A Mélange of Blood

The First Date (11)

"Here it iiiiissss," Roy sang out as they turned down a dirt drive. A cute, rustic cabin sat quietly at the end of the driveway, much sweeter looking than Ana had expected a kidnapper's cabin to look like. It was dark outside, so the home was illuminated by duel lamps at the front door and the car lights, giving the appearance of a quiet resting place rather than a dark, creepy hut in the woods.

It's his family cabin, right? So it's probably supposed to be a weekend home, not just an ominous cabin in the wood. Nobody wants their weekend home to look ominous. With the flower garden that lined the outside of the cabin, it struck her as being more like the witch's cottage from Hansel and Gretel—alluring on the outside, but a horror show on the inside.

When the car stopped, she put her hand on the door handle, but Roy stopped her. "Ah-bup-bup-bup, allow me." He was out of the car and holding her door open in a flash.

Ana shivered at the reminder that she was alone in the woods with a vampire but took his offered hand for fear of offending him. "Roy... I-I'm not really sure this is the best idea."

He scoffed lightly. "Sure it is. We'll be able to have a whole weekend by ourselves without anyone else bothering us. What could be better? Come on, I'm excited for you to see the stuff I had set up." He grinned pulling her by the hand towards the cabin.

One of the chief subjects on the long car ride up had been everything he set up yesterday evening. He went on and on about how much care he had taken to clean the place, collect groceries, make sure all the activities were set up perfectly—although he refused to describe what he called their "first date." He would only say that he wanted to surprise her and refused to give any hints. Ana wasn't sure if she should feel nervous about it, or relieved that she didn't have to hear any more on the subject.

He unlocked the lockbox on the doorknob, then took out the key and used it to unlock the door. The screen door swung outward, so Ana had to prop it open with her hand before entering, but the front door opened inward, so Roy held it for her. He flicked a few light switches, showing the interior to have a typical rustic design.

"Home for the weekend!" Roy said cheerfully, pulling her over to the kitchen. "Sit here, I'll get everything set up." He scrunched his face at her happily. "Our first official date! So exciting. I knew it would be pretty late by the time we got here, and we would already have eaten, so I got us desert instead."

Ana sank into a chair at the small dining table and watched as he bustled around the kitchen. He pulled out two plates of cake from the fridge, then two forks and set them down on the table—one set in front of her, one set on the chair beside where he apparently intended to sit. He also got two glasses of water and napkins before sitting down.

"It's chocolate mousse cake," he said proudly. "Best cake in the world in my opinion. Oh!" He hopped up and scurried to the living room. He turned on a record player that was sitting on its own little table, starting up the gentle sound of violin music. "There we go." He sat down again, scooting the seat closer to the table before beaming at her. "May the first official date commence."

Her heart sank to her stomach as she stared at the cake. Great, now he thinks we're dating. Have I really been leading him on like that? This is my fault, isn't it? I've been letting him think that I liked him. What if I do, somewhere deep in my heart? Maybe he can feel a connection that I'm unaware of. I've probably been subtly telling him that this is what I wanted. Why can't I just be more direct?

Roy took a bite of his cake, humming appreciatively. "So, how is homework going for you? Do you have a ton to do?"

Her eyes didn't move from the cake. "I didn't finish my homework. I still have a bunch to do this weekend."Another thing to worry about.

Roy took one of her hands in his and patted it. "Hey, don't worry. I shouldn't have even asked; I don't want you concerning yourself with that stuff this weekend. I want you to be here with me, having a good time. No worries here, got it?" When she stared at him with anxious eyes, he smiled and picked up her fork. He chunked off some cake and held it up to her lips. "Have some—it'll make you feel better."

Ana reluctantly opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her the treat. He was right, it was delicious. Although it probably would have tasted better if she was in a good place physically and emotionally.

"It's good right?" he asked.

She nodded.

He grinned in satisfaction and started jabbering about the recipe. He went on and on while Ana nodded vaguely, picking at her slice of cake. She ate a little more of it but was unable to finish even half by the time her host polished off his entire piece.

"Why aren't you eating your cake?"

She cringed at the dreaded question. "It... it's a little rich for me. I don't think I'll be able to finish it."

His concerned look turned into a smile. "Oh, that's all right. I'll put it in the fridge for you." He stood and took their plates, sticking his in the sink and hers in the refrigerator. "Come on, our next activity is star gazing." He took her hand, helping her out of her chair, then grabbed a comforter before leading her to the backyard. It was chilly out, but she still had her coat in her hands, so she threw it on.

"I came out here yesterday to find the most comfortable spot," said Roy proudly as he spread the blanket on the ground. "Are you cold?"

She nodded.

"I thought you might be, although it's hard to tell sometimes as a vampire." He chuckled slightly. "Here, lay down." He patted a particular spot on the blanket. Ana carefully lowered herself onto the giant blanket, squirming a little when Roy sat next to her. "So, what we do is pull this end of the blanket over you and voila, you have a cozy little taco." He wrapped the two of them in the blanket, tucking the end under himself to secure it. They were much closer than she would have liked, she could feel him stealing her body heat.

He turned his face to look at her, but she kept her eyes glued to the stars, trying not to show her internal panic. "Do you know much about constellations?" he asked in a soft voice.

She shook her head slightly.

"You're so cute when you're quiet." He chuckled breathily, then turned his face toward the sky. He pointed out several constellations, complete with the stories behind each one.

She listened silently, neither encouraging nor discouraging him. He had gone to a lot of trouble to make this night work, she felt bad that she couldn't appreciate it as much as another girl might have.

"And that one there is Andromeda with her lover, Perseus, beside her." He pointed at a few stars, but she didn't even bother trying to figure out which ones. "In Greek mythology, Andromeda was sacrificed to a sea monster, but Perseus fell in love when he saw her, and killed the monster, rescuing her. They were married and immortalized in the stars as one of the most romantic of the constellations." He turned his face toward her.

Her heartbeat increased, but she didn't dare look over. He was so close, his cool breath brushing her cheek. She could feel his gaze searching her face, waiting for her to glance at him. She refused. She would not give in to his fantastical ideals about her. He seemed to be under the delusion that she had feelings for him, and while she couldn't find it in herself to tell him the truth, she also wouldn't feed into the fantasy as much as she could.

"Christiana..." Roy put a hand on her cheek, gently turning her face toward him. They were really close now, noses practically brushing as their eyes met. He smiled a little. "Christiana is kind of long." His voice was soft, whispery. "Would it be all right if I called you something else? Like... angel?" He ever so carefully edged closer, eyelids falling to half-mast. "Because you are. You are such a sweet, sweet angel."

"Roy..." she whimpered, shuddering as their faces met. Her hands, which had been curled against her chest, pressed against his collarbone, but they offered little resistance.

"I know," he whispered before gently setting his lips over hers.