Three

"Earth to Autumn, damn are you there?" as she waved her hand in my face.

"Sorry Jade, I'm a little off, let's go to my room so we can have a little privacy". We shot Alex a look and made it to my sanctuary.

"Autumn what's up? I haven't talked or seen you in a while."

"I'll tell you if you help me finish packing for school. Are you ready to leave for Western next month?"

Jade nodded. As we packed my belongings I told her about Tristan all but the vampire thing; she would laugh and have me committed. For the next hour or so we packed in silence, she hadn't said anything about my encounter except "uh-huh" and "hmm-hmm" (that by the way is so very odd). I can't say she's one of my less outspoken friends, but she said nothing until we were finished packing (actually that is quite amazing since it took so much longer in the past, usually I do all the packing myself, I digress).

"Not to mention I'm going out with him tonight, though I don't know when—" In the middle of my sentence I sent him a text, wondering if he's even alive/awake right now.

"Why are you so quiet? This isn't like you." She just stared at me with her hazel eyes and pink and brown hair (we like to change our hair color; we've been doing that since we were thirteen). She was shying away from me. From Me! We've been friends since before we could walk, for cripes sake! She finally started talking, but I couldn't read her like I used to. Definitely knew something was up. Was it her and her boyfriend? I know they've been having problems since he graduated. Okay, let's get to the bottom of this.

"Spill, Jade don't argue, just spill" we sat on my bed and right as she started talking it was a text message from Tristan saying 3:00pm, I said okay and moved on. "Go on, talk to me".

She glared at me for a few seconds, and tears ran down her face, she said "I think he found someone better, Dominic found someone else!" she managed through her sobs. She glanced at me expecting me to say something and when I made no utterance she kept talking: "We don't really talk anymore, or spend time together. I think it has something to do with me going back to Western without him; plus we're moving into a house…" She kept talking, more like rambling on really. I finally stopped her and told her that it wasn't like her can't come visit you at our house; just because he was away at Southern for graduate school. It calmed her, and she started asking me about Tristan.

Of course, I answered her questions! He was the only thing on my mind, plus she was helping me get ready it was almost 3. We walked out together and Tristan was getting out of his car. Must be more of a gentleman than I thought, if Alex sees him, he'll be badgered, maybe even run away. He looks like he's reading my thoughts…again; 'are you, Tristan?' He looked at me with the sincerest green eyes, he was so listening in on my thoughts; but he looked so sexy dressed in all black. He's just lucky I have a thing for green eyes, and one of my favorite colors is black.

'Still reading my mind, huh? Don't be giving me that look of innocence just because you like the thoughts I have; that gives you no reason to eaves drop on them! I'll be teaching you a lesson. I snapped back into reality when we'd approached him, I seemed to have forgotten I wasn't speaking out loud. "Jade, Tristan; Tristan, Jade".

"Nice to meet you, Jade. You are very pretty, as is your name."

"Nice to meet you, too. I've heard so much about you".

"All good, I hope?" 'Does she know about the vampire part, Autumn?' 'No, Tristan, she would call me crazy and have me committed!'

"Yes, very positive, well I have to go get furniture sent to the house, I will call you later. Bye," We waved as she got in her car and drove away. We stood in silence for a few minutes, then I noticed my brother staring out the window, right as I was going to suggest we leave Tristan was guiding me into the car, we finally fled. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I felt comfortable, so I didn't mind.

"I have a bone to pick with you"

"And a lesson to teach, I hope, I need a lesson," he uttered with a demonically handsomely breath taking smile. I couldn't help but smile back how could anyone not?

"You keep invading my thoughts. That's not very polite; do you normally just go around reading people's thoughts? Or are they just mine?"

"Proudly, I can say: the only thoughts I read are yours. But in my defense, how can I resist looking into your thoughts when I see beautiful caramel skin, green eyes and jet black hair with purple streaks? That's really unfair to me."

"Well, thank you, but that certainly does not get you off the hook. But for now, I'll let it slide. Where are we going?" He didn't answer me he just continued to drive for about twenty minutes while I in my head was counting all the weeping willows we passed (it's a thing my mother used to make my brother and I do when we were traveling to make time pass by faster). Then the silence ended, though it was soothing Tristan's voice was like silk.

"Well I think it's time to get to know each other don't you Autumn? What is your last name for starters?"

"My last name is Jordan, my full name is Autumn Marie Jordan, I was born and raised in Waukegan after my pain-in-the-ass brother, Alex"

"Okay so you were born and raised here. What about your heritage where do those gorgeous green eyes you have?"

"The eyes run in my family with the exception of my bro who has hazel eyes everyone in my family has green eyes. It comes from my mixed heritage my mother's father was African-American, her mother was Cherokee and Choctaw Indian. My father's father was Puerto Rican and his mother Italian. Really a mish mash of cultures that have come to create me."

"Well I am glad they did, what a pleasure to look at. Well I wasn't sure what you liked to do or eat so I thought I'd give you plenty of options for where we hang out but first we're going to see a movie, and I take it you love horror movies… Okay I admit it I already know that about you, it comes from reading your thoughts. You love that vampires are real."

"Yes well I admit I am a big vampire buff, really into vampire books and movies."

"Not vampire guys?" he had such a cocky smile when he asked that it was hilarious, and yet still insanely sexy.

"Guys, huh? Well, I don't know yet I'll get back to you on that one. How old are you anyway that you call yourself a guy and not a man?"

"I in reality am 380 years old, but I died as a human at the age of 26. It's really the perfect age when you think about it I'm just old enough not to carded every place I go. Well do you have any vampire questions for me? I know you do its written all over your face."

"Well obviously, you walk around in daylight thought I'm not exactly sure how. Is it lapis lazuli or something else? I really want to know the veracity of vampirism."

"Well what books have you been reading, and I can tell you if any of them have truths, I mean garlic is a major fallacy. I love garlic but too much is bad for anyone."

Thoughts were running through my head I don't even think I can name the hundreds of vampire books I've read. "There are too many to name if you saw my books you'd understand, they are the only things not moving to school with me, there are just too many."

"Well I do walk in daylight because of a pentagram ring that is encrusted in lapis lazuli, black onyx and charoite. Not all vampires have one but ones that want to walk around in the day do. As for the pentagram I was born a male witch so it aids me in everyday things, though as a vampire I don't really need magic. But if your blood contains magic heritage, you might have some hidden talents you don't even know about yet. Well, we're here. Movie theater first, then we eat." We went to go see G.I. Joe which was a great movie it wasn't long enough but I did like being close to him. Sadly, the movie ended. I wonder where the rest of the date is going to take us. I can't wait to tell Jade when I get home. He was nice to touch and oh so very hot. "Okay, would you like to finish the conversation while we make our way to the next destination?"

"Yes, that would be nice. I know there is some magic to my heritage. My grandmother always told me 'you have veils over your eyes and one day you'll be able to see I think see meant something mystical but I wasn't sure, I just know all my life I've had dreams that at some point come true but they seemed more like deĵa vú. — We went on talking for another half an hour before he asked me my favorite food was… boy that was a hard one… what really was my favorite food?? Hmm, I don't know. "This isn't very romantic but I love bacon cheeseburgers, delicious!" He actually took me to one of my favorite bars in Kenosha they have the best drinks and burgers not to mention calamari. So yum! The food as always was awesome but I didn't really want to eat you know, in front of a guy you like it's totally different to eat in front of them. He encouraged me to eat and I admit I had a couple long island ice teas. I'm old enough to have a little fun with a guy. I wonder if vampires can get drunk. I will have to ask.

We walked about of the bar, I was enjoying myself and I think Tristan could tell, but we weren't really saying much, which isn't either bad or good. I do wonder why we haven't been talking much but it's okay I'm sure I'll find out. "What would you like to do next Autumn." What do I say I have no clue! Then I got an idea.

"It's beautiful outside, can we go walking at the beach and talk?? I know I talk a lot."

"You don't talk a lot, yes we can go to the beach, in fact that's a great idea but I have a taste for some ice cream would you like to get some?"

"Ice cream sounds great; may I suggest Cold Stone Creamery?"

"Great minds think alike, just what I was thinking of." We arrived at the ice cream place fifteen minutes later (so we lingered in the car a little bit; I was doing all I could not to kiss him). I took charge of the ordering. This time, I got a large mudslide hold the slide, which for me consisted of coffee ice cream while chocolate chips and Oreos. For him I got a large cake batter ice cream with strawberries and cheesecake I called it "birthday cheesecake" he seemed to like it. We sat outside in the basking sun even though by now it was almost 8:00pm and the sun was about to go down. We finished our delightful ice cream we sailed to the beach for what I thought was the end of the night.

"Are you having a good time tonight?" he asked me. I simply smiled and nodded as he took my hand. So romantic, I don't want this night to end. "Forgive me for reading your thoughts but if you don't want this night to end then, it doesn't have to."

"I will forgive it just this once. Why does it not have to end I need clothes and things you know; provisions".

"Don't worry about your provisions. I have you covered, don't worry about it, it's taken care of all you have to do is tell your brother that you're not coming home tonight".

"Oh I'm sure he'll love that, as if he isn't 'conveniently' sitting outside the window waiting for me to get home. You'd think at 22 he'd have something better to do, like homework for grad school." I called Alex and no, he isn't too happy about me not coming home because I'm out with a guy that I barely know, but it wasn't worth lying to him about it so I didn't; he'll just have to deal and get a life of his own. "Okay, so then where are we going?" We left the beach and went back to his place, he had a nice huge house in Waukegan, it's near the harbor and a few miles away from my house. "You're house is so beautiful. Um I would like to get a little more comfortable, do you have an oversized t-shirt I could sleep in. I mean, if that's okay with you." I tried to look nonchalant but failed miserably, but he gave me a huge shirt I was swimming in it and trust me I am not one of those size 5 girls. I have meet on my bones and I'm proud of it. "Will it bother you if I don't wear pants? This is just what I find comfortable".

"No not at all, in fact I quite enjoy the view, would you like a separate bedroom. If that will make you comfortable." Read my mind, I thought. Unless you sleep in a coffin, I'm fine, unless you aren't. "No I don't and no it won't. So will you mind if I read your thoughts?"

"Yes I will mind unless I say it's okay, I don't care how cute you are. Can you tell what my feelings are?"

"No I can't tell what your feelings are because we don't have a bond that would allow me to have a sense of how you were feeling. If we fed off of each other for a while, I would be able to tell how you were feeling no matter where you were in the world and if you were in trouble, I could travel to you."

"Speaking of trouble, how come you wanted to know if Jade knew about you being a vampire?"

"Because it could be dangerous for her. It is dangerous for you to know, but at least I am around to protect you, there are vampires that don't feel the same way about humans as I and my family do, and they would like nothing better than to kill humans".

"Well, isn't that just a comforting notion? I feel so loved…not really."

"Well don't see it that way, I mean I'm here for you no matter what we are to each other, I got you into this mess and I'll keep you safe. I promise I wouldn't put you in danger if I couldn't protect you."

"You know you are a sweet gentleman, I think however we should go to lay down I'm sort of tired and on information overload, can we go to bed?" He lead me up to his room and his bedroom was gorgeous his room was like my dream room turquoise and black sheets which were silk. Could he be any more my dream guy? The sheets felt great as I slid in bed into his arms. I know it seems kind of fast but we weren't doing anything that wasn't innocent; I of course fell asleep in his arms having a conversation.