Affinity

Chapter 13: I Dream in Red

His hands grazed her side, light as a feather. Tremors traveled under her skin as the air around and between them became increasingly warm. She wanted more; to touch him and to feel his skin on hers. As if aware of her thoughts, those hands slipped under her shirt grabbing onto her. Lips teased her neck, and she arched her body into his asking for more.

"Nastia." AJ murmured her name in her ear, so low and husky. She was content with just letting him touch her while she idly breathed across his bare shoulder. But her name on his lips set off fireworks.

Suddenly, she was on top of him. Were they not standing before? She wasn't sure. He was already shirtless, his green eyes filled with hungry desire that almost matched her own. Almost. She crushed her lips down onto his, succumbing to a hurricane of heat. The sensation of a true kiss was lost, however. He opened his mouth to let out a painful groan as she dug her nails straight into his chest. Crimson blood spilled out, staining his chest and her hands and knees.

A metallic taste was on her tongue. Her hand closed around something that was burning and pulsating. Curious, she yanked it out. The organ quivered and the loud thumping sound made her see nothing but red.

Anastasia sat up in bed, panting in her dark bedroom. She winced as the streams of sunrise that filtered through her curtains pricked her eyes. Strands of her hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. Her own heart ached in her chest like she had just ran a marathon. It skipped a beat when she caught sight of her crimson-stained nails. Her imagination reigned itself in as the morning air blew a breath of tranquility over her mind. Her nails are not covered in blood. It was just her red fingernail polish.

She hung her head letting out a frustrated groan and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The movement gave her pause as she registered two things at the same time. One, the metallic taste was still on her tongue. And two, there was an unfamiliar throbbing that ached just between her legs. She snarled in the mirror and saw the source of the taste. Her fangs had extended in her sleep and pierced her own bottom lip.

She opted for a long shower to restore control. To rid herself of the lingering feelings from the dream, she scrubbed her body with scorching hot water before flipping the handle over to cold. It was the same kind of feeling you'd get after spending the day in the hot summer sun then going to a water park, a rigorous cleansing followed by instant relief.

The hunger was messing with her mind. It had to be. It was all his fault. She wouldn't have such weird thoughts in her head if he hadn't kissed her in play rehearsals yesterday.

Well, he didn't kiss her. But he made her think he was going to. It was enough to scramble her brain.

Their shared scene had been coming along nicely. Both AJ and Nastia were off book, long before Mrs. Trailbridge's deadline. The director's only consistent note was they needed to decide what they were doing about the kiss. So far, they would just awkwardly pause and wait for Kevin to interrupt them and say his line.

She sat on the stage in a chair miming that she was cutting a sheet since they were not acting with props yet and her character Judy was helping to make homemade Molotov cocktails. AJ sat close beside her in another chair. At this point in the play, Judy was expressing her anxiety over leaving the house with the others to get to the emergency station in Willard. Given the fact they were surrounded by zombies, it was a totally justified fear. Tom was just selected to go out and fill the truck at the pump.

"Hey... smile, honey," he said his line in a tender voice, his downstage hand reaching out and claiming hers. He leaned forward and when she looked up, he rested his forehead against hers in an intimate gesture.

He was a good actor. It was easy for her to play off his energy. She was even more thankful for the peppermint she inhaled when he got so close. With their onstage chemistry, perhaps Mrs. Trailbridge would be okay with them replacing the kiss with a hug? She made a mental note to ask.