My Immortal Lover

3

My eyes snapped open and I found Daniel standing in front of me in a protective stance. I peered around him and saw Sam laying on the ground, his friends trying to help him back up. He shook them off and brought his feet to him and stood, glaring at Daniel the entire time.

"Okay kid, what's your problem?" He spat.

"You kissed a girl who didn't want anything to do with you. What you did could be considered as sexual assault; therefore I had every right to stop it."

Sam stared at him then jabbed one finger in my direction. "She's mine, get that and get it now."

"Sorry, but didn't you hear her just a few seconds ago? She said it was over between you two."

A menacing smile spread slowly across Sam's face and he lunged at Daniel. I was pushed back several paces and out of the way of the fight. Right before Sam reached him, Daniel dodged to the left. In all his momentum, Sam fell to the floor and pushed himself back up. Glaring at Daniel he advanced on him and punched him in the jaw. There was a cracking sound and Daniel fell to the floor moaning in pain and cradling his head in his hands.

"Stop!" I shrieked and dove in between them again. 

Glaring at Sam, I turned and laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder. He raised his head slowly, and I saw that his jaw was resting at an odd angle. So quickly that I almost didn't see it, he shoved it back into the normal position and winced again as a grinding sound claimed the air around us.

"Ana, get away from him." Sam commanded and I whirled on him.

"Sam, get this through your goddamned thick head- it's over! There is no more us, that's in the past now!" I shouted in his face. A bemused smile pulled at his lips, and he raised a hand and brushed his fingers along my cheek.

"You're so cute when you're pissed," He muttered.

Completely enraged at his shallowness, I pulled my arm back and put all the force I could manage into the punch I threw at his face. His head snapped back when my fist connected, and I gasped as pain shot up my arm from my knuckles. 

Before Sam could react, Daniel grabbed me around the waist and pulled me away, and out of the theater. He spoke briefly and softly to one of my co-workers on the way out of the door. My feet dragged and I couldn't focus enough to move them faster. Daniel glanced down at me and I stared up at him, my eyes wide. His arm tightened around my waist and he was able to move us faster somehow.

We reached his car and I was still out of it. He leaned me against the car and gently shook my shoulders. I shook my head slowly and the world refocused and settled in around me. My eyes wide, I glanced around the parking lot and realized that people couldn't see us from the cinema, therefore Sam couldn't find us. 

I sighed with relief and my head fell backwards. My eyes closed and I bit my lip. Slowly flexing my injured hand, my eyes squeezed tighter against the pain, but I knew that nothing was broken. A warm hand touched mine, and gently massaged my hand to loosen it and my fingers became limp.

My head rose and I looked right into a set of green eyes that were filled with concern. Distorted laughter bubbled from my lips, and I pressed them together, trapping any sound threatening to escape. He was standing right in front of me and was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I threw my arms around him and squeezed him in a bear hug. For a second, he just froze then slowly, his arms encircled me and I buried my face in his chest.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?"

"For getting Sam off me back there, and helping me get him to understand that we weren't dating."

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"But your jaw..." I trailed off and pulled back so that I could look up at him.

"It's fine. Sure it was dislocated for a bit back there, but I fixed it and it's as good as new."

I just looked at him and raised one eyebrow. He laughed at my expression and his arms tightened around me. Sure it was getting a bit intimate, but I have to admit, I didn't mind at all. In fact, I don't want him to ever let me go.

"Ana..." He warned when I leaned my head against his chest, my arms wrapping around his waist.

Embarrassed, I jerked away from him, and looked away from his face and stared at the tree near us. Then I started to walk away, towards my home, but he grabbed my wrist and I flinched. Gently, he spun me back around and tried to catch my eye, but I refused to look at him still. He brought his other hand up to my face and cupped my chin. Slowly he raised my face and my eyes flickered to his face, then away just as quickly.

"Ana? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," I muttered and yanked my wrist free of his grip.

"I can tell when you're lying, Ana."

I groaned and swatted his hand away from my face, then crossed my arms in front of me, going on the defense. My eyes narrowed at him and I pursed my lips, taking a step back and bumping into the car. "Well nothing's wrong. Why do you care anyway?"

"Ana," he gaped at me. "You know that I don't want you to be upset."

"Do I now?"

"Well you should, I've made it pretty obvious."

I sighed, and my head dipped forward. He was right; he had been making it obvious that he didn't want me to be upset. But if that's true, then why was he pushing me away? Gasping, I realized that I liked Daniel as more than a friend. He must have noticed what was going on between us before I did, and he didn't want to destroy our friendship. I groaned and covered my face with my hands, shaking my head at how stupid I had been.

"Ana?"

I just shook my head and collapsed against the car. His fingers wrapped around my wrists and tried to pry them from my face. My arms fell limp and my hands came off my face, exposing my wide eyes and my lips parted in shock. Green eyes bore into mine and all I could suddenly think of doing was hurling myself at him so I could feel his body next to mine, his lips on mine.

"Ana?" He sounded worried and stared into my eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. 

I refused to let my eyes betray the need I felt for him. Suddenly he froze and his searching gaze turned hard, and he stumbled backwards a few steps. I watched him curiously, and he stared back at me with a new expression, one of confusion. Then the confusion disappeared and understanding swept over his face.

My palms were pressed against the car at my back and I started to find it harder to breathe. Fear engulfed me and I grabbed my throat. My chest heaved, trying to get my lungs to work, but they refused and I continued to drown in my own fear and need for air. Daniel just watched with pain and self loathing twisting all of his features. My knees gave out and I crumpled to the ground. Blackness crept into my vision, and I tried to scream for help, but no sound escaped my lips. I slumped onto my side and my vision went completely black. 

Pain like no other I had ever known erupted from my stomach and my body convulsed. I could no longer feel my limbs, and I realized that I should be dead from lack of oxygen by now, but I was just as alive as ever. I could tell because of the pain I still felt in my stomach, which was now spreading into my lungs. They were shocked to life and suddenly I was gasping, but I was still not getting enough air. Daniel's voice cut through all of this and I focused on how different it sounded, how clearer it was.

"Ana, I'm so sorry- I should've known. God, I'm so stupid!" 

His voice cracked and I flinched as the pain in his voice cut into my ears and I wanted to get up and go comfort him, tell him I was fine. But it'd be so obvious that I was lying because my body was still convulsing, and the pain spread slowly into my limbs and into my heart.

"I should've realized what you could be when you told me..." His voice became inaudible over the roaring of my pulse in my ears. 

My back arched and I opened my mouth to let loose a scream that I knew had escaped from the ripping feeling in my throat. A hand clamped down on my mouth and my scream became muffled.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it ended and I became a limp pile on the ground next to Daniel's car.