H Is For Human (Garlic Is For Vampires, Book 3)

Chapter 9: Friends

We returned to my apartment with more suspicious faces surrounding us than ever before. But once we were locked in the apartment and in the bathroom, I could finally breathe. I was preparing a needle for Matt who said he might need stitches.

While I sanitized the needle Matt took off his soaked shirt and examined his wound, courtesy of the vampire he was fighting. It was a large gash with some fingernail marks running off in a sharp turn. Blood ran down his arm but he cleaned it and I handed him the needle. He took it with a mumble of thanks and I turned to the mirror behind Matt to examine my face. Thanks to my vampire. I dabbed some alcohol on a cotton swab and closely examined my eye, where the cut just looked wrong.

"How bad is it?" Matt asked.

"Not bad, but I also think it might leave a scar." I slowly began to dab at the cut and winced when it stung. "Although you're having worse."

"I've been better," he replied, cleaning his wound. He started to thread it closed. "I'll help you in a minute. There's some cuts on your back."

"Okay." I wasn't even sure how I got them on my back. But my back was burning, so that must've meant they were something serious to be dealt with properly. I cleaned the blood from my cuts and applied a cream before attending to Matt, who wanted me to cut the extra thread hanging from his arm. I did a quick snip and then he flexed his arm, nodding his head.

"Now let me help you. Turn around," he said.

I did and let him inspect my back. He touched a cut and I flinched, because it suddenly stung.

"There's a long gash running right down your spine." He sighed. "You're going to have to take off your shirt. And I think your bra."

I paused but then I nodded and pulled my tank top over my head. Then I unsnapped my bra and planted my hands on the counter. Matt grabbed the alcohol from beside me and another cotton swab. Then he started to clean, and my back smarted some because of the pain. I held my tongue between my teeth and tried thinking about something else other than the pain. But the only thing that popped into my head was, "you have really warm hands."

He chuckled. "Thanks for that, I guess. I don't know if I should feel complimented or shy."

"Whichever goes." I winced as he pressed deeper into the cuts. "Just don't let your aggression out on me."

"Sorry." He tried softer dabs. Once my cuts were cleaned he began to apply bandages. I took off my bra but left my tank top on and I cracked my knuckles. Then I headed towards my room and quickly undressed before slipping on a bathrobe.

"Are you going to stay or...?"

Matt looked at his shoulder wound and then shrugged. "I guess I'll stay, if you let me. I don't want to pretend with Brendon and Skylark. I'd head back home but it's late."

"Okay," I said. "I have an inflatable mattress, or you can take Brendon's room."

"No," Matt said, "I'll camp out on the air mattress. I don't want to soil your ex-boyfriend's bed with my humanness."

"You won't."

"I'm still going with the mattress." So we brought it out and waited for it to fill with air with an air pump. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to get the kinks out. Once the air mattress was ready I retrieved some sheets along with a blanket and pillow. Then I brought out some of Brendon's clothes as well.

"Just shower and dress. If you're staying," I said. "I'll put your clothes to wash."

While Matt showered I washed his clothes and said I was going to bed. But instead I sat down at the breakfast counter, drinking tea. I didn't even realize I was drinking tea until I noticed the string hanging out of my mug. I rubbed the side of my face, wishing again that things would go back to normal.

"Bree? You still up?"

It was 1:30 a.m. I was supposed to start school tomorrow. I sighed and looked at Matt as he leaned against the counter. We were supposed to live our normal lives but instead we were playing insomniacs. What a life.

"I was going to bed but I can't," I said, rubbing the side of my bruised neck. "I'll just go to my room." I drank the last few dregs of my tea before putting the cup in the sink. Matt grabbed my wrist and I craned my head to look at him.

"Don't go," he said. "I don't really feel like sleeping either." He still didn't let go of my hand. I looked at his long, smooth fingers before I let my hand relax. So we sat down on the couch in silence. He tapped his foot and I curled up into a ball.

"We know there's guards circling the building," Matt said. "That's all I know. And I have to finish the solution I'm making. I want to test it but I need to find a good population of vampires."

"We can ask Beebee for help on that," I said.

"Yeah, we can do that."

Then I pressed myself against his side, a chill creeping over my body. He wrapped his arm around me. We must've both realized that we barely escaped death again.

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I woke up on the air mattress with Matt's chest under my head. I didn't remember getting into the mattress, but then it suddenly came back. I started to fall asleep and I assumed Matt was helping me get to bed. But afterwards I couldn't see any memory fragments coming back to mind.

Someone slammed the front door shut and I jumped, but I immediately recognized who it was. I kept my eyes closed and swallowed, forcing my breathing to slow down. I pretended to stir and I buried my face into Matt's neck, hoping to hide my startled face. Brendon's footsteps halted at the foot of the mattress. I heard his uneven breathing, and then his footsteps walked around me and receded into the hallway. I sighed.

He came back again and walked straight past us. Then he closed the apartment door and the silence came back into the room. I waited for another minute to make sure he was gone for good. Matt's hand on my side tightened and he grabbed a fistful of my robe, and I felt his chest rise again.

"Can't imagine that was easy," Matt suddenly said, his voice husky from sleep. I didn't reply, and I didn't move away from him. In all honesty, it was comforting. His warmth, the kindness he expressed even after my betrayal when we were beginning to know each other. Now that Brendon was out of the picture for the time being, I could think about other people. It wasn't all about us now. And sharing an air mattress with a guy was a first for me.

"I hope he doesn't think we're..." Matt didn't need to finish. I didn't need to hear him finish. The idea of that was, well it wasn't worth being a concern.

"It doesn't matter what him, or anyone else thinks," I replied, propping my head on Matt's shoulder. "It's what we know is true. We're friends."

"Friends," Matt echoed before he began to move. He grabbed the back of my head and set it down on his pillow. I looked up at him. He looked like he had decent-sleep. 

"Do you feel better after yesterday? You were shaking in your sleep. And at one point you were crying." Explained the eye crud trying to glue my eyelids shut.

"I'm okay," I said, grabbing the wrist attached to the hand that was reaching out to touch my cheek. I stopped him but then I let go, and he gingerly cupped the side of my face, wiping the eye crud away. Then he stood up and headed towards the bathroom. I rolled over and covered my eyes with my arm, suddenly rethinking the meaning of the word 'friends'.