Destined

Day Twenty-Three

"The black one or the red one?" 

"I say the black one." 

"She's wearing the red one!" 

"Does it really matter?" 

"I'm a man. I don't care what clothes a girl has on her body; it's more important what they look like when they hit the ground." 

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Joey!" 

"You think you're a man?" 

"Don't be an asshole, Ajax, I'll have your head." 

"So does the fact that I sleep with a dude make me less of a man? That's very narrow-minded of you, Joey. I think I'm offended." 

"I think I'll just wear the flower one," I say offhandedly, letting go of my curls to let them cascade down my back. This, of course, just prompts a whole new wave of arguments from the boys that makes me sigh and drop in an exhausted heap onto Ajax and Joey's vintage 1920s velvet couch. When the doorbell rings, I move hastily to the door and fling it open to see Godric standing across in his white cotton pants and long-sleeved top that makes me groan, "Seriously, do you buy those outfits in bulk?" 

Godric glances down at his outfit and shrugs, "They're comfortable." 

"Fine, dude, whatever," I say with a smile and a shake of my head. 

"You have to invite me in," Godric whispers conspiratorially while I roll my eyes. 

"Does it matter that my name's not on the rental agreement?" I tease. 

Godric smiles slightly and rolls his eyes at me, opening his mouth to comment when Joey suddenly yells. "You bitch! Don't let any strange vampires come into my apartment! What crack pipe have you been smoking out of?" Godric frowns. 

"That's Joey," I say to him with a shrug. "Come on in!" I say it in a loud sing-song voice so that Joey can hear. 

"Jax! Make her stop!" Joey yells just as Ajax appears in front of us suddenly before halting and bowing his head. 

"Sheriff." 

"I am no longer the sheriff of Area 9. That title goes to Isabel, you know that surely." 

Ajax nods, "We're all glad to see you alive, Godric." 

"Godric?" Someone asks, and the boys peer around the corner to study him carefully. "Vampire Ghandi's in our house." 

I groan while Godric just seems amused, fighting a smile. Ajax blinks at him, obviously shocked to see him actually display an emotion; I couldn't do anything but hold back my giggles because I totally understood his shock. "Right, Sheriff...Godric...sir," he says stiffly while Godric meets my eyes with amusement, and I giggle again, "welcome to my home." 

I roll my eyes, "Oh, lighten up, Ajax. He's not going to stake you for speaking casual." 

"Thank you, Lanie, for that assessment," he says dryly as I grab Godric's hand and pull him into the living room. 

"Anytime," I comment over my shoulder. I introduce him to Tristan, Javier, and Joey who smile politely but are clearly intrigued, though uncomfortable in the vampire's overpowering presence. Soon, they shake off their immediate discomfort and begin bickering over my hair and my outfit again while I roll my eyes and curl up on the couch opposite Godric, opening my notebook to sketch my next tattoo and probably my last. He moves closer to me, sitting with most out our sides touching, and I feel the electricity hum through my body but fight to remain calm and stay focused on my sketch. "Can I help you?" I finally ask when the feeling becomes too overpowering to allow me focus.