Page 127 of This Blood That Binds Us

“Ha! Please, do I have any good movies? I’m the smartest of my brothers and have much better taste when it comes tothe cinema.” His words curled together in a melody.

“Yeah, I believe that.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I let it go to voicemail. It was Chris again, but this time, I had guessed he was just calling to check in. I had called him and cleared the air, leaving out all vampire-related details. He wasn’t a perfect friend, but he had been there for me growing up. Letting all of that go would be a mistake. After nearly dying, I realized how life was too short to hold a grudge. Our friendship changed. That didn’t mean it had to end. The distance between us was a blessing. I didn’t want to risk bringing anyone else into the Calem brothers’ wake.

It was too late for me, but I wasn’t complaining. Aaron’s smile warmed me again. It was even brighter than the sun. The weight of darkness was gone...mostly.

“You seem . . . better. How are you feeling?” I said.

My words stopped his fluent walking.

“Yeah, I’m dealing. Slowly. But I’ve been talking to my brothers about it. I think I’m going to get a few more blood bags from William, then they are going to help teach me how to control it so I can feed on my own. You know they have the mind-control thing...that should help.”

“That’s a relief. We can’t have you turn Mr. Hyde again. That was...”

“Scary. I think I’m always going to struggle with it a bit, but I’ve got all the time in the world to figure out my inner torment.” His grin returned to his face.

“Yeah, you’re already a little too much.” I smiled. “But seriously, I’m proud of you for putting in the work. I honestly can’t imagine how hard that would be.”

“You’re giving me too much credit.” Aaron chuckled and playfully wrapped his arm around me as we carried on. “Come on, I want to show you something. I hope there are no VAMPIRE HUNTERS following me!”

I put my hand on Aaron’s mouth. “What are you doing!?”

“I just don’t want any of those guys following us.” His teeth gleamed in the sunlight.

“Where are you taking me?” I said as he steered us off the sidewalk.

“To show you all the mysterious wonders of BFU.”

We walked through the grass in the parking lot behind building C, the same one with the clock tower and the high arched windows.

“Isn’t this where they keep all the garbage bins?” I joked.

Aaron’s walking turned into a skip. “That’s what everyone wants you to think but really.”

We rounded the corner to some trees cleared away onto a path, a little sign hung loosely that read, “Twisted Oak Point.”

“What is this?”

“Well, I thought to myself, what’s a unique location I can bring the girl who has lived here her whole life, and after rigorous searching...and by that I mean asking a few random people on the street. They told me about this old trail.”

“Wow.” I stood in shock for a moment. “Yeah, let’s go.”

My sundress and strappy sandals didn’t stop me. I ran up to him, and we locked arms.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s short.”

We’d only grown closer since our near-death experience, and I found myself relishing every minute together we had. Time was precious. “I may have scoped it out beforehand. I had to see if it was lame,” Aaron said.

“Why did you go through all this trouble?” I looked up at him, squinting with the bright sun.

He patted my hand as I wrapped my hand around his forearm. “Because. Because it makes you smile...you get this look on your face.. .I love it.”

I couldn’t take my attention off the feeling of his hand on mine. His touch was warm and sincere, but most of all, it felt natural. We reached the clearing into a wide-open space. A little pond was set ablaze by the setting sun. An old bench was perched right on the water’s edge. The golden sunshine hit the water at just the right angle, and the peach sky reflected in the soft ripples.

“Well, what do you think?” Aaron was watching my face.

“It’s so beautiful...come on.” I pulled him to the bench. Its bright, tattered blue finish caught my eye instantly.