Page 45 of Cryptic Dreams
Because I can very literally hear everything Wraith does from anywhere in the house—and I do meaneverything—so the fact that I can’t hear the three of them talking in the foyer or sitting room definitely means someone is making it so.
Oh well.
Eavesdropping isn’t very polite anyway.
With a sigh, I dip my brush into white mixture then add just a hint to the eyes. Just a touch of light, a tiny glimmer. Then I rinse my brush, set it down and stare at my work.
My incredibly stalker-ish work.
The painting is beautiful, if I do say so myself. It’s super realistic but also a little messy, intentionally messy, to add some chaos to the beauty of the subject. The subject who is Wraith, in case you were wondering.
I paint everyone, though, and not just my mate. People I know, people I’ve seen pass me on the sidewalk, people who probably aren’t even real. I paint my parents constantly, desperately trying to keep the pictures of them in my mind sharp so when the very few real ones I have fade, I still see them. I’ve painted Orion and Aries too, lots of times, and in various ways suggested by the couple themselves. It only made sense to paint my mate, so when he stops sending me such confusing signals and finally decides to reject me, I remember how beautiful he is too.
I’m still waiting for it to happen but I can’t deny the fact that there’s been some sort of shift in things since this became my permanent address.
It was weird really, what he said to me, how he acted when we were in the attic at that house. It seemed so out of character, but not at the same time. It almost felt like Wraith stopped fighting whatever he’s been fighting and let me see just a peek at the real him. Between the soothing touches and the words that hit harder than he probably intended them to, Wraith is very literally all I can think about.
And it’s changed me to some extent as well.
It took a night or two, but I started making it a point to walk out of my room when I knew Wraith was in the hall, or I’d go to the kitchen when I’d hear him rummaging through the fridge or something. I know how silly that seems, how childish it probably sounds, but Orion and Aries have been the only people I’ve talked to,reallytalked to, for so long that it's almost like I can’t remember how to be around others at all. I’ve always had to psych myself up for even the simplest interaction and it’s worse with my mate who won’t acknowledge me as such, but I’ve been trying because Wraith has started to soften toward me enough that he isn’t cruel anymore.
So I took baby steps.
For a few nights I simply made sure our paths crossed. We didn’t talk and I know it weirded Wraith out when I did it because his shock was like a slap in the face, but that was only the first time. The next few nights I’d do the same but instead of keeping my head down and ignoring him, I’d simply say hello as we passed. Head still down of course, but I’m working on that too.
Two nights ago I heard him in the library cursing and digging around in the old trunk that sits in the corner, so I decided to be really brave. I went down there, walked in and said hi, fully intent on asking him if he needed any help, but I didn’t get the chance. Instead, Wraith turned and gave me the faintest hint of a small smile, got to his feet, crossed the room and held out a first edition of Wuthering Heights. A very worn copy that I somehow knew he had read hundreds of times before he put it away for safekeeping.
And that is my favorite book.
Absolute favorite.
Wraith didn’t say anything when he gave it to me, just did so, nodded, and left me in the library with a very confused heart and big fat tears in my eyes. Oh, and that heart soared when I sat on one of the very fancy loungers and opened the cover to see his name scrawled in magnificent script on the title page. Then my heart almost exploded as I began to read.
The margins were full of notes.
Little one or two word notes, some with an arrow or a line that extended to a specific passage. It gutted me in the best way to see how much Wraith loves that book and the fact that he shared it with me, it just means everything.
And his oddly kind act strengthened my resolve.
Last night when I came downstairs, Wraith wasn’t up yet so I put on the kettle, made each of us a cup of my favorite tea and waited for him to come down. The look on his face was priceless when he saw me, not that I looked at it full on, but I could see the flabbergasted smirk and raised eyebrows. And thewell hello thenhe gave me in that goosebump inducing accent had an almost playful tone to it. We didn’t talk or anything, just shared a cup of tea in a companionable silence while my heart pounded so hard I thought I was having a heart attack. It was absolutely worth stepping outside of my comfort zone and risking rejection though.
To be honest, all of our interactions gave me such a boost in my confidence that I considered trying to actually strike up a conversation with Wraith. About what, I don’t have a clue, but I thought maybe if I talked to him, said more than one or two words, maybe he’d think I was more than nothing. I doubt it’ll happen now though, not after a visit from his parents.
Wraith’s hatred toward them seemingly knows no bounds and once they leave he’s in such a foul mood he stomps up the stairs, slams his bedroom door and doesn’t come out the rest of the night and day. Basically, the almost seven foot tall prince of vampires throws a temper tantrum worthy of a child in the midst of his terrible twos.
I smile a little at the thought.
I bet Wraith was an adorable toddler, and his pouty face is probably just as cute.
And that makes me giggle as I reach for another paint brush, but just when I’m about to drag it through the black oil paint, I pause.
The front door slams.
The locks click.
Three… Two… One.
But his footsteps never come. I wait longer, and still nothing. I turn on my stool and look at the door, and wait. Nothing. Whole lotta nothing. It almost sounds like Wraith left with them but I can still feel him in the house, feel him brooding somewhere close, but the silence is eerie as hell and it has me worried.
