Angel's Wings

Chapter Eight: Desire

"I don't care what you think as long as it's about me."- Fallout Boy

No. No way. It was impossible. My dreams had never felt remotely mundane, and hearing the voice of a famous pop star in the background of them wasn't possible. But Alfredo continued to sing, and it continued to sound more and more and more familiar. "Oh, yeah. Let's reach for the stars, yeah. You hold my back while I hold your hand, bab-ay." I pressed my hands against my scalp and tried to calm down.

Something was up with him. Alfredo Jones was no ordinary popstar, that much had become clear. And as frightening as it was, there was only one thing for me to do: get closer.

So as he leapt off the stage with his gazelle-like agility, I pressed myself against Delylah's side, meeting him right along with her. Delylah squealed and threw her arms around Alfredo's neck, planting a big, wet kiss on his cheek. "That was soooooo good!" She yelled. Alfredo chuckled and wiped at the smear of lipstick she'd left on his skin. I didn't take my eyes from his expression, not even daring to blink. My expression didn't change when he looked at me.

"Are you alright, Vael?" He asked, wrapping an arm around Delylah's waist and pulling her closer to him. I shoved down my urge to kidnap my best friend and take her far, far away from this new mystery boy who sang. Instead I forced a smile.

"Just fine. Great song. Was that new?"

"Yeah, actually. Don't tell anyone." He winked.

Delylah grinned and lowered her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Oh yeah?" She purred. "What are you going to do if we don't? Nope! Abort! No more flirting tonight on my watch! I rolled my eyes.

"A lawsuit. He'll give us a lawsuit. Hey, Delylah, don't we have that one test tomorrow?" Delylah tore her eyes away from Alfredo to give me an incredulous look. "What are you doing?" She mouthed. I shrugged. Of course I wasn't going to tell her that I was suspicious of her kind-of boyfriend. Alfredo looked at me too, raising a dark eyebrow. He searched my face with his own for a minute, a kind of intensity there that made me glad it was dark so he wouldn't see me blush. I frowned.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Alfredo drew away from Delylah and stepped closer to me. It was getting colder out; I could see his breath in the air. "You seem kind of pale."

"It's the makeup," I retorted. "And you're sounding hoarse. Maybe you should preserve your voice?" Alfredo threw his head back and laughed. Wow. He even sounds hot when laughing. I could feel Delylah keep glaring at me, but honestly I didn't care. I kept distracting him, keeping him away from the people that I cared about. And until I knew why I kept hearing him, that's the way I was going to keep it.

"That's the most charming way anyone has ever told me to shut up," he said after he was done with his chortling. I crossed my arms.

"I will neither confirm nor deny that that's what I meant." And with that, I turned around and stomped off. "Tyrone!" I called, searching for my friend. He wasn't hard to spot, as the body glitter he liked to wear was right near a fire, and I could see him flirting with another guy in an almost equal amount of sparkly attire. He turned around at the sound of my voice, waved goodbye to his group, and flounced over.

"What's up, my little cabbage-patch doll?"

"I'm sorry, but do you think we could go?" I said. "I'm tired."

"You've got it, pussums." He sent an air-kiss to the guy he'd been flirting with and ushered me away. As I followed him, I looked back, and my eyes seemed to almost magically land on Blake. He was back to reading, shaggy hair falling over his eyes. I smiled and waved, feeling a little shy. Out of everything that had happened tonight, he had been the most normal, enjoyable part of it. He glanced up and smiled, waving too.

But as I turned back around, I found myself bumping into a familiar figure. Ugh. Joesephe took a step back, smirking. "You've got to start watching where you're going," he drawled in his Scottish accent, teeth glinting in the moonlight. "Are you leaving already?"

"So what if I am?"

He smiled. "You're the first one. I'm sad to see you go."

I snorted. "As if." Feeling entirely done with everyone and everything, I shoved past him, not bothering to look back this time.

***

Everyone had already gone to bed by the time I got back, so I went straight to unwinding. First, I brushed out the curls that Tyrone had sprayed so much it felt like concrete. I kept at it until my hair slid over my fingers like silk, even if it was boring silk. Next, I changed into a tank-top and shorts. Of course, I would have never worn them in public, but it was still hot enough at nights, and it wasn't like anyone other than my uncle, Chadd, and Tyrone would be seeing me in them. I was just finishing up wiping off my makeup when I suddenly heard a thud outside the window. What was that? Burglars? A bird? Heart pounding, I crept across the floorboards of my bedroom to my blinds and tugged, afraid of what I'd see behind them.

It was a face. I suppressed a scream and stumbled back, but then upon second glance, realized that it was someone painfully familiar. Joesephe? He watched me, an indescribable expression on his face as he watched me step back towards him and lifted the window. A rush of cold air brushed past my skin and goosebumps erupted all over me. "What. Are. You. Doing?" I hissed through chattering teeth.

"Invite me in?" Joesephe smiled darkly. "I just wanted to say something."

I scoff. "What are you? A vampire or something?" But then I considered for a moment. I supposed, realistically, there wasn't any harm in letting him in... I nodded. "Fine. Come in. A-and make it quick." Joesephe had climbed through the second after I said "in." He glanced around. My room was mostly dark, with the exception of a dim lamp near my bed. The walls were stone, true to the castle-like aesthetic of the house. But Joesephe didn't seem interested for more than a second.

He looked down at me, and for the first time I realized how close he was. Close enough that if I twitched, our noses might brush against one another. My breath caught in my throat. Joesephe's hand reached out for my bare arm and brushed against my elbow, surprisingly gentle. What's happening? Why can't I move? Why is he looking at me like that? I gulped.

"S-so." I said quietly. "What was it you wanted to say?" Joesephe opened his mouth but then closed it. His dark eyes roamed mine, widening a pinch. His hand lingered on my arm, and then sneak its way over to my waist, wrapping his long, strong arm around it and drawing me closer.

What-

Then his lips were on mine. Soft and insistent, he touched my neck, brushing back my hair. He pushed harder, like he was begging me for something. I felt my body explode in warmth, and, shockingly, pleasantness. I found myself not drawing away, and as he did, just enough so our eyes could meet, it was like lightning striking between us. For just a beat we stood there, breathing, his leather jacket rough against my back. Don't, Vael. This is a bad idea. You hate him, you-

But then I was kissing him, attacking him with a strange kind of desperation. I threw my arms around him and as we stumbled against a wall, his lips parted and the tips of his teeth, somehow extremely sharp, nipped at me. I closed my eyes and let every sensation of desire cloud my mind and possess my actions. I began to muss his hair just as his hands ran up and down my back. He grabbed my knee while I hoisted it up to his hip.

"Vael," He breathed in between kisses.

"It's Vaelyumme. And shut up." I said back, not wanting anything to spoil the moment. I sighed as he trailed his lips down my jaw, my neck...

But then the door burst open. It banged against the wall loudly enough that I was shocked back into my senses. I gasped and pushed Joesephe away, embarrassment warming my cheeks. We both looked over to see Chadd, jaw open.

"I was checking to see if you were home," he said quietly, fury just beneath the surface of his usually calm tone. "Who's this, sis?" 

Hi! Things are heating up, aren't they? Thanks so much for reading and as always let us know your thoughts and feelings!