Forever Yours (#3) (3 page)

“At least he knows a good team!”

Dalton arrives shortly after and I’m surprised that he hasn’t tooted the horn for
me to come out. I rush over to the front window and I slide open the grey
blinds. I am anxious, when I see that Dalton is walking in a smug manner along
the garden path. I bite my lower lip, as I recoil the worry that is forming in my
chest. I hear the doorbell ring and I instantly rush out of the lounge and into the
narrow hallway. I pull open the front door and I smile when I see Dalton. He is
wearing dark jeans and a navy baseball jersey with the word ‘BOSTON’ written
across the front. His blonde hair is pushed back and his eyes are a deep shade of
blue –he looks sinful. He moves closer to me and I catch a whiff of his strong
cologne, I bask in his scent and then he speaks in his slightly southern accent.

“Are you ready to go?” He says as he reaches his hand out for me. I nod and
then my heart races when I hear my uncle stomping behind me.

“Now look here son, I expect you to take good care of Rose. Do you understand
me?” I blush –why does my uncle have to be so embarrassing? I shoot Dalton
an apologetic look and I am surprised to see that his calm and sweet exterior is
now replaced by a very serious, tense look.

“Of course, sir,” Dalton says as he stares into my uncles eyes. George pats me
on the head and he nods at Dalton. My face is on fire, but Dalton’s cool hand
freezes my heat, when he pulls me out of the house. He slides his hand onto my
lower back and he leads me to his car, whispering in my ear. “You’re Uncle
scares the hell outta me!” I laugh –a vampire is scared of my sweet, old uncle,
surly not!

Three

Dalton navigates through the city and now we are heading south towards
Boston. The traffic is unusually calm for a game day and the miles are slipping
away as Dalton presses his foot down onto the gas pedal. The hood of the car is
dropped and the slightly warm air is blowing through my hair as we speed
through the lanes. Dalton has been quiet and very calm and I can’t help but
think that he is a little upset. I pull my eyes away from the road ahead, so that I
can take in Dalton’s looks. He looks tense and I notice that he is concentrating
on his driving, in a very serious manner. His hand is gripped onto the wheel and
it looks as if it could snap in two from the pressure. His foot is firmly lodged
onto the gas pedal and I start to feel a little uncomfortable when the car lunges
forward. I grip onto the armrest and I try not to show that I am scared. The car is
floating from lane to lane, overtaking every car in sight. My heart is pounding
and I frown when I feel my phone buzzing from inside my jean pocket. I
reluctantly pull my hand away from the rest and I reach into my jeans. I sigh
when I see that Ryan is calling me and then an overwhelming cloud has come
over me –I kissed him last night. My heart starts to race –crap what I am going
to say to him? I feel super guilty that I lead him on and I can’t believe my own
stupidity for kissing him. The phone continues to buzz and Dalton notices.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” I let out a sigh –don’t be a cowered Rose. I
smile at Dalton and then I slide to answer.

 

“Hey,”
I say in an upbeat voice. Ryan doesn’t take long to reply.
“
Hey girl, are you hung-over?”

“I’m not too bad actually, what about you?”
He laughs down the phone –right
he doesn’t get hung-over.
“Sorry, that was a stupid question, so what you up
to?”

“Not much, just thinking about you.”
My heart jumps –crap Ryan has hope. I
need to put a dent in his hope –great I am hurting my friend.

 

“Ryan, about last night…”
I begin to explain, but Ryan jumps in first, gushing
about our kiss.

“It was perfect in every way possible, except for when that jerk ruined our
moment.”
My mind starts to rush and I am suddenly reminded that Dalton can
hear everything that Ryan is saying. Crap this is awkward –think Rose. I can’t
let Ryan think that we stand a chance of getting back together and I don’t want
Dalton to think that either. I need to sort this, before it gets out of hand.

“Ryan last night was a mistake. I was drunk, too drunk and mad at Dalton. I
wanted to numb the pain that he caused me, so I kissed you hoping that it would
make me feel something. I’m sorry, but I just don’t feel that way about you.”

“So, you used me?”

“No, yeah I guess I did. I’m sorry, like I said I was drunk. I know that’s no
excuse, but please, I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. I care about you; I
just don’t have loving feelings for you.”

“Do you love him?”
“Yeah,” I feel Dalton’s eyes burning through me, but I don’t meet his stare. I
keep my eyes firmly on the speeding traffic as I await Ryan’s reply.
“You know that I just want you to be happy, right?”
“Yeah and that’s what I want for you too. I’m not the right girl for you, but
she’s out there, waiting for you.”

“You’re a sappy girl, you know that?”
I laugh –thank God Ryan understands. I
smile as I say my goodbyes to Ryan. He hangs up and I push my phone back
into the pocket of my jeans. I try to steady my blowing hair and I am surprised
when I feel Dalton’s hand on my knee. I turn my head to meet his stare and he
is smiling at me. His lips are white and hand is chilling right through to my
bones. My eyes fall onto my lap and onto Dalton’s hand. His fingers are gently
caressing my leg and I place my hand onto his. My fingers tingle from his icy
hand, and I let out a sigh as I maintain my stare.

“Look at me,” Dalton says as he lifts his hand and grips onto my chin. He pulls
my head towards his and my eyes lift and meet his. “You care about the boy,
don’t you?” I blush at his words, but I feel that I need to explain the Ryan
situation to him. I don’t want him to think that I have feelings for Ryan; he
needs to know that I only have eyes for him.

“He’s just a friend; I only have feelings … for you.” Dalton nods and he smiles,
loosening my face in the process. My hands begin to tremble and I can sense
that my mouth is about to run away with me, but I don’t care, I need to ask this
question. “Have you ever turned anyone?” Dalton sighs and I can tell that he
isn’t impressed, or pleased to hear my prying question. But I don’t care; I need
to know the answer.

“No,” he says in a firm tone –I narrow my eyes, I just don’t believe him. Is he
trying to scare me off –again? He is desperate for me to change my mind about
wanting to be vampire, is this another one of his tricks?

“Your eyes, tell me that isn’t true!” Dalton hisses –he isn’t pleased with me.
“Just stop it, Rose, okay?” I frown at him. Why is he being so annoying?

“No, I want to know why you aren’t being honest with me. I have opened up to
you, why can’t you do the same?” Dalton slows the car down and I begin to feel
uneasy when he pulls into the slow lane. He grips the wheel, firm and strong
and he breathes through his burning desire. He turns to look at me and I see that
his eyes are burning, he is hungry –again. “Dalton, are you okay?” I ask as I feel
that he needs a little comfort. Even though I am mad at him for not sharing
whatever pain he has, I don’t want to witness that pain.

“You don’t understand what you’re asking me to do!” Dalton says in a shaken
voice.

“Then explain it to me,” I say as I cup his cheek. Dalton sighs at my touch and
he pulls the car into the nearest emergency bay. He flicks a switch and the roof
folds up around us. He turns to face me with his intense blue eyes burning
through me. He runs his fingers through his hair and he clears his throat before
he speaks.
“You’re beautiful, amazing and the only girl that I have ever … cared about.
When I’m with you, I don’t feel like the monster that I am. I feel things for you,
which I have never experienced before, things that I haven’t allowed myself to
feel. But no matter how much I care about you, I would never ask you to change
for me. Being a vampire isn’t normal and believe me you would regret it,
forever.” I shake my head at him –I wouldn’t regret it. I would bask in it, I want
it more than anything, and I want to be with him. My hearts flutters –he finally
admits that he cares. I reach out and clasp my hands into his, he rolls his eyes at
my affection and he starts again with the vampire-dissing. “If you were like me,
then you wouldn’t feel the same things that you’re feeling now. Your heart
would be empty, only lusting for blood. You wouldn’t want me, once you
changed!” I finally understand. He thinks that being a vampire would stop me
from loving him. This is crazy. I will always love him.

“You think that I wouldn’t love you if I was a vampire? That’s crazy talk; I
would love you no matter what. Please, make me like you!” Dalton hits the
steering wheel in frustration and I lose my patience with him. “Why are you so
against this?” Dalton lunges his arms into the air and he grabs me by both sides
of my face. His eyes are red and terrifying, his lips are white and he is in his
vampire form. He stares through me, shaking me as if he were trying to wake
me from a deep sleep.

“I don’t want you to go through the same pain as I have!” Dalton shouts.

“You have read my mind; you know how much I love you. How much I care
and want you. You know that I would always love you. So forgive me if I don’t
buy your lame excuse!”

“Yes I have read your mind, but I have also read the mind of every innocent
person that I have killed. Those thoughts haunt me and I don’t want you to
experience the pain or the guilt that I have suffered, every day of my existence.”
Of course it never occurred to me –Dalton has read the minds of all of his
victims –could I handle that if I was a vampire? Maybe Dalton is right, maybe I
shouldn’t want to be a vampire. What if it is a curse and you don’t know the
extent of its force until you’re one of them? Turning into a vampire is forever,
but living without Dalton would be a nightmare. I couldn’t get out of bed every
day, knowing that he wasn’t there. Nothing would matter without him and my
life would be over. As much of a risk turning into a vampire would be, it would
be worth it, if I got to spend an eternity with him.
“I never thought of it that way, but Dalton, I love you.” I say as I gently stroke
his cold cheek. He gives into my touch for a few seconds and then he lifts my
hand away from his skin. He positions himself back into his driving position
and he starts the engine. The car roars and Dalton signals and then slams his
foot down onto the gas pedal. The car lunges forward and I stick to the seat
from the sudden acceleration. We sit in silence, for a few moments and then
Dalton surprises me, when he grabs my arm and rests our clasped hands on the
armrest. His breathing is slow and heavy and I almost think that he is going to
pounce on me. But my thoughts are wrong as he locks his eyes on mine. They
are a deep shade of blue, playful and intense.

“You hungry,” Dalton asks as he points at the sign for the next food exit. I
didn’t really eat this morning, just nibbled on an apple and drank about a gallon
of coffee. I push my loose hair away from my face as I reply.

“A little, are you?” I instantly regret my question –of course he’s hungry. He is
a vampire –aren’t they always hungry for blood? Dalton takes the food exit and
we turn into the truck stop. There is a gas station and several fast food chains.
The parking lot is busy and almost every car is overfilled and sporting some
type of Red Sox memorabilia. Children are running riot, screaming and
playfully fighting with each other. I smile at the kids as Dalton pulls the car into
a tight space, between two large trucks. He pushes open his door and he climbs
out. He rushes over to my side of the car and he opens the door for me. I smile
at him. “You’re such a gentleman, aren’t you?” Dalton rolls his eyes and he
pulls me close to him, sliding his arm around my shoulders in the process. He
leads me towards the gas station and he pushes me inside. I take in my
surroundings, as Dalton leads me over to a small table. The gas station is large,
it has all the usual things you would expect, but it doubles as a diner. Road signs
and pictures of all its guests hang from the walls and at the back there is a large
counter. Behind it, there is a grill and guy with a chef’s hat is cooking up some
burgers. A waitress arrives at our table and she instantly notices Dalton’s
beauty, she blushes as she hands us our menus.

“May I take your drink order?” She says in a strong Boston accent. Dalton
smiles at me as he orders our drinks.

“We’ll both have coffee,” the waitress can’t control her emotions and she is
blushing even harder than before, as she runs back towards the counter. I shake
my head at her and Dalton notices my actions. “Is there something wrong?” He
says as he pulls his eyes away from the menu.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Dalton looks confused.
“Does what bother me?”

“The attention you get from women,” Dalton laughs and he closes his menu. He
reaches out and takes my hand.

 

“Are you jealous?” I blush at his words.

“No, it’s just annoying.” Dalton laughs again and he looks away from me as the
waitress rushes back over to our table. She places a pot of coffee, two cups, a
small jug of cream and a jar of sugar down onto the table. She smiles at Dalton
and pulls her notepad out of her back pocket.

“Are you ready to order?” She asks in a sweet voice.

 

“Cheeseburger, rare,” Dalton says in a firm voice. The waitress writes down his
order and then she turns to me.

“I’ll have the pancakes,” she nods at me and then takes one last look at Dalton.
She rushes back over to the counter and Dalton fixes his eyes on me. He looks
as if he wants to ask me something, but he’s holding back. I don’t want to ask
him about what he is thinking, I can’t argue with him anymore. I pour us some
coffee as he continues to stare at me. His eyes are intense, but I ignore them, I
am not going to question him on how he’s feeling. I can’t make him see that I
love him and that turning me into a vampire, is what I want. He refuses to listen
to me and he won’t even consider what I am asking him to do. Trying to
convince him that I care about him and that I love him and always will is like
trying to get blood from a stone, impossible and pointless. I wish that he would
open his mind a little and let me in. I want to prove how much I love him, but
he won’t give me the chance. He protects himself with a mask that he hides
behind to keep people away, but I can see through it and I can see that he cares.
If only he would accept his feelings and turn me so that we can be together,
forever.