I woke up early on Friday morning. I glanced out onto my porch, and while the sun was not there to greet me from just beyond the tree line, it was in fact a particularly bright gray day. I smiled, stretching my arms above my head and receiving a nice pop from my shoulder as I did.
"Sure that didn't come out of the socket?" Adam teased, his head rested in his palm as he looked at me. I made a face at him before bending to kiss him good morning. It felt so normal to have him there, in bed with me, as if this was how life usually was. He'd slept at my house almost every night the past two weeks without my father ever realizing, which was both thrilling and terrifying. I was still surprised (even if it was the most infinitesimal amount of shock) that his family was completely unfazed by this fact, but then again, I had to remember that I was dating a man who was 10 times my age and could do whatever the hell he damn well pleased.
I hopped out of bed, shaking out my hair from the ponytail I had put it in the night before while Adam and I had been kissing. That honestly felt like a natural state of being for us these days. It had only been a short amount of time since we had both said that we loved each other and broke the metaphorical levee that had kept us from thoroughly enjoying one another, but God, it was like we couldn't get enough of each other. During school, we would steal as many kisses as humanly possible; in the hallway, at the cafeteria table, even once in the backstage of the auditorium, which had warranted quite the explanation to Kristen and Anna when I showed up to gym class with dishevelled hair and my shirt partially untucked. Adam couldn't seem to keep his hands off me either, which was not only comforting but also incredibly exhilarating. Whether he was holding my hand, playing with my hair, or touching the small of my back, Adam and I felt like magnets drawn together.
I smiled at the thought as I bent down to fish a tan cable knit sweater out of my dresser drawer, eliciting a quiet growl from Adam. I had momentarily forgotten that I had slept in a large t-shirt and underwear, and felt a blush crawl up my cheeks. Whoops.
Within a millisecond, I felt my boyfriend behind me, his hands on my hips as he turned me around in order to give me a deep kiss. Yeah, this I could wake up to for the rest of my life, I thought as Adam's hands made their way up my back beneath my shirt. My own hands ran up and down his sides, feeling each oblique muscle as they went. I could have stayed this way forever, but I was startled out of the kiss by the sound of my father's voice.
"Brynn? You up yet?" Michael called up the stairs, as I heard his footsteps fall.
"Shit!"I whispered, the sound whistling through my teeth as I looked up at Adam; he returned an anxious look before flashing around my room at a blurring speed, picking up his discarded clothes as he went (since he was currently wearing black boxer briefs and a t-shirt – I had convinced him that the cold didn't really bother me the night before) and then with not a second to spare, he closed my closet door behind him and I clambered back into bed.
My dad knocked and opened the door just as I pretended to let out a luxurious yawn, as if I had gotten the best night's sleep ever as opposed to being up half the night making out with my boyfriend.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Just wanted to check in with you before I headed out – I feel like I never see you in the morning," Michael said, coming into my room and sitting on the end of my bed. "These days, Adam sees you more often than I do," he added with a chuckle, since he knew that Adam came to pick me up every morning the few weeks– though my dad didn't know that he was driving from a few blocks away where his car was parked overnight.
I laughed nervously and rubbed the back of my neck, a habit that I had picked up from Adam. "Well yeah, I mean, it's my fault for not waking up early enough. I do like my sleep," I replied, shooting my eyes to my closet for a second before looking back at my father.
"Indeed you do…. You also seem to like spending a lot more time with Adam lately," he noted, and I suddenly became aware of the strange tone in his voice.
Oh no. Now is not the time.
"I just want to be sure that you're being careful with him. Don't get me wrong, I do like him a lot – He's a nice kid with a really, really good family but it's easy to get caught up in a guy like that, Brynn. I don't want you to do anything irrational just because you like him. He hasn't pressured you at-" I stopped my father short before I decided to jump off my porch from embarrassment.
"Nope! No, no, no, no. Nein. Not at all." I pushed my hair back in a rather dramatic fashion, glancing at the closet once more. "Dad, I just woke up―I should probably start getting ready for school an-and you might be late for work. We'll talk about this later, okay?" I said quickly, jolting out of bed and smiling at my dad who gave me a dumbfounded look.
"Oh….Kay," he replied, raising his eyebrow at me before sighing. "Enjoy your day at school, Brynn. And you should put on some pants- it is winter after all," he teased, before kissing my forehead and heading out the door.
No way in fucking hell did my father just try to talk about the fucking birds and the fucking bees while my half naked boyfriend was hiding in my closet. I could have melted into a puddle of humiliation, but my dissolving was halted when just as the front door closed, the door to my closet squeaked open and Adam emerged. I smiled at him, blushing all the way from my neck to my hairline, before hiding my face in my hands.
"I know you heard all of that, but please do not say a word," I muttered into my fingers. Adam laughed quietly before taking my hands in his, and bringing them to rest between our chests.
"I'm just glad that your father didn't catch us while I was still in the bed." He smiled softly down me just as I cast my eyes up to his, and I knew he was trying to lessen my embarrassment by just the smallest amount. "I'm actually surprised I didn't hear him, but then again... I was otherwise preoccupied…" he added, biting his lip as he looked down at my own lips.
"You're an animal," I replied, smirking up at him.
"That may be true, but that doesn't mean you aren't insatiable." He had a point there. I kissed him once more, proving his point, before replying.
"Okay, despite that horrendously embarrassing moment, I do actually need to get ready for school. Did you bring things to change into or are you going home?" I asked, bending down quickly to get my sweater out of the drawer.
"I planned ahead," Adam replied, taking the ball of clothes in his hand and laying them out on my bed: a white henley, dark jeans, and his brown leather jacket. "But, do you mind if I take a shower here? Just to rinse off."
"Not if you don't mind me doing my makeup while you do," I answered, pulling my hair back into a ponytail so that I could wash my face. Adam followed me down the hall to the bathroom after I had double checked that Michael had actually left for work. "Michael has soap in there and whatever else you guys use." I pulled my makeup bag out for the drawer in the vanity as well as my face cleanser and began splashing water on my face.
It was as if this was our routine; the routine of a couple that shared an apartment as opposed to two high schoolers breaking the rules of the house…Except that I was the only one going through high school for the first time… and it wasn't like my father had set many of rules to begin with.
I was applying mascara when I heard the water shut off. While I hadn't been paying attention to Adam getting in, seeing as I had had my head in the sink, I was now fully aware that my boyfriend was naked. In my shower.
"Brynn, sweetheart, would you hand me a towel?" he said as I heard him shake the water out of his hair.
"Yeah, one sec." I put the mascara down on the counter, grabbed a fluffy white towel out of the linen cabinet and slid my hand into the shower until I felt the fabric leave my fingers. Adam thanked me and I went back to the mirror to finish my makeup, but just as I lifted the wand to my eyelashes, I noticed motion in my peripheral. There was my boyfriend, sliding open the shower curtain with the towel only loosely hung around his hips and his skin still glistening from the water droplets.
It was unfair that he got to look so incredible. My mouth was conveniently already hanging open due to my absolutely ridiculous mascara face, but I felt my jaw slacken slightly more as Adam readjusted the towel and I caught a millisecond long flash of what had previously been hidden beneath his black briefs.
Holy shit. Really? Okay. Wow. My thoughts were rapid fire as I cast my eyes back onto my own reflection in the mirror, pretending like I hadn't just seen Adam in all of his naked glory. It wasn't like this was the first time I had seen a guy naked before – hell, I had seen Connor naked a few times while we were dating. Sometimes when Adam and I had been kissing, I was aware of him pressed against me but Jesus Christ.
I felt myself blush just before Adam planted a kiss on my cheek.
"You look beautiful as always," he said, either oblivious to the fact that I had seen him in the mirror or pretending to be. He smiled before rubbing the small of my back. "Regardless of the weather or what your father says, I like these pajamas," a statement that he confirmed by allowing his hand to lightly smack my butt, to which I replied with a quick squeak and a smile.
And I was the insatiable one?
I returned from the bathroom just as Adam slid on his white shirt and mussed his hair up into its normally parted style. He smiled at me, a content smile, before sitting down on my bed to slide his feet into his tan desert boots. He really is too handsome for his own good, I mused as I put on my bra beneath my t-shirt. I watched him tie up his laces in the reflection of my mirror and got a mildly wicked thought. He had surprised me this morning already, so why not give him a little shock to the system?
I wiggled into the jeans that had previously been draped over my desk chair, tucking in the out-turned pockets, then decided to test my poor, blood and body thirsty boyfriend's resistance.
I never did say I made the best life decisions all the time.
I pulled the straps of my bra over my shoulders beneath my t-shirt, then proceeded to maneuver the band tee over my head. I tossed it over my desk chair and then strolled across the room to my dresser where my jewelry box rested, and pulled out a big, chunky necklace to wear with my sweater.
Adam had visibly stiffened in his place on the bed. His navy eyes were the only things that remained mobile as they watched me walk around the room. I swore I heard him take in a sharp breath but no more sound or movement came from him until I had slid on the sweater I had chosen for the day.
I reached for the necklace, but felt Adam's chest pressed up against my back, his hands engulfing mine in order to take the necklace from my hands. "Allow me," he offered, so I pulled my hair over my shoulder. I half-expected him to clasp the necklace right away, but I was pleasantly surprised, if not a little terrified, to feel his lips on my neck. "Either you know exactly the effect you have on me…" His nose ran up my skin. "Or you are blissfully unaware that you drive me crazy…" Adam whispered which immediately caused goosebumps to raise all over my body. It was as if his cold breath had reached the blood that coursed through my jugular. Maybe that had been the effect he had been looking for.
I imagined Adam being this close to me two months ago, when he flinched at my slightest touch. He had been hesitant to let me too close because he said that the closer I was, the more I overwhelmed him; he had explained again and again that it was like holding a glass of the finest whiskey beneath the nose of a recovering alcoholic. Then a month later, when we would sit on my couch talking for hours, he would hold my hands in his and press his forehead to mine, breathing deeply. Acclimating. During those times, I remained silent and allowed him to drink me in without puncturing any skin (always preferable).
He had always been the careful one, the one that withheld. Hell, the Adam that I had known two weeks previous to this moment would have never said those words, nor would he have his lips pressed to the very spot where my blood flowed but I wasn't mad about the new development.
I bit my lip, looking at him in the reflection of the mirror on top of my dresser. His eyes were dark as he returned the gaze, his fingers grazing over the tops of my arms. My father had every right to be concerned―his daughter was head over heels in love with danger incarnate, and shit did he make danger look drop dead sexy.
"I think the feeling is mutual," I replied, turning to give him a quick peck. "But we have school soon," was my regretful addition as I dipped out from where he had me pressed against the wood of my dresser, grabbed my school books and put them in my bag. I had to distract myself because otherwise Adam would have been able to have me in any way he liked. Adam groaned in response but put on his jacket regardless, taking a watch out of the pocket and sliding it on his wrist.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked, looking a little crestfallen but still eyeing me with his thirst-darkened eyes. I nodded, and as we went out the door, I grabbed an apple to eat on the go. I waited while Adam raced to his car and drove back to pick me up, and contemplated whether or not I should mention any of what happened this morning to Kristen and Anna. I was planning on calling Zoe and Mia that weekend to tell them, because they were fully aware of the fact that I had, in fact, hooked up with my boyfriend in the auditorium and wanted to know more, but Kristen and Anna were a different story.
Kristen would probably act enthused and giggle with me, but ever since Adam and I had officially started dating, Anna had been a little fickle with me, and I didn't want it getting out to the school that he and I were having nightly sleepovers and (unintentionally) seeing each other naked. The last thing we needed was for people to know anymore about our personal lives than necessary, especially since Adam and his family had quite the secret to keep.
As we drove towards the school, I fiddled with my nails, which were painted deep maroon. I was still mulling over whether or not I should tell the girls about the morning when Adam pulled me out of my trance.
"So, you know how you had mentioned that you had wanted to see what the sun did to me?" I looked up and met his gaze, which had returned to its usual cobalt color now that we were far removed from my bedroom. I nodded, and he continued talking. "Well the forecast says that it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, so I figured you could come to my house and I could show you." I was about to agree, when I stalled on the first part of his statement. Come to your house? I repeated the statement out loud, trying to take on a pleasant inflection, but I couldn't help the mild sense of terror that marred the words. "I mean, you haven't been there yet and I'd love to give you a tour...Also my parents really do want to meet you, Brynn," he explained. He tried on his most encouraging tone and added a smile for emphasis. Damn those pearly whites.
"Well, I mean…." I couldn't say no, because I simply couldn't put it off forever. I did want to meet them, because from what Adam had told me about them, James and Elizabeth were wonderful and I didn't want to seem rude...but here I was, this young girl who had fallen in love with their adopted son; a girl who was in no way as educated or graceful or perfect as Ella and Gwen were, and probably never would be. In the back of my mind, I was convinced that they would be disappointed because Adam hadn't fallen in love with someone who was like him, someone who had lived decades longer than I had. I wasn't a vampire. How could I ever impress them? But this was a fear that I would have to get over one way or another… Specifically in the next two days. "I mean, I guess that'd be fine… Great!" I corrected. "You did have to sit through a whole dinner with my dad."
"Yeah, so you owe me one," he teased with a smirk. I laughed and reached for the hand that was rested on his stick shift.
"Should I wear a ball gown with a high neck? Maybe a garlic necklace for protection?" I asked, squeezing his fingers.
"Ha-ha, very funny." Adam rolled his eyes but I could tell he cracked a smile. He had told me time and again that all of the things we were told about vampires in movies and shows were not even remotely true. Crosses and holy water were not going to save you; there was no way out.
As soon as we pulled into the parking lot of the school, Adam cut the engine and turned to me. "I promise, Brynn, my parents are going to love you as much as I do, and don't you ever doubt that," he said, leaning across to plant a kiss on my lips. I resisted the urge to delve my fingers into his hair and stay in his car for the rest of the day kissing those electric lips of his–it was probably in my better interest to get to class.
I bundled myself against the cold breeze that whipped across the courtyard and was glad that while Adam himself may have been cool to the touch, he tended to leave his jacket somewhere near the heater during the night. I was ready for winter to be over, but I also didn't want to race through time because soon it would be the end of the year and we'd graduate and then what? Where would we go? What would our lives become?
I stopped the questions buzzing around my head, because they were not pressing at the moment and instead kissed Adam goodbye as I walked into the classroom building, trying my best to withhold my content smile as I sat beside Anna.
"Can you stop being so ridiculously in love?" Anna asked while clasping her hands and making a goo-goo eyed face at me as I pulled out my notebook and the copy of The Bell Jar that we had been assigned. I shrugged while I flicked through the pages that I had made notes on.
"Maybe one day." In about a million years, I added mentally. "Did you do the reading last night?"
"No," she answered indignantly, since she rarely did the reading until the night before the paper was due, "but what has gotten into you two lately?" I turned my head with a raised eyebrow. "It just seems like a few weeks ago, you were holding hands like it was the fucking fifties and now you can't stay away from each other." I let out a short, nervous laugh and felt a blush creep across my face but didn't reply since the final bell rang and our teacher was more than prepared to discuss the book in my hands.
When the class ended, Anna and I walked through the hallways to her locker, where Kristen met with us. The shorter blonde groaned. "I swear to God, if Mrs. Fuller says the word 'L'Hôpital' one more time, I'm going to reach my limit," she said, rolling her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Anyway, what are you guys doing this weekend?"
"I think I'm supposed to go ice skating with Matt? Who knows but then he mentioned that he might have a party at his place since his parents are going away for the weekend. You guys should come," Anna proposed, checking her lip gloss in the mirror hanging in her locker. Kristen, who had been checking her phone, nodded.
"Yeah, Tom mentioned that. Brynn, you should come!" she suggested.
"Like she'd be able to keep herself from making out with her boyfriend for that long," Anna interjected before I could answer.
"Thanks, Anna," I replied, making a face at her. "I'd love to, but I'm supposed to be meeting Adam's parents this weekend. Maybe Adam and I could come after?"
"Wait, you're meeting his parents? Are you nervous?" Kristen wondered. Nervous? Oh no, I'm just meeting my boyfriend's centuries old parents that I am desperate to impress. No biggie, I thought. I swear I felt my eye twitch.
"I mean, I'm sure they'll be great. I honestly just want them to like me," I answered, playing with my necklace.
"I'm sure they will, Brynn. You're perfect in every way and it's obvious that Adam is crazy about you." Kristen had an innate ability to make you feel good about yourself. "You guys should definitely come though–I'd love to see Adam actually going to a party."
"What party am I going to?" I jumped at the sound of Adam's voice and turned to find him standing behind me. "Hey Kristen―Hey Anna," he added, smiling at the two of them before leaning down to peck my lips.
"Oh! Um, we were just talking about a thing that Matt's having at his place tomorrow," I told him, looking up as he put his arm around my shoulders. I hadn't really thought about it before, but before Adam and I had started dating, it was obvious that he had never really been a social butterfly, nor had the rest of his family. Ever since we had been together, however, we migrated from sitting alone at empty tables to sitting among the rest of my friends. We had earned some curious looks from both his siblings and the general populace of Forks High School, but now it was just a reality everyone had adjusted to. I was just glad to see that he wasn't being so much of a…. well, a vampire. "I was saying that I'm meeting your parents tomorrow so I wasn't sure if we'd be able to go."
"Well… if you wanted to go, I wouldn't mind at all," Adam replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Really?" I asked with a surprised tone.
"A party couldn't hurt anybody," he answered with a cheeky smile in my direction, making me raise my eyebrow. He knew well and good that a party could get you killed, but I obviously was not going to point this out in front of my friends.
Anna then said, "Perfect, then you two are coming. I'll let Matt know. Should I tell him to get you guys anything to drink?" I mustered enough strength to hold down a giggle at the thought of my boyfriend forcing down a beer.
"I'll just bring my own–how about you, love?" Adam asked me.
"Whatever you guys were going to get is fine with me. Just…don't get me gin. Had a bad experience last summer." It was now the rest of the group's turn to raise their eyebrows at me. "Neither gin nor tonic like my stomach very much. I'll leave it at that."
"Noted," Anna said just as the bell rang. "C'mon, Brynn, time to learn about 'lay hope-ee-tal' or whatever Kristen just said."
"Tell me about the gin story later," Adam whispered in my ear with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, right," I replied, giving him a kiss and receiving an almost unnoticed squeeze on the butt. "I love you," I added.
"I love you too. I'll see you at lunch." Adam pecked my lips once more and I turned to catch up with Anna and Kristen.
Throughout lunch that day, I absently picked at the sandwich Adam had slid in my direction after reiterating what a big breakfast he had had that morning. My friends continued to talk about Matt's party, which seemed to be turning into quite the production. Every time I paid enough attention to the conversation, they had thought of another person to invite and another round of booze that Matt's older brother, Jack, should pick up.
I was otherwise preoccupied by my own mental list of to-dos.
1. Write my Bell Jar essay by next Tuesday
2. Think of an outfit to meet Adam's parents in
3. Remember to lock the door before bed
4. Become a supermodel with the knowledge of a Harvard professor and an appreciation for the taste of blood so I can impress Adam's parents
5. Panic about the future
6. Stop aging?
7. Don't drink any gin
The pencil I had been twiddling in my fingers threatened to create a small fire before Adam's hand caught mine. I looked up from my planner to meet his eyes.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked in a quiet voice so that no one else at the table could hear him. Matt had finally started crunching numbers and they were making cuts to the metaphorical guest list.
"Yeah, I'm fine." It was a weak response, even if I had said it in my most cheery voice. "I just have a lot on my mind," I added, pulling my hair over one shoulder. Adam's forehead creased as he looked at me and I knew he was, as always, frustrated that he didn't know exactly what I was thinking.
"Brynn…" he scolded quietly, looking up at me through his long, pitch black eyelashes. He looked so handsome in that moment, I caught myself wanting to make an honest woman out of his eyebrows. His eyebrows. I shook my head, which served as a flippant response to Adam's wonder. I grasped at an explanation when his face turned exasperated.
"Latent embarrassment from this morning," I whispered. An actual blush crept up my cheeks, which I knew was always a favorite reaction of Adam's even if it burned his throat whenever his eyes were as dark as they were. He chuckled in response, lifting his hand to run the knuckle of his pointer finger along my cheek then to my chin.
"Oh, don't worry about that. Your dad is as concerned as any other father would be if someone that looked like me was in love with their daughter." His hand dropped so he could take my fingers in his and his voice became so hushed that I had to strain my ears to hear him. "When I was hiding this morning, I could hear how reluctant he was to even say anything. He was just as mortified as you were, but I think he may have just caught on to the…" His eyes dipped to look at my mouth. "The shift... in how we are around each other."
I was immediately reminded of a few nights earlier. Adam had come by after school to finish our homework like he usually did; afterwards, we had migrated to the couch to watch some Jeopardy, since I was always fascinated by Adam's ability to answer every single question without hesitation. While we watched, I snuggled up under Adam's arm, my hand rested on his stomach just beneath his shirt. His hand wandered up and down my back, occasionally catching my hair between his fingers then wandering further down to rest right on the curve of my hips.
The quietness of the routine began to lull me to sleep, and I even felt Adam's cheek rest on the top of my head as he released a contented sigh. While my locked mind often frustrated him, Adam had explained that sometimes he found himself focusing solely on the silence in order to quiet his mind.
He must have been doing just that because we both had been jolted from the position by a throat clearing from the other side of the room. We'd stayed an arm's length from each other for the rest of the night.
"What does he think about… the potential reality?" I asked quietly, my gaze flicking from Adam's eyes to his mouth, which twitched up at the side. He paused, looking for the right words (a rare occasion) while he scanned his eyes over the table around us. No one seemed to be paying attention.
"He thinks… Well, he thinks that he's never seen two people more enamoured with each other than the two of us. He was just struck by the… Energy we give off. Magnets was the word he thought of. He seems to think that's because things have gotten more physical." Adam's voice was veering near silent by the end of his sentence.
"I mean, he's not entirely wrong," I countered, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear with my free hand and biting my lower lip.
"That still doesn't mean that I don't wish there was a way to convince him that I've maintained his daughter's virtue, despite her attempts to undo me," he whispered back, leaning forward to peck my lips. I laughed, my brain wiping itself clear of my list for just a moment.
"Don't make yourself sound so innocent," I replied, nudging his shoulder with mine, though I effectively bounced right off him.
"Oh, could you guys quit it?" Anna's pointed statement pulled us both out of the moment. I jumped in my seat a little bit and blushed; Adam simply laughed and did his best to try on an embarrassed smile. I guessed my voice had been a bit louder than intended.
"Sorry," I answered, sneaking a smile at Adam again. Yeah, definitely not mentioning this morning, I thought as I popped a piece of sandwich into my mouth. Anna continued to squint at us before Matt decided to change the direction of the conversation.
"So, what time do you guys think you'll be able to make it over?" Matt asked. I was actually proud that he didn't skip a beat when speaking to the two of us; Matt and some of the other people who I sat with had struggled to find words the first few weeks that Adam began "eating" lunch with me. Kristen had been unfailingly friendly to make up for the lack of conversation, which made me love her all the more.
Before I could answer, Adam spoke, "I think my parents were going to make us dinner pretty early, so we probably wouldn't be too late. You said 10 o'clock, right?" If it had been other company, I would have made a joke about what our dinner was going to entail, but I kept my mouth shut.
Matt nodded. "Yeah, man, whenever works," he answered, downing the rest of his water bottle just as the bell rang. "Did you guys do the Chem homework by the way?" Matt added, shouldering his backpack as we all stood and started walking to our respective classes.
"Yes," Adam and I answered together. God, we really were being obnoxious.
"I got stuck on that seventh problem, can I see yours?" It was my turn to nod, pulling my bag over to my front and fishing the sheet out of its folder. The three of us continued down the hall, Adam explaining how we had gotten the right answer while I considered how just four months before this moment would have seemed utterly impossible.
. . .
"Brynn? Sweetheart?" My name was just a whisper, but that combined with delicate fingers running through my hair was enough to wake me the following morning. I whined quietly, curling on my side even more so that my face was pressed into the pillow beneath it. Adam laced his arm back around my waist and pulled me tighter against him, nestling his face against the back of my neck. "Honey, wake up," he whispered onto my skin.
"It's too early to be awake," I grumbled back, reaching for the hand that was around me and pulling it up to my lips so I could kiss Adam's knuckles. I wasn't being entirely ridiculous―when I managed to crack open one of my eyelids, the light outside my porch was just reaching a faded denim color, void of the sunshine that had been promised that day.
"I figured I should head out and get… breakfast worked out before you come over today," he explained, kissing the spot where his words had just passed over. I shivered in response.
"Or," I started, turning around so that I was facing him, "we could just not leave bed all day." I snuggled into his chest as I spoke and breathed in his comforting, evergreen scent.
"As pleasant as that sounds, my parents are expecting you to come by three o'clock," he reminded me. "And I haven't gone hunting in over a week." I whined again, my lips pouting as I looked back up at him. His eyes were rather dark; whether this was because of my proximity or because he was actually hungry was difficult to say, but I figured it was the latter.
"Oh-kay," I responded with a sleepy sigh before Adam gave me a kiss on the lips that he deepened after just a short moment. My fingers gripped his soft, navy t-shirt before gliding down to rest on the dip just above his perfect, boxer-brief clad butt. He pulled away just as my fingers teased under the band.
"Alright, alright; before I get carried away and actually stay here all day…" Adam pecked my lips once more before climbing out of bed. I watched as he flitted around the room, picking up his jeans and a navy and forest green flannel off my floor and putting them on at a surprisingly human pace.
I sat up and yawned as my arms reached for the ceiling. "What time is it?" I wondered groggily, reaching for my phone on the bedside table.
"Six o'clock," Adam responded before I even got a chance to unlock my screen. "You should go back to sleep―I can't get any shut-eye, but you need to." He slid on his jacket as he made the suggestion, adjusting the collar while he walked back to the bed. "I'll see at three?"
I nodded and stretched to kiss him, my hand reaching to touch his jaw. We both whispered a quick I love you before Adam kissed my forehead and made his way to my porch. He slid the door closed behind him, and with a quick smile in my direction, he hopped over the guardrail and disappeared from my sight.
A smile hung on my lips for only a moment before my face fell into sleepy concern. I pushed the heels of my palms into my eyes, rubbing away the sleep and hopefully the anxiety that had flooded them in the time between Adam leaping off my porch and my realization that I was finally meeting his parents that day.
Breathe so you can think, Brynn. My mom's voice was loud in my head as I pulled my legs off my bed and sat, staring at the beginnings of a bright morning. Not only would I get to see his home, I'd be seeing Adam in the sun that day.I considered if I would look at him any different afterwards, as if seeing him change would make his… condition all too real for me.
He'd still be Adam, I thought. He'd still be the compassionate, funny, charming guy that I had fallen very much in love with. I already knew he was a vampire, and that hadn't stopped me from wanting to be with him in the past three months. Curiosity was just getting the best of me now.
But curiosity killed the cat.
I lifted myself out of bed and padded down the hall to wash my face. Just as I rounded into the bathroom, yawning widely and stretching my arms in front of me, I ran smack into my dad.
"Oh!" I exclaimed, steadying myself on the doorframe just as he did the same with the side of the shower. He was wearing green flannel pajama bottoms and a gray t-shirt that showed signs of many teeth-brushings. He had the extra battery to his razor in hand.
"Oh, Brynn. What are you doing up this early on a Saturday?" he wondered, scratching the back of his black-haired head and yawning.
"I just couldn't sleep," I answered, which was the relative truth. "Do you have a meeting today?" We maneuvered around each other while he replied.
"No, actually. I've been dragged into joining some of the guys from the firm at Clarke's mountain house down in Greenwater. Do you remember Rob Clarke at all? You would have met him when I brought you to that one charity barbeque when you were… Oh, what... twelve? He has a son that's a few years older than you."
"Um… Yeah, I think so," I answered, though I couldn't put a face to the name. Twelve-year-old me, all gangly legs, freckles, and uncontrollable curly hair had been too focused on texting Mia about the most recent book we had read or counting down the days until I could return to Ocean City, where summer was in full force while Forks was as rainy as ever. I'd be willing to admit I was going through my bratty preteen phase then. "Well, that should be fun since you guys have been working so hard the last few months."
My dad shrugged. "I guess it should be. It's the four and a half hour drive that I'm not looking forward to. Getting to Seattle from here is bad enough as it is."
"You know you didn't need to choose Forks, right?" I dipped my head down to splash my face with the cold water that flowed from the faucet. "And you have John do the driving most days," I added while I pushed my face into a hand towel.
"I know, I know. If I were in my right mind, I would have moved to Seattle years ago. I just love this house too much," he answered, slapping the door frame twice as if to reassure the house that he wouldn't leave it any time soon. I was probably more relieved than the house was; no Forks would have meant no Adam. "Maybe once you leave for college..." Michael mused, rubbing his cheek sleepily before looking back up at me with the blue-gray eyes that had made their way to me through the gene pool. "Anyway, do you have plans for the weekend? I'm sorry that I'm leaving you here on your own again."
"Oh, no―Dad, it's completely fine. A-" I stopped myself before I could say, Adam will be here to keep me company. I chose to follow through with a more attractive truth. "Adam's parents invited me over for dinner tonight, so I'll be there most of this afternoon."
"Really? I'm sure it'll be a good night then― I've met them a couple of times through the loop. Nicest people you'll ever meet. Dr. Wood's wife could charm a rattlesnake." I nodded in response, taking his word for it, and made an affirmative sound.
"And then I think I'm going to hang out with Anna and Kristen later on." I chose to omit the fact that we would be together at a party with underage drinking, but what Michael didn't know wouldn't really hurt him. I was, in fact, usually the responsible one.
"Maybe you could stay at one of their houses, just so you're not alone for the night?" my dad suggested. I could almost read the underlying message in his words. Magnets.
"Yeah, that'd be a good idea. I'll ask them later," I responded, hoping that would make my father breathe a little easier over the weekend. While I had no expectations to speak of, it would be nice not to have Michael calling me every hour to make sure that I was still, in fact, a virgin. I am almost rolled my eyes at the thought.
"Good," Michael answered, slapping the door frame twice before pushing off it. "I should get this situation," he said, motioning to the small amount of scruff on his cheeks, "handled. I'll pop in before I head out."
Left in the bathroom on my own, my mirrored twin watched me with tired eyes as I let my hair down and ran a brush through the curls. I chose to be methodical with my routine that morning, since it helped me ease my nerves. I even followed the instructions on the back of my shampoo, applying them to my racing thoughts.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Out of the shower, about half a bottle of lotion aided my attempt to have skin as soft as Ella and Gwen's looked. Truth be told, I probably could have slid down the hallway with the amount of moisturizer on the bottom of my feet. I could almost hear Adam in my mind, scolding me for wanting soft legs when he would be the only one touching them.
Goosebumps speckled my arms at the thought of those strong hands of his tracing down my outer thighs while he reprimanded me. It was easy enough to imagine such a scene playing out that night, when we would get back from Matt's party and find ourselves in an empty house. An empty house, without any sound restrictions or sleeping fathers down the hall. The goosebumps disappeared under my skin and instead manifested themselves into a shiver down my spine. Would Adam allow for that kind of situation? Would he suggest the same thing Michael had? Or had he already known my dad was going away for the weekend?
I shook my head, trying to expel the thoughts before tugging a comb through my wet hair. One thing at a time, I reminded myself and continued down my list of to-do's.
As promised, my dad had popped in as he headed out, told me to call him later when I knew where I was staying, then wished me luck at the Woods'.
"Just be yourself, sweetie," he told me with a reassuring rub on the shoulder. It didn't help that being myself meant being aggressively human but I promised him I would.
Once again, I was left on my own; to fill the silence of an empty house, I put on some music and spent much of the morning dancing around to one song or another. I swung back and forth in front of my closet, scanning through the clothes while I sang along to Vampire Weekend. Ezra Koenig asked me to hold him in my everlasting arms as I tugged a black shirt off one of the hangers and held it up, examining myself in the mirror. "No," I sighed out loud to myself for about the fifth time before I crossed my arms over my chest. My eyes scanned once more before they caught a glimpse of color sticking out among the navys and blacks that populated my closet. I pulled out a steel blue blouse that, upon a reflected inspection, was nearly the same shade as my eyes. You look lovely in that color, Adam's voice told me as I pulled the top over my head.
I shuffled over to my jewelry box and pulled out one of Adam's Christmas gifts to me: an incredibly dainty necklace that had only a moonstone pendant no bigger than a dime hanging from it. The gem nestled itself just below the dip in my throat, which I had learned (without much surprise) was one of Adam's favorite spots. My fingers danced lightly over the necklace before running through the waves that fell around my back and shoulders.
I looked like the kind of girl the average parent would want their son to date: wide-eyed, rosy-cheeked and golden-haired. Had it not been for a particularly long lived awkward stage and my aversion to any kind of organized sport, I could have been a Golden Girl my entire life. It had only taken me moving to the country's rainiest city for people to catch onto that glimmer. Beneath the surface of those golden ideals, however, I had built up line after line of defense in order to prove that I was more than the role my sunny looks cast me in.
Connor's parents had been perfectly content with what I had put on the table, but I had to acknowledge the fact that who I was when I had just turned 16 was a far cry from who I was at this moment. A year and some odd months had meant that I been through my first (and perhaps the last) bout of puppy love, through my first break up (my heart clenched; again, hopefully the last); I had torn through book after book, reading up on my history, on the classics, reading and rereading that battered copy of Jitterbug Perfume and I had developed some sense of how I felt about life and death and immortality (a concept that made me shift in my place.)
I had to wonder if this defense would prove substantial enough when faced with Elizabeth and James Wood. I hadn't gotten the chance to ask Adam just how old the pair of them were, but I began to worry that I would come off as an inarticulate little girl when I spoke to a couple that I had to imagine had collectively lived over 400 years. I shivered.
I had to trust that Adam knew me well enough to think that I stood some kind of chance. He had to believe in me―Adam was, in fact, my biggest fan. I set my shoulders back like my mom had always reminded me to do as a child and looked back at my reflection. They're not going to bite you. I couldn't help but laugh.
I settled into the couch downstairs to hurry up and wait until it was time to head over to the Wood's house. My phone buzzed beside me at about 2:45 and just a millisecond after I saw the name on the screen, Adam's voice was filling my ear.
"A bit quick to the draw, aren't you?" he teased, a smile in his tone.
"We've spent too much time together―your lightning fast reflexes have rubbed off on me," I replied, making him laugh.
"It's never enough time with you, but if you wanted to get here by three o'clock, you should leave now. I'll text you the address, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you soon." I swallowed away the small, nervous lump in my throat. "Love you."
"I love you. See you in a bit―Drive safely." I pressed the end button on my phone, stood to pull on my boots then bustled into the kitchen to grab my keys off the counter. Purse in hand, I wrenched open the door and was greeted by one of the most unseasonably beautiful days I had ever seen while living in Forks. After weeks and weeks of blustery, cold winter weather, it took my eyes some time to adjust to the sunlight that glinted off the leaves that still clung to the evergreens outside of my house. If you had told me it was days away from February, I would have laughed in your face.
Conveniently, my sunglasses were in the same place I had left them on the last sunny day, which seemed a distant memory. The road was a winding pathway of glittering puddles and shiny, newer asphalt that looked as if it had absorbed all of the sun's yellow light. I dutifully followed the directions my phone chirped at me until they led me down a road I have never been on, which was shocking in a town as small as Forks. The trees surrounding the road were growing denser and denser until it seemed as though I had taken the wrong turn directly into the middle of the forest. To my relief, I caught a glimpse of a black mailbox with the numbers Adam had texted me painted on the side in a pretty silver paint.
My car was greeted by one of the longest driveways I had ever been down. It took nearly two full minutes to make my way up the path, which was just as densely flanked by trees. I could see the appeal of having a hidden house for people like the Woods.
I could also see the appeal of living in a house like that.
My mouth went a little slack as I pulled up beside Adam's Audi. It looked like one of those houses featured on the home improvement networks that I always found myself watching. It was much more modern than I would have imagined, since I had been picturing some kind of Victorian house all this time (maybe because Adam was Victorian aged himself). The house was made up of clean lines of dark metal, but the exterior was covered with warm wood and stone, interspersed with windows that gleamed in the afternoon sun. I counted three floors, the top of which being the smallest though it still would have comfortably fit the entire second story of my home.
Movement in the corner of my peripheral caught my attention and I watched as the door to the attached garage pulled up smoothly to reveal the backends of two cars. I took a steadying breath when Adam came into view, still under the cover of the garage's shadow, his hand raised in a wave. I could see how bright his eyes were from where I sat. Another quick breath before I cut my engine.
It's time to meet the parents.
