In the quiet of that dark room, a dull throbbing within my face wakes me from my sleep. Under my right eye, there is a warm stinging sensation. It's almost as if someone is pinching the upper part of my cheek near the cheekbone. The swelling makes it hard to open the eye on that side and it even hurts to blink.
The pain brings back to mind all that had happened that night. I remember the dance and going home after, getting rescued by Jaes and staying at his house... The whole day seemed to fly by so fast. Sitting up and thinking about it, I realize that the house is silent and the bedroom dark. The christmas lights that were on when I fell asleep are off, making the room pitch black. It can't be morning already, can it? If the sun were down, Juran and Jaes wouldn't have fallen asleep yet.
Feeling the wall, I search for a window to find out if the sun has risen yet. A curtain-like material greets my fingers and I draw it away from the wall. With it being night, I would be able to see street lights or even the moon, but not even those are noticeable. I haven't gone blind, have I? There has to be a window here somewhere. Touching the spot where the window could be, a dull vibrating noise tells me there is one at least. However, something seems to be covering it and I can't move it away to see past it. This must be what vampires use that allows them to sleep like normal people.
I give up on the window and feel my way towards the bedroom door, trying to remember where it is. It should be straight across from the bed. After bumping into a dresser, I find it and step out into the hallway. The whole house is dark. The twins must be asleep already. That being the case, it should be at least seven in the morning. Dim, green lights guide me into the kitchen where the microwave and oven clocks read 9:58. Gosh, it's already that late?
Something illuminated by the green lights catches my attention. It looks like a folded piece of ruled paper sitting on the stove. I pick it up and reach over toward the light switch to flip it on when a pale, red eyed figure flashes in front of me. My heart leaps and I scream before realizing it's a bleary eyed, messy haired Jaes standing in the kitchen. He laughs while shushing me and I let out a sigh.
"You scared me!" I whisper.
"That's the point." He chuckles.
Calming down from the fright, I catch myself admiring his sleep deprived state. His short hair has dried into loose, red curls. Part of it sticks up from where he laid on it and I can see the folds of the pillow on his face. His eyes are what catch my gaze the most. Despite squinting against the bright light of the kitchen, they look heavy and out of focus. There is also the hint of red glimmering within his pupils. It's almost enchanting.
"Why are you awake? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I ask him.
He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair, fraying his curls. "I left you a note for when you woke up, but when you woke me with that thump, I figured I would say hi." Letting out a quiet laugh, he adds, "And I thought it would be funny to startle you."
"You sure did." I say with a bit of annoyance, then smile because it was funny.
"So," he stretches and beams, "hi."
Unable to help it, my smile stretches to my ears. "Hi."
We stand there grinning like a couple of idiots for a moment. It must be because the cat is out of the bag and our feelings are both laid bare. I'm just not sure how to act. What do you do after telling someone how you feel and having their feelings returned to you? Is that the moment where you can make out and hold hands or is there more to it than that?
"Well..." He breaks me from my embarrassing train of thought and points at the paper in my hands. "Like I wrote in my note, make yourself at home. I taped a fifty in there so you can eat whatever you want for breakfast and lunch. Y'know, 'cuz we don't have any food here or get many guests other than vampires."
