CHAPTER 5
Jack set me down in front of my building and I slapped him as hard as I could. He didn't even flinch.
"Never, EVER, do that again." I yelled. The walk from the cinema usually took about fifteen minutes. We'd just covered it in about two!
"You loved it really. I can hear your heart pumping stronger with adrenaline, not fear."
He was partially right, it was fun, but only once I'd managed to stop screaming.
I opened the door to my building and was surprised to see Jack move to follow me inside.
"And where do you think you're going?" I faced him with arms crossed.
"Ahh come on, I walked you home, the friendly thing to do is to invite me in."
"Firstly, you didn't WALK me home. Secondly, we're not friends." I replied with a scowl. All of a sudden whatever good will I'd been feeling had worn off and I was painfully aware of the fact I was talking to a vampire. A killer.
"I was thinking we could be."
There was a gentleness in his eyes as he said this. He sounded so lonely that my stance softened just a touch. His vampire eyes missed nothing. He perceived my momentary relaxation as a resignation and he moved forward an inch before I stopped him with my hand on his chest. Well, I say I stopped him, I'm pretty sure the force I used was as pathetic as a flies would be to me. He acknowledged my gesture though and to that I was grateful.
"Friends don't bite each other and drink their blood!"
"You obviously don't have the right kind of friends!" He replied with a wink. He sensed my complete lack of amusement though and sighed before adding, "OK, I'll tell you what, no more biting."
I raised my right eyebrow skeptically but moved back and held the door open for him to follow. When we reached my room I unlocked the door and went in but he remained on threshold.
"You have to invite me in."
I laughed. "You're telling me all those old wives tales are true?"
He frowned but didn't reply. "OK, I'll invite you in on the condition that you promise not only to not bite me again, but also never to use your weird mind control thingy on me too."
A smile tugged at his lips. "I promise."
"Well come on in then."
I sat down on my bed leaving the chair for Jack but he settled himself down next to me instead. I knew I should feel uncomfortable with the proximity to a creature designed to kill, but weirdly I felt the complete opposite. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Still, he was too close.
"Whoa there Vampire Bill, you're a little close there. I'm not interested in getting hot and heavy with an old man!"
His lips twitched. "Vampire Bill?"
"You know, the main vamp in True Blood."
He laughed. "Don't worry Scarlet, your not my type." I must have looked offended as he quickly added, "Always had a thing for blondes."
"Good. We're agreed on no funny business then." I paused thinking my next words over so not to offend him. "So you need to be invited in...what other things are true?"
"Some are, some not. What do you want to know?"
"Daylight?"
"It burns but I won't set on fire. More like extreme sunburn. Hurts."
"Garlic?"
"Can't stand the stuff, but it's personal preference."
"Stakes?"
"True."
"Crucifixes?"
"Nada."
"Sparkles?"
"What do you think!"
The look on his face at my Twilight reference was hilarious and I couldn't suppress a snort of laughter, which drew a smile from Jack. We fell into companionable silence that Jack eventually broke.
"That guy likes you."
"Huh?" I'd been spacing out and had wasn't following him.
"The guy at the cinema. When he saw you with me he was virtually throwing jealousy at me. It wasn't hard for me to 'see' that he liked you."
I stayed quiet but Jack's expression told me I was projecting my feelings pretty clearly too.
?
"Don't worry, he'll get over it." I nodded whilst yawning causing him to add, "you're tired, I'll leave you to sleep."
With a whip of the wind he was gone. The window of my room was wide open and the curtains blowing in the breeze.
