Blood Bonded

21

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yes. The watch is tracking my sister's heartbeat. She's going to text you if she gets a message. I changed her ringtone in your phone, blah, blah, blah." She hitched up her dress to step over the curb. "Trust me."

Rae nodded. "Okay."

"First, not to overstep, aren't you a little uncomfortable with your ex-boyfriend who has the keys to your house tracking your location?"

Rae sighed. "It's complicated. We're really more like...business partners."

"Ah," Sam said. "You're in denial."

"I wish I could explain, Sam. But—"

"There you are!" They glanced up to see Zack standing on the street waving them down.

Sam whistled lowly. "You know, when Zack said 'Italian,' I thought he meant, 'Olive Garden.'"

Rae examined the building. "This is definitely not Oliver Garden."

Sam chuckled. "Here's hoping they pay." Sam ran up to Zack and threw her arms around him.

Trevor stood off to the side and hugged Rae before taking a step back. "You look..." he paused for a second, "stunning." Rae smiled and glanced down at her dress. This time, she had chosen from her own closet.

"You don't look back yourself."

They made their way to the table. The restaurant was glittering glass, velvet curtains, and maroon wines. The waitress took their drink orders and Rae begin examining the menu. A lot of girls on dates chose small meals because they felt uncomfortable eating in front of their significant other. Rae had no problem eating. The prices, however, stared back at her and her tiny bank account menacingly.

"How did you guys meet?" Zack looked at Rae and Trevor.

Trevor chuckled. "Well, we had a class together. Abnormal human psychology. It was my first class, and I was a bit out of my league."

"You were not." Rae sipped her water and turned to Zack. "He passed the first exam with flying colors and the professor asked him if he would do tutoring."

"Okay, but I didn't know that he meant tutor others. I thought he was recommending I get a tutor. So, I looked up tutors for the class and connected with Rae."

"And he ended up tutoring me."

Trevor laughed. "I did not."

Rae smirked. "My grades got better."

"There's nothing better than an A."

Rae shook her head in amusement and then looked at Sam who was sipping her water and avoiding eye contact. "What?"

"Nothing." Sam set her water down. "I'm just trying to water down the sickening sweetness of that story."

Rae rolled her eyes. "And how did you meet?"

Zack laughed and Sam smacked his arm. "Do not say a word," she threatened. He raised his hands in mock defeat.

The waitress stopped by and set bread on the table. Rae grabbed a piece and then frowned. "What Italian restaurant buys Wonder Bread?"

"Raelyn."

Rae turned, but everyone was staring over her shoulder. She turned and saw Dominic standing there, dressed in an immaculate black suit. His hands were loosely folded, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.

"May I have a moment?"

Trevor grabbed her hand under the table. Rae nodded nonchalantly. "Sure. How can I help you?"