“Will you stay with me tonight?” he asks softly as we continue following behind my carried mother.
He's asking me to stay? I assumed we would be staying together, and now I feel a little silly for such. It’s not like we’re in a real relationship, at least not a defined one. Now I’m worried he’s asking because he feels obligated to. My stuff is piled up in the room that I thought he got for the two of us.
Oh I’m such an idiot.
“Um, nah. I can get my own room,” I say with forced casualness, and I see him frowning out of the corner of my eye.
“So you don’t want to stay with me?” he says while changing his question around.
Of course I do. I would be if you hadn’t just made it feel as though I assumed something I wasn’t supposed to.
He even called it our room earlier, or at least I think he did. Why do that if he’s going to-
“I want you to is the reason I’m asking,” he says to interrupt my inner ramble, and I shrug again while slipping my hand out of his.
“I’ll just get my own room, and we can see each other tomorrow. You and your sister don’t have to come eat with my family. I’m sure that would be a little awkward for the both of you.”
Considering you view me as someone you have to ask to stay with you.
“Why are you acting like this?” he huffs out.
“Like what?”
“Like this,” he growls while gesturing to all of me.
“I suppose it’s because-” because I’m apparently falling harder for you than you are for me “- I don’t know what to say to be honest. Maybe this is a bit much. We just started… whatever this is. I’m not sure a dinner with my family is the most appropriate step this early on. Maybe you and your sister should have some family time, and I should do the same.”
He shakes his head, while my happy family laughs and giggles ahead of me.
“All of this because I asked you to stay with me tonight?” he scoffs in disbelief while gripping his head.
All of this because I thought we were in a different place than we actually are.
I need to take a step back. My blood is too valuable for someone to get their hands on, and everyday I’m with him, I’m closer to trusting him more than I should.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s not like you’ll be missing much.”
He rolls his eyes, and then he leans against the wall in front of the hotel.
“Why do you think one thing and say another?” he gripes.
“Unless you can read my mind, you can’t say that. I’m saying exactly what I’m thinking,” I lie, and it’s very convincing.
“Aria, I’m so confused by you right now. It’s as if you don’t want to want me, and it doesn’t really make a whole hell of a lot of sense, considering I’m obviously lost in you. Just stay with me tonight. Let’s go forward with the dinner as planned, and then let’s sit down and talk about us tonight. I want this to be more than you apparently think I do.”
I just want to fall into his arms. I want to feel the way my mother does with my stepdad, but I’m starting to doubt I have her incredible talent for finding a man who loves her without waver.
I keep letting myself forget love like that is rare. Most people rarely feel that instant attraction that blinds you to the world. My emotions are fucked up - overly heightened - because of what I am, so I know for a fact I feel much more than he does. I knew this was a foolish idea.
Jase isn’t so head-over-heels that he would wait seven hundred years to be with me, and he probably never will be.
“I just think tonight is a good time to take a step back and breathe. I think I got a little wrapped up. I’ll call you later,” I murmur while kissing his cheek and fighting off the pathetic tears trying to escape.
I walk away quickly, refusing to glance over my shoulder to see if he's watching me or not. I'm sure he's already walked around to the other stairs or elevator.
“Where’s Jase?” Rex asks while walking over to throw his arm around my shoulders.
“He… he forgot he had something to do tonight. He and his sister are going to go out to eat, and then he’s going to handle some business. I’ll see him tomorrow though.”
