Ivy sat at a table at Piscary's, a large pepperoni pizza sitting in front of her. The large glass that had held the freshly squeezed orange juice sat empty beside the pizza. She was still hungry.
Kisten sauntered by, "Why so glum?" he asked, letting his fingers trail on the table.
Ivy shrugged, "I'm horrible at this," she told him.
"Horrible at what?" Kisten asked, sliding into the booth next to her. His familiar scent calmed her and she relaxed just a tiny bit. Ivy motioned to the empty glass in front of her. "Staying off blood," she said simply.
Kisten threw an arm over her shoulders casually. "Why are you even bothering?" he asked her, and she glared at him.
Kisten quickly removed his arm, "It's about that girl, isn't it?"
Ivy shut down, her eyes going distant.
Kisten pulled a piece of pizza from the pie in front of him and bit into it. The warm cheese stretched a ribbon from his lips to the piece in his hands, and if Ivy had been in another mood, she would have enjoyed the visual effect. But as it was, she was sitting in the booth thinking about the redheaded girl that had been her partner.
She knew that if she had a shot at Rachel, it would not include blood, and she had been trying her best to abstain from drinking blood in order to convince herself that she was capable.
"Why are you even into her?"
Kisten asked, interrupting her inner thoughts. She slid her gaze over to him, and he shrugged. "It's her innocence, isn't it?"
Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think it would be her innocence?"
Kisten shrugged and polished off the last morsel of crust from his piece of pizza. "She's innocent. She refuses to give her blood. It's driving you nuts. She'll give in, Ivy. Just pursue her."
Ivy shook her head. "I don't want her to give in, Kisten. I want her to come to the decision on her own."
Ivy reached out and picked up a piece of pizza and started munching on it.
"You love to tease yourself, don't you?" Kisten asked. "The more the pain, the better."
Ivy shrugged, refusing to reply.
Kisten stood up. "Whatever, love. You do what you want. Just don't expect me to follow in your footsteps. Giving up blood for a piece of ass. That's stupid."
Ivy watched as Kisten walked away.
But was it really?