Tip of the Tongue [BoyxBoy - Complete - CMS Bk. 1]

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Darrien's expression changed. He was deep in thought, eyes lowered to the floor with his brows drawn together. That face. It was the same one Mantel had worn in the forest. There was no connection. It didn't mean anything, but the twin looks sent Ren hurdling to last night.

He'd finally put it to the back of his mind and it was back again like it never left in the first place. She was at the forefront with her ripped neck and her horror-struck expression which would forever be frozen in time. Even when she was dead she was in pain, living in an endless nightmare. They should have called the police. They shouldn't have left her there to rot without her family knowing where she'd gone or what happened to her.

The worst of it all was the guilt of knowing her killer was still out there.

He no longer cared how he looked. He didn't know why he wanted to put up a front in front of Darrien anyway. It wasn't like he cared what he thought about him.

Ren let out a groan as he buried his face in his hands.

He was starting to understand where his mind was wandering. Darrien was attractive, but Ren had never actually wanted to be with someone. Not that that was what this was. Thinking someone was good looking didn't mean he wanted anything other than to oggle at them.

That's the one thing he never thought about and something he never thought he would. Life was hard enough without wishing he could share it with someone.

His attention was drawn back to Darrien. He leaned over Ren's desk. Ren waited for him to say something.

His eyes unintentionally fell to Darrien's mouth and he hated himself all the more for it.

"Are you—" He was waiting for it. He didn't want it to be true. He didn't want to be right, but he already knew what Darrien was going to ask. It was frustrating. Maddening. "Are you a—"

Darrien pressed his lips into a hard thin line. The words didn't come out. He tried again, opened his mouth, and he closed it once more. Ren wanted to tell him to spit it out, to just get it over with so he didn't have to keep going through the pain.

He'd never had anyone ask him outright. Everyone already knew what he was and he was surprised no one had filled this kid in. He was surprised that wasn't the first thing out of their mouths since that was the reason why they liked to stare at him all the time.

And Darrien had to be messing with him. If he had been here before, it was quite fucking obvious that Ren was still a vampire. It wasn't something people usually forgot.

People's phobia of him only got worse with age. He started to look like a grown vampire every passing day. He wasn't easily hidden anymore.

He glared at Darrien, pulling his hands away from his face. "Am I a vampire?"

Darrien flinched as if Ren hit him. Ren could see the fear turning in Darrien's eyes, the utter horror of finally seeing what Ren was.

It hurt more than he thought it would.

Darrien pressed his hands into the back of the metal seat. Ren watched him look around the room. He wasn't turning away. Ren was sure it was just the shock, that maybe it was physically painful for him to twist around and hide from him.

Or maybe he wasn't afraid. Maybe he was just disgusted he had to sit in front of a vampire for the rest of the school year.

It wasn't a rule, but kids stuck to their seats. What you picked was what you got.

The second bell rung. They were saved from the dead conversation.

There was no reason for Ren to care if Darrien wanted to talk to him after this.