Chasing the Sun [Jaythan/Vampire] AU

Chapter Eighteen

Jay’s POV

I should totally be peeved about Nathan hitting on my mum but instead I laughed at it as if it was a joke. The whole time they were conversing with each other, she was cherry red and I had to roll my eyes from my mum acting like a teenager. Was that how I look when I’m with Nathan? How embarrassing. I guess Nathan has that effect on people.

“What do you take in school?” My mum asked to Nathan. She made my favorite. She only popped a cardboard box pizza inside the oven and in twenty minutes it was ready. She apologized to Nathan, saying she’d make a feast if she could but it was thirty minutes to the seven and I was working tonight. She glared at me for that.

“Law.” Nathan said after a quick pause. He looked at while saying this. I shook my head hoping he would understand that I didn’t mention anything about what he was taking.

“Law?” Mum asked, leaning in as if it was the most interesting thing she ever heard. I guess it was because her oldest son was a bartender and her other kids were still in school. “Really? That is amazing.”

They went on and Nathan did a good job of talking about his future and what he was planning on doing when he finishes school. At some point even I believed that he was to be a lawyer and he’ll have a house in ten years with a big paycheck coming in every two weeks. It was funny how quickly Nathan came up with something like that and fooled my mum. I tried not to think of it as lying, more like a cover up in Nathan’s real world. I couldn’t help myself but think of what he wanted to be when was human. Did he go to school and wanted to be successful? Did he have dreams like everybody else?

“I was hoping Jay would be going to college.” My mum said, messing up my curls. Snapping out of my thoughts, I grab her hand and gently bit it. She laughs and pulls her hand back.

“I need money first,” I said. “To get into school, I need cash to pay for it.”

Soon after, it was time to go and Nathan and mum said their goodbyes. “I’ll walk you out.” I said, taking her arm. We walk to my front door and I kiss her cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

“My pleasure.” She said and I open the door. She takes her keys from her pocket and before she walked down the steps, she turns around. “Jay, you’re a good boy.”

“Thank you, mum.”

“I mean it,” She says with a bright smile. “I love you and that boy you have in there is good. I would like to see him hang around here more often. He’s a good guy with a good heart and he makes you happy. He makes you happy, right?”

“Yeah.” I said. She nods and smiles. I watch her get in the car and drive off before I close the door. I walk to the kitchen where Nathan was doing the dishes. I take out my phone and check the time, I had time to spare. No one would mind if was ten minutes late. “She likes you.”

Nathan looks up. He smiles and nods. “I can tell.” I return the smile and head to my bedroom. As I was changing in my room, I called out to Nathan. “What?”

“Earlier, I was in the washroom.” I said and I continued talking when Nathan came in. “I couldn’t hold the food and every now and then I had to excuse to the washroom. Before you came and after I finished puking my guts out, I cleaned myself and I looked in the mirror.”

I paused when he sat down on my bed. My teeth went back to normal when my mum and I were watching TV. I had felt them return to their normal size because they had stung. My face didn’t change the way Nathan’s face changed when he showed me his fangs. “Go on.”

“I had fangs.” I said.

“Fangs?” He said, looking surprised. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know.” I said, sitting down beside him. “But I feel different, a little better than I have before.”

“Does that mean you’re body is responding?”

“I don’t know. God I hope so.” We leave it at that because I was already late for work. Did it mean I was responding to the transformation? Why now?

We’re walking and heading to the bar when Nathan stops me before we get close to the pub. He looks worried. “Say you are responding.” He says and pauses to let a couple walk past us. “It isn’t normal.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“What’s been happening to you has only happened a couple times before and I’m sorry for saying this, but none of the people who have gone through this survived.”

“Way to be optimistic.” I muttered.

He sighs, defeated and runs a hand through his hair. “What I’m trying to say is that if I go through changing you again and if it fails, I’m so sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” I snapped. He goes quiet and looks at the ground. I put my hands on his stomach and kiss him. “I’m not angry anymore. I’m not blaming you for doing this to me. So stop feeling so guilty about this.”

He looks broken when he looks at me. My heart breaks inside my chest but what I’m saying is true. I was angry and I hated him for doing this to me. “Jay.” He whispers.

I shake my head and place a hand on his cheek. “My life could end at any moment. I could drop dead right now but I love you. I love you so much that I forgive you.” I pull him by the small of his neck and kiss him hard.

When we part, his cheeks are wet and his eyes are bloodshot. “How am I supposed to forgive myself?” His voice breaks and he grabs me by my shirt. “How am I supposed to live knowing that I killed you?”

“Don’t be angry.” I whispered.

“But I am.” He whispered back.

“Forgive yourself like I forgave you.”

“I can’t.” His knuckles go white and his eyes go red. “That’s not as easy as it sounds. I don’t plan on doing that because if this fails, I’m not going on without you.”

“Nath-” He cuts me off.

“I’m not.”