Turned

Chapter Twenty Six

I lay next to him, thinking it was a lie, some kind of trick that my mind was playing on me but he was there, he was real... it was real, all of it was real. He was there, sleeping peacefully, his eyes closed. I turned to him, still couldn't believe he was real but... he had to be.

"It's rude to stare" he commented as he opened one eye.

"Hey"

"I thought about taking it slow but..."

"If you want to... I... I don't mind" I promised.

"Blue eyes, you're sweet" he commented as he touched my chest. "The only thing I want to do is go to work... eventually"

I got up slowly, carefully, trying to act like a human but probably failed, miserably. I was slow, even for a human, snail's pace for a vampire as I got up to try and find my clothes.

"Did I...?"

"No, I just can't find my clothes" I admitted.

"Was it the nickname?"

"No... I like it"

"Then what?" he asked. "Whatever it is, you can tell me"

I wish I told him there and then, told him the truth about me, about what I am. I wasn't even convinced he'd believe it, why would he? Matt saw the truth, I didn't tell him... Nick... that was something else, he hadn't seen it and I... I didn't want him to.

"I just don't want to get hurt... it's stupid of me, I know"

"Hey, don't say that, please. I know what it's like to be hurt, if you want us to take a few steps back... I don't mind, honestly" Nick promised as he touched my hand. I didn't shy away, I turned back to him and shook my head. "No, that'll be letting my fears win"

He smiled and pulled me down for a kiss before handing me my clothes. "They were on my side of the bed"

I got dressed only to be pulled back down. I kissed him romantically, smiling as he touched my cheek. I held his hand and smiled, pulling him up and out of bed. I threw him his clothes as I put mine on, blushing a little bit. I didn't feel like I was rushing anything, I felt like... like I was living on a cloud, a beautiful, bright and fluffy cloud that I was happy to live on, happy to stay on.

"Will you come back to mine tonight?" he asked.

"I..."

"Sorry, I'm jumping into things way too quickly... I should learn when to shut up... I" he started but it was my turn to silence him with a kiss.

"I was going to say, 'I'd love to'"

The smile I gave was real, I hadn't lied, I was waiting, waiting for a moment... any moment to tell him the truth but I didn't want to just randomly shout out that I was a vampire, that I wanted to bite him... only reason why I wasn't trying to, was because of Sapphire's blood, if it hadn't been for that... I could've... I might've.

"I'll see you at work" he promised as he kissed me goodbye.

I left my room feeling like the luckiest man on the planet, I probably was too, I had someone I could be... most of myself with. As long as I didn't flash the red eyes or the fangs, we'd be fine, at least I hoped so. I wanted to give myself a chance to be happy, to feel happiness. After Kyle and my vampirism, I doubted I could but if I didn't try, how would I know? I had to believe there was someone out there for me.

I threw a fresh shirt on, smiling as I forced myself out my room, confronted by Matt and a cup of coffee. I looked at him, blushing a little.

"Sorry" I said, still blushing.

"Seems he's alive" Matt commented.

"I'm sorry... for what I said"

"You didn't... bite?"

"God, no" I snapped as I grabbed his coffee and finished it. "I haven't touched his blood"

"Yet you're afraid of it?" Matt questioned.

"I currently have vampire blood swimming around my system, I don't have such a hunger... when that wears off, I will"

"Question. When are you going to tell him?" Matt asked.

It was a question I had thought over, didn't want to rush into it so I didn't think too much about it... I couldn't, it would be rushing into something.

"Steady on, we've only just started dating... I'm not in any rush to tell him something like that... if it doesn't work out, it'll be the end of that and he won't know... that he's... slept with something like me"

I wanted to tell Nick everything, tell him the whole truth and nothing but the truth but I fought back the urge to tell him, just in case I was wrong and everything fell to pieces or he tried to kill me or go to the police about me. Him dying was the last thing I wanted to watch, knowing I tried everything I could think of to prevent his death but on the other hand, I didn't want to get in too deep on a lie.

What if he didn't like me? The vampire was a part of me, whether I liked it or not. It was what made relationships complicated. I didn't want to rush into things, end up with my heart broken, watching him die or be made into a vampire, something I'd never forgive, let alone ask him to forgive.

"Just keep the noise down, I could hear the bed bashing against the wall all night" Matt asked.

"Please, the amount of times I've had to put up with the sounds of you and someone you bring home, it's about time you know how it feels"

"I only did that because you used to make me listen to it!" he complained playfully. "And stop nicking my food, you don't even eat anymore"

"But I do, I can still taste food" I joked as I put his coffee mug on the table. "I just require a little blood... occasionally" with a stern look from Matt, I rolled my eyes and said, "more than occasionally, but I'm still learning, it'll take some time but I'm getting there"

"I'm happy for you" Matt commented.