correctly from the effects of a certain Halloween party,” he murmured into my hair, “you like cuddling with me.”
I was blushing too hard to think of an elegant reply. With the blanket on top of me and Adrian’s chest beneath me, it was like a sauna, but in a good way. “Fine,” I grumbled. Then I sat up again, remembering his earlier comment. “Wait—what was that about being my shadow?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“ Adrian, ” I warned.
“Caitlin,” he replied, staring back at me evenly.
After a long moment, he very sternly pointed at his chest, then pointed at me, then motioned for me to lie back down.
How the hell was I supposed to resist that?
7
SELLING THE STORY
I woke up to a variety of noises: the sound of silverware and glasses being set on the table, the drone of the movie sound track, my uncle speaking with my aunt, the bubble of a pot on the stove, and most vividly, the beat of Adrian’s peculiarly slow heart against my left ear. I stretched, waking slowly, and rubbed my face into his chest.
“You’re in a better mood,” he observed, looking down with a small smile.
“I forgot how incredibly comfortable you are.” I laid my face on his sweater again and almost drifted off. I could feel a chuckle trickle up through his chest.
“I think your uncle doesn’t know what to do with me,” he whispered a moment later.
I immediately popped up and looked first at Adrian, then at my uncle, then at Adrian again, horrified. “What do we tell him?”
He shifted underneath me, tucking the blanket around my shoulders. “We tell him that we’ve become good friends since you’ve moved here, and that we’d like to see where the friendship takes us.”
“Does that mean we’re dating?”
“It means your uncle can interpret that however he wants.”
I frowned. “So, you’re doing all this just because you don’t want my family to worry about me?”
He waved his head back and forth in a so-so gesture. “There’s more. But I’ll tell you tomorrow. Enjoy your birthday.”
I raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” He smiled, but refused to elaborate. “Fine,” I told him, “be cryptic.” I hunched my knees up to my chin. “What about my aunt, though? She’ll ask detailed questions. And Norah will repeat anything we say here to all her friends, so what do we tell people at school? Also, if this is all some weirdly elaborate joke about vampires because I wore a vampire costume on Halloween and it’s my birthday, tell me now, and your death will be quick and painful.”
He winked at me. “I can’t die, remember?”
Before I could reply, Rachel called out that dinner was ready, so we stood and walked over to the table.
“Caitlin, how was your birthday?” my aunt asked, breaking the silence as she handed her husband a bowl of salad.
I almost choked on a crouton. Adrian patted my back helpfully. For half a second, I toyed with the idea of telling her the truth: Well, Aunt Rachel, I went to school, I came home, I put on my boots, and I got naked-ish and cried on a large rock, but Adrian here just had to stop me, and oh yeah! he’s a vampire and we’re dating now. I think.
“It was good,” I lied.
“Adrian,” my aunt began, “I can’t tell you how nice it is to have you here. And I wanted to thank you for taking Caitlin to school; it’s been such a help.”
“No trouble at all,” he replied, smiling warmly.
I was clearing dishes later, so I didn’t notice at first when Adrian took Joe into the living room to talk. Over the dishwasher, Rachel leaned in conspiratorially.
“So,” she began, trying to sound casual. “What’s going on with you two?”
I’d known this was coming, but my face still turned red. Norah was rinsing plates in the sink and trying to listen without looking like she was listening.
I scrubbed at an imaginary spot of food on the plate I was holding and mumbled, “We’re dating, I
I was blushing too hard to think of an elegant reply. With the blanket on top of me and Adrian’s chest beneath me, it was like a sauna, but in a good way. “Fine,” I grumbled. Then I sat up again, remembering his earlier comment. “Wait—what was that about being my shadow?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“ Adrian, ” I warned.
“Caitlin,” he replied, staring back at me evenly.
After a long moment, he very sternly pointed at his chest, then pointed at me, then motioned for me to lie back down.
How the hell was I supposed to resist that?
7
SELLING THE STORY
I woke up to a variety of noises: the sound of silverware and glasses being set on the table, the drone of the movie sound track, my uncle speaking with my aunt, the bubble of a pot on the stove, and most vividly, the beat of Adrian’s peculiarly slow heart against my left ear. I stretched, waking slowly, and rubbed my face into his chest.
“You’re in a better mood,” he observed, looking down with a small smile.
“I forgot how incredibly comfortable you are.” I laid my face on his sweater again and almost drifted off. I could feel a chuckle trickle up through his chest.
“I think your uncle doesn’t know what to do with me,” he whispered a moment later.
I immediately popped up and looked first at Adrian, then at my uncle, then at Adrian again, horrified. “What do we tell him?”
He shifted underneath me, tucking the blanket around my shoulders. “We tell him that we’ve become good friends since you’ve moved here, and that we’d like to see where the friendship takes us.”
“Does that mean we’re dating?”
“It means your uncle can interpret that however he wants.”
I frowned. “So, you’re doing all this just because you don’t want my family to worry about me?”
He waved his head back and forth in a so-so gesture. “There’s more. But I’ll tell you tomorrow. Enjoy your birthday.”
I raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” He smiled, but refused to elaborate. “Fine,” I told him, “be cryptic.” I hunched my knees up to my chin. “What about my aunt, though? She’ll ask detailed questions. And Norah will repeat anything we say here to all her friends, so what do we tell people at school? Also, if this is all some weirdly elaborate joke about vampires because I wore a vampire costume on Halloween and it’s my birthday, tell me now, and your death will be quick and painful.”
He winked at me. “I can’t die, remember?”
Before I could reply, Rachel called out that dinner was ready, so we stood and walked over to the table.
“Caitlin, how was your birthday?” my aunt asked, breaking the silence as she handed her husband a bowl of salad.
I almost choked on a crouton. Adrian patted my back helpfully. For half a second, I toyed with the idea of telling her the truth: Well, Aunt Rachel, I went to school, I came home, I put on my boots, and I got naked-ish and cried on a large rock, but Adrian here just had to stop me, and oh yeah! he’s a vampire and we’re dating now. I think.
“It was good,” I lied.
“Adrian,” my aunt began, “I can’t tell you how nice it is to have you here. And I wanted to thank you for taking Caitlin to school; it’s been such a help.”
“No trouble at all,” he replied, smiling warmly.
I was clearing dishes later, so I didn’t notice at first when Adrian took Joe into the living room to talk. Over the dishwasher, Rachel leaned in conspiratorially.
“So,” she began, trying to sound casual. “What’s going on with you two?”
I’d known this was coming, but my face still turned red. Norah was rinsing plates in the sink and trying to listen without looking like she was listening.
I scrubbed at an imaginary spot of food on the plate I was holding and mumbled, “We’re dating, I
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