edited

|Adara De Clare|

My eyes open to see complete darkness. I can't see my hands nor feet. The only thing that lights up my room is the small light coming from my alarm clock. I get out of bed, making sure to be careful of where I place my feet. I feel around for the light switch. When I find it, I click it up, turning on the lights.

I cover my eyes with my hands until they become adjusted to the brightness. I look around, trying to make sure that I didn't dream up the Prince taking me from school.

I move and I feel heat coming from my lower abdomen. Well, some of it. The heating pad. I still have it on my lower abdomen. Also I spot the bag of snacks he bought me, sitting on my window seat. There's something sticking out from under it.

I walk towards it and I take it out. It's a note. He left me a note. How kind of him.

It reads:

Question: Do you know how much you weigh? Too little, I carried you from the car. You're light. I bought more food for you to eat, they're downstairs in the fridge and another bag is on the table.

A smile makes its way onto my lips. He's so sweet. Is he always like this and he was hiding it all along? If he was, that's so sweet. He literally makes me so happy.

Your highness—Nikolai.

I call him.

'Yeah? Are you okay? How are you feeling?'

I blush.

I'm okay, feeling better.

'Good, so the heating pad helped?'

Yeah, it did.

Ahh! He's so caring.

Nikolai?

'Yeah?'

I'm not too light.

He laughs.

He literally laughs, and I heard him. In my head.

'I see you read my note.'

I did.

'Did you see the food I bought?'

Not yet, I'm about to now.

'Okay.'

I head downstairs, expecting to see my parents sitting around the table or on the couch but I don't. I quickly check the clock. It's 12:22 a.m. They're probably sleeping. I quickly run back upstairs to check if they are.

I knock on the door but I heard nothing so I open the door. No one's in here. Where are they? They left earlier this morning, way before I went to school. Why aren't they back yet? Are they okay? I pray that they are. In a city like ours that's filled to the brim with vampires, I pray that they're fine.

I go back downstairs looking at the fridge to see if there's any note on it. There isn't. My eyes widen. Where are my parents?!

Nikolai!

I call him frightened.

He immediately answers.

'Is everything alright? Are you okay?'

Do you know where my parents are? They're not home and they didn't leave a note.

I bite my nails. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. Please God tell me that he knows where they are.

'They're with the King and Queen. They left to Perlsea Kingdom to discuss something. They didn't tell you?'

No. Thank you for telling me.

'Of course.'

Nikolai?

'Hmm?'

Are you busy?

'No, why?'

Could you come over?

He doesn't respond and I bite my lip. I know it was a bit much. The truth is that I want to be with him. I want him to be here. Not just because I feel unsafe being here alone but because I want him to be here with me. Spaghetti is here and we could watch a movie like what we did before.

I want to hang out with him.

Gosh, I really do like him.

Just then, I hear the doorbell ring and my heart immediately falls into my chest. Who the heck is that? My heart begins to beat faster and my palms become clammy.

I slowly walk toward the door and I open it. It's the Prince—er—Nikolai.

"Oh thank God, it's you. Don't scare me like that." I put my hand on my chest, my breathing heavy.

He cracks a smile, "Sorry to scare you."

"It's okay." I say then I let him in, closing the door.

"So what were you doing before I asked you to come over?" I ask him.

"Nothing." He answers.

I crease my eyebrows. He was doing nothing? You're never really doing nothing, you're always doing something. I thought we passed a point in our relationship for us to trust each other at least a little bit. I guess not however.

I mean, it is his choice whether he wants to share with me or not.

He sees the way I look, "I was just on the roof, looking at the sky. I didn't think it was important, that's why I didn't say anything." He explains and I blush in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, you don't need to explain yourself to me. I'm not really your girlfriend." I tell him, biting my lip and looking away from him.

He walks toward me, putting his thumb under my chin and lifting it. "But you are." He tells me and I gulp, looking down.

"Look at me." He orders me and I obey. Every time my eyes meet his, it makes me feel so nervous and anxious, yet safe and comfortable at the same time.. I have no idea why that happens.

He turns back to me, "Are you hungry?"

I blink, fiddling with my fingers, "Kind of." I respond, and he takes out what he went back and bought from the store.

I sit on the couch, trying to figure out what on earth is happening. Why is he acting like this? Is he trying to make up for not being there these last few days?

It's fine, I get it. He doesn't have to do it though. I know that he was probably busy with royal duties or whatever. Besides, it's not his job to do that. I'm his fake girlfriend, not a real one.

He did say it wasn't fake anymore, however. So what? I have a boyfriend? Like a real boyfriend? Who's not only a Prince but a vampire? That is wack.

So, what happens after the contract ends? When will it end? Will it ever? What if it does? What happens then? If it doesn't end, how would that make sense? The Prince—Nikolai is immortal, I'm not. He ages slower than any and all humans in existence, I don't. That would become way too confusing.

Just then, he brings the food to me and he sits on the couch beside me with a cup of red punch.

I want to smack myself. Red punch, really, Adara? That's blood. . .I think.

"Is that blood?" I asked him, trying to sound as steady as possible but I don't think I succeeded.

"No, it's juice." He answers and I look at him confused.

"So you don't drink blood?" I ask him.

"I do, it tastes horrible though." He tells me and I crease my eyebrows.

"How could it taste horrible for you?'

He sighs, relaxing on the couch, "Once you've had really good blood from someone, any and all other blood tastes disgusting and bland." He explains.

"Oh, whose blood was that good? And why can't you just go back to them for the blood?" I ask him.

He tenses and he takes a sip of the juice.

"I can't."

I'm about to ask him why but something stops me. Something about the way he looks and talks, makes it seem as if I shouldn't press further.

I get the remote and I turn it on. As I'm about to go to the movies channel, something stops me and tells me to go to the news.

"Let's see what's on the news." I say and he nods, taking another sip and eating his spaghetti. Where did he get spaghetti from? I have no idea.

He really does love it.

I click on the news station to see what they're gossiping about. When I see the title, my eyes widen and I look at the Prince, my mouth open.