Blood and Betrayal

Chapter 23

**Hello readers. So, a little Andrew inspiration above, for you. Although, seriously, nothing can even come close to how I view him in my mind. The left photo is  somewhat close, in a way. Also, I decided to let this be a stand-alone chapter, rather than combine this chapter and the next... As I want chapter 24 to be its very own >=)  **
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        Bzzt.

         My phone vibrated again, for probably the fiftieth time that morning. It was 10:00 AM, but I was still in bed. Sitting cross-legged and with posture that would make any parent cringe, I sat at the head of my freshly-made bed and stared at my cell phone. It was sitting only a couple of feet away from me, face down on my soft duvet, but I did not need to see the screen to know who was blowing it up.

         After I had broken up with Michael yesterday, I drove straight home and didn't leave my apartment for anything. Strangely, Michael hadn't attempted to contact me at all. Andrew, on the other hand, had been calling and texting non-stop since last night, and Jennifer tried a few times, as well. I sent my best friend a generic response, assuring her I was alright, and at least SHE had the decency to stop messaging me after that. My brain and emotions hadn't been ready to answer the inevitable barrage of questions I knew Andrew would pelt me with, so I simply decided not to respond.
         Unfortunately, my plan could only work for so long. Immediately after my phone ceased its buzzing, a loud, insistent knock sounded from the front of my apartment. Jumping slightly, I looked out into the hallway through my open bedroom door, my face pulling into a frown. A few seconds passed, which was apparently too long, as another round of purposeful knocks assaulted my front door.

         With a grumble, I unfolded myself from atop my bed and rolled to stand beside it. I was dressed in loose pajama pants, an old band t-shirt, and my red curls were piled in a messy bun on top of my head. I looked rough, as I hadn't even showered this morning, but whoever was so determined to see me right now was going to have to deal with it.
         I must have looked like an angry ragamuffin as I wrenched open the door with more force than was necessary, but my sour expression quickly fell as I took in the sight of Andrew, his face a hundred times more cantankerous. My twin wasn't that much taller than me, maybe a few inches or so, but he cut an imposing figure as he stood out in the hallway of my apartment building, burly arms crossed and glaring down at me like I had stolen from him. I wasn't sure if his outfit was chosen with his destination in mind, but he looked like an intimidating bad boy. A dark blue t-shirt that stretched across his broad chest in an obvious way was almost hidden underneath a well-worn leather jacket, and his black jeans ended at the top of some very shiny boots.

        I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought of his biker look, when I was cut off by him rudely brushing past me and into my apartment. Mouth still hanging open, I turned to pin him with an incredulous look, my hand still resting on the open door.
         "Hey!" I had spoken a bit louder than I had meant to, and common sense made me quickly shut my front door before I caused a scene.
         "Well, maybe if you had answered your phone, I wouldn't have had to come over." Andrew was pacing in my living room like a caged wild cat, not even bothering to take off his boots. I cast a glance at my white carpet, internally wincing with every step he took.
         "Maybe I wasn't in the mood to talk? Speaking of which, I think I can guess why you're here. But will you sit down? You're making me nervous." I gestured to his agitated steps, which were fit to wear grooves in the soft floor covering. Andrew just shook his head in response, and kept his eyes trained on me.
         "Sorry. The full moon is tonight, I'm about to jump out of my skin."
         A great sigh filled the space we were in, and it centered me, in a way. With that big inhale, I also took in a pungent earthy smell, somewhere between old fir trees and damp soil. I could tell Andrew had been out in the woods recently, but the scent wasn't bad at all. It intermingled with his natural wolfy musk, and the result was nothing short of pure masculinity.