Twilight Imagines

31.5 Out of Our Control (Riley Biers)

(Published October 13, 2025)

   It was almost sunset.  I watched as the fiery orange ball sank lower into the sky through my windows, hinting that it was almost time for my next crazy stunt.  I had a rusty old dirt bike that somehow still ran in the garage that I had purchased earlier that morning, and it was just waiting to be taken out for a spin.  In the dark.  And maybe something terrible would happen and cause Riley to come out of hiding again.  Maybe.  My last few stunts hadn't been dangerous enough.  I had hope for tonight, though.  
   Pain suddenly stung my index finger and I dropped my gaze to the cutting board in front of me.  The knife had nicked the side of my finger while I had been distracted.  A small drop of blood had slid down and mixed with the cucumber juice on the cutting board, making it look a lot worse than it was.  Sighing, I quickly pushed the uncontaminated cucumber slices onto the counter and tossed the cutting board and the rest of it's contents into the sink.  That was me, the clumsy daydreamer.  
   I rinsed off the cut in the sink, hissing as it stung again.  Once it was clear for a moment, I examined it more carefully.  It wasn't a large cut, meaning I could get away with a Band-Aid this time.  Which worked for me, since stitches would require an emergency room visit that would cut into my crazy time.  It was bleeding pretty good, though.  Another drop of blood was threatening to drip off my finger into the sink just from the minute I had taken to examine the injury!  
   "Anya." 
   My head snapped up at the sound of his voice and my gaze whipped across the room.  He was standing as still as a statue in front of a suddenly open window, staring at me.  My heart sped up at the sight of him, but, fortunately, so did my brain.  I turned on the faucet in the sink and shoved my hand under it to try and mask the scent of my blood so he wouldn't have to try to resist his vampire urges.  
   "Hi," I blurted out with a smile.  "Aren't you- I mean, why are you here now?  The sun isn't down yet." 
   "I was about to steal your dirt bike keys, but-" He let out a shaky breath.  "You cut yourself." 
   "Sorry, I didn't mean to." I peeked at the sink and readjusted the cutting board so the falling water would wash away all of the blood.  
   "Why do you have to be so clumsy?" His voice was just a murmur now, but I heard it clear as day because he was suddenly standing right beside me.  I jumped in surprise, my startled eyes raising to meet his.  Vampire speed, I realized.  
   "Genetics," I murmured mindlessly, stunned at his nearness.  "Uh, I thought you were, well, staying away from me?" 
   He was so close.  So close that I didn't even have to reach out that far to touch him.  This is what I had dreamed of for weeks now, and it was happening right here in my kitchen!  I didn't even have to fall off of a dirt bike now! 
   "I am.  I was, but-" He cut off again, shaking his head.  "You cut yourself." 
   "I know, and you've said." I teased him.  
   "How bad is it?" His amber colored eyes were staring at the steam of water from the faucet that was still engulfing my finger.  
   "It's not too bad, but there is one thing that might help," I said slowly, still watching his face.  
   His eyes flickered to mine for a moment and I could see he knew what was coming.  He asked anyway.  "What's that?" 
   "You staying." 
   "No.  I shouldn't even be here," He objected, taking a step away from me.  Just one step.  As if he couldn't make himself leave.  
   I shut off the faucet and grabbed the mangled press and seal that I hadn't thrown out yet.  Wrapping it around the injured finger so he wouldn't have any temptation, I turned to face him.  
   "Riley Biers, I need you to answer one question before you even think about leaving," I told him bossily.  
   The corner of his mouth twitched, but the rest of his face was still as stone as he hesitated in answering.  "Ask me." 
   "Why didn't you kill me?  Just now, when I didn't know you were here and you walked in to find me bleeding?  Why am I still alive right now?" I crossed my arms and eyed him seriously.  
   He couldn't stop a smile from curling his lips this time.  "Which of those is the question I'm supposed to answer again?" 
   "Well, they're all kind of the same question, but I guess just the first one.  Why didn't you kill me, vampire guy?" I repeated stubbornly.  
   "I don't know," He looked towards the windows, his jaw clenching visibly.  
   "That's not a good enough answer.  You do know, you just don't want to admit it," I pointed out.  "Be honest with me, Riley.  Please."  
   His eyes shifted back to meet mine again.  "I am being honest.  I don't know.  I don't know anything anymore." 
   Taking a deep breath, I nodded slowly.  "How about I tell you what I know, then?" 
   "Fine," He agreed softly when I didn't continue.  
   "I know that you still care about me or you wouldn't be hanging around like you do.  I know that I love you and am willing to live in a mansion of bubble wrap if it means I don't have to live without you anymore.  I know you have more control than you think or I'd be dead right now.  And I know that I'm going to end up killing myself to win your attention if you don't give up and be mine again." 
   He stared at me for a long moment, only his jaw working as he thought all of this over.  I waited patiently, just glad to be able to stare at his handsome face again.  Gosh, I had missed his face!  
   "I can't guarantee I can stay in control," He whispered.  
   I gave him a small, reassuring smile.  "You can not.  There's nothing in this world that we can control.  Nothing at all.  We think we can, but we can't.  It's an illusion that humans make up so they feel better about life." 
   "You're a very up person," He commented dryly, the smile toying with his lips again.  
   I shot him a cheesy smile.  "Well, you know me." 
   "You do realize that one too tight hug could kill you, right?" He pointed out.  
   "So I become a vampire."  Which actually was sounding better and better to the suddenly unemployed me who had no life anyway.  
   His eyebrows fell at my words.  "No.  You do not want this."  
   "But I do want you, and the two kind of go hand in hand, don't ya think?" I told him softly.  
   "Anya, you don't know the searing pain it takes to become this- this bloodsucking monster." He took a small step closer, his hands moving to accent his words and show me just how much the idea upset him.  
   "You aren't a monster, Riley," I whispered.  
   He let out a small, dark laugh.  "Right.  Because the vampire is always the hero in the stories." 
   "You are in mine."  
   Reaching out, I placed my hand on his chest just above his heart.  He froze, his eyes staring into mine.  I stared back, determined to be more stubborn than he was.  Determined to get the love of my life back.  His stone expression crumbled, twisting into one of anguish.  
   "I can't, Anya.  I just can't."  His words were softer than a whisper, almost inaudible to my ears.  
   "Can't what?" I asked just as softly.  
   His hand reached up to touch his palm to my cheek.  "I can't figure it out.  I can't lose you, but I- I can't just take your life away from you." 
   "You are my life," I assured him.  "So don't go." 
   He managed a hint of a half-smile.  "You do realize you're kind of insane, right?" 
   "What fun is life if you're sane?" I shrugged, giving him a fond smile.  "Go to school, get a job, get a house, get a family, waste your life on doing nothing because you can't afford it, get old and die.  Woopty do." 
   "Again with the optimism." 
   "Again with the sarcasm," I shot back teasingly.  
   Suddenly, I wasn't on my feet anymore.  His arms had engulfed me in less than a second, pulling me against his cold body.  His smooth, cold lips were on mine with movements that were so gentle it was intoxicating.  It all happened so fast that my brain felt like life had just glitched on me!  Once it finally caught up, I began kissing back.  Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I hugged him tightly as our mouths continued the soft, slow dance.  
   "Anya," He murmured against my mouth.  
   "Riley," I replied breathlessly.  
   He pulled back enough to look me in the eye.  "I'm in love with you." 
   "I know, and ditto." 
   "I don't want to hurt you." 
   "That's good." 
   He rolled his eyes before continuing.  "That means you'll have to become a vampire sooner or later." 
   "I like the sound of the sooner part." 
   "You would."  
   Before I could respond, he kissed me softly again.  This time, it was just a brief kiss.  
   "I need you to be certain that this is what you want." He whispered.  
   Instead of repeating myself yet again, I brought my lips to his again, kissing him longer.  This is what I wanted.  He was what I wanted.  Vampire or human, I needed him.  And he knew it; he was just being stubborn.  Luckily, I was even more stubborn.  
   "Well, that was pretty convincing," He breathed when I finally broke the kiss.  
   "Good." I gave him a small smile.  "Because I can do this all night." 
   He chuckled.  "I might just take you up on that if you're not careful." 
   He might stay!  And I had a chance at being with him for the rest of our lives!  I hugged him tighter, tucking my face into the crook of his neck.  Finally, finally, things felt right again.  Finally I had the love of my life back.