Page 22 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

Paige

The moment I wake up the next day, I pop out of bed and pull on a big sweatshirt. Then I take the black card from my nightstand and hop across the hallway to Chelsie’s room.

“Paige…” she groans, opening the door. She has a frilly, pink eye mask pushed up on her forehead, her light brown hair sticking up at all angles. “What is it? It’s only noon.”

“Come on!” I say, grabbing her hand. Then I pull her toward Sean’s door, and knock. After a minute, he swings his door open. He’s wear a pair of silk, red boxers and nothing else.

“What’s going…?”

I hold up the card, and their eyes both widen.

“Is that…?” asks Sean.

“Crimson gave it to me. It has no limit,” I reply with a smile.

“No way…” Sean gasps.

“We’re going to the mall!” Chelsie squeals, ripping the sleep mask from her head and tossing it triumphantly into the air.

I pull back the plush, pink curtain of the dressing room.

“Ooh, do a little twirl!” Chelsie demands.

Obligingly, I spin around, the flared skirt of the dress billowing out around me.

“So cute,” Sean says approvingly.

“I don’t know, you two,” I say, looking myself up and down in the dressing room mirror.

This dress is very different than what I usually wear.

It has a corset-style top, providing enough support that I don’t need to wear a bra with it.

Its skirt fans out in layers of lace, but still stops short of my mid-thigh.

“You have to get it,” Chelsie says. “It looks like it was made for you.”

Sean nods. “Crimson will love it. And it will go with your new shoes!”

There’s a twinge of guilt in my stomach as I look over at the heaping pile of shopping bags we’re quickly accumulating. “Is it too much?”

“Absolutely not,” Sean counters. “Crimson’s worth a fortune. Have you seen her Rolexes? She wears a different one every night.”

“Yeah, you should buy this dress, just so I can borrow it!” Chelsie giggles.

“And some make-up for me too, please?” Sean adds, batting his eyelashes at me.

I check myself out in the mirror again. Crimson had said that I should enjoy myself.

And I know she would love me in this dress.

I have to admit, I’m having more fun than I have in ages.

It’s amazing to be able to buy things without agonizing about the price.

And knowing that there’s someone at home who’s going to enjoy seeing me in them.

I smile at myself. A real, genuine, happy smile. But is it at the thought of spending all this money? Or the idea that there’s someone waiting for me, back at the mansion?

“All right,” I concede. “I’ll take it. And we’ll go to the make-up store next!”

Sean and Chelsie cheer as I close the curtain again.

Then my phone dings.

It’s Blake.

Hey babe

I wait a moment, to see if he adds anything else. But that’s the whole message. I sigh, but it’s not unlike him to be so curt. I respond right away.

Hi love, how are you doing? I miss you

I change out of my dress as I wait for his reply. I feel guilty that I’m here, buying nice outfits for someone who’s not my boyfriend. I guess he told me that he didn’t mind, but still…

It just feels so…different with Crimson.

With Blake, I always have to fight for his attention, have to try and fit myself into his life.

I’ve been living out of the city for a week and a half, and he’s barely bothered to text me or call in that whole time.

Has he even noticed I’m gone? I can’t help feeling like he takes me for granted.

It seems like he doesn’t see me anymore.

Maybe he never did.

No, that’s not fair. Blake’s been with me for a long time. I owe him more than that.

I should reach out and make an effort. It takes two to make a relationship work.

I text him again.

I’m actually in the city today, at the Moon Valley Mall. Do you want to meet up for coffee?

He texts me back as I pull on my T-shirt and jeans.

Sure

Not super enthusiastic, but I’ll take it. Maybe I’m starting to become too picky, now that I’m used to the attention of a mansion full of vampires. I should try to be more appreciative.

Great! How about the coffee place on the first floor, by the entrance? In 30 minutes?

K, he replies.

Thirty minutes later, I’ve left Sean and Chelsie at a nearby boutique while I meet up with Blake.

He’s already at the café when I arrive, sipping a flat white.

“Hi, baby,” he says, leaning over to kiss me. For some reason, I’m not expecting it. His mouth is hot, a little bit of stubble grazing my cheek. His gaze travels lower, to my neck. “Oh, wow. That’s for real, huh?”

I look down, and realize he’s talking about my vampire bites. My cheeks get warm. I completely forgot he’d be able to see them. I wish I had tried to cover them up somehow. But he doesn’t look embarrassed by them. On the contrary, he seems impressed.

“That’s wild,” he says. “You really let them bite you?”

“Yeah,” I reply, feeling a little awkward.

It’s bizarre to have my two worlds collide, but I suppose it was bound to happen at some point.

This is healthy. It’s good for us to communicate.

“It’s actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The mansion is really nice, there’s this incredible restaurant, and I have a huge room all to myself!

There’s a beautiful picture window I can read under. ”

He snorts. “Of course you’d be in a vampire house, excited about reading.”

“Well, it’s been sort of nice to get away. And I’m making good money, better than when I was working at the coffeeshop.”

“How good?”

I tell him.

“Babe,” he gasps. “That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me? Now we can definitely go for that Europe trip.” He takes a gulp of his flat white, raising his eyebrows at me. “No more excuses, Paige!”

“Well…” I fiddle with the strap of my purse. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go to Europe, Blake. I need the money for Miles. For his treatment.”

Blake frowns at me. “Seriously, Paige? You’re going to blow all of that money on some overpriced rehab for your brother?”

His words are like a slap in the face. “It’s not overpriced rehab, Blake. We talked about this. It’s an evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment program for substance use. It’s going to help…”

He gives me a condescending look. “You can’t really be falling for that bullshit.

Listen, Paige,” he puts his drink down. “Your brother doesn’t need to be pampered.

He needs to learn to grow up, to deal with his crap.

If he wants to stop using, he’ll stop. If you keep coddling him, he’ll end up just like… ”

I look at him sharply. “Just like who, Blake?”

“Aw, baby, come on…”

I know this is a bad idea, but I can’t stop myself. “Like who?”

He sighs. “I’m just saying what everything thinks.

Drug problems…they run in families. And your mom, she was…

she was a mess, Paige. You were always getting kicked out of your apartment, you never had clean clothes.

All our friends knew it, but nobody ever wanted to say it to your face. She was bound to…”

“She was bound to what, Blake?” I demand, my voice shaking. “She was bound to overdose? Is that what you were going to say?”

Blake throws his hands in the air, an expression of mock-innocence on his face. “I wasn’t going to say that! I’m just saying that your brother needs a firm hand, not some therapists telling him that nothing is his fault…”

“That’s not what therapy is, Blake,” I reply.

Anger makes my words pointed. “And my mother didn’t overdose because she was a mess.

She struggled with substance use after she had a traumatic childhood.

It doesn’t mean she’s not accountable for her actions, but she deserves empathy and respect.

And if she had had the support she needed, maybe she wouldn’t have had to move us around so much.

Maybe we could have had clean clothes. Why don’t you think about that?

What kind of society blames a mother for a situation like that? ”

Blake rolls his eyes and puts his hands up in the air. “There it is again. It’s always society’s fault.”

“You know what…” I stand up from my chair, clutching my purse to my chest. “I’m not explaining this to you. This is a waste of my time.”

Furious, I start to march out of the café.

“Hey, I’m not finished talking to you!” Blake shouts.

“Well, I’m finished with you,” I yell, shocked at the words coming out of my mouth.

But as soon as I say them, I know that it’s true.

Even though he’s never said the words out loud, I’ve always known what Blake thought about my mother.

It was in his eye rolls, his condescending expressions, his failure to be empathetic toward her memory, toward my brother, toward everything that I’ve gone through.

“You don’t mean that,” Blake spits.

“Yes, I do,” I snap. “We’re done, Blake. Don’t ever call me again.”

And I turn and march out of the café, feeling a huge weight lift off of my shoulders.

“And then,” Chelsie is saying. “She was just about to kiss the vampire, and a whole pack of panther shifters attacked the wedding!”

“No!” Sean gasps. “But…wasn’t she a panther shifter?”

“No, no, she was a wolf shifter. It’s totally different.”

“Hey,” I sigh, taking a seat beside them at the food court. Chelsie is eating a large helping of shanghai noodles, and Sean is sipping a boba.

“How did it go, honey?” Chelsie asks.

Sean frowns at the expression on my face. “Are you all right, Paige?”

I take a deep breath, trying to process what just happened. “I think…I think I just broke up with my boyfriend.”

“Oh no!” they gasp in unison.

“Aw, sweetie,” Chelsie says, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Paige, we’re here for you,” Sean concurs.

I’m a little surprised by the expressions of genuine concern on their faces. We haven’t known each other for long, but it’s nice to know that they’re both so supportive.

But the more I think about it…the less bad I actually feel.

Maybe Miles was right. Maybe I was just comfortable with Blake.

The whole time we’ve been together, he’s never made me feel special, never appreciated me.

He always took me for granted. I thought that relationships were about compromising, about always giving, but… there was never a balance with him.

And after what he said about my mother, I know I made the right decision. I don’t want to be with someone whose values are so different from mine.

I reach out and take both Sean and Chelsie’s hands.

“Thank you, really. But…I think it was for the best.”

“Good for you, girl,” Chelsie says.

“Yeah, you’re a gorgeous badass, and you don’t need anyone,” Sean echoes.

Chelsie winks at me. “Well, except for a rich vampire with a limitless credit card.”

I give them both a mischievous look. “Speaking of that…do you want to hit up the lingerie boutique next?”

“Oooh!” Chelsie squeals.

“I thought you would never ask!” Sean says.