Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 12

Drei was back to disappearing before I could catch him, and I couldn’t miss anymore of Caroline’s calls without some repercussion. I hated that this was what we had been reduced to. We might as well have been time sharers.

It was a week before the next broadcast when we finally happened to be there at the same time. I was just arriving home from another meeting. Drei was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper.

“Can we talk?” I asked cautiously, hanging my purse on a rung of the coat rack.

Drei gazed at me a long moment before setting his paper down. Sitting across from him, I asked the first and most important question I had thought of: “What happened?” His brow furrowed, and before he could demand some clarification, I added, “Between us. Why are you avoiding me and angry, and cold all of the time? What did I do?”

“You are not aware?” he asked quietly, his amethyst eyes flat and stony. I hadn’t seen his eyes so cold since Nick had been at camp. And even then, they had rarely been directed at me.

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin guessing.”

“Let me give you a few clues, then;” the ice in his tone suggested I really had done something and, whatever it was, it could not be easily forgiven. “Our arrival here your first day back? Your new position? Still no? Then you leave me for her. In the middle of something intimate—for me, at least.”

“Caroline? What does she have to do with anything?”

“It is more painful to lie, Abriel;” his features were stoic though his voice betrayed pain and anger. “I witnessed you kiss her that day. This promotion, the phone calls, they are all a ruse. You can tell me.”

“But it isn’t. Nothing happens. I don’t even know—”

“You do not have to lie or justify it. Just be honest.”

“But I’m not lying;” I felt tears press at my eyes and my throat start to tighten. My mouth felt dry and I could barely swallow.

“I have trusted for years what I see. I am not about to change that because you want me to.” He stood, turning away from me. So this really was all her fault. She was the reason he was tearing my heart out of his chest.

“I’m not lying,” I choked, drowning in the accusations and clues and thoughts flooding my mind.

“Just admit it!” He turned suddenly, grabbing the arm rests of my chair. His flaming and vibrantly dark eyes were inches from mine.

“I can’t. Not when you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You love her, just say it! Stop lying to me. Stop pretending your affections belong to me. Just stop it all!”

I covered my mouth and shook my head, trying to contain my anguish and shake out all of the hurtful words. “I’m working for her because of you…because I love you. You told me I needed her; you told me to go back to work for her because she needed me.”

“I did not think you would make a relationship of it.” He pushed off from the chair; though he stood upright, his head was bowed and his shoulder slumped.

“I did it for you. I love you…so I did what you wanted.”

“Your fickleness is not something I desire,” he whispered, turning away.

I bit my lip. He wouldn’t listen; he was too stubborn and set in his belief of this. If he knew me at all, how could he possibly think this about me? It didn’t seem probable in the least. I think that’s what hurt the most. He didn’t know me well enough to trust I wasn’t lying to him.

Trying to hold myself together, I asked, “Do you want me to leave?”

Slowly shuffling away, he didn’t bother to turn back to me. “It might be for the best.”

Unable to stand looking back, I grabbed my purse and shoes and ran from the apartment, still trying to keep it together by forcing myself to breathe slowly, but my chest was too tight and the air seemed too thin.

Outside, I sat on a bench, staring at the blurred phone in my hand. Caroline and Ian were the only other people I knew around there. But Caroline had started all of this and Ian was her friend. It would feel like an admission of guilt to call and ask for their support. For their help. Yet, I didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Before I could make up my mind to do anything, the phone sang out its piano melody.

“Look,” Caroline began before I could say anything. “A problem came up with one of the people we chose, so we have to pick someone else.”

I tried to answer, I really did. I was determined not to cry on the phone to her, not even sure I wanted her help. She was partially responsible for this and I hadn’t begun to think through how I felt about that.

“Where are you?”

Realizing the depth of the situation, I couldn’t help but break down into tears. Drei didn’t love me because I had done what he had wanted. I didn’t have a place to stay anymore. To top things off, my heart was shattered by the one person I never thought could hurt me. Who would never willingly choose to hurt me.

“Abs?” She sounded worried. I wished I could tell her I was fine, but I couldn’t stop the gasping sobs shaking my body. It didn’t feel like I had any control left over anything. “Oh, god, Abs,” she said into the phone, her voice tremulous. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t move.” The phone fell from my hand as I sat there, crying, hugging myself, and trying to keep the rest of me from shattering as well.