Desires

•CHAPTER XXXV•

"Hey, where were you guys just now?" He says innocently. The look on his face tells me that he isn't aware of what I saw.
It angers me deeply.
"We were at lacrosse tryouts." Charlie says as she looks at me from the corner of her eye meeting my blank expression.
"What were you doing there?" He asks as we walk toward their cars that were parked closely.
"The twins' were playing, they are totally gonna make the team. They were like wolves out there." She says as I say nothing. Romeo glances at me with a concerned look. Curious as to why I looked deadpanned and why I kept silent.

We got to their cars and Charlie gestured to Romeo.
"Azra, do you wanna ride with me or...?"
There's a silence as I break from my voice.
"I'll go with you." I mumble and walk toward her car, gripping my bag strap so that I don't burst out in random anger. I didn't want to sit with him because I couldn't even look at him. I didn't want to be that girl in his car. Sitting in the same seat with the same hopes for his touch and attention.

Charlie and Romeo stay looking at each other before she hesitantly follows me.

I sit in the passenger seat with my hand supporting my head as I look out the window. The weather had turned sour with my mood. What was the bright sky turned into a dull painting on the verge of rain. The air had a twisted dampness to it that singed through every nook and cranny of Morgenstel.

Charlie sets off and darts her eyes from the road and to me.
"You should talk to him about it."
"About what?"
"You know what I'm talking about."

My plans to pretend I didn't care obviously failed.

"Let's just get this over with first." I say glumly before she quits the subject and soon arrive at her driveway.

Her house is a bungalow, covered in ivy and all sorts of plants around the door and windowsill. From the purple of the ivy to the green of the grass, her house looked like a haven for nature. Romeo parked his car behind us.

I got out quickly so that I didn't have to see him.
Charlie soon followed me and entered her house.

The instant smell of sage and cinnamon musk hit my nose. I could see the faint smoke of incense coming from a door that was half open. It had a wooden star woven on the front with ornates of berries and tied string of trinkets.
"Here." Charlie says and opens the door to reveal a tall lean woman with long black braided hair. She had big plates of earrings and jewellery laid upon her long fingers.
She had the same dark eyes as Charlie and the same facial structure.

"Ah, Azra, we finally meet." She says and strides towards me taking my hand in hers. She lets out a breath and her eyes close. She tilts her hand back and shakes her head.
She opens her eyes again and I see them turn from a bright purple to dark brown again.
"I see now." She says and lets go of my hand. I rub my hand feeling like she's left some sort of cast on it.

She looks above me, at Romeo who hasn't entered the room yet.
"He can't enter." Charlie whispers. "This room is bound by magic."
I look back at Romeo who stand stubbornly, trying to push through but he can't. It's like a wall is there, vibrating off his fingers as he presses his fingertips against it.

Charlie's mum walks over and presses her hand against the middle of the imaginary wall.
She nods at Romeo and he slowly steps a foot in and it enters like nothing was there

"I'm sure you know why you're here." Charlie's mum says and walks over to a wooden table where she places her hands over it. It's laid with bowls of spice and herbs and parchment paper with sketches and lines of a language I don't recognise.
"She didn't do anything. She only helped me because I threatened her." Romeo lies as he steps next to me placing his palms on the table.
"How obnoxious of you. Already you step foot on my property as a vampire who's crossed the covenant. Yet you lie before me."
He scoffs. "The point is that I killed." He says honestly. The room is silent. "I had the blood on my hands, not her."
"It wouldn't be the first time."
"I think you have more to be worried about if you don't mind Mrs Vissa. That Vedovela was after her. What's that to the covenant? Vedovela's have no business in Morgenstel."

Charlie's mum thinks for a bit. She shifts her gaze to me.
"Is that true?" She asks.
I nod, but the image of Romeo swimming through his hell dawns on me. Even though I can't get past what happened today, part of me doesn't care. Because part of me still wants him to be here, that part of me wants him. Yearns for him.

"He protected me. Without him, my mother and I may not be here anymore. That Vedovela could have killed me anytime. Maybe even before Charlie's awakening. And who knows what would have happened after? The Vedovela could have moved on to someone else." I say quietly in defence of Romeo.

I hope that she changes her mind, and I think she does.

"Fine." She says softly and that piece of parchment rolls up suddenly. It raises and then bursts into flames that crinkle the black paper into nothing before it finally disappears. Only grey ash is left on the table.
"You're free."

I exchange a glance with Romeo before darting my eyes away.
"Thank you Mrs Vissa." I say and say goodbye to Charlie.
"Do you need me to take you home?" She whispers but Romeo hears.
"I'll take her." He says before thanking Mrs Vissa.

Charlie looks at me and half smiles. She's hoping that Romeo and I talk things out.

I exit their house quietly and reluctantly. I don't want to sit with him for the entire journey. He knows something is up.

I get in after him and sit against the car door, sitting on the edge of my seat, not wanting to share this position with every other girl stupid enough to fall for his allure.

He looks over at me trying to figure me out, but I keep looking at the trees that we pass by, avoiding eye contact.
"Keep your eyes on the road." I mumble.
"Something's up." He replies, keeping his eyes on me.
I shrug and shake my head. "Nothing's wrong."
He scoffs and the car comes to a halt, jolting me enough to make me look into his eyes.
"What the hell Romeo? You can't just stop in the middle of the road!" I exclaim and look behind me only to be met with no cars in sight.
"Drive!"
"Not until you tell me what's wrong." He says with determination.

He's got this look in his eyes that trap me in this wistful illusion that he cares.

♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎
authors note:

hey!

sorry for the late update, i wrote this all and then uploaded it hours ago only when i came back to check on it, it had deleted the ending and it was never published??

please vote/comment and thank you if you have, with all the crap surrounding me it really puts a smile on my face.

-kiim