Chapter 9: Chapter 9

She wished Steph were more understanding, but his repellent attitude towards her struggle made everything worse. For the duration of their relationship, she had been forced to hold it all in and to hide it instead of speaking about it. Whenever she brought it up, he would become snappy and annoyed, telling her to stop crying or to leave his sight. Apparently, she was ugly when she cried.

Elena lay awake for a long time and stared at the ceiling, reminiscing about a time that would never return. Her heart ached for her family or anyone who would keep her company. Loneliness was painful. She hated the way it stung her chest and made her eyes water. She hated the headaches it brought along.

In the end, it was her exhaustion that forced her into a dreamless slumber. She managed to sleep for five hours that night, and when she woke up, Steph had already left for work. As she sat alone at the table and ate breakfast in a bland and quiet kitchen, she began to wonder.

Her thoughts traveled in a strange and completely foreign direction. The illusion of bright blue eyes appeared before her, and she remembered Ryder, his ebony hair, and his lip piercing that he always wore. What would it be like to be his partner instead of Steph’s? Would he also find her ugly when she cried? Would he call her pathetic for being scared all the time?

She would never find out because it would never come to that. If she lived with a vampire and his clan, she would lose her mind. It would be torture, so it wasn’t even an option.

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Hours later, she had recovered from the shock of her nightmare. A shower and some make-up had helped to transform her into her usual upbeat self, hiding the redness of her cheeks and the shadows below her eyes. She hummed a melody while she watered the plants in her shop. It was a quiet Thursday morning, and so far, she had only had a few customers. Since she was alone, this was a perfect opportunity to practice some of the spells she had learned recently.

Elena fetched her old spell book and all the ingredients she needed for what she planned on making. Her parents had taught her most of what she knew today, and she still lived by their principles—she wanted to make them proud. The most important rule she abided by was to never use her skills to hurt someone, so she focused on healing potions and protective charms. She knew how to cure certain illnesses and was good at treating injuries, too. Her magic was very different from Steph’s, relying mostly on the use of plants to enhance its strength.

Upon finishing what she wanted to make, an herbal tea that was infused with magic and would help with colds, she put her spell book away and hid it in a drawer that she locked. Sometimes she had customers who liked to buy her self-made teas too, so she placed the jar with the herbs on a shelf.

Minutes later, the chime of the doorbell sounded through the shop, and someone entered. His mere presence made her body feel colder. She stiffened, her heart filling with fear.

“Good morning,” Ryder greeted her, causing her to turn around abruptly. His gorgeous blue eyes were crystal-clear, gazing at her with a strange emotion that she could not identify. Was it anticipation?

“Hello,” she said, but her breath got stuck in her throat as she noticed something else. He held a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. Their vividly golden-yellow color formed a contrast to Ryder’s dark clothing and ebony hair. Once he reached the counter, he held the sunflowers out to her, and she took them, feeling bewildered. These flowers were a symbol of dedication and adoration. Undoubtedly, he had picked them on purpose.

“Interesting choice,” she noted and gazed at him inquiringly. “Why sunflowers?”

He gave her a mysterious smile that didn’t answer her question. “Why not? Don’t you like them?”

“I love all plants, no matter what they look like,” she said while she fetched a vase from a shelf and poured water into it so the flowers would feel right at home. She added a spark of magic and put the bouquet on the counter next to where she worked. The flowers’ yellow color reminded her of the summer sun. Their presence was soothing.

“Will you go on a date with me this Saturday?” Ryder asked, shocking her with his straightforwardness. She should have been used to it by now, but he still caught her off guard.

“Ryder, we talked about this before,” she said, avoiding his strong gaze to glance at the beautiful sunflowers instead. He had upped his game with such a thoughtful gift, she had to admit that, and it proved that she was important to him. Vampires were known to be possessive creatures, but she hadn’t expected one of them to be so… sweet? If it was reasonable to call a vampire sweet…

“I’m not single, and you know this,” she added after a pause.

“I don’t care. Your boyfriend doesn’t matter to me,” he replied. He was unable to hide his annoyance with the man who stood between them. Shimmering red streaked his gorgeous blue eyes.

“Consider it, Elena. All you need to do is say yes.”

Her gaze wandered to the sunflowers on the counter. They basked in the rays of light that fell through the window.

“I can’t,” she answered quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Ryder leaned against the counter and watched her silently. Even though he didn’t do anything at all, his presence made her uneasy. It was hard not to focus on the fact that she was alone with a vampire, and that she wouldn’t be able to do anything if he decided that he got thirsty. Her fingers were shaking and fidgeting with the flowers that lay on the counter. She had serious trouble concentrating on her job.

“Can you please leave? I need to finish this, and you are distracting me,” she said hesitantly, fumbling around with the flowers she planned to use for a bouquet. A customer had requested it for his date tonight, and she needed to finish it within the hour so he could pick it up in time. Elena had readied red roses and little hearts she wanted to use as decoration, as well as a pretty foil to wrap the bouquet.

“I’m distracting?” Ryder echoed and gave a superior smirk. It made him look attractive, even more so than he already was. “So you admit my presence doesn’t leave you cold. Are you interested in me, finally?”

“You talk too much,” she cut him off and fought the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks. She did all she could to ignore his burning gaze that followed her every move while she gathered the roses one by one. They smelled delightful.

“And you are not good at hiding your blush,” he teased.

Her hand slipped. “Ouch,” she hissed and put the thorny rose stem down. She had cut her finger, and drops of blood trickled over her digit. “Damn it, Ryder.”