The Bite (Edited)

*Free

The phone rang for the hundredth time today and, for the hundredth time too, it was Liam. I ignored it. I waited for it to silence and then it rang again. This time it was Tessa and I answered.

"Hello?" I said.

"Look, I know you and Liam got into a bit of a situation yesterday," Tessa said.

I sighed. "Yeah, we did."

"He wants to talk to you. And don't hang up, or I will go to your house and drag you here."

I paused. "Fine."

Liam's voice came. "Laina?"

"What?"

"Come on, don't be like that. Can we just talk?"

"We are talking right now."

"Face to face."

"No."

"Okay, I'll go to your house now." And he hung up before I could protest.

I almost jumped out the window as I ran my fingers through my hair. Why did he have to kiss me? Just why? I threw myself onto the bed, trying to relieve myself of some stress. Then I remembered how I felt when he had kissed me. I remembered the warmth that filled my stomach and blissfully infected my whole body. I remembered how he touched my cheeks with his fingers gently on my neck.

I immediately banished the thoughts from my head. If I dated again, my mother would kill me. But was she even really my mother? But I should still be respectful to her and her wishes, she's the one that raised me with care as if I was her own child.

I shouldn't date Liam. That was final.

I heard a tap on my window and I looked out to see Liam with a grin. I immediately groaned, rubbing my eyes. I couldn't just leave him out there, he could get sick and his mother would start to hate me. I opened it and let him in, not meeting his eyes.

Then I quickly closed it, not wanting the frigid wind to enter. He sat on my bed and I leaned on the wall next to the window in the corner, far away from him.

"What?" I said rudely.

"You've been very stubborn lately," he said, pulling his shoes off and putting them on the ground. Then he laid on my bed.

"Because you're being difficult."

He didn't snap back, instead, he laughed. He got back up and began walking to me.

"Sit back down!" I ordered, pointing at the bed. He held his hands up and sat down. "Now, stop beating around the bush and tell me why you are here."

"About yesterday, our fight-"

"Oh yeah, the one that you started. I remember," I said, sitting on the ground with my back against the wall. "What about it?"

"You still think I like you only because you're pretty?" He said.

I grabbed a pack of post-its and began flipping it across my thumb. "Sure."

He sighed. "Let me say this loud and clear. I like you, Laina, okay?"

"I'm a pretty boring person," I said. "There isn't much to like about me, really."

"That's not right. I like you because you're not only pretty. You're smart, you're stubborn, you're caring."

"I bet you made all that up just now."

"Laina, stop it."

"Stop what?"

"You're pushing me away. I know you do that to me all the time even though you're happy around me."

"What makes you so sure about my feelings?"

"I think I know why you're pushing me away. You're scared to date again."

I almost got mad at him for hitting the right answer, I stopped flipping the post-its.

"You don't want to get hurt again. You're scared to attach yourself to someone and lose them."

I stared at my lap, letting the pain fill my heart. "It happened to my dad. Leo. Your uncle. Don't date me, Liam." I laughed. "I'm a bad luck charm."

"None of those deaths were your fault," Liam said. "You're not a bad luck charm."

"Well, I'm not a good luck charm."

I felt him come next to me. "Laina," he said, touching my knee. "I know how you feel about me, but I also know that you've been trying to control the emotions that you can never control. It's not possible. Stop trying."

I didn't say anything and just stared at my lap.

"Laina. You can trust me. I saved you just a few days ago, remember?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't trust myself."

"You don't have to. Just trust me and that's all you need to do."

"I..."

"Laina, look at me. Come on."

I forced myself to meet his brown eyes. They had this determined spark to it and it looked like he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted.

"Do you trust me?"

I nodded.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

I looked at the freckles sprinkled across his cheeks and his light brown hair. His radiant skin dulled from the empty sun in the winter, his gentle gaze looked down at me. I knew that he would never mistreat me but everyone I loved slipped out of my fingers like sand. I couldn't lose him too.

If I came together with him, that would be a selfish thing to do. He would be a thousand grains of sand slipping through my hands. But if I could keep him in a jar and protect him with my life, place him on top of my drawer, above everything else- maybe, just maybe, there could be a chance.

If I wrapped bubble-wrap around the jar and a few layers of steel and iron, will he be protected from harm? Would he fall onto the ground, the protection breaking, and the wind taking the grains away? Would he be willing to lose everything just for me?

"Remember when I was drunk," Liam said. "I said that I would do anything for you?"

"Yeah."

"It's true."

"Even if you lose everything?"

He nodded.

I scoffed. "It won't work out."

"It will only happen if you make it happen, Laina! If you keep saying that it won't work then it really won't."

"It's too dangerous."

"We're already in danger, Laina. I would rather die dating you then die separated from you, why can't you see that?"

I could tell he was getting frustrated. "I can't lose you! I'll never forgive myself if you die!"

"Laina! I can die if I date you or not! Just because I get together with you doesn't mean that's the reason I died. Get that in your head! Just follow your heart for once."

My heart was screaming for me to love him, to grow old with him together. But my mind was warning me of the dangers. But what he said was true, we were already in the worst danger possible, dating me wouldn't endanger him anymore, would it?

It wouldn't. Leo had told me not to blame myself for his death or my father's. Mr. Luke ordered me not to believe that his death was my doing. And in order to honor them, I have to follow what they say. They would want me to be happy, to find someone to be happy with.

I nodded. "Okay. Okay."

He grabbed my shoulders. "Really?!"

I nodded again. "Yeah."

He laughed, hugging me. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling free. My heart was happy and my mind was at ease for once.

I couldn't help but smile at his excitement. Then he pulled away, giving me a small peck on the lips. I immediately wanted his lips back on mine, it was so exhilarating.

I tapped my lips. "One more time."