Chapter Nineteen - Part Two

Maxwell

“Grace, do you mind telling me what’s wrong? I mean, even Charlie realized something is bothering you and she doesn’t pay attention to either of us half the time.”

“I’m going to be leaving for a while.” A tear escapes her eye and runs down her cheek.

“Leaving for where?”

“Home.”

“Home? Why would you go back there? I thought you were haunted enough by the past these last few days. Why make it worse?”

“Cambridge, it’s called Cambridge. Maybe going back will help me move past it all.”

“Cambridge…” I say the word as if it were poison in my mouth, “has been nothing but cruelty and pain for both of us. If you were smart, you wouldn’t go back either.” I don’t mean to insult her in any way, but to bring back such gruesome heartbreaking memories is ridiculous. What type of person would ask to relive the worst period of their life? Grace refuses to acknowledge me. “I’ll be here when you get back,” I reluctantly say.

I’m about to tell her there’s no need for me to leave when everything I need is here, when everything I need is in the form of a tiny smart-aleck girl by the name of Charlie, but the car pulls to a stop in front of her house, and she immediately exits. Peering through the tinted windows, I notice that she doesn’t look back as the car starts to drive away. The last image I see is her wiping her tears off her cheek.

I wait a few days to tell Charlie of Grace’s departure. With the sun finally down, I make my way to her house, but I end up leaving instantly when I see her car missing. There’s only one place she would be at being the hard worker she is. I glide through the office building’s doors. To my surprise, Morgan stands behind the front desk.

“Maxwell.” Her voice cracks as she says my name. The nervousness that plays in her speech makes me slightly nauseated. I nod my head in her direction. “Oh yeah…of course, Charlie is in her office.”

I feel her eyes on me as I make my way down the hall. I stop short of Charlie’s door as I hear her talking to someone. I assume she’s on the phone since I don’t hear or sense another person in the room. With nothing else to do as I wait for her to finish, I eavesdrop on her conversation.

“How do you know about that?...Well, he’s in for a rude awakening. I don’t know who he thinks he is...Hahaha, very funny. The only thing he’s going to get from me is possibly my fist in his face.”

That’s enough for me to grow extremely curious. I step into her office and close the door gently behind me to immediately sit across from her in one of the chairs by her desk.

“Juliet, I’m sorry. I have to go. I’ll see you Saturday night at my house.” She hangs up the phone in annoyance. “Maxwell, what a not so pleasant pleasure to see you. Please tell me I don’t have to travel across the country again to meet more dead people.”

Her bitter mood makes her more snarky. “That bad, huh?”

“More than you know.”

“Care to talk about it?”

“Not really, seeing as it’s your fault to begin with.”

I get straight to the point. “I came here to tell you that Grace is leaving for a few months. She wishes to visit our hometown.”

“Where exactly would that be?”

“It’s now known as Cambridge, Massachusetts.”

The wheels turn in her head as she thinks about that piece of information. “I don’t feel the urge for another road trip, so I guess I’ll see her when she gets back. It took you four days to find that out?”

“No, I wanted to wait until she was gone just in case she changed her mind. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m dying to know who you want to punch in the face.”

“Curious, are we? Well, thanks to you taking my phone away I got trapped into going on a date with Dave tomorrow evening.” Hatred laces her voice.

“You’re also having Juliet at your house on Saturday?” I’m growing very disappointed. All these events hinder my time with her.

“Yes, so don’t show your face at my house. That’s the last thing I need. Is there anything else? I’m just about ready to leave.”

“No, but I can come home with you.”

Her laugh fills the room. I have no idea what’s so funny, but I have a feeling she’s laughing in my face. “There’s that cute little puppy again.”

“I’ll take that as a yes then.” Her facial expression disappears and is replaced with shock. “You called me cute and referred to me as a loyal companion, so I figured the answer was yes.”

“That’s not what I meant.” I love how her arms wave frantically and her head bobs as she tries to deal with her humiliation.

Morgan stares at us with an overly excited smile on her face as we leave. Refusing to go away and sitting myself in the passenger seat of her car, I invite myself to her house. She silent the entire ride and once we get to her house she slams the gear into park once she pulls into her driveway, most likely getting some of her frustrations out.

Turning toward me with a very serious look and a wagging finger in my face doesn’t make it easy to keep a straight face as she lectures me. “No funny business, do you understand?”

I nod obediently, but the words that put themselves together in my head are saying anything but. I really should tell her about the bond we have between each other. How she will not be able to resist me for much longer. Silently I follow behind her, watching as she disappears into her room only to reemerge in her pajamas. Without acknowledging me yet, she makes herself supper and plops down on the couch. The click of the television tells me that she’s going to continue to ignore me.

Sitting as close as possible next to her, I look at her. Her eyes don’t budge from whatever pointless show is playing. She takes four bites until I finally open my mouth to speak.

“Charlie, I need to tell you something.”

Her limbs freeze mid bite and her mouth hangs open, waiting for the forkful of food. In fact, her breathing seems to have stopped, her eyes refuse to blink, and her fingertips belonging to the hand that clenches the bowl are turning white from pressure.

It takes a couple of seconds before her hand drops and the fork clacks against the bowl. “Again? What more is there to tell?” Her strained voice proves her strong persona to be fake.

“Do you like me, Charlie?”

“That’s asking me a question, not telling me something.”

“I’m getting there. First, you have to answer my question. Do you have feelings for me, Charlie?”

“First it was like, now it’s feelings.” I can tell she’s uncomfortable talking about it...soon to be admitting it. “Fine, Maxwell. Yes, I like you. There, I said it, now what do you have to tell me?”

“Do you love me?”

I hear a moan of frustration rumble in her chest.

“I know you do and you know it too. There’s something you need to know…about a vampire and their humans. There’s a bond that connects them together; this blood bond is activated by touch. The more contact a vampire has with their donor, the harder it is for the individual to resist.”

“To resist what?” Her retort is flat and I can tell she’s scared at my words.

“To resist me, Charlie.” I lean in to kiss her, but she jumps away.

“And you’re just telling me this now. That this fake attraction is going to take me over?”

“It’s not fake, it’s in your blood. Every cell in your body yearns for me. You won’t feel happy or complete without me, as I don’t feel complete without you. Give into me, Charlie.”

“Death, that’s what I’m yearning for? Death, Maxwell.” Her face goes still, emotionless. Staring straight ahead she speaks, “I want you to leave.”

I try to talk some sense into her. I try to tell her that it’s not fake or forced. She needs to understand that she was born for me as I believe that I was made for her. Nonetheless, her stubbornness won’t let me get a word out, so with my head toward the floor I abide by her words and leave without having her to demand it twice. With one look back before I close the front door behind me, I look at her.

The sadness and fear that fills her engulfs me as well. “I love you, Charlie. Just know that my feelings are real and that the bond doesn’t influence me. Some humans have been known to form some sort of lust for their vampire, but not truly love them. Only you can love me, Charlie, nothing can make that happen.” With that said, I shut the door gently and walk home.

I debate with myself if I shouldn’t have divulged that information, but no matter how much I want her to love me and accept her fate as my bride, I couldn’t lie to her any longer. It isn’t like she would never learn about it. It’s best to get everything out in the open now than after she does die for me.

Even through her anger, I did get the information I was searching for. She does love me and as I told her, the bond doesn’t create love. She’s just scared and too stubborn to admit it. And pushing me away isn’t making it any easier.