Teenage Bones

Awkward Arrival

I have drunk the whole milkshake and I didn't puke once, actually, I felt quite good. Ten minutes after I finished the milkshake, we pull into a dark road surrounded by trees, this is the driveway to his mother's mansion. Tyler pulls up on the green by the house, as he turns the engine off, the light flicks on between us. The mansion was mostly made of logs, like a cabin but much bigger with huge lead-lined windows and a massive door. Even the breaking steps up to the door looked expensive. The front room light was on and the TV was too, playing something inaudible. I didn't like the feel I go from the place. Maybe, it was because of the last time I was here and she literally threw me out for holding Hope's hand.

"Let's get the bags," is all Tyler is able to say, opening the door and shutting it quickly. After a few seconds, I'm joining him in the biting air. I take my backpack and lightly jog up the steps to the house, letting Tyler knock on the door. There's a silence before a woman appears at the door, smiling and wrapped in a shawl.

"Hi, mum," Tyler says and he's enveloped in a hug before we both get rushed inside. The heat of the house warms my icy bones and almost makes me trust my surroundings. Tyler's mother sits back in her cotton sofa, covering herself with a fluffy blanket.

"¿Qué tan enferma está ella?" His mother spoke, not in a sharp tone either. I'm shocked and so is Tyler.

"Very. It strikes randomly," Tyler says, forgetting that I don't speak Spanish.

"¿Ella es tu novia?" She sounds almost... proud?

"Yes, mamá" Tyler says. The woman grins, looking between us happily. "Manejamos por cuatro horas. Nos iremos a la cama, gracias por cuidarnos. Nosotros dos."

"No problem, children. Tyler's room is upstairs, "she says in a thick Spanish accent and winks at us both, "Sleep well."

Tyler takes my backpack from me and leads the way up the stairs, showing me the very last bedroom in the landing out of the three that there were. Inside was grey walls, a wooden double bed with black bedding, white blinds and a giant oak wardrobe. He throws both the backpacks on the bed and stares at me. "You okay?"

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," I haven't moved from the doorway and without him making me, I probably wouldn't.

"Ta-da!" He says flatly, rubbing the back of his neck. I want to hug him, but I have no idea where we are, if we're even in a relationship or if the blood-sex was just the heat of the moment. The whole situation was making my head buzz and ears ring. 

"Aren't you tired?" Tyler's voice breaks me out of my worrisome trance. Standing and walking to me, he takes my upper arms and pulls me into his room. "You're sleeping here tonight. You're allowed into my room, my ' no girls allowed' phase is over, I promise." 

"I'm tired. It's just- your mother is downstairs and I'm assuming I'm sleeping with you?"

Tyler's face falls a little bit and he pulls his hands from my arms. "You can sleep in Hope's old room if you want to." He thinks I'm rejecting him.

"No, I want to sleep with you. That sounds bad. I want to cuddle all night but will your mum be okay with it?"

"Of cause. Come on, let's get into bed." And like our normal regular routine, he throws me a top to sleep in, I brush my teeth with him and we both splash water onto our face. Soon after, we're tucked into bed, fingers laced together and silently comparing hand sizes. "Do you want to talk?"

"What about?" His fingers were much longer than mine but less bony.

"What Starr said about imprinting. If we want to carry on with it." His fingertips scrape my palm gently. "Do you?"

"I didn't think it was a choice."

"It is, I can just bleed in milkshakes," as we lay down, he scoots closer to me, putting an arm around me.

"Tempting. But you wouldn't heal and it would look like- what is it... 'self-harm', right? 'Self-injury'?" Sitting up and inspecting his bandaged wrist, I begin to unwrap it slowly. Tyler's eyes have gained a new shine to them; excitement.

"You could also want to do it because you wanna date me or you like what it feels like? Maybe not just that I'm a good snack." Tyler's eyes don't leave mine and I freeze when he says the word 'date'. Are we dating? 

"Are we dating?" I blurt. Ty begins to laugh, not taking his eyes away from my paused actions.

"I hope so. I didn't think sex meant nothing, Es." He pauses, "you do want to date, right?" Instead of words to reassure him, the bandages are left and I'm leaning down to kiss him gently on the lips. His are soft and warm, leaving a lingering warmth to my own.

"Yes."

"So we keep the imprint, right?" My hand goes back to his wrist, unwrapping it gently and slowly. I nod and he visibly relaxes, melting into the bed. The bandages ping off when I get to the last of the wraps, revealing an irritated healing gash. It looks sore and deep- I'm surprised it was able to clot before he bled all over the bandages. 

"Does it hurt?" His face screams it does when I stupidly run my thumb against the line of dried blood.

"No," and he then winces when I kiss it.

"Can I just-" I make an action of clamping my jaw up and down. He gives me a small nod before I'm biting his wrist, sucking seeping blood from the reopened cut. Tyler's head hits the headboard, sighing in relief. I don't let myself feel the pleasure kick in before I let his wrist go, healing at least twenty times faster than it was originally and we both stare in amazement as Tyler's skin knits itself back together.

"Why did you stop?" Tyler looks tired, and who can blame him? He drove four hours to get me out of danger and to a secure environment and all I can do to return the favor is to bite him repeatedly.

"You need to remember that you are human, which means you won't generate that much blood. I've already taken enough from you today." 

"Esmé, my mum is extremely superstitious. One slip up and you don't drink enough, a book could go flying and she will call the police. We got to stay on top of this." Tyler stokes my hair, lessening the tension in the room. "And I can't handle seeing you sick, Es." 

I can't reassure him that I won't get sick because it's always going to be a possibility. I need more Faetus because, without it, I'm trouble. Coming to his mother's was a mistake, that's obvious but where else could we go? A hotel maybe? No. I don't think Travel Lodge would appreciate either a thousand broken objects and possibly a dead body or blood everywhere in a freaky blood sharing ritual. His fingers comb through my hair, twisting some ends.

"We should get some sleep." Although it was a whisper, I knew he wasn't listening when he just hums back, not looking at me but my hair instead.

"Also, I think it's for the best we let Elijah shoots me." Tyler just nods, holding the bottom of the back of my skull and combing through the hair.

"I'm going to be sick." He just twists my hair, "and I'm pregnant."

His jaw snaps in my direction, looking in my eyes with panic," what?"

Making an effort to keep the spasms in my chest, well, in my chest, I wave away the panic. "We need to sleep."

"Okay." 

He spoons me, still playing with my hair.

"Goodnight Es."

"Goodnight."