes shot to the handbag on the bed and I walked toward it. I found what he was talking about in it and I smiled. “Okay, I see them. Thank you. Now, what’s next?”
“That’s all for today, my pupil.” Bradley scoffed playfully. “See you later.” He ended the call before I could ask him about how I would be doing the arrangement now that I had to work with him closely on the nightclub project and the others.
I would just have to ask my boss when I got to work, which I still had some time to get to before I got late.
I placed the phone in the handbag and then used the sunscreen. I then left the room and headed for the living room where Mark was sitting on one of the couches watching the news. I wanted to ask him whether he was not going to work today, but I kept my question and concern to myself.
He worked with the UN and had a really good job, and that was where Nora worked too. So everything was beginning to make more sense the more that I thought about it. They must have started to hook up from work.
“Our wedding date is set for tomorrow, you know that, right?” I heard Mark ask when I was checking for the keys to my car. I usually placed them in a design bowl in the living room but I was not seeing them there.
“I know.” My voice was robotic and void of emotions.
“And we have hundred-plus guests invited.”
“Mmhmm.” I began to search on the furniture because sometimes when I was tired I would just lay the keys someplace else.
“Lisa, what I’m trying to say is that, would we still go through with the wedding? I mean, I want to, but do you?”
I stopped my attempts of searching for the car keys, looked at him straight in his dark brown eyes, and laughed. “I’m not going through with sh*t.”
Mark took the TV remote and turned the news off. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Lisa, I know you’re pissed at me and you have every right to be, but please…let’s think this through.”“Are you seriously going to let all those guests show up tomorrow and just stay home?” He asked me, and I folded my arms on my chest.“Well, you do have a point. Why let all those people suffer for your mistake? I know what we’re going to do.” I told him and he smiled, even though my heart ached. Just seeing Mark made me feel like I was drowning with no one to help me. I felt awful.“What do you suggest.” He gulped and then folded his hands on his lap as he stared at me. “We could push the wedding date until you and I work out our issues. What about that?” I stared at him incredulously. He seriously thought that he was going to screw my best friend and just say sorry to make it all go away? You can’t put a bandaid on a severed leg!I took my phone out of my bag and headed for the window
I stared at my boss, waiting for him to tell me he was joking but he did not. “You have to be kidding, I’m COO of Eternity Limited?” “Hell, yeah!” My boss laughed cheerily and I joined him. “How did that even happen? I don’t think I’m even qualified.” “Oh, shut up. You and I know that you are beyond qualified. To be honest, I had planned to give you that corner office as a gift but the CEO had different and better plans. So congratulations!” He smiled. A lot of the employees walked to me and congratulated me and after half an hour, I was up in my office packing my things up with the help of my boss.“You know you don’t have to help me do this, right?” I chuckled as I placed the small picture frames on my desk into the box. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Lisa, I have always admired you. You are hardworking, humble, and respectful. I confess that I don’t always speak to you all in the calmest manner here at work, but it’s all because I want you all to be better people.” My bo
My heart raced and my mouth dried in seconds. I was being held at gunpoint in my very own car. I could still see the CEO. He was now about to enter the building. Even if I had the chance to call him, he would not be able to hear me.“What do you want?” I gulped, and my voice was filled with fear. “My handbag is right there, it has some money in it, and it’s a really expensive bag.” “Shut up…” The person laughed, and pressed the gun harder behind my head, causing me to inhale sharply as I closed my eyes tightly. “Then what do you want?” My voice came out shaky, and hot tears escaped my eyes. I felt like I was going to die. I had never had a gun pressed to my head, nor had I even been so close to one in my life!The person laughed and then withdrew the gun from my head, helping me to be able to breathe properly once again. “I don’t want crap from you, Lisa.”I wanted really badly to look at the person but I was too afraid to. I did know that the person was a woman though, based on the
Mark asked me a very good question. Did I want to end what we had? I placed the coffee cup down and exhaled deeply. “No, Mark. I don’t want to end what we have.” My words caused hope to sparkle in his eyes. “But you will end it anyway, won’t you?” He looked away from me and stared at the coffee in his coffee mug. “I think posting the video should be enough to tell you that I am not willing to stay with you. Not after what you did, Mark. She’s my best friend. Do you know how messed up that is?” I felt my heart ache. “I would probably now have trust issues for the rest of my life,” I added, and he looked back at me. “Yeah,” His voice was breathy and filled with shame, guilt, and regret. “If I could take it all back, I swear to you that I would. But I can’t, and so all I can hope for is to become a better man for myself and for you.”“Mmhmm,” I mumbled, and then brought the cup to my lips. I drank the last of my coffee and I felt energized and almost full. “Thank you for being civil
I could tell that Bradley felt terrible for what happened to me but I needed him to tell me why. I needed to know why was I targeted for something that he did. I only knew him professionally, and I barely knew him personally.“Lisa, I’m sorry. You did deserve to go through what you did last night. And I totally take the blame, it was my fault. I’m sure it was one of my rivals trying to scare you into leaving the company or something.” He stood to his feet and walked towards me. I could feel tears building in my eyes. “Bradley, no offense but you may not have a family or anyone you love, but I do. I have someone that stuck by my side through thick and thin; someone that took me in when my parents left me.”The CEO sat on the desk and I saw his eyes soften when I spoke. He seemed moved. “Your parents left you? I didn’t know that.” He stared at his hands for a few seconds and looked back at me. “Yeah…my dad left me with my mom when I was nine. My mother died a year later from chronic d
I felt like a new person. It was like every part of me had been upgraded and I was more in touch with myself and the world around me than I had ever been. “How do you feel?” The CEO walked closer to me. He was still in his vampire form but now the fear that I once had for him had disappeared into thin air. “I’m impressed that you were able to transform into your form on your first try. It’s promising.” I studied my hands, and then my arms. I was so taken aback that this was even possible. I had only seen this happen in movies and read them in books, but to have it happen to me was mindblowing.I knew that I was a vampire, but it felt like I was a superhero and that I could do anything. “I feel incredible and powerful,” I told Bradley the truth, and he chuckled.“But I feel incredibly hungry,” I added as I felt a great hunger in the pit of my belly. A concerned look crossed the CEO’s face. “Lisa, have you been feeding?” “If you’re talking about eating regularly and drinking the rec
I was reminded why I visited my grandmother every week, her love for me was just so refreshing and always renewed my strength. “Now, can Mr. Sexy CEO stop standing at that door like a statue and get his butt in here?” My granny asked in a light yet firm tone, causing Bradley and me to laugh as he approached the bed.“Nice to meet you, ma'am.” He held her hand and planted a soft kiss on it. “Oh, mine. I think you should take me to dinner first,” My granny winked at Bradley, and my face reddened from embarrassment. “Granny!” I playfully scolded her, and she shrugged while chuckling. “I’m Bradley Specter, and I am honored to finally meet Lisa’s famous grandmother.” He let go of her hand gently while he introduced himself. “Such a gentleman.” My granny gave me a look and I could not contain my laughter. I knew that look very well, she was trying to hint that I had her approval to date Bradley if I wanted to. Which was not going to happen anytime soon, if ever.“You can call me May.”
My eyes fluttered open and I realized that I was on the floor. My back slightly ached and my eyes burned a bit. I felt really crappy physically, mentally, and emotionally. I sat up and ran my hand through my messy morning hair.It was in the morning and the birds chirped away. The sun was beaming through my thin window curtains and I could see the mess that I made last night: the shattered vase on the floor. I rose to my feet and memories of the night rushed into my mind, causing a deep sadness to wash over me. I had kicked Nora out of the house, but most importantly, I had kicked Mark out. I did not regret my decision though. I would have done that sometime in the near future anyway, but it just felt so real now. Everything felt more real that Mark was not here. His cheating on me, me breaking off the engagement and calling off the wedding, me cutting him off from my life; it all felt freaking real now, and I did not know what to do with that feeling. I stared at the floor as I c