The Crimson Rose || Nicolae Bartholy X OC || [COMPLETE]

Chapter IX.

Try.

Everybody in the house felt that something happened between Nicolae and Claire.

Drogo knew it, Peter was sure of it, Lorie even sensed it but couldn't put her finger on it.

As Claire foresaw, Nicolae withdrew into the darkness after that night.

Did he really think she could just forget the steamy moment they shared in the bathroom?

Did he really assumed she was so drunk she would think it only happend in her head?

Claire was getting upset. She knew she didn't imagine it and she could not figure out why on earth was he treating her like that.

She was frustrated, she thought she did something wrong, when she actually didn't even had the chance to do anything at all.

For the whole morning and afternoon after, Nicolae was nowhere to be found.

Even Drogo and Peter couldn't locate him. His brothers weren't worried, but they did know that

Nicolae must found difficult moving on with his life.

They couldn't blame him. But they also couldn't blame Claire that spending the whole day with Lorie, had her mind lost trying to think what to do.

Lorie had to call for her attention more than once, before she ran off to Drogo.

Luckily, he quickly figured out why Claire was so troubled and avoided to read her thoughts, explaining to Lorie that it was better if for that day, she would play by herself.

When Nicolae finally came back home, he walked into the library where he had sensed Claire's presence.

She lifted her gaze from the book she was reading and met his eyes.
He was a mess. He must have been in the forest all day, because his clothes were torn in a few spots and they were soaked from the rain.

They stared at each other for a while, quietly, like studying each other's moves.

"I am sorry." He spoke first.
He knew he was responsible for the chaos and guilty feelings Claire was experiencing.

She watched him for a second, then put down the book and got up, walking closer to him, in silence.

Nicolae was nervous. "Claire?" He never moved away his eyes from hers.

"I am right here. I heard you."
She circled him slowly, looking at the wet buttoned shirt attached to his chest.

Nicolae waited, he could feel she was trying to arrange her thoughts so she wouldn't seem angry.

She stopped in front of him, closed her eyes and sighed.
"Why do you keep doing this to me?" She asked.

"You take care of me... make me feel good, and then, take it all away?" Her indigo eyes now locked with his.

Nicolae swallowed hard. "There are things you do not know about me." He said.

She smirked.
"There are things you don't know about me either, does it matter?" She asked again.

Nicolae shook his head no.

"I know you are a vampire, I know you all are."
She stated bluntly.