Bleeding Love (33 page)

Instead she
amused herself with the world–class foods. The salad smothered with French
dressing, hickory ribs sprinkled with barbeque sauce and spring onions, a slice
of marble cheesecake with chocolate and strawberry syrups, and a tray of
crackers and cheeses.

She immersed
herself with all these gastronomic luxuries and watched a rerun of
Gossip
Girl
on her personal TV. It was the episode when Serena and Dan decided to
call it quits in the second season, and Adrienne took notice of the blonde’s wardrobe.
It was something she'd wear, and she made sure that the next time she shopped
she was going to buy something similar.

The trip
continued like this. She avoided thinking of anything serious, instead eating,
watching, sleeping, and then eating again. After repeating this routine more
than a few times, the plane descended, turning to its left. It turned around
and continued to decrease its altitude, and after a few minutes, the aircraft
finally landed on the ground, wheels screeching in the process.

Adrienne
tightened her seat belt and held on to her seat. She closed her eyes, enjoying
the swiftness with which the plane moved. She opened them as soon as they had
landed. Immediately, passengers unbuckled their seatbelts, opened the overhead
compartments, took out their carry–on luggage, and formed a line. Then slowly,
they exited the plane.

She was finally
in Munich, Germany, and now, she had to go to her next flight, the one that was
taking her to Austria. She rolled her eyes at how tiresome all this was before
shaking the thought away. She was finally going to see Xavier again after
years. That should be reason enough for her to go through all these grueling
procedures. Sighing, she pulled her baggage with her and headed over to the
departure section of the airport, repeating the same strenuous process she'd
undergone back in Los Angeles.

The flight from
Munich, Germany to Vienna, Austria took less time, yet service–wise, it wasn't
as great as her trip from LA to Munich. This was because she'd decided to go
Business Class this time, instead of First Class.

When she left the
plan, she made a beeline for one of the immigration desks. She wanted to get
out of the airport as soon as possible, but even more, she wanted to see her
closest friends again. Adrienne hurriedly gave the immigration officer her
passport, and when it was returned, she headed over to the baggage carousels.

Pushing a cart
with her, she slipped in between two burly Europeans and patiently waited for
her luggage. She had one big and one small suitcase. Round and round the bags
went, and then she spotted her belongings, she reached down and tugged on the
handle of the small suitcase and pulled the luggage off the carousel before
placing it on her cart. Fortunately, Adrienne had help from the two men when
she retrieved her bigger bag.

After saying
thank you, she headed over to the Arrivals section of the airport. There was
still no sign of Brianna and Aidan, so she decided to take out her cell phone
and wait outside. She thanked the Heavens her phone had roaming. She wouldn't
have to play hide and seek since she could just call either Bree or Aidan, but
she was too late for that. A black Ford Expedition parked itself right in front
of her, and when the driver rolled down the window, she was met by a shrieking
Brianna who looked much paler than when Adrienne had last seen her friend. The
California tan had worn off and she looked more like a vampire.

“Oh my god!” Brianna’s
voice raised several decibels, grabbing the attention of a number of people. “I
missed you like hell! Life wasn't as much fun without you!”

“But it was still
fun,” Aidan interjected with a small wink, and Adrienne chuckled at this.

“I wasn't done,
Hun.” She turned her head to give him an evil glare before she turned back to
her best friend. “I was wondering if you were still coming! I've been waiting
for so long! I hope your flights were good though, yeah?”

“Well, I almost
missed my flight to Munich.” Her grin was impish. “Blame Tryst and Sab for
that.”

“No Max?”

“You know how
those two are. They'll be having make–up sex in no time.”

Brianna slapped
Adrienne's arm. “No need for that much candor, Adie!”

“Oh, I forgot,” Adrienne
answered, rolling her eyes teasingly. “You've been de-Americanized, and you've
got a stick up your ass now. Forgot about that.”

“Is that even a word?
De-Americanized?”

“I don't even
know, Bree.”

“And that comes
from someone who graduated from Yale?” Aidan questioned, feigning a look of
outrageousness. “What standards,”

“Don't adulterate
or adjudicate the institution that has turned me into the brain you see before
you. Hmph!”

“Now there's the
Ivy–league graduate I was expecting,” Aidan teased, even winking for added
effect.

“And Xavier's
going to kill us if we don't get home soon. The guy's depressed enough as it
is.”

“But we're
bringing a 
big
 present. With Adrienne at our side, he can't
get mad at us.”

“So was that your
reason for forcing me to come here, hmmm?” Adrienne's tone was playful. “To
save you two from getting slaughtered?”

Brianna came to
their defense. “Well, it's partly Xavier's fault, he's being such a killjoy.” Brianna
continued on with her rant, explaining to Adrienne the depression which Xavier
had fallen into.

In the mean time the
three of them began the drive back to the mansion, which Brianna told Adrienne
was bigger than any of the houses back in America. It was really a castle, high
ceilings, a tall, hovering tower, lavish burgundy curtains, and all that jazz.
The Kristofferson residence was royalty at its best. Adrienne just couldn't
picture a sulking, vampire prince amidst all the luxury.

“Well you can't
really blame him,” Brianna commented. She didn’t turn around to face Adrienne. “He
hasn't seen you in 
years
. He really misses you, and has been
worrying all this time, afraid that you'll get together with the guys you went
out on dates with.”

“Did you tell him
things never got past the first date?”

“Did you really
mean first date?” Brianna put on a thoughtful expression. “Not first base?”

“You didn't,” Adrienne
began, her voice turning sterner and colder. “You didn't tell him I—, I didn't!”

“I'm sorry I
misinterpreted the things you told me. But at least it's only the first base, he'd
be furious if you went farther—”

“Not the point,
Bree! What will he think of me now? A slut? A whore?”

“Well, you'll
be 
his
 whore now, or slut.”

“Tell me again
why we're best friends?” Adrienne then asked, a little bit disappointed.

Bree raised her
eyebrows up suggestively, and it was only then that Adrienne realized that
everything had been a joke.

“Because I wasn't
being serious. Seriously Adie, my hearing's perfect, I'm a vampire now like you
guys.” She was openly laughing at her best friend whose face was fuming read. “Damn,
you should've seen your face. And first base isn't bad really, considering
Xavier knows how far you've already gone.”

“Again, not the
point,” she answered, her voice bordering on both amusement and disappointment.
“Thank God, I love you, because really, I haven't been using my psychic powers,
might as well use it on you right now.”

“Whoa,” Brianna
continued chuckling lightly. “Hold your horses. You'll thank me soon enough, since
we're almost there.”

When she looked
out the window, she realized that the road had narrowed. There were green
fields on both sides of the road. Instead of tall buildings and lots of people
milling around, there were farm animals munching on what nature had to offer.
The environment had quieted as they went deeper into the countryside. The ride
continued for about thirty more minutes before they finally arrived at the
castle. The building was utterly majestic as Brianna and Aidan had said.

“Can you believe
you're going to live here?” Brianna asked. She'd been at the house a number of
times, but she was still amazed every time she saw the size and area of the
place. “You're so, so lucky, Adrienne.”

“Hey,” Aidan
feigned a pained look. “What's that supposed to mean, babe?”

“I only said she
was very lucky,” Brianna answered, reassuring her boyfriend. “I didn't say she
was the luckiest woman in the world.”

And with that,
Aidan started to grin like crazy. His lips twitched before they turned up into
a full smile, even allowing some of his teeth to show. That compliment of
Brianna’s might have been simple and indirect, but that was what made it
utterly adorable and sweet. It was genuine. Her feelings were genuine.

That realization
forced Adrienne to realize that she'd have to face her own feelings in just a
few moments.

Aidan parked the
car in the garage, so they had to take a small, secondary route into the
castle. The moment Adrienne saw the kitchen, she was openly gaping. Her family
was rich all right, but Xavier's had just another level of wealth and
affluence. She and her father only had a mansion back in America. The
Kristofferson's had a castle.

They walked
through the hallways, finally getting close to what smelled and sounded like a
dining room. Brianna stepped in front of Adie, into the room first. “We're
home!” Brianna shouted.

Adie could hear
both a man and a woman’s voice, as well as a shuffle of other sounds. She could
hear Henrietta's familiar maternal yet commanding tone. “We're here eating,
Brianna, dear!” the elderly woman answered back. “Come join Xavier and me! The
lad's been in a bad mood all day.”

“We know Mrs.
Kristofferson.” That was Aidan who answered. He was even chuckling as he passed
Adrienne and went into the room. “That's why we brought him a present.”

“Mother, how many
times have I told you that I'm just tired due to all my responsibilities? I am
not in a bad mood,” he said, obviously surely.

Adrienne's heart
jumped when she heard Xavier's voice. She had missed his tone, deep and
comforting, seductive and playful.

“Why do all of
you assume I'm sulking because of Adrienne?”

Brianna turned
back and looked at her friend. She and Aiden entered the room and went to stand
at the table so that they could see Xavier’s face, and watch Adrienne enter the
room. They wouldn’t miss this surprise for the world.

Brianna couldn’t
help throwing gas on Xavier’s fire. “Well, you barely smile, and I know it's
not because your father's sick. You've accepted that inevitable, but missing Adrienne
makes you irritable.”

Xavier sighed. “Adie
is at Yale,” he said. “And she's happy there, so I'm happy as long as she is.”

Brianna decided
to take advantage of the moment. “What kind of fiancé are you, you don't even
know the whereabouts of your own girl?”

“We're
disappointed, Xavier,” Aidan added as he went over to his girlfriend and
wrapped an arm around her waist. “And she's not in Yale anymore. She already
graduated, dumbass.”

Xavier was silent
for a moment. Depressed that he hadn’t even known. “Well, it's not my fault she
hasn't been talking to me—”

Brianna and Aidan
smiled. They both knew what was going to happen next.

“And I'm sorry
for that,” Adrienne answered softly, coming into the room and stopping just behind
Xavier. Since they were all vampires, she knew the words would be loud and
clear. She saw the way the ripples in his arms tensed up and flexed. She heard
his now–ragged breathing, and she could just imagine the look on his face—one
of shock and pure bewilderment. She didn't know what to say after apologizing,
so she went around the table and kissed the cheek of Xavier's mom, before she
finally turned to face her fiancé.

He was more gorgeous
than ever. Or maybe it was just that she hadn't seen him for five years. He was
a little paler, but his complexion brought out the dark shade of his eyes and
hair. She knew by the way he sat, that he’d grown a little taller. His jaw was
also sharper, edgier, and she thought she could thank all his responsibilities
for that.

He was officially
a man at the age of twenty–three. He wasn't the high school senior she’d fallen
in love with. He was different, but the moment they locked eyes, she just knew
their feelings for each other hadn’t changed. She smiled.

“You–you're here,”
his voice seemed sad. “When did you get here?”

“I just came from
the airport.” She tried to hide the fact that she didn't like the tightness around
his mouth.

Xavier's mother
decided that this reunion could happen without her. She finished her cup of tea,
wiped her mouth with a napkin, and went upstairs to sit with her husband.

When it was only
the four of them in the room, Aidan and Brianna took one seat, with Brianna
resting comfortingly on her boyfriend's lap.

Adrienne took the
chair nearest Xavier's.

“Oh,” was all
Xavier could say.