Violet Forsythe has finally found peace.
She successfully escaped a coven of malignant vampires, worked hard to get an education, and has actually managed to pull herself together.
But, as old acquaintances begin to resurface, the life that Violet w...
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"Oh, wow," I said in complete surprise. "Alec. I have no idea you just so happened to be in the neighborhood at this exact moment."
Alec, despite the sunlight breaking through the heavy gray clouds outside, had wandered into the coffee shop in the middle of the day. He wore a bulky winter coat with the hood up, and positioned himself to face away from the windows, but I was still appalled by how careless he was being.
"Jane mentioned that she saw you last night, but I didn't expect to run into you," he smiled, completely at ease.
"Hi," Mark interjected. "I'm Mark. Would you like to join us?"
"You don't have to do that," I said, looking back and forth between the two.
"Absolutely," Alec accepted quickly and pulled up a chair, positioning himself to sit much closer to my side of the table rather than just sitting in the middle.
"Mark, this is Alec," I said wearily, giving in. "I went to high school with him, and his twin sister, Jane."
"Oh?" Mark said, his interest peaked. "You knew each other in high school?"
I didn't discuss my past with Mark much, so I wasn't surprised by his fascination with Alec. It was clear that he was this an opportunity to learn more about me by pumping information out of Alec.
Unfortunately, I had no idea what exactly Alec had on me.
"Yes, we did," Alec chucked. "We dated, actually."
'Oh, dear God...'
I could feel my whole face burning. How the hell was I supposed to respond to that?
"Weird. She's never mentioned you before," Mark said flippantly with a warm smile.
Alec blinked slowly at Mark, and then plastered a smile back on his face. "I guess you don't know her as well as you think you do. Strange, considering how much you seem to care for her."
"Were you a freshman? You look kind of young," Mark replied, keeping up with the bizarrely upbeat jabs. "I wouldn't brag about dating a freshman, either."
"We're the same age, actually," Alec said, his tone growing more acidic. "I'm just aging really well."
"Is that so?" Mark replied skeptically.
"You look thirty, so I understand your confusion," Alec chuckled. "Unless you are thirty and you have a thing for younger girls."
"I'm not a girl," I protested. "I'm a grown woman."
"How long did you and Violet date?" Mark pressed on. "I have a feeling it couldn't have been longer than six months. I couldn't imagine she would forget someone as pleasant as you unless she was suffering from literal amnesia."
"Our love affair was on the shorter side, but it burned brightly," Alec said. "But, at least I had her. I have a feeling you cannot say the same."
"Wow!" I exclaimed, before laughing nervously. "Look at the time! I should get going."
