Love Bites

Choices

She banged on the door, hammering relentlessly with her fist.

"What?!" The woman snapped as she flung the door open. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Your help. Please."

"I guess you better come inside."

Tasha stepped over the threshold, a miniscule atom of doubt lodging in her throat, but she forced it down. This was the right thing to do, she knew it. She followed Cassandra into the den she'd spent time with Cal in before everything went to shit. 

They sat and Cassandra asked, "Well, how can I help you?" 

"I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I apologise for that. The last time we spoke I was not in a good place but what you said, well, it made me think, take stock. Plus I didn't know who else to turn to." Cassandra nodded but didn't speak. "Will you accept my apology?"

Cassandra smiled, "Of course." She took a deep breath and cocked her head to one side, studying Tasha's face. "Well, you're obviously here to talk about Cal. So talk."

"He told me what he is. That he's a..." she could barely say the word. "A vampire. At first I wanted nothing to do with him. But the more time we spent apart the more I realised that I still had feelings for him. Then you came to see me in the hospital. Made me realise that I actually loved him and that was he was didn't matter to me."

"That's very big of you, but I don't see how that pertains to me. I know he still loves you, so go talk to him."

Tasha nodded, she knew Cassandra was right. Now the seed of doubt was blooming in her chest.

"However," Cassandra continued, "as much as you love him, it's not going to last forever, is it?" her voice was tinged with sadness.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, Cal doesn't age like you and me. In twenty years time he will look the same as he does today. You, however, will have aged. If you choose a life with Cal, with a vampire, you are choosing a life of pain whilst he watches you slowly age and die. Even if you think you can handle that, you have to know your relationship will not be conventional. In twenty years time people will assume he is your son. You will have to hide the intimate side of your relationship for fear of what people will say or do. That will be hard Tasha. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

Every word was a dagger in her heart. She knew Cassandra was right, those thoughts had been in swirling in her head, banging against her skull like a heartbeat. "That's why I..." Tasha paused, licked her suddenly dry lips. "I want to change."

Cassandra put on her most shocked face. "I wasn't suggesting..."

"No! I know!" Tasha cut across her. "It's just I've thought about it, it's the only thing I've been thinking about. I have no one. My parents are gone, my sister is gone and my grandparents...well, I don't know how much longer i'll have with them." She began twisting her hands together as the grief welled inside her. "I can't lose Cal too. I just can't."

Cassie nodded thoughtfully, "I understand."

"So you'll help me?"

Cassie made a show of thinking hard, she took a deep breath and set Tasha with a serious stare, "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?"

"Yes!" Tasha said, ignoring the squirm in her stomach.

"Then, yes. I'll help you."

"Thank you! When..." Tasha trailed off as I wave of nausea hit her. Was she really going to do this? The blossom of doubt had grown bigger but she sliced it down with just one thought. Cal.