Life Within Crystalfort: Our Story Continues - Part Two [COMPLETED]

Chapter Eleven

We got married the following February so that way I was seventeen when we got married. We actually got married at the beach since that's where Clawd proposed. The whole wedding scene had been weird to me, and still was. My own father, Dracula, had cried at my wedding. I know he tried not to, but he did. After the wedding, I had wrapped my arms around him and told him it would all be ok.

Now, Clawd and I sat in the kitchen of my father's house, drawing out the plans for our future home. Clawd looked up at me, pencil in hand. He looked down at the paper in front of him and began sketching out light areas as he spoke.

"What about a bathroom right here off the bedroom and then another one downstairs here," Clawd said, making it a design statement rather than a question. He had said it more to himself than me, but he looked up at me for approval. I smiled and nodded.

Clawd actually wanted to be the one to build the house. He wanted to carry on his father's business and do construction. I wasn't exactly fond of the idea, but I refused to crush a dream of his.

"Do you want coffee?" I asked quietly. He shook his head slightly. He dropped the pencil and ran his fingers through his hair and then nodded.

"Coffee would be good," he said softly. I smiled and stood up. I poured two cups of coffee and brought them back to the table. Clawd and I had only been working on house plans for three days, but he planned to have the entire house drawn out by tonight. Clawd had decided that he will draw the major plans and I can work on rooms and interior once we have the whole house drawn. I had agreed, of course. In high school, I had loved designing; it was a huge part of my life. The years I designed in high school had been the years that I got close to my friends. A soft knock at the front door made me jump from my seat. I went to the door and slowly opened it. Clawdeen stood outside the door. The smallest smile crossed her face as she stood there.

"Hey," Clawdeen said softly. I hadn't physically talked to Clawdeen since the day she had found out that I was being skipped. She hadn't even come to the wedding because she hadn't wanted to talk to me or see me. Now, she stood at the door, looking at me. "Can I come in?" She asked. It was then that I realized how much I had missed her southern drawl. I nodded and opened the door wider.

"Do you need something?" I asked, shutting the door. Her left arm hung at her side and her right hand was held right above her elbow. She shifted her weight between feet.

"I just wanted to apologize," Clawdeen said softly. "I just didn't want to lose my best friend. Now I know that I wouldn't have lost you because you left. I lost you because I gave up," Clawdeen said. She looked up at me, a look of worry and concern on her face. I wanted to say something, anything, to her. But, nothing came to mind. I just stood there, trying to figure out what I could say to make it all better. Finally, I knew what I could do. I could do the one thing I had always been good at. I stepped forward and held my arms out. Clawdeen smiled and stepped into my arms, wrapping her arms tightly around my back.

"I missed you so much, Clawdeen," I whispered. She nodded against my shoulder.

"I'm sorry for everything, Draculaura. I didn't mean any of it," she said softly. "I didn't mean to make you faint that last day, either," she said, a small laugh escaping her. I laughed and pulled away from her.

"Really, Clawdeen. All is forgiven. I promise," I said, a warm smile on my face. She nodded. "Did you need anything, then? Coffee?" She shook her head.

"Nah, I gotta head out. I just wanted to come over and apologize for all of that. I'll see you around, Draculaura."

"It's just Laura, now. And thanks for coming over, Clawdeen. Don't... don't be a stranger," I said. She nodded and turned around to leave the house. I sighed and went back to the kitchen. Seeing Clawdeen had definitely brightened my mood. Clawd still sat at the table, pencil in hand. Oblivious to the fact that I had ever left the table or that. Clawdeen had ever entered the house. I shook my head slightly and sat back down at the table. He looked up at me and turned the paper around to face me.

"What do you think about this?" He asked. I looked down at the drawing in surprise. He had the first level of the house completely designed. I nodded and handed it back to him.

"It looks amazing, Clawd," I said softly. He looked like he didn't believe me, but then he nodded.

"Thanks. You know, I'm showing this one to my professor. He wants to see some of my drawings and whatnot," Clawd said, grabbing another piece of paper. He lightly began sketching out the outlines for the second level of the house.

"That's great, Clawd. You'll be out of college in no time with those kind of drawings," I said softly. I stood up and kissed him on the head before walking out of the room.