The Kitten Has Claws

The Kitten Has Claws [Chapter 32]

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Chapter Thirty-Two

Fletcher found Tamsin in Delilah's room, asleep on the bed. He glanced briefly at Delilah, noticing her tear stained cheeks. His heart contracted briefly for her; no one should have to go through that pain, yet they were all suffering a little bit. Theo had been a great man, loyal and full of love. To think of him as dead was hard to do.

Tamsin was holding Delilah's hand as she slept peacefully next to her. There were stress lines on her face, even as she slept, but no tears. Now that he thought about it, Fletcher had never actually seen Tamsin cry.

He walked over to Tamsin and shook her shoulder lightly. "Tamsin," he murmured, "pumpkin, time to wake up."

She moaned lightly and stretched, shooting a glare in his direction. "Why did you wake me up?"

"I'm taking you back to your room, come on." He smiled, trying to avoid the subject, hoping she would just go along with it. No such luck.

"Fletcher," she growled warningly. "I'm not going to just leave her here to wake up alone!" He muttered something under his breath and motioned for her to follow him. "No," she hissed. "I'm staying here with my friend. She doesn't deserve waking up abandoned. I'm not leaving her alone, that's not what she needs right now."

"Maybe that's what she wants," he sneered. "We need to talk so you're coming with me. Either you come quietly or I carry you out and wake her up in the process. What's your decision?" Fletcher crossed his arms impatiently and stared at her. They needed to talk and ever since they had found out who the Vessel was, he hadn't had a chance to talk to her. Tamsin was avoiding him and he wanted to know why.

Scowling, she got off the bed and stormed past him, heading for her room. She knew it was better than arguing with him, because he would pick her up and carry her out if he had to. 'Stupid, stupid man,' she thought to herself angrily. He just had to wake her up and demand to talk. Well what if she didn't want to talk? Tamsin was scared shitless of talking with Fletcher. She was afraid of what he would say and what he wouldn't say. She liked him a lot, but he was a player, and she wanted someone she could eventually settle down with. Fletcher just wasn't that guy.

Tamsin sat on the bed patiently, waiting for Fletcher to start speaking. She would never admit it, but he looked so adorable, wringing his hands and messing up his hair. Fletcher was just as on edge as her.

He continued to pace nervously in front of her before grabbing a chair and sitting down to face her. "I feel like you've been avoiding me lately," he blurted, blushing softly. Tamsin raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "I don't know what I've done to make you avoid me, but I think we really need to talk about this, about us."

"What's there to talk about? Is there really an 'us'?" she said coldly. "All we do is fight and make out. That's not a relationship."

His eyes flared hotly as he thought about the chemistry between them. There was no denying it, but he truly felt they had something more than that. "Normally I would be the commitment-phobe guy, but I feel like we've switched roles. You are so scared of giving us a chance, and I want to know why," he begged desperately.

Tamsin flicked him a nervous glance before answering slowly. "Fletcher, we both know you're a player. The type of guy that sticks with a girl until he gets bored with her. Then you move on to some other form of entertainment. I don't want to be just another girl."

He winced, knowing what she said was generally true, but he had changed; ever since he met her, things had been different. "Tamsin, I know in the past, I've been that guy. I'd hook up with a girl and then forget about her the next day. But with you it's different. I can't get you out of my mind. It's like you're always there, no matter what I do." He looked at her fiercely, his blue eyes shining with emotion.